Faith Enduring Judgment
Hebrews 11:7 | Genesis 6:8-14, 17-22
Main Idea: Faith believes God while living in a sinful world, so we are saved from the coming judgment.
I. Faith That Believes (11:7a)
Noah had faith in “events as yet unseen” because:
He had found “favor” (lit. ‘grace’) with God (Gen. 6:8)
He “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9) in daily communion & relationship
He had a “reverent fear” of the Lord, an “inner faith” that led to obedience
“Notice, first, that Noah believed in God in his ordinary life. Before the great test came, before he heard the oracle from the secret place, Noah believed in God. We know that he did, for we read that he walked with God… It is a great thing to have faith in the presence of a terrible trial; but the first essential is to have faith for ordinary every-day consumption… Faith will not come to you all of a sudden, in the dark night, if you have shut it out through all the bright days. Faith must be a constant tenant, not an occasional guest.” ~ Charles Spurgeon
Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
II. Faith That Condemns (11:7b)
Noah’s faith, seen in constructing the ark, “condemned the world” because it set him against the status-quo, pronouncing judgment upon it. Noah is a “herald of righteousness” (cf. 2 Pet. 2:5) in building the ark, pointing people to their hope to survive the judgment to come.
We struggle with this “condemning” for a few reasons:
Fear of man (cf. Gal. 1:10)
“The people of the world did not tremble till the waters began to rise, but Noah trembled when God did but speak.” ~ Thomas Manton
We downplay and minimize sin & sinfulness (cf. Gen. 6:5); The flood was an act of God to simultaneously bring about death & cleansing (renewal) of the entire created order due to the wickedness of humanity
Judgment is often delayed
Matthew 24:37–39: For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
2 Peter 3:3–9:“ ... knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
III. Faith That Saves (11:7c)
Hebrews 11:7 gives us two pictures from Noah’s story of what it means to be saved by faith:
1. The Ark: Just as Noah was saved from the waters of judgment by finding refuge in the ark, we too are called to find refuge in Jesus, who bears the judgment of God in our place
The NT frequently connects the flood to baptism (cf. 1 Pet. 3:18-22), because it pictures this same pattern of death and cleansing. Jesus’ baptism was not for his own sin (since he is sinless), but instead an identification with the judgment of the world, his victory over the grave offering new life.
Colossians 2:12: “… having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
2. “Heir of Righteousness”
An “heir” is in this position not because of their own abilities but because of their relationship to the one guaranteeing the inheritance. Being in Christ makes you an “heir of righteousness,” a gift that comes from the accomplished work of Jesus on our behalf to be received by faith.
