By Johnie Edwards
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they mayhave the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14).
The apostle Peter said, “… the ark, wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us . . . by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:20-21). Let’s take a look at what it means to saved like Noah.
Saved By Grace
Just as “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8), “For by grace are ye saved” (Eph. 2:8). As Noah found God’s favor and was saved from the waters of the flood, so it is by God’s favor that we can be saved from our sins. It is not by grace alone, or anything else alone, but a number of things work together to bring about our salvation. Noah was saved by grace, but not by grace alone and neither are we.
Saved by Faith
Noah was saved by faith. The Hebrew writer stated, “By faith Noah . . . prepared an ark in the saving of his house” (Heb. 11:7). We, as was Noah, are saved by faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is” (Heb. 11:6). Unbelievers were told to, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Every case of conversion in the New Testament, was that of believers. In fact, one must believe in order to have the right to be saved (Jn. 1:11-12). At the point of faith, one may exercise his right to be saved or stay lost! True, we are saved by faith but “not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24).
Water And Baptism
The waters of the flood kept the ark afloat, so the Bible says, “eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:21). The Bible does not teach that we are saved by water, but it does say, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:21). You see, the word baptism does not mean water. It means immersion. Baptism is an act of obedience, commanded by the Lord. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16).
Obedience Saves
Just as Noah was saved because, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he” (Gen. 6:22); we are also saved by obeying the Lord. For Jesus is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). At the very outset, God demanded obedience from man. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). A failure to obey brings about the penalty of death. The book of Revelation closes with the demand for obedience. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14). It takes the same things to save us today that it took to save Noah in his day.
Have you been saved like Noah? You can be!
Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 6, p. 7
March 17, 1994