The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 7:16b,
"Then the Lord shut him [Noah] in."
What the Lord shut Noah into was the ark. After getting all the animals and every thing the Lord wanted on the ark, together with Noah and his family, the Lord shut the entrance to the ark. Noah and his sons didn't close the hatch or door or whatever the entry was, the Lord did.
Peter uses the account of Noah and the flood as a picture of salvation. "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 symbolizes 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, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." 1 Peter 2:18-22.
I happen to find Peter's passage here somewhat obscure for me. It is one of those passages that I hope to gain clarity on as the years tick by. Having said that, there are a few things about what Peter says here that are very clear to me.
The first is, of course, Peter is using the account of Noah's flood as a picture of salvation. Just as the ark provided for the saving of Noah, his family and the animals, so the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the payment for our sins saves us.
Secondly, the attempt to use the water of Noah's flood as a type for baptism today in the effort to "prove" we are saved by the instrument of baptism is without merit. Peter clearly says it is not the "baptism" of water that saves us, but "the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." In any event, that comparison is not what Peter intended at all. Recall, the water was the means of judgment, not salvation, by the Lord. The water is what the Lord used to destroy mankind, not save them.
"Then the Lord shut him [Noah] in."
What the Lord shut Noah into was the ark. After getting all the animals and every thing the Lord wanted on the ark, together with Noah and his family, the Lord shut the entrance to the ark. Noah and his sons didn't close the hatch or door or whatever the entry was, the Lord did.
Peter uses the account of Noah and the flood as a picture of salvation. "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 symbolizes 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, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." 1 Peter 2:18-22.
I happen to find Peter's passage here somewhat obscure for me. It is one of those passages that I hope to gain clarity on as the years tick by. Having said that, there are a few things about what Peter says here that are very clear to me.
The first is, of course, Peter is using the account of Noah's flood as a picture of salvation. Just as the ark provided for the saving of Noah, his family and the animals, so the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the payment for our sins saves us.
Secondly, the attempt to use the water of Noah's flood as a type for baptism today in the effort to "prove" we are saved by the instrument of baptism is without merit. Peter clearly says it is not the "baptism" of water that saves us, but "the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." In any event, that comparison is not what Peter intended at all. Recall, the water was the means of judgment, not salvation, by the Lord. The water is what the Lord used to destroy mankind, not save them.
Beyond that, what catches my eye this morning goes back to the account of Noah's flood. The Lord shut him in. He closed the door! That brings to mind that there will be a point in time, an instant, when the salvation that Peter speaks of will come to an end. In an instant, the Lord will shut the door to his salvation he has provided.
Just as all who found their judgment outside the ark in Noah's day, don't find yourself shut out of God's salvation he makes available to us today! The door will be shut at some given instant!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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