The Expository Files

 

Was Noah Righteous?

 

I am exhausted and concerned about all the attention given to the popular evangelical personalities and authors. They enjoy widespread air time through YouTube, blogs and other venues. Some of them apparently belong to the “write-a-book-a-month” club, and there are internet minions and fans who forward and re-circulate their sound bites – as if their job is to make them more popular. I understand reading good, helpful material (with disciplined discretion). I have no power or right to impose my reading habits on others. But come on folks. These guys are not inspired; they are not Rock Stars (maybe?), and drooling over their books may work out to be embarrassing and misleading. {Not to mention, if you want to read good material on biblical themes, our brothers and sisters in Christ write books! There are more trusted sources available. I often issue the challenge, name any Bible subject you want to read more about from a contemporary author, and I’ll find you a book written by a New Testament Christian on that subject. – end of rant. My email is warren@warrenberkley.com!}

So “Pastor” Mark Driscoll recently wrote: “The most common way Christians butcher the story of Noah is by misreading what the Bible actually says.” The title of Driscoll’s article: “Noah was not a righteous man.” (Sourced below for your reading).

Source: http://theresurgence.com/2014/03/24/noah-was-not-a-righteous-man

First, it seems clear to me that Calvinism is not dead; that “salvation by grace alone” lives on under the popular evangelical flag. They cannot conceive that grace is received by the activity of faith, and is still grace! The “fallen man” is an obsession with Calvinist, old and new, to the point they grapple with anyone being righteous. And their comments on Scripture show that to be so.

Second, nobody I’ve ever heard or read has argued that Noah was sinless. What is taught from Scripture is, he found grace; that is, he became acquainted with the generosity and mercy of God (which is evident to all, Rom. 1:20), with such conviction, he made the personal decision to believe and obey God for God’s glory, his good and his family’s good. This activity of faith from his heart was accepted by God, and it was accounted to Noah as righteousness. Any contradiction between God’s offer of grace and man’s active reception of it cannot be found in Scripture; only in the creeds and hardline traditions of men.

Third, the Bible clearly states, in Genesis 6:9 – “Noah was a righteous man,” (see also Heb. 11:7 and 2 Pet. 2:5; Ezek. 14:14; 14:20). I’m just thinking that settles it for me. How about you?

[ Guess What? The Movie “Moses” comes out later this year! I don’t make this stuff up. See at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/filmchat/2013/11/ridley-scotts-moses-movie-will-be-shocking-says-bale.html ]

 

By Warren E. Berkley
The Final Page
From Expository Files 21.5;  May 2014

 

 

 

https://www.bible.ca/