Noah and Abraham, The City 

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Hebrews 11: 7 to 10) 

God regretted that He had made man on the earth as described below. 

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6: 5 to 8) 

Even though the whole world became corrupted and wicked, Noah still lived in favor in the eyes of God. Also, he and his family spent all their life building an ark that could accommodate so many creatures as God commanded. So, his faithfulness condemned that whole generation. Yet, it saved not only his family, but mankind as described below. 

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9: 12 to 15) 

Through faith, Noah honored God’s righteousness. So, God made a covenant with him to start a new world. The same thing happened to Abraham. Like Noah, Abraham was called out of his family and country. Like Noah, Abraham was a capable man too. With a force of 318 men, he defeated the four kings who defeated the five kings of Sodom and Gomorrah to retake the possessions and people taken by the four kings. Abraham also witnessed the total annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah by God’s wrath. Even so, Abraham still had faith in God. So, like Noah, God made covenants with Abraham to start a new nation in both the world and heaven, a nation not by law but by faith. That’s why Abraham was called the "father of all who believe" as described below. 

He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4: 11 to 13) 

All his life, Abraham was living in tents in a foreign land, even with Isaac and Jacob. So, his faith told him what God planned to build was not based on a tangible foundation on earth but a city with a heavenly foundation that’s built and designed by God. Not only the vision, but he also honored God for the promise. So, that counted to him as righteousness as described below. 

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4: 20 to 25) 

As described in the Bible below. 

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2: 19 to 22) 

So, the righteousness will be ours, if we have faith that we are already saved and delivered by Christ's sacrifice and to be built into a holy temple for God in Christ. Emmanuel. 

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