Where In The Bible Will I Find:
Noah Thought He Was The Only
One Going To Be Saved?
"What arrogance! Noah, what haughty pride to
think that you and your family are the only ones in the world that are going to
be saved!" Such very well could have been the accusations thrown at Noah
during the long years that he preached to the unresponsive antediluvian world
(Gen. 6-9). But what shock! What horrible dismay when the world, overwhelmed by the raging storms and violet floods,
watched Noah's prophecies come to pass.
The same accusations are still hurled at the same
minority in the present world who follow and teach God's Word. People are
naturally optimists, and it is very hard for most to accept the fact that “strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it." (Matt. 7:13-14).
Satan plays on this misguided optimism, and many people
doubt the clear plain teaching of the Bible simply because of whom it condemns.
But whether the majority accepts something or not has never been the test of
truth. In fact, it might be said that what the majority accepts is generally
the truth.
During the golden years of king Asa's reign, all
Israel turned to God with their whole desire, but other times were not so good
(I Kings 15). When Elijah was preaching, as few as seven thousand out of the
hundreds of thousands in Israel were not idolaters (I Kings 19). In Noah's day,
only eight people in the entire world were not lost and going to hell. This
could easily happen again! It would be nice if the golden age of evangelism
were a continuous thing.
During the early days of the church, sometimes
people were added by the thousands. Since then, we have had our ups and downs,
just like Israel of old. In all this, the
truth never changed, only the
number of people that believed it and practiced it. When I see truth and
commandment in God's Word, whether or not my family, or all my dear departed
loved ones believed it or not is irrelevant. Whether or not the church in which
I grew up has traditionally taught it, or whether I have never even heard it
before, is not important.
The important question is, "Does the Bible
really teach that?" If it does, let's believe it, teach it, and not be
ashamed of it. The apostle Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Rom.
1:16), he was willing to give his life for the cause of Christ. He taught it in
all boldness. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto
all good works…Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (II Tim. 3:16-17;
4:2), "...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with
God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”
(James 4:4).
