17 JUNE GENESIS 6

Jesus, Your Ark of Salvation

As humanity multiplied on the earth, sin increased in equal measure. The world became corrupt and filled with violence, grieving the heart of God. Yet, amid the darkness, one man stood out, Noah.

Genesis 6:6–8 (NIV) "The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created, and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground, for I regret that I have made them.’ But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord."

Here, God's sorrow reflects not regret in the human sense, but deep grief over the sin and rebellion of mankind. Judgment was imminent, but so was mercy. Noah found favour with God, not because he was perfect, but because he believed. God’s declaration to Noah is powerful and introduces a key theological concept; righteousness.

Genesis 7:1 (NIV) "The Lord then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.’" This is the first time the word righteous appears in Scripture. It points not only to Noah’s faith, but also to the idea that faith leads to obedience, which leads to salvation. Peter echoes this in his letter to the early church:

2 Peter 2:5 (NIV) "If He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;"

The earth was filled with corruption, but God gave Noah instructions to build an ark—a vessel of preservation amidst coming destruction. The ark becomes a powerful symbol, pointing directly to Jesus Christ.

God said to Noah: “Build the ark.” It was God's provision of rescue. Likewise, Christ is our Ark. He alone is our salvation from judgment. Jesus affirms this promise:

John 10:9 (ESV) "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." Just as Noah had to believe God's word and enter the ark, we must enter into Christ by faith. There is no other way to be saved. Noah trusted God’s word and acted on it. Through his obedience, his family was saved, not because of the ark itself, but because it was God's chosen way of salvation.

Peter expands on this symbolism, connecting the ark with baptism, and salvation through Christ:

1 Peter 3:18–21 (NIV) "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolises baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The ark carried Noah through the flood. Christ carries us through the wrath of God. In Him, we find shelter, redemption, and new life.

The most important question this passage provokes is this: Are you in the ark? Have you entered Christ by faith? Let today be the day you step into the Ark of Salvation.