Salvation details
Psalm 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
Salvation in details:
The Bible is a unified book with one Author Who uses words to interconnect in specific ways to communicate His message to mankind. The flood is just one example of how truth can be gleaned from studying literary clues in the text. Genesis 6-9 is somewhat unusual in their level of detail compared to the preceding five chapters. God accounts for about 1,600 years in Genesis 1-5, yet takes four chapters to set the stage for and describe the single year of the flood. I have picked out three main reasons.
Salvation is personal and exclusive:
Only Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives were saved from the flood out of the entire people in the world at that time. The rest perished in their rebellion and fell under the judgment of God. In like manner today salvation is exclusive – only the repentant are saved. Only those who recognize they are sinners, acknowledge God’s righteousness and seek forgiveness and obey God are saved. Salvation is for “whosoever” but only those who truly believe are saved (James 2:19). The Bible is clear that only the righteous are saved, the wicked shall be lost (Prov 10:30; 11:21; Psa 9:17; 1:4-6), even after salvation anyone who turns away from God will not enter into His kingdom (2 Pet 2:20-21).
Salvation is also personal – God deals with us as individuals and not in mass (Phil 2:12). God deals with us about our own sin and not that of others (Eze 18:20). God also deals with us personally in our needs that we have for this life and also our struggles we have spiritually (He 12:1-2).
The grace in God’s salvation:
Using once again Noah and God’s salvation to him and those in the ark, God spared not only Noah but also the animals of the world. He could have just eliminated everything and everyone and started over, but He did not. God chose to begin again using the animals He had created and the righteous people that obeyed Him and were saved in the ark.
In similar manner God saved us as we are, then works upon us to renew our thinking, cleanse our hearts and souls and using the imperfect and fallen bodies we presently live in. One day we will receive a new, glorified body (Phil 3:21), but until then, God works with and indwells our present tabernacles of clay, renewing us inside while the outward falls away.
Success of salvation:
Judgment and salvation were accomplished just as God planned. The ark did not sink, the animals did not starve and Noah and his family did not suffocate because God knew and planned for every detail of the flood, including the exact size of the ark, the right proportions – everything down to the resting place and the need for Noah and family to eat after the flood (Gen 7:2).
In like manner God saved us and keeps us by His own power throughout this life (2 Tim 1:12) – physically and spiritually. He has provided help in times of temptation (1 Cor 10:13), physical needs (Phil 4:19) and spiritual (Phil 1:6; 2 Thes 5:23). In the end we shall enter into His glory and live forever with him in heaven – in our mansion.