By Faith Noah

Recently, I have been reading through the book of Genesis. In Genesis chapter 6, we are told that God, because of the great wickedness upon the earth, determined to destroy all of mankind.

Genesis 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Genesis 6:7 "And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."

We are then introduced to Noah.

Genesis 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."

The following verse (Genesis 6:9) tells us that 1) Noah was a just man; 2) that he was a perfect man in his generation; 3) and that he walked with God.

From there, God informs Noah of His plans and gives Noah instructions to build an ark "...to the saving of his house." (Hebrews 11:7)

At the end of Genesis chapter 6, we read these words:

Genesis 6:22 "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."

Hebrews chapter 11, the great hall of faith, records this:

Hebrews 11:7 "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

Noah believed God. Noah obeyed God.

Albert Barnes (1798-1870) wrote the following in his "Notes on the Whole Bible:"

It is not improbable that when Noah proclaimed the approaching destruction of the world by a deluge, the possibility of such an event was strongly denied by the philosophers of that age. The fact that such an event could have occurred has been denied by infidel philosophers in our own times, and attempts have been gravely made to show that the earth did not contain water enough to cover its surface to the height mentioned in the Scriptures, and that no condensation of the vapour in the atmosphere could produce such an effect. It is not improbable that some such arguments may have been used in the time of Noah, and it is morally certain that he could not meet those arguments by any philosophy of his own. There is no reason to think that he was endowed with such a knowledge of chemistry as to be able to show that such a thing was possible, or that he had such an acquaintance with the structure of the earth as to demonstrate that it contained within itself the elements of its own destruction. All that he could oppose to such speculations was the simple declaration of God; and the same thing is also true now in regard to the cavils and philosophical arguments of infidelity. Objections drawn from philosophy are often made against the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; the destruction of the earth by the agency of fire; and even the existence of the soul after death. These difficulties may be obviated partly by science; but the proof that these events will occur, does not depend on science. It is a matter of simple faith; and all that we can in fact oppose to these objections is the declaration of God. The result showed that Noah was not a fool or a fanatic in trusting to the word of God against the philosophy of his age; and the result will show the same of the Christian in his confiding in the truth of the divine declarations against the philosophy of his age.

It is probable that Noah was opposed by the worldly philosophers of his day who denied that 1) God would destroy the world and that 2) He would destroy it by way of a world-wide flood.

It is also probable that there was no way that Noah could refute their denial and criticism through any arguments or reasoning of his own.

Noah could only resort to God's Word and simple faith in God's Word. As Albert Barnes wrote, "It is a matter of simple faith."

The philosophers and religious individuals of our day actively deny the Word of God.

• They deny that there is a God.

• They deny that, if there is a God, that there is only one way to God.

• They deny that a loving God would ever send an individual to hell.

• And the list goes on!

Honestly, I am not a smart enough individual to be able to refute all the "arguments" of worldly philosophers and religious individuals. (And I'm ok with that.)

That doesn't mean, though, that our faith is unreasonable and cannot logically be defended. I certainly believe that our faith in God and God's Word is reasonable.

• It is reasonable, as we look at the world around us, to believe that there is a God.

• It is reasonable, then, to also believe that there is only one way to God just as there is only one answer to the problem, 2+2=4.

• It is also reasonable to be believer that, yes, a loving God does not send an individual to hell; it is, instead, their rejection of God that sends them to hell.

What I am stating, though, is that ultimately we stand simply upon our faith in God's Word and that when our faith in God's Word is tested, we must determine to hold on to our faith in God's Word.

Titus 1:9 "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."

Because of this, it is vitally important that we are students of God's Word.

2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

(Take a moment to also read 1 Timothy 4:13-16.)

I love what Albert Barnes wrote (which I highlighted above):

All that he could oppose to such speculations was the simple declaration of God;

We must know God's Word and then we must simply declare God's Word!

How well do you know God's Word? Are you taking time, each day, to read God's Word? Are you taking time, each day, with the Holy Spirit's help to understand God's Word?

If you don't know God's Word as well as you would like to, I would encourage you to take advantage of the one-on-one discipleship that South Charlotte Baptist Church offers and provides.

Then, as you become knowledgeable of God's Word you are going to be better equipped to declare God's Word to those with whom you come in contact with.

Recently, I was talking with Travis, an employee at a local Verizon store. We had the time and I was able to talk with him about his family, his occupation, and his religion before diving into the message - the Gospel message.

During our conversation, as he would ask questions or make statements of what he believed, I attempted to answer those questions by simply quoting Scripture. At one point Travis made this statement, "It's amazing how you are able to rattle off those Bible verses."

Travis didn't get saved and I wasn't able to "refute" all of the things that he believed but I was able to give him God's Word. And...

Hebrews 4:12 "...the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

As I have shared before...

If all you know is the Bible, just give them the Bible!