Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, BY WHICH HE CONDEMNED THE WORLD and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Moses records the incident of the Great Flood, in Genesis 6-8. Noah was the only just man in his generation; the only one who believed in God (Gen 6:9). Noah was to preach to the ungodly of his day for 120 years (Gen 6:3), while the ark was still being built. But disregarding his warnings, they persisted in disobedience (1 Pt 3:20).
Therefore, by his faith, Noah “condemned the world.” That is, his act/example of faith rendered their unbelief more evident.
By believing, Noah was condemning the people; showing that it was possible to believe God, even though it might seem foolish to do so. So ultimately, it was their unbelief that condemned them.
Those who believe will stand as evidence against those who did not believe (Matt 12:41-42). This is how Noah “condemned” the rest of the world—if he could believe, so could they! They only chose not to, and suffered the consequence of the cataclysm. Noah’s faith therefore stood as evidence against the unbelief of the people.
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2022.
