By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:7 NET
What is biblical faith? The eleventh chapter of Hebrews answers that question. First, it provides a dictionary-type definition (Heb. 1:1, 6). Then, it offers a series of examples of faith in action.
One of these examples of faith is Noah. Noah was warned of something not yet seen. It was something outside his experience and one hundred years in the future. God was going to destroy life on the earth with a massive flood. And He wanted Noah to build a giant boat that would enable Noah, his family, and a large menagerie of animals to ride out the flood.
By today’s standards, the boat Noah was to build was not particularly large for a ship. But for Noah, it would be a massive undertaking. Not to mention how he would get it to the water. How would he get all the animals collected and onboard? And how he would be able to collect enough food for his family and the zoo?
Because of His Faith
It would have been very easy for Noah to decline, but he did not. He had faith that what God had told him would come to pass. Because of his faith, he spent a hundred years building and outfitting a giant boat in his backyard, enduring the taunts of his neighbors, and then experiencing God’s salvation when He judged the world.
It was through faith that Noah became an heir of righteousness–experiencing the salvation of the righteous. And, through faith, Noah condemned his generation. This was not an active condemnation on Noah’s part. But his life of faith, by its very nature, illustrated the unrighteousness of the world around him and served to condemn them.
Few today are called to spend one hundred years building a giant boat to survive a flood. But all of us, as believers and disciples of the Lord Jesus, are called to live by faith–a faith that, like Noah’s, responds in obedience to God. And when we obey, we become heirs of righteousness and condemn the world around us.
