BIBLE
The Bible is God’s word to us.
So we study the Bible to know what God says.
The first two chapters tell us:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis1-2).
And “…God created man [Adam and Eve] in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”
But why did God who needs nothing create the world and people?
Answer: For His pleasure.
In another place the Bible says, “All things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).
God is creative, and it gives Him pleasure to create.
God is also personal, and it gives Him pleasure to have people He can know and love.
But what happened next?
God commanded Adam and Eve to not eat fruit from one tree. They disobeyed and ate. That was the first sin. It brought trouble and death into our world (Genesis 3).
But God still loved Adam and Eve. He promised to provide a way to forgive them of their sin. Jesus was that way.
God sent his Son, Jesus, into this world to die for the punishment of sin. Jesus then rose from the dead and went back to heaven. All who have trusted in Jesus’ sacrifice, past and present, are forgiven of their sins and become children of God (John 3:16).
That was God’s plan, even before the beginning.
God created us for his pleasure to know and love.
He sent Jesus so we could be forgiven of our sins and become his children.
Now let’s see what happened next with the people God made.
The world quickly became populated. People lived long lives at first. Even over 900 years. So they had many children.
But people were very wicked. So God was going to send a flood to destroy them. It would be the world’s first rain. And it would be the biggest rain ever (Genesis 6).
Only one man loved God. His name was Noah. God told Noah to build a large boat, called an ark, to save his family and many animals from the flood. Noah and his family believed God. They built the ark and prepared for the flood.
People thought Noah was foolish. It had never rained before. Why build a boat? Noah warned them judgment was coming. But they just laughed and made fun of Noah.
There is also a judgment coming today. Not a flood. But a judgment for sin. God will judge people and the world because of sin. It’s no joke. It will happen. (Revelation 20:12-13; 2 Peter 3:10).
We don’t need an ark, like Noah. We need a person to pay for our sins so we can be forgiven. Jesus died in our place. He is our ark. All who trust Jesus are forgiven and safe from God’s judgment.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
You can visit Noah’s boat today. The Ark Encounter in Kentucky, USA is a life-sized reconstruction.
Noah’s ark was huge. It housed several thousand animals as well as Noah’s family of 8. The flood lasted about one year. Then the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat (Turkey). Noah’s family, with all the animals that were saved from the flood, eventually spread throughout the world (Genesis 7-8).
God provided a refuge for Noah in the Ark. And God provides us a refuge in Jesus.
“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” (2 Samuel 22:31).