Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 11
The only way to receive faith is from a knowledge of God’s word.
When God’s word came to Noah, it was to warn him (Genesis 6:13). All the people in the world had become very wicked, and God had issued a severe judgement against them. They all would die in a terrible flood.
Many people believe God’s word, but then they do nothing about it. That is not faith. When a person has faith, his actions are the result of his beliefs. His actions show that he is trusting God. That is what faith is: active belief and trust in God.
Because Noah believed God, he obeyed God’s instructions. So Noah built the great boat called the ark, to save himself and his family. It took many years to build that boat. Apart from God’s word, Noah had no evidence that a flood would happen. But Noah respected God, and he continued his task.
Then the flood came. And by means of it, God separated the people who had faith. He punished the wicked people, but he saved Noah and his family. And he established a relationship with them. After the flood, he made promises to them (Genesis 9:9-11). So their relationship with God depended on God’s promises. And they received it by faith. In other words, they received their relationship with God when they trusted God’s promises.
God saved Noah then, and he can save us now. Jesus said that there will be a similar event in the future (Matthew 24:37-41). God will punish people for their evil deeds. But he will save the people who have faith in him. They must believe what God has said. So they must trust Christ, who died for them.
Next part: The faith of Abraham (Hebrews 11:8)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.