Session 1: The Water

Session Overview

Creedal Statement

Key Elements

• Key Passage: Genesis 6:1–9:17
• Scripture Memory: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16
• Catechism: Q: Upon what foundation does Christian baptism rest? A: Salvation.

Introduction

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water. And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge off a clear conscience toward God—through the meresurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him. 1 Peter 3:18–22

Baptism signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily sorrow and repentance, be drowned and die, with all sins and evil lusts. The old heart is no more to rule in us and again a new man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever. Martin Luther, Smaller Catechism

Christians best express their devotion to Christ out of gratitude for God’s saving work in their lives. The Christian faith is not based on human merit, personal self-commendation, moral performance, or any contrived means of endearing ourselves to a cosmic being. Contrary to a twisted view of worship that seeks to earn God’s favor, the truth of the gospel announces sinful humanity’s unworthiness before a holy God. Instead of a religion of merit, Christianity is a faith based on God’s gracious rescue and merciful redemption. It declares God’s grand rescue plan to liberate fallen humans from eternal punishment through his loving work of salvation. In sum, Christian devotion is a grateful response to God’s saving work in the lives of undeserving sinners. Knowing we can never repay God for his gracious salvation, we offer and dedicate our lives to his service out of a thankful heart. Now liberated in Christ, our reverent and joyous response is a life fully yielded to God.

Water baptism, a practice of immersing professing Christians under water, is a rite of initiation that symbolizes a believer’s faith in Christ and inaugurates their participation in the church community. Water is an important symbol for the Christian faith. Through water baptism, we announce God’s saving work in our lives and confess our devotion to Christ. Believers express their devotion to Christ in baptism because they have expressed sincere faith in Christ and repentance from sin. Consequently, the rite of Christian baptism is a means to renounce our former lives of indulgence in sin and to aspire to a life pleasing to God. Inasmuch as the waters of baptism announce an end to our old lives, it also marks our new lives in Jesus as fully devoted Christ followers.

Recorded in Genesis 6:1–9:17, the true story of Noah and the flood is of monumental importance to the Christian faith as it relates to Christian devotion and baptism. Foreshadowing an eschatological (i.e., at the end of time) judgment, it recounts how human depravity must inevitably face divine judgment. While all creation is plagued by human sinfulness, God offers his gracious salvation to those who pledge their faithfulness to him. As Noah (along with his family and selected animals) escaped the judgment of the flood by taking safety in the ark, so Christians obtain salvation by faith in Christ. Saved through the floodwaters, Noah (also with his family and animals) eventually exited the ark, made an offering to God, and entered into the world as the beginning of a new creation and under the coverage of a divinely promised covenant.

As much as this biblical narrative recounts foundational events in God’s redemptive work, Noah’s story also highlights fundamentals of the Christian faith. In particular, Noah’s story is understood as a figure (or type) of Christian baptism. Although Christian baptism would not be instituted for thousands of years in the future, Noah and his family passed through the waters in the safety of the ark, as Christians pass through the waters of baptism after saving faith in Christ. While this story foreshadows Christian baptism, it also serves as an epic story of the Christian faith, which highlights key aspects of the church’s worship and devotion in Christian practice. As we explore this story—a principal narrative for Christian devotion—we convene a conversation about the nature of Christian baptism and Christian devotion practiced in the Christian community.

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: Christian disciples ground themselves in God’s inspired word. In this movement, you will study the details of the biblical text in order to accurately understand what God’s word says.

Observation Questions

Read (or listen to) the whole passage of Scripture. Discuss the questions below for each section of the story. Pay attention to the details of the text to recall what the passage is saying. Use the focus verses to guide your conversation.

Storycraft

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: We grow as Christ’s disciples when we root our lives in the truth. In this movement, you will explore the important teachings of this biblical passage.

Discussion Questions

Have someone in your community share their summary of the biblical story. As a community, discuss the following questions together.

Biblical Commentary

Read the following commentary of the biblical passage. Use this explanation to help gain a better understanding of the biblical narrative and important biblical principles that the passage teaches.

Passage Introduction

Key Idea

Baptism initiates believers into the community of faith, announcing their faith in God’s saving work.

Passage Overview

The narrative of Noah and the flood highlights core aspects of being devoted to God. In this story, we are invited to renounce the life of sin and the wickedness of surrounding culture. We are to receive God’s gracious favor in faithful commitment to God, taking protective haven in God’s salvation. Our devotion to God is a grateful response for having escaped divine condemnation and judgment. Having come to new life in Christ, we consecrate ourselves to God’s service and take part in God’s new creation work. The whole life of a fully devoted disciple involves being in a covenant relationship with God. Highlighting key aspects of Christian baptism and underscoring the nature of Christian devotion, this narrative invites us to build our devotion on God’s saving work on our behalf. This narrative also invites us to warn others of pending judgment and God’s free offer of salvation. We can measure our devotion to God by our willingness to announce his message of certain judgment and gracious salvation to the surrounding world. As you study this biblical account, use the following commentary as a means to help you grasp how these true events foreshadow the Christian rite of baptism.

Passage Outline

1. Wickedness of Humanity Genesis 6:1–7
2. Faithfulness of Noah Genesis 6:8–12
3. Instructions to Build the Ark Genesis 6:13–22
4. The Coming of the floodwaters Genesis 7:1–24
5. Waters Receed Genesis 8:1–12
6. Exiting the Ark and Worshiping God Genesis 8:13–22
7. God Establishes His Covenant with Noah Genesis 9:1–17

Through the Waters

As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37–39

Noah alone remained secure, because he had embraced, by faith, the word in which salvation was contained … These two things, directly opposed to each other, he connects together; that the whole human race was destroyed, but that Noah and his family safely escaped. Hence, we learn how profitable it was for Noah, disregarding the world, to obey God alone, which Moses states, not so much for the sake of praising the man, as for that of inviting us to imitate his example. John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis

Introduction

Only when people come to understand their desperate need before a holy God can they apprehend the glorious invitation of salvation in Christ. This humble posture—a sense of lowliness and sinfulness—allows us to recognize God’s grace in all its grandeur as he offers forgiveness to all who would accept his gracious offer in faith. The most devoted to God are those who regularly remember how much God’s saving work has transformed their lives. For Christians, genuine devotion is a grateful response to God’s saving work. The faith and commitment of thankful disciples are expressed in Christian baptism. Early in the Scriptures, God’s word tells the story of Noah and the flood, which foreshadows this Christian rite of initiation and teaches us about the nature of Christian devotion.

In Genesis 6:1–9:17, the story of Noah and the flood highlights the depravity of the human race, the offer of divine grace, the certainty of God’s judgment, the invitation of merciful salvation, the call to full consecration, and the joy of covenantal fellowship. In short, this narrative recounts in miniature God’s grand redemptive work across the ages, retelling the story of how one man of faith and his family experienced God’s rescue. In this story are the basic realities of the gospel: sin, judgment, faith, salvation, consecration, and covenant. As the story unfolds, these realities are held in tension: judgment and salvation, divine wrath and gracious redemption, global devastation and new creation. Contained therein, water is a symbol by which God will accomplish his divine purposes. As it foreshadows baptism, this story emphasizes God’s key elements of God’s saving work in the world.

The biblical account of the flood is one of the most well-known stories of Scripture. Although many are familiar with the general details of the story, they may be less familiar with its theological and practical teaching. The events in the life of Noah and the flood not only represent a landmark event in human history and a significant milestone in redemptive history, but they also provide insight into the nature of God’s saving work across the ages. The time-bound events that uniquely occurred in Noah’s day offer timeless teaching about redemption and Christian worship. Noah’s story foreshadows as much as it chronicles. It offers an account of how Noah trusted, obeyed, and worshiped God as a faithful servant. It also upholds his life as an example for us to follow. Moreover, it anticipates the Christian rite of baptism. As we study this story, may our own hearts and minds be ready to receive God’s invitation to the life of worship and devotion.

Great Wickedness on Earth: Humanity as an Embodiment of Depravity

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 6:1–13)

Around the time of Noah, humans were extremely wicked. As humans multiplied throughout the earth (6:1), certain “sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful” (6:2). These “sons of God” could be a possible reference to angels, powerful human kings, or a specific lineage of human descendants. Whatever their identity, the activity mentioned in these verses represents behavior against God’s holy and righteous standards. In a way that violated God’s ways and human dignity, the sons of God “took as wives whomever they chose” (6:2). As a result of these unions, children were born who became “mighty men of old, men of renown” (6:4). To highlight the primitiveness and gravity of human rebellion, the narrative records that “the Nephilim [possibly giants] were on the earth in those days” (6:4).

In response to human depravity, God limited the span of human life to 120 years (6:3). Not only was human activity wicked, but “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time” (6:5). So wicked was humanity that “the earth was corrupt in the sight of God” (6:11; cf. 6:12) and the earth was “full of violence” (6:11; cf. 6:13). So depraved was humanity during Noah’s day that Jesus would use the Noah story to describe a depraved people unaware of future judgment (cf. Matthew 24:37–39). Consequently, God was grieved over this wickedness: he “regretted that He had made man on the earth” (6:6) and he “grieved that [he had] made them” (6:7). As a result, God promised that he would “blot out” all the living things on the earth—“every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air” (6:7). With a powerful act of judgment, God would destroy the living things that he created, making an “end of all living creatures” (6:13) because of human rebellion, wickedness, evil, corruption, and violence.

Biblical Principles (see also Romans 3:1–11; Ephesians 2:1–10; Titus 3:1–7)

Human Depravity. In this passage, humanity’s sinful condition is described as wickedness (6:5), evil (6:5; 8:21), corruption (6:11–12), and violence (6:11, 13). Human sin was sensual (6:1–2, 4) and destructive (6:11–13). It manifested itself in brazen disobedience (6:2, 4, 12–13), evil intentions of the heart (6:5), and corrupt character (6:11). The severity of this condition is depicted with far-reaching terms. Human depravity was severe and serious: “the wickedness of man was great” (6:5). The effects of sin were total and comprehensive: “every inclination … was altogether evil all the time” (6:5). It was also widespread across all of humanity: “the earth is full of violence” (6:13; cf. 6:11–12). Human sin was both an offense against God (6:6–7) and a violation of humanity (6:1–2, 4, 11, 13). Sin had infected the whole human race at such a depth that all creation was on a collision course with God’s righteous judgment.

Noah’s story highlights the depth, breadth, and severity of human depravity. In the ancient world as in the world today, sin is a great impediment to the life of worship. Introduced into creation when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin estranges humans from God and brings devastation to God’s creation. Rebellious in satisfying our own appetites, wayward in defying God’s commands, prideful in exaggerating our own importance, evil in our thoughts and intentions, perverse in corrupting God’s good creation, and violent in harming fellow mankind, humanity is infected with a disastrous, sinful condition. These devastating effects of this sinful condition are put on full display in this opening section of Noah’s story. God’s good world—a world created to enjoy God’s presence and bring him glory—is dilapidated and decaying. Precisely because humanity did not fully devote itself to God at the beginning, all of creation fell from its blessed state with increasing disrepair.

Rejection, Repentance, and Renunciation of Sin. Human depravity precipitates a divine response. Wickedness will be answered by righteousness. Evil must answer before holiness. Godliness will contend against corruption. Since God is all-knowing, he is aware of every human act and intention of the heart. At a cosmic and personal level, the theatre of human history plays out before God’s ever-watching eye—human conduct unfolds “in the sight of God” (6:11; cf. 6:5, 8, 12). God sees every human deed and will bring it into righteous judgment. God seeing human behavior and perceiving human intention is a testimony to his full knowledge and holy evaluation of humanity. Human sin results in death (6:3), rejection (6:6–7), and destruction (6:7). Sin itself and God’s subsequent judgment of sin highlight the tragic and painful undoing of God’s good creation (6:3, 6–7; 7:4). Noah’s story highlights the divine response to human sin, which should evoke a righteous response from humanity.

The time this passage takes to relay sin’s decimating effects on creation prompts its readers to understand a first crucial step toward Christian devotion. Full and faithful worship of God involves a decisive renunciation of sinful rebellion. What God rejects in his righteous future judgment, humanity should renounce immediately. To be devoted to Christ means to be divorced from sin, to escape divine judgment by repenting from evil. Whereas idolatry is a rejection of the true and living God, worship is a rejection of all forces, temptations, and seductions that would lead us away from God. From reading this passage, one should feel the weight of sin and its crumbling effects. Only hearts that repudiate sin are in a proper posture to reverence God. Without repentance of sin, rejection of idolatrous loyalties, repudiation of prideful hubris, and renunciation of a former life of corruption and evil, one cannot come to truly worship God.

Countercultural Living. Inasmuch as the flood narrative foreshadows Christian baptism, it emphasizes that the floodwaters come as judgment to reject human depravity. When a disciple of Christ declares their devotion to Christ in Christian baptism, they too profess their sinfulness before a holy God. Had not Christians come to faith in Christ, they too would face God’s condemnation of the world (cf. Hebrews 11:7). Prior to the waters (of the flood and of baptism) is an invitation to publicly renounce—as public Noah lived against the grain of his culture—the sinful ways of the world. In this, renunciation is certainly a denouncement of evil and a willingness to go against the grain of cultural mores. However, this repudiation of sin also involves a declaration of a disciple’s blessing in God’s grace, love of his righteousness, joy of covenant relationship, and commitment to faithful obedience.

In His Generation: Noah as an Exemplar of Righteousness

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 6:8–10)

In contrast to the wickedness of the human race, Noah stood out as godly. Noah is a stark contrast to surrounding society. The manifestations and repercussions of evil experienced in general humanity differ strikingly from Noah’s character, conduct, and relationship with God. Even though God regretted making humanity, “Noah … found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (6:8). While humanity rebelled against God, riding the corrupt current of the fall (cf. 3:6; 6:1–3), “Noah walked with God” (6:9). Whereas humanity was corrupt and wicked, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (6:9; cf. 7:1). The ungodly unions of the sons of God and daughters of men (cf. 6:1–3), their offspring (cf. 6:4), and their pending destruction (cf. 6:7, 13) are contrasted against Noah’s children (6:9–10) and their preservation in the ark (cf. 6:18; 7:7, 13; 8:16, 18; 9:1, 8).

Biblical Principles

God’s Grace. God’s grace made the difference in Noah’s life. Noah’s devotion to God is clearly highlighted in this passage. Living a life after God’s character, Noah lived a righteous life. When measured by God’s standards, Noah’s life was blameless and upright. He enjoyed a deep relationship with God as he “walked with God” (6:9; cf. 5:22, 24). Against the grain of his culture, Noah embodied a distinct life in his own character and the community of his family. In fact, Noah’s faithful commitment to God also resulted in a generational impact, as his sons and their wives would also be delivered in the ark. Noah was different from all others in his generation. But it was God’s favor and grace that made Noah’s life so distinct. Noah lived a life of deep and abiding faith in God (cf. 6:22; 7:5; Hebrews 11:7) under the coverage of God’s gracious favor (6:8). It was Noah’s faithful response to receive the protection of God’s grace that warranted to his life being upheld as an example of Christian devotion—making him an “heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Noah’s countercultural, God-centered life—rooted in God’s favor and his faithful devotion—is a helpful specimen to understand the nature of Christian living and baptism.

Godly Living. Being devoted to God not only involves the renunciation of a life of sin but also enlistment into a life of godliness. Genuine worship involves a life fully oriented to God’s ways as embodied and exemplified by Noah. We worship God in our lives when we grow in godliness, embody righteous character, follow God’s commands, and enjoy a deep and abiding walk with God. However, as in the case of Noah, this life of devotion is only possible because of God’s divine favor. The only proper response to God’s gracious favor must be that of faith. In humble trust, we receive God’s grace into our lives and are liberated to live life based upon a whole new set of values.

Exclusive Devotion. In terms of Christian baptism, this insight is hugely important. As a disciple approaches the waters of baptism, they not only renounce their former life of sin and corruption but also announce their intent to live a life after God’s ways. As much as baptism is a rejection of sin, it is also a profession of faith, a declaration of living under the coverage of God’s unmerited favor. Moreover, the waters of baptism are an initiation into a whole new way of life and a new community of faith. Depicted by lives such as Noah and other faithful Christians who have gone before, baptism affirms that the Christian life is desirable because it offers the only path to full and enduring life. Those baptized based upon faith in Christ are making an exclusive profession of allegiance to Jesus and are publicly announcing their desire to have their whole lives marked and managed by Jesus’ authority. Baptism helps to concretize and symbolize this full and self-surrendering devotion to Jesus. Done before the gathered community of faith and the watching world, baptism tells all that a disciple’s life is no longer owned by the sinful values of godlessness but fully set on the foundation of Christ and his teachings. In this way, the initiation of baptism creates accountability as a disciple pursues devotion to God in Christian community.

A Divine Deluge: Floodwaters as a Foreshadowing of Final Judgment

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 6:13–7:24)

In response to human depravity, God brought judgment upon the earth. God told Noah that he would bring about “the end of all living creatures … because through them the earth is full of violence” (6:13). God would execute his judgment by bringing “floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life” (6:17). As a result of this flood, “everything on the earth will perish” (6:17). Because Noah was righteous before God and his generation (7:1), Noah would be rescued from the floodwaters of judgment. In fact, God said that he would establish his covenant with Noah (6:18). Moreover, God would use Noah to preserve his family and other animal life. In this way, Noah would experience God’s saving rescue and be an instrument of extending God’s saving rescue to others.

God gave Noah instructions to prepare for the coming judgment and his own rescue. God told Noah to build a three-tiered ark out of gopher wood (about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high), waterproof it with pitch, and place a door in the side of the ark (6:14–16). Two of every kind of animal (male and female) would come to Noah, and he would bring them into the ark, and by this he would “keep them alive” (6:19; cf. 6:20) from the deadly floodwaters. As the flood would last for some time, God also instructed Noah to gather up food for himself, his family, and the animals (6:21). Joining Noah in the ark would be his household: his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law (6:18; 7:1). Additionally, Noah was to bring into the ark certain animals of ritual and religious importance: seven pairs of clean animals, a pair of unclean animals, and seven pairs of birds (7:2; cf. 8:20).

God told Noah that he would send floodwaters to destroy life on earth. God warned that flooding rains would begin in seven days and would last forty days (7:4). Six hundred years of age (7:4, 11), Noah, his household, and the animals entered into the ark (7:7–9, 13–15) “as God had commanded” (7:9; cf. 7:16). Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth” (7:6). Faithful to God’s instructions in building the ark, organizing the animals, and entering into the ark, Noah followed God’s instructions. His life was characterized by faithful obedience—“Noah did all that God commanded him” (6:22; cf. 7:5). Faithful to God’s own word, the floodwaters came just as God had promised (7:10). Rain fell from the sky in a deluge (7:11), lasting “forty days and forty nights” (7:12). As the flood rains continued on the earth for forty days, “the waters rose and lifted the ark high above the earth” (7:17). The waters so flooded the earth that the high mountains were twenty-two feet under water (7:18–20). In the form of floodwaters which “continued to surge” (7:18; cf. 7:19–20, 24) and “rise greatly” (7:18) on the earth, God exacted his judgment upon his creation. As a result, all animal and human life on the earth perished in the flood (7:21–23) and “only Noah and those with him in the ark remained” (7:23).

Biblical Principles

Divine Judgment. In this section, God announced judgment (6:13–17), summoned Noah to faithful preparation (6:17–7:10), and flooded the earth as a righteous punishment for unrepentant sin (7:11–24). Expansive, exacting, and unerring, the floodwaters mediated God’s holy wrath upon sinful humanity. In this way, the watery deluge that destroyed life on earth was a foreshadowing of the future and final eschatological (i.e., end of time) judgment. As God “did not spare the ancient world” (2 Peter 2:5), all humans face a final reckoning with their Creator God. Yet, we also see a glimmer of hope, the possibility of escaping God’s judgment. In Noah, we see a picture of a man who attentively heard and heeded God’s promise of retribution and covenant (6:13, 17–18) and responded by faithfully following God’s instructions for how to escape the coming judgment (6:14–16, 19–22). Facing the coming waters, Noah took refuge in God’s life-preserving ark (7:1–10), which was an expression of his trust in and obedience to God. In all this, Noah embodied a life of faithful devotion to God as Creator, Judge, and Savior (6:22; 7:5; cf. 7:9, 16).

Faith in God. Devotion to God is born in hearts that have come to terms with human sinfulness and the coming reality of divine judgment. No person can rightly worship God unless they have first honestly recognized their sinful, unworthy, and undeserving condition before a holy God. In the flood narrative, God brought destruction and punishment upon earth because human sinfulness causes corrupt and spoiling effects on God’s creation (cf. 6:11–12). This judgment was also a foreshadowing of the final, universal judgment that will one day come upon the earth. Worship involves full disclosure that we will all face God’s condemnation and punishment if we do not respond to God’s grace in faith. In many ways, people face judgment for sin during their earthly lives. These painful and difficult experiences of judgment are warnings—divine wake-up calls—to persuade people to turn to God. Sometimes people face a definitive and decisive punishment for sin that brings an end to their lives. Ultimately, all people will stand before the righteous judgment of a holy God. How we respond to God’s warnings of judgment in this life will determine our fate in this final judgment. Noah’s story presages final judgment and encourages people to escape this judgment by placing their faith in God and taking refuge in his salvation. Inasmuch as the floodwaters are an expression of God’s judgment, the ark is an expression of God’s saving grace. In this way, worship is not first and foremost something that we offer to God; rather, worship begins with a humble recognition of our unworthiness before a holy God. Only the humble will allow God to “shut [us] in” (7:16) his protection.

Godly Fear. Consequently, in the Christian rite of baptism, the waters remind us that all humans must face the reality of judgment before a holy God. For Christians, faith in Christ allows us to reckon with our eternal destiny prior to God pouring out his wrath upon humanity. In fact, the Christian faith announces that only before God’s final judgment—in this earthly life—can any person come to saving faith. Having already become reconciled to God, Christians enjoy the promise of eternal life. Baptism is an affirmation that by placing faith in Christ, we have faced the reality of righteous judgment, repented from sin, and accepted by faith God’s gracious offer of life. Baptism is an announcement that the believer has heeded God’s warning—“warned about things not yet seen” in a way that causes “godly fear” (Hebrews 11:7). In this way, Christian baptism is a warning for all others who have yet to believe in Christ. Just like Noah, believers too must pass through the waters of God’s judgment, but they do so in safety because they have entrusted their lives to God’s safety and care. Noah took coverage from the floodwaters in the ark; Christians take coverage from God’s condemnation by faith in Jesus Christ. Only when we recognize the urgent reality of God’s pending judgment can we see his plan for gracious salvation.

Kept Alive: Ark as a Symbol of God’s Salvation

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 8:1–12)

The floodwaters remained on the earth for about five months (150 days; 7:24). During this time God did not forget his faithful servant, but “God remembered Noah and all the animals and livestock that were with him in the ark” (8:1). Acting on his behalf, God sent a wind to cause the waters to recede (8:1–2). Five months after the flood began, the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat (8:3–4), and three months later the tops of the mountains could be seen (8:5). Forty days later, Noah sent out birds from the ark to see how much the water had receded (8:6–12). He sent out a raven which flew until the waters dried (8:6–7). Then, he sent out a dove which came back to the ark (8:8–9). After seven days, he sent out the dove again, and this time it came back with an olive branch, signaling that dry ground had appeared (8:10–11). After another seven days, he sent out the dove again, and it did not return (8:12).

Biblical Principles

Gracious Salvation. God had already given Noah instructions for the animals that would “keep them alive” (6:19; cf. 6:20; 7:3). The tragedy and irony of the flood was that God was bringing judgment upon “every living thing [he had] made” (7:4; cf. 7:23). Despite this irony, while destruction was happening outside of the ark, life was being preserved within (cf. Hebrews 11:7). Even though Noah, his family, and the animals were spared the waters of judgment, their journey in the ark lasted for a while. It took time for the prevailing waters over the earth to recede. Nevertheless, although the time in the ark lasted many months, God did not forget his people (cf. 8:1). Eventually, God restrained the rain (8:2), the floodwaters dried up (8:3–4, 13) until the land was dry (8:13–14; cf. 7:22), and the remnant in the ark went out (8:15–19). While bringing righteous judgment upon sinful humanity, God also successfully saved his own.

Heartfelt Gratitude. Devotion to God is built upon God’s saving work in the lives of his people. We worship God as our mighty deliverer, our gracious redeemer, and our powerful rescuer. Worship is not something that we do for God; it is a natural response to God’s redemption. He has provided a means to escape divine judgment (7:7). In worship, we offer ourselves fully to God because that is where we most rightly belong. We are his because, left to ourselves, we would have been swept away by the floodwaters of judgment. Had not God intervened, our eternal condemnation would have been certain. Grateful remembrance of God’s saving intervention evokes genuine worship. While worship and devotion to God involve our obedience to his ways, this deference is most sincere when precipitated from a thankful and grateful spirit, ever appreciative of God’s salvation and sustaining care for his people.

Steadfast Endurance. As a means of symbolizing such devotion to God, Christian baptism announces God’s saving work for his people. In baptism, we prepare for a life of perseverance and steadfast endurance. Considering how long Noah and his family remained in the ark, we, too, enter into Christian baptism knowing that hardship and affliction await us. While we cling to the hope of eternal life and unending bliss, our current life is fraught with difficulty. Jesus promised this would be the case. In this way, baptism is a recognition that we are signing up for the challenging walk of faith. The life of faith is marked by difficulty, danger, and threat. Nevertheless, the arduous road of faith will culminate in promised life. We know that God will not abandon, forsake, or forget us (8:1). Like the floodwaters receding, we know that one day God’s judgment will be exacted and believers in Christ will successfully pass through God’s judgment. Rather than the waters of baptism having a saving effect upon the person, baptism is an announcement that the Christian has already received God’s saving work in their lives. It is a commitment to endure and persevere in the faith until the end. Although our current life involves suffering, we will eventually one day leave this world and enter into God’s new creation.

A Pleasing Aroma: Altar as an Invitation to Consecration and New Creation

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 8:13–9:7)

Around ten and a half months after the flood began, the ground was dry and Noah removed the covering from the ark (8:13). A little over a year after the flood began, the earth dried out and God sent Noah, his family, and the animals out of the ark (8:14–17). They followed God’s command (8:18–19). Representing a type of new creation, the living creatures preserved in the ark were to “spread out over the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon it” (8:17; cf. 1:22, 28; 9:1, 7). Afterward, Noah “built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (8:20). The offering was a “pleasing aroma” to God (8:21) and God promised to never again destroy humanity in the same way (8:21–22). As a new Adam (a new humanity), God told Noah to exercise dominion over the earth and enjoy the fruits of creation (9:1–3). While humans were permitted to kill and eat animals (9:3–4), God would bring judgment upon those who took the life of another human (9:5–6).

Biblical Principles

Devotion, Worship, and Service. Having experienced God’s gracious and powerful salvation, Noah’s first act was to offer a sacrifice to God. Making this offering to God was an act of worship—a way of expressing devotion, commitment, and loyalty. Noah displayed his fidelity to God when he “built an altar to the Lord” (8:20). By using the clean animals (8:20)—animals previously brought on the ark by God’s special instruction (cf. 7:1–3)—Noah consecrated himself to God’s new creation initiative. That the offering was a “pleasing aroma” (8:21) to God gives us great insight into the nature of Christian devotion and baptism. God had saved Noah, his family, and the chosen animals. All those saved through the floodwaters belonged to God. They had been rescued from God’s judgment of sin and the menacing curse that plagued the earth. Although Noah and his family still lived in a sinful world, God promised to “never again … curse the ground because of man” and “never again … destroy all living creatures” (8:21) with floodwaters. For Noah and us, worship is a fitting response to God’s saving work—rescuing his people from death, judgment, and curse. Devoted disciples of Christ aim to live their whole lives to please their Master because he has redeemed them from judgment and destruction. Rescued from the brink of death, believers consecrate their lives to their God and Savior. Full expression of this whole-life dedication involves offering ourselves to God and to his service in the world.

New Creation. Noah’s exit from the ark launched a new creation initiative in the world (cf. 1:1). Marking this new creation was a new beginning, “the first day of the first month” (8:13; cf. 1:1, 5) when the waters dried up. Just like God separated the waters in creation and formed the dry ground (cf. 1:6–13), Noah “removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry” (8:13). God gave a new creation mandate in Noah’s day— be fruitful and multiply” (8:17; cf. 9:1, 7)—that he similarly gave to the first creation (cf. 1:22, 24, 28). During the seven days of creation, God made life according to its kind (cf. 1:11–12, 21, 24–25); after the floodwaters receded “every living creature, every creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the earth—came out of the ark, kind by kind” (8:19). God’s blessing was upon Noah’s new creation as it was upon Adam’s first creation (9:1; cf. 1:22, 28; 2:3). Although humanity would exert authority and dominion over the animal world (9:2–3; cf. 1:28–30), human-to-human violence would be treated with severe punishment because humans were created as God’s very image (9:5–6; cf. 1:26–27). Effectively, God had launched a new creation out of the chaotic waters of the deep (cf. 1:2).

New Life. Like Noah, believers in Jesus are a part of God’s new creation work in the world. The new creation launched after the flood was a foreshadowing of God’s greater new creation project realized in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). No longer owned by the depraved inclinations of sinful humanity, believers join in God’s new creation work. Baptism itself is a symbolic expression of consecration and new creation. Although physical water cannot cleanse anyone from sin, the water represents a cleansing and consecration to God. Moreover, baptizing someone submerged under water represents a death to sin and is followed by emerging from the water to represent resurrection to new life. The promise of resurrection is the promise of new creation—new life that comes out of the devastating waters of judgment. Although disciples have not presently received the full promise of new creation in resurrected and glorified bodies, they live in the reality of God’s new creation work in their lives and ministry. In this way, baptism symbolizes a whole new life that God has brought about, and along with this new life, a rich promise of covenant relationship.

I Will Remember: Rainbow as Promise of Covenant Relationship

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 9:8–17)

At this time, God established his covenant with Noah (9:8), as he had earlier promised (cf. 6:18). This covenant with Noah would be in effect for subsequent generations and would impact the created world itself (9:10). God declared that he would not again exact worldwide judgment upon the human race in the form of a flood (9:11; cf. 8:21). Commemorating this turning point in human history, God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant promise (9:12–13). This visible and God-appointed sign would memorialize God’s everlasting promise (9:14–16), a promise he made to Noah and to humanity. God made explicit the ongoing nature of this covenant promise, a “covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come” (9:12). Through the covenant promise, God was establishing a relationship with his creation. The covenant promise given to Noah highlights God’s desire to be in relationship with his people. This finale to the flood story offers the rich promise of a restored relationship with God in covenantal fellowship, reconciliation that is possible only and ultimately in Christ. It is upon the foundation of a covenant relationship that Christian devotion is formed, grows, and matures.

Biblical Principles

Covenant Relationship. Having launched a new creation work through Noah, his family, and the preserved animals on the ark, God highlighted the important truth that Christian life is a covenantal relationship. God is the one who must “establish” this relationship (9:9; cf. 6:18; 9:11, 17). To be in a relationship with the Creator, God must initiate and establish the relationship. Sustaining communion with his people is God’s faithfulness to “see” (9:16) and “remember” (9:15; cf. 8:1; 9:16) his people. As God enacted his covenant with three speeches (9:8–11, 12–16, 17), our ongoing relationship with God is nourished by the promises of his word. Out of this covenantal context—a context of divine initiative, divine faithfulness, and divine promise—God calls his people to Christian faithfulness and devotion.

Covenant Community. Importantly, God established his covenant with Noah, humanity, and future generations (9:12). The new creation language surrounding Noah’s exit from the ark highlights a new humanity that will come from Noah’s family (cf. 8:20–9:7). Those who enter into covenant relationship with God participate in a covenant relationship with God’s people. The Christian faith is a thoroughly communal affair. What Noah represented in part, God’s people represent to a fuller extent. Those who place their faith in Christ become part of the covenant people of the church, God’s new humanity formed and fashioned to be his creation. This new humanity of faithful followers of Christ is fruitful and multiplying on the earth, both by raising godly children in the faith and evangelizing the lost to come to saving faith in Christ. As an initiation rite into the Christian faith, baptism symbolizes the covenantal relationship Christians share with God and with each other. Inasmuch as Christian baptism announces our new life in Christ in the promise of new creation, it also assures us of God’s faithful and attentive care of his people by offering them himself in relationship and communion with a larger Christian community.

Conclusion

The flood narrative is a vital foundation for understanding the Christian faith. It gives insight into Christian devotion and foreshadows important elements of Christian baptism. In Noah’s day, the wickedness and violence of humanity help us reflect on the nature and severity of human depravity. Noah’s faithfulness to God is an exemplary model for faith, obedience, and countercultural living. The devastating floodwaters exemplify and foreshadow God’s final judgment of evil. The protective coverage of the ark exhibits God’s gracious salvation for all who place their faith and trust in him. The exit from the ark helps us see God’s saving work as a divine initiative to launch a new creation out of the fallen world. Noah’s sacrifice after the flood highlights the life of worship as fully consecrated to God and his service. God’s covenant with Noah illuminates for us the nature of our relationship with God and other believers.

God’s saving work is the foundation of the Christian faith. Exemplified in the story of Noah, God confronts human sinfulness, announces certain judgment, summons genuine faith, offers gracious salvation, invites full consecration, and establishes a covenant relationship. As this forms a basic storyline of the gospel, we learn that devotion to God is based on God’s saving work in our lives. Inasmuch as they foreshadow the water of baptism, the waters of the flood help us realize that God’s divine plan of reception involves both judgment and salvation. In baptism, believers renounce their old life of sin and certain judgment and enter by faith into God’s gracious invitation of salvation, consecration, and covenant. Without such gospel foundations, devotion and worship become fleshly attempts to merit God’s favor. However, upon the moorings of God’s own redemptive work, we can actually live in a way that is pleasing to God. As an initiation into the Christian faith, baptism expresses the intent of devotion as an undeserving recipient of God’s gracious salvation.

Session Synopsis

SESSION 1 SYNOPSIS
Gracious Salvation as Foundation for Worship and Devotion	In this passage, the flood narrative highlights God’s righteous judgment and gracious salvation. At this time, human sinfulness had reached an egregious level. Wickedness, evil, and violence filled the earth. God grieved that he made humanity and said that he would destroy all living things. In contrast to the rest of humanity, Noah lived a life of faith, obedience, and devotion to God. God told him to build an ark. God said he would destroy all living things on the earth with devastating floodwaters. God instructed Noah to bring his family and animals into the ark with him when the flood came. Noah obeyed God. When the flood came, all that were in the ark were safe, and all that remained on the earth were killed. After a long time, Noah exited the ark and made a sacrifice to God. God established a covenant with Noah, humanity, and future generations. This narrative highlights the important foundation of God’s judgment for a life of worship and devotion. A summary of this story’s principles is outlined below.
Human Depravity	Humans are sinful, practicing wickedness (6:5), evil (6:5; 8:21), corruption (6:11–12), and violence (6:11, 13). Human sin can express itself in sensuality (6:1–2, 4) or violence (6:11–13), in action (6:2, 4, 12–13), intention (6:5), and vice (6:11). Human depravity is severe (6:5), total (6:5), widespread (6:11–13). Human sin is an offense against God (6:6–7) and a violation of humanity (6:1–2, 4, 11, 13; 9:5–6). Human sin brings about serious consequences: death (6:3), rejection (6:6–7), destruction (6:7), and undoing of God’s good creation (6:3, 6–7; 7:4). Devotion to God begins with confession and repentance of sin.
Faithfulness	Noah is an example of faithfulness to God. Noah expressed genuine faith in God (6:22; 7:5; Hebrews 11:7). He walked with God (6:9; cf. 5:22, 24). His life was based upon God’s grace and favor (6:8). His faith in God was manifested in righteousness (6:9), blamlessness (6:9), obedience (6:22; 7:5, 9, 16), and worship (7:1–3; 8:20–22). He lived a countercultural life in stark contrast to the wickedness and unbelief of the surrounding world (6:9; 7:1). His faith was expressed in exclusive devotion and complete consecration to God.
Righteous Judgment	God responds to human sin with righteous judgment (6:13–17; 7:11–24; cf. 2 Peter 2:5). All human sin is known by God and will be judged by God (6:5, 8, 11–12). The flooding waters represent God’s judgment of sin during human history and foreshadow God’s final judgment of sin at the end of time. God wants people to respond with humility, wisdom, and godly fear at the warning of his judgment (Hebrews 11:7).
Gracious Salvation	In his grace and power, God protected all that were on the ark (6:19–20; 7:3, 16). Not all will be saved (8:15–19). Only those who place their faith in God’s offer of salvation (entering the protection of the ark foreshadowing placing faith in Christ for salvation) will experience genuine salvation (6:14–16, 19–22; 7:1–9, 13). Believers who receive God’s gracious salvation are called to live a life of ongoing faithfulness to God. The progressively receding waters (8:1–13) and Noah’s persistent and patient sending of the birds (8:6–12) highlight the importance of steadfast endurance in the faith.
Faith and Trust in God	After Noah’s exit from the ark, God launched a new creation (8:13–19; 9:1–7) and new humanity (9:5–7) on the earth. God saves people from divine judgment and curse (9:21) to bring about a restoration of his created world. Christians are new creations in Christ and participate in God’s redemptive, new creation work in the world.
Covenant Relationship	God wants to be in a relationship with his people. After judgment and salvation, God established a covenant with Noah and humanity (6:18; 9:9, 11, 17). Christians enjoy a relationship with God based upon God’s covenant promises in Christ. Like Noah’s covenant, God’s faithfulness (8:1; 9:15–16) and his word (9:8–11, 12–16, 17) make the covenant relationship effective. Covenant is communal: those in relationship with God enjoy a covenant relationship with others in the covenant (9:12).

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: God calls his people to follow what the Bible teaches. In this movement, you will discuss how to apply God’s word to your lives.

Reflection Questions

Encourage one person to share how this story has impacted. Use the reflection questions to examine your life in light of this biblical passage.

Spiritual Practice

Coming soon.

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Minister the Text:* God wants us to use his word to edify the Christian community. In this movement, you will utilize this biblical passage to minister to other believers and build them up in their faith.*

Reflection Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to minister this text to other believers.

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth

Witness the Text: In word and deed, God calls his people to testify about the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. In this movement, you will utilize this biblical passage to reach out to unbelievers.

Reflection Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to use this teach to reach out to unbelievers.