The Ark Provides Salvation

The Ark Provides Salvation

Q: The ark represents what Jesus did for us in providing salvation.

• True
• False

You’ve probably heard Noah’s story many times. Because people became so wicked, God decided to destroy the world and start over with Noah’s family and pairs of each kind of animal. After Noah and his sons completed the ark, the animals and Noah’s family got on board, and God closed the ark door. Then it began to rain. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Everything on the earth, except Noah’s family and the animals on the ark, was destroyed.

The story of Noah’s ark is similar to the story of Jesus. Just like the ark saved Noah, his family, and the animals from the Flood, Jesus can save us from the punishment of our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”

God told Noah, “Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar” (Genesis 6:14). The Hebrew word translated as “tar” in that verse is kaphar. It is the same word that is translated other places in the Bible as “atonement.”

Why is that important? To atone for something is to make up for the wrong done. We all sin and disobey God. But when Jesus died on the cross, he made it possible for us to be right with God. That’s atonement. And that’s the same word that’s used for the tar that covered the ark—kaphar. The ark is a symbol of Jesus.

Noah and his family found salvation in the ark. You can find salvation in Jesus and eternal life in heaven.

For You

Noah had to step out in faith and believe what God said was true. He was saved because of his faith. You can be saved because of your faith too.

Answer: True. Even though the Bible doesn’t say that the ark is like Jesus, they both provided salvation.

The LORD said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.”   Genesis 7:1

(The Whole Story: Genesis 7)