There is a teaching going around stating that Noah and his family were not saved by grace but by obedience to build the ark. They even go so far as to quote Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith” but the rest of the verse seems to be missing. The entire verse is,
“For BY GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:9-10 KJV)
Wow. Look all that they left out in stating that Noah was not saved by grace but by obedience. Now let us look at the English translated word FAITH in this verse in the Greek for a moment.
The Greek of the English translated word faith in this verse is not a verb; it is a noun. It is not an action word but is instead a person, place or thing. So in this context it is a thing. The Greek word for faith in this verse is ‘πίστις pístis, pis’-this’ from Strongs Concordance G3982 and it is defined simply as ‘assurance, belief, believe’. The word faith here is a noun and that is very important to understand!
It is not about what a person DOES, it is about what a person BELIEVES. So it is the same as saying “ For by grace are ye saved through BELIEF”. If our salvation rests on our obedience then we are EARNING our Salvation. And Apostle Paul is telling us that believing that is boasting. He goes on in verse 10 to show that we are ‘His workmanship, created in Christ’ which is an inward change in our Spirit that happens when we believe on Christ and HIS finished work on the cross. We see this inward change and how our Spirit is reborn by the very words of Jesus in John 3:5-6, 14-18, John 6:37-40. We also see Paul teaching this all over His writings such as in Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2 and 3, Romans 5 and 6 as just some examples.
If it is our obedience that saves us and makes us a righteous person, then we are boasting in our on efforts and that is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ Crucified. There is a fine line here between grace and obedience and if we do not see the truth a person can be deceived by someone teaching that Noah was saved by obedience and not grace. Why? Because it appeals to our Flesh.
The first time the word grace appears in the Bible is in the story of Noah in Genesis 6:8,
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. ” (Genesis 6:8 KJV)
The number 5 throughout the Bible signifies this grace. In fact, this is the 5th time Noah’s name is mentioned in the Bible. That is no coincidence! That is because it is all about God’s Grace. Noah surely had some major evidence of his belief and trust in God’s Grace though didn’t he! He believed the flood was coming because God told him directly and specifically when it would come. He was given exact dimensions and plans by God in how to create the Ark as well. Noah believed and so his obedience is evidence in how much he believed God. The obedience is not what saved Noah though. God’s grace saved Noah! It is something we can look at today as believers so we can trust that our efforts in helping others come to Christ for Salvation by telling others of the Gospel, are not in vain as well. Noah was mocked by those he told about the coming flood. Yet, he pressed forward in the warning to them. Can you imagine the people back them gossiping about this guy building a huge boat on dry land? “Crazy old fart” is what they would say. But he knew the truth by God’s Grace. And he pressed forward warning them and preaching to them as he built the Ark. And one day, a day appointed by God, Noah and his family went in the Ark and it is not Noah who closed and sealed them inside safe and sound. It was God who shut and sealed that door.
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and
THE LORD SHUT HIM IN.”
(Genesis 7:16 KJV)
God shut and sealed them safe inside that Ark. What a picture of our Salvation by God’s grace through faith/belief in Christ Jesus. Apostle Paul is clear so many times in his teachings which he received directly from the risen Christ. If obedience is required for Salvation what do we do with this verse?
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 KJV)
By one man’s disobedience many were MADE sinners. Why do we sin? Do we sin and therefore have a sinful nature? Or were we born with a sinful nature and therefore we sin? This verse answers that question right? The one man that first sinned was Adam and since Adman this thing, this noun called sin has been passed down to all of humankind. And by belief on Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, who paid for the sins of the whole world on that cross (1 John 2:2), we are born again in the Spirit, in our core nature and MADE RIGHTEOUS. It is not that we made ourselves righteous through obedience. In 2 Corinthians 5 we see a truth that should make us shout the good news. In verse 17-21 we read,
“17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW…21 For he hath made him TO BE SIN FOR US, who knew no sin; that we might BE MADE the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 and 21 KJV)
Let’s unfold this extremely powerful truth Apostle Paul is giving us to unpack. Let’s look at this in the Greek to see the real truth and meaning. The English translated word new is ‘καινός kainós, kahee-nos’ (Strong’s G2537) and is defined as ‘of uncertain affinity; new, especially in freshness’ . The English translated word creature is in the Greek, ‘ktisis ‘ and has a meaning of a word in English we use called ‘creation’. So Paul is telling us that when a person believe on Christ for righteousness they become a NEW CREATION in the Spirit. This is just as Jesus told Nicodemus about the need to be born again in the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God in John 3.
As we continue to verse 21 we see the truth that saves us. It is not by obedience but by belief in Christ and His finished work that we are saved. A divine exchange takes place for all who believe on Christ for righteousness. For all who lay down their outward dead works and instead have God recreate them in the Spirit; our core being. By imputation God placed all the sins of the whole world (includes your and mine!) onto Christ who had NO SIN and Jesus literally became sin for us and died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins in His shed blood as our substitute. Most Christians understand this. But the next part, is something many believers have not yet grasped. God also MADE US by imputation, the righteousness of God in Christ. When Jesus took our sin, He also gave us HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS which is perfect because He NEVER SINNED. This great exchange is seen in more detail in Colossians 2 where Apostle Paul tells us that all the Spirit Of Adam Sin Natures, of all who believe on Christ, were placed on the cross WITH Christ, died WITH Christ, were buried WITH Christ and already (past tense for us) ROSE again WITH Christ as the new Spirit of God which is IN CHRIST. Colossians 2, what an amazing truth it reveals along with 2 Corinthians 5!
Now I ask you, were we saved by obedience or did we come to God as sinners asking for mercy because there is no way to pay for our sins by our works and good deeds? Jesus paid it all! It is all by grace and belief in Christ. What a completely different picture this is than those falsely teaching that GRACE did not save Noah but obedience did.
Am I saying that obedience is not important?
No. Obedience to the truth is important. Living Godly lives and loving others as God loves us is very important. But what saved Noah and his family? Grace or obedience or both? The Grace of God! Just as in James 2, works do matter but they do not save nor keep us saved. James is talking about how a person is living outwardly since being changed in our Spirit. He is talking about the fact that we have been born again and so how are we living outwardly? Are we helping others or just living in carnality? Such a faith is DEAD, meaning useless in Greek, because it does not help others does it? Obedience does matter. Yes of course it does. Once we are changed in the Spirit, we should be ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5) and loving others as Christ has loved us. By this love we share, by this ‘little light of mine’, which God MADE us, we become witnesses to others by our living and by our words.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. “ (Matthew 5:16 KJV)
Learn from Noah. Saved by grace and working for God, as Paul did as well, as ambassadors for God and Christ. You have been given much in your Salvation. Eternal life. And so many riches we do not even yet comprehend my sisters and brothers in Christ. Now, we need to go and tell others the GOOD NEWS of The Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ Crucified, Died And Risen.
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 20 KJV)
