Genesis chapter seven launches us into one of the Bible’s most dramatic stories—the flood of Noah. Over the centuries, debates have swirled like the waters themselves. Was it global or local? Historical or mythical? One online article summarized it bluntly: “Since the late eighteenth century, the historicity of the Flood has come under constant attack and is now rejected as a fable by most people in Western societies.” Many scholars and preachers have poured gallons of ink trying to prove or disprove it through geology, climatology, or paleontology. I have read my share of those arguments, but I confess—I am not smart enough to solve the scientific puzzle. I take Scripture at face value. The New Testament writers treated the flood as real, and Jesus Himself did too. For me, that settles it. I cannot explain all the scientific details, but I can trust the Author of the story. Sometimes faith requires less figuring out and more floating.
The true message of the flood is not about fossils or fault lines—it is about faith. God does not spend time describing weather patterns or topography; He focuses instead on the kind of man He saves. Hebrews 11:7 explains it beautifully: “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.” Noah was “certain of what he could not see” (Hebrews 11:1). He did not demand blueprints, barometric data, or geological surveys. He simply believed what God said and acted on it. While others mocked, he built. While the skies were still clear, he trusted. Faith, it turns out, is less about evidence and more about obedience. Noah did not need to understand everything; he just needed to hammer the next plank.
In the same way, Jesus is our ark. The flood of judgment has not vanished—it was redirected. On the cross, God poured out His wrath on His own Son, who bore the deluge in our place. As one writer put it, “At Calvary, God locked His Son out so that He could open the door of heaven for sinners who believe.” When Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), He was feeling the full force of that flood. Yet because He was shut out, we are welcomed in. Noah’s ark carried eight souls to safety; Christ’s cross carries all who will believe. It turns out that faith still floats—and it still saves.