Noah: The Baptism of the World

The deluge was more than a flood. It was a “picture” of salvation and Baptism. As the old world was washed away by plentiful waters at the deluge, so the old man (his nature) is washed away at Baptism!
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Look at the analogy:

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Genesis 6:5 “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

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Mankind in general had become so wicked that there were few left who were righteous. Mankind thoughts only upon evil and that's where their hearts (desires) were. Does that sound familiar? It should because that's our contemporary society.

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(ESV All)

1.Matthew 24:37 “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38
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,”
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These are the last days. The “Son Of Man” is Jesus. Just as antediluvian man was sinful and devoted to pleasure, modern man is at the same spiritual level as our predecessors. Furthermore, it's not a corporate condition. Each person is accountable for their own sins. Society, nor the salvation of others, can save us. Whereas, Noah saved his family, he is a “picture” of Christ who will save you in this modern day.

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Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.”

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Noah was not Jesus! He was a mortal man as we are. He had a free will to sin or be righteous, just as each of us does. He chose godliness! Noah and his household were saved because of his righteousness. They not only avoided spiritual death by Baptism, but each member started anew... they were new men and women!

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Genesis 7:1 “Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.”

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Noah and his household were all saved because Noah was righteous. The fact that God saved the household was based on God's foreknowledge. He knew that once sin was removed from their eyes and they saw God work, that each would also choose righteousness. Paul reviews this event for us:

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Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.”

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How do we become righteous for Christ?

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Acts 16:31 “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

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Salvation is still personal. It's not enough that your parents believe, but you also must believe. Jesus saves each individual and by their righteousness their family will be saved. The father is the spiritual leader of the house and God gives the man the influence to build faith in the lives of his children. As Noah couldn't save his own children, God did because God knew they would respond. Likewise, when the parent is a Christian it increases the likelihood that the children will also be! Either way... one must be righteous (saved in the Covenant of Grace) in order to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Water, denoting purity, is the symbolic cleansing of the soul from sin.

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Romans 6:3 “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.“

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In the world of Noah it rained for forty days. The water was deep and as such it covered the whole earth! That's why from a symbolic standpoint Baptism by Total Immersion was God's plan! The earth was not just partially covered, it was submerged. All traces of sin were washed away. Only those save were the righteous. Likewise, when the believer (justified, made righteous) by the blood of Christ is baptized it's the same type of death suffered by the antediluvian world. As the primal evil was swept away by the flowing waters of the flood, our own sins which have been swept away by the blood of Christ are symbolically washed away by the water. Just as the earth was started anew from the flood, so are the Christian's lives!

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After the floodwaters cleared and mankind was put on a new earth, mankind was new:

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Genesis 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” “

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Noah and his household were saved from destruction, just as we are by our faith in Christ! God blessed the inhabitants of the new earth and told them to populate the earth, not with people of sin, but mankind with new hearts! After our own salvation what does God tell us to do? We are washed by water in Baptism, then we are told to go forth and tell the world. We are a new man in Christ and we're to tell others of the good news!

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As the flood cleansed the world for Noah's line and they became new men in righteousness, at our own Baptism we show the world that our desire is to put away the old sinful man and live a righteous life. As we die to the old when we're dipped, we're raised by faith in Christ's blood (symbolized by water), so that we, like Noah, “might walk in the newness of life”.

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Notice that “might walk” allows us the opportunity of walking with Christ. It's no guarantee that the individual will be Christlike, just as the salvation of Noah's household wasn't assured a sin free life. As we can see from the rest of scripture mankind was not “forced” to be righteous, but still had the freedom to decide his own destiny. Whereas many have left the faith over the ages, man is still allowed that freedom. However, we're not on our own!

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Genesis 9:11 “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

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Post-diluvian man had a promise just as we do. He didn't have to battle sin alone. God was with him and the sign of that was the rainbow. The rainbow is the sign of God's promise to man that he, not only saved mankind, but made a covenant with man. The agreement was sealed with the rainbow.

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Likewise, as a Christian, we are a covenant with Christ. God seals us! He's said that he would never leave us nor forsake us! We're not alone. God is with us! The invisible God we have with us is our comforter the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to be righteous. He reminds us of the “Light” we have as a result of salvation. (As always with seals, only two are authorized to break the seal... the king who sends the document and the recipient himself).

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Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

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Like the rainbow appearing in the light after the end of washing and the lifting of darkness, God gave us a spiritual light which is there after we're washed by the blood (signified by Baptism) and made a new man. That hope (signified in the days of old by the rainbow) is the Light which resides in us after the washing away of our sins!

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One note: As Noah wasn't saved by the water, it was by the grace of God. It's not the water which saves us, but faith in the vicarious death of Jesus! Redemption is only by the blood!

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Hebrews 9:22 “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

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Didn't God have a great plan? Do you think that the flood is just punishment for a disobedient people and that some were saved by a boat? God in his wisdom was showing mankind that we must be righteous. Noah couldn't save himself by faith only! He put his faith in action. He worked and built a boat. Likewise, God's grace saves us! However, we must do something. As Jesus stands at the door and knocks, we must open the door. The ark symbolizes that door! The ark is the saving grace of Christ. It is his gift of faith!

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Likewise, Noah sealed the ark with pitch. It wouldn't leak! Likewise, we are to put on the full armor of God so the contaminated waters of the world won't destroy us. We're to look at that rainbow (Light) and remember that the Light saved us. In doing so we are assured of our righteousness by the works we do. If we find ourselves falling into sin, the best thing to do is to remember that Jesus is the Light and we will do what Jesus would want us to do!

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(There are many other “pictures” of Jesus in the story of Noah. Look for them yourself!)