1. Saving Faith requires FEAR
Does having faith for salvation mean living without fear? Or does such faith require fear? Deceiving pastors teach faith and fear as enemies that battle. They say it is faith versus fear—as one wins, the other loses. But the Bible teaches faith that moves us with fear to obey God, so that we might be saved. Hebrews 11 is known as the Bible’s Hall of fame of Old Testament faith heroes. This chapter gives Noah as an example of what it means to be saved by faith. Noah’s God-approved faith includes fear. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” By faith Noah was moved with fear. Moved with fear to do what? To obey God’s command of what he must do to be saved. So also, Christians with true faith will be moved with fear. Moved by fear to do what? To obey Jesus’s commandments of what we must do for our soul’s eternal salvation.
2. NEW Testament is for HEAVEN; OLD Testament is Shadow
Jesus said there is no value in gaining the whole world if you lose your own soul. In the New Testament, He preached the gospel of what we must do to get Heaven. When directly asked what to do to gain eternal life, Jesus replied obey the commandments of God. Matthew 19:16-17 says, “…one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he [Jesus] said unto him, … if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” If you desire Heaven, salvation of your soul, spiritual blessings, then the New Testament is the necessary Word of God. The Old Testament is a shadow of heavenly things—it gives an indirect, partial view of spiritual matters. God’s righteous principle is if you obey Him, He will bless you, and if you disobey Him, He will curse you. In the Old Testament, God’s blessing was seen as earthly protection and salvation, and His curse was seen as earthly destruction and death. Select key Old Testament examples are given in the New Testament as a warning for eternal salvation or eternal condemnation. The life of Noah and his saving faith is such an example.
3. Noah was JUST & PERFECT in God’s sight
God decided to flood the world and destroy all life from the face of the earth that He created, because the people were evil and disobeyed Him. But Noah was an exception in his generation—he was a righteous man who lived in obedience to God. Genesis 6:5-9 says, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;… But …Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Lying pastors say it is impossible for anyone to live without sin, but God’s Word says Noah was a “just man and perfect in his generations.” Do not believe the Devil’s lie that no one can or will live without sin. “Noah walked with God” means he obeyed God in his life. So, God made a covenant with Noah to save his household.
4. Noah’s Righteousness was obeying ALL God commanded, so He was Saved
God commands him to build an ark, and gives specific instruction on how to build it to save his family and animal species. Genesis 6:13-18 says, “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.” To perfectly obey God’s commandment to build such an ark would require persistent, hard work over an extended period of time, perhaps years. What did Noah do? Genesis 6:22 says, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” Noah obeyed God; he diligently did all the things God commanded him to do. This is the faith required for salvation. Because of his true faith proven with works of obedience, God says Noah is righteous in His sight. Genesis 7:1 says, “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” Because of his obedience, God declares Noah a righteous man and tells him to board the ark. So, Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark were saved from the flood and death.
5. Faith is believing God is Real AND Rewarder of Obedient
Noah’s faith was not confidently declaring he is saved while disobeying God. Noah’s faith was not following some of God’s instructions on how to build the ark, and thinking as long as he gave partial obedience God’s mercy would fill the gap to save him. Noah’s faith was not wishing and praying God’s love would miraculously save him from the flood. Noah’s saving faith was moving with fear to obey all God commanded him to do. Do you have this saving faith? Noah’s true faith has 2 parts—one, believing God is real and, two, believing God will make good on His Word to bless those who diligently obey Him and curse those who disobey Him. Hebrews 11:6-7 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Noah’s faith had both required parts— believing God is real and believing God’s promise to reward those who sincerely seek Him. And the only way to seek God is to obey Him. When God warned Noah that He will bring floods causing destruction and death in the world, Noah responded with obedient reverential fear without seeing evidence of those flooding rains. Genesis 7:4-5 says, “…I [God] will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.”
6. Faith for Eternal Salvation requires Obeying Lord Jesus
In the New Testament, Jesus warns of eternal death and destruction using the analogy of flooding rains, and the key for salvation is obeying Him. Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven....Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Jesus spoke in parables when teaching mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. In this parable of the wise and foolish builders, there is no assurance of salvation outside of obeying Lord Jesus. Deceiving pastors give shortcuts to avoid hell. They preach faith founded on the rock is believing in Jesus’s work on the cross. But Jesus preached building on the rock is obedience to his commandments—only doing what He said allows escape of such great damnation and destruction.
7. Fear God’s power to cast Disobedient to HELL
God warned Noah of a coming destructive flood not yet seen. Jesus warns of the never-ending torment of hell fire that is not yet seen. Jesus said have faith in God, but He also said fear God. Why? Because it is God who will cast the disobedient into Hell. In Luke 5:5 Jesus said, “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” Jesus preaches fear of God so that we will be moved to obey Him to escape being cast into Hell. Pastors who are servants of Satan preach a fake faith where you need not fear God even as you continue in sin, instead you simply believe you are saved. Churchgoers who profess this dead faith without fear are worse than devils, because even the devils know the God the Creator is real and fear Him. James 2:19-20 says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” This scripture says sinning Christians who simply believe there is one God are useless because their faith is a dead faith. True living faith will have evidence with works of righteousness and holiness. Most pastors are worse than devils because they encourage sinning people to not fear God. Even devils know God is real and tremble.
8. Saving Faith requires WORKING to OBEY with Fear & Trembling
Faith in God for eternal salvation is being moved with fear to obey the commandments of Jesus. Philippians 2:2 says, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” God’s Word teaches a faith that moves us with fear and trembling to work out our own salvation by obeying Jesus. God the Creator is the most righteous Judge—He will curse and destroy those who disobey Him, He will bless and save those who obey Him. 2 Peter 2:4-5 says, “…God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;…” God has no partiality or bias when judging those He created. The angels who sinned against Him were not spared but cast down to Hell. The people of Noah’s generation who sinned against Him were not spared but destroyed. Churchgoing Christians who continue in sin against God with dead faith will not be spared but condemned to Hellfire. May these warnings give you living faith that moves you with fear to strive to enter into eternal life by obeying Lord Jesus. May God bless you.