A primary tenant of Christianity is that we receive salvation by faith and not by our works. Ephesians 2:8 & 9 makes that very clear: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith . . . not by works.” But works do play a significant role in the Christians life. While we don’t work to gain our salvation, we are saved to do good works.

On our tour through the Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11, this Sunday we look at the life of Noah. Hebrews 11 only devotes verse 7 to his life, but that one verse is a powerful commentary on the historical record of his life in Genesis 6-9. Noah is a great example of how genuine faith in God is validated by an active work for the glory of God. Noah devoted over 100 years of his life working in obedience to God building the Ark. His work was an act of faith! What Noah did was the equivalent of building an ocean liner in the middle of Kansas. It didn’t make sense to most people and Noah faced a lot of ridicule for doing this. But that didn’t stop him because he believed God’s word to be true. 

We are called to obey God in some ways that are counter to the trends of our current culture. Following God doesn’t always make sense to the world around us and we at times may face ridicule. Noah and his family were saved from God’s judgement in the flood because he acted in faith to God’s Word. If you have become a Christian by faith in God’s redemptive work through Christ, good works should follow. And like Noah, when you are active in the work of God, lives will be saved from the coming judgement. Join me this Sunday for a fascinating look into the life, faith and work of Noah to see how we can be like this hero of the faith.