Genesis 6:18-21

God's Covenant With Noah

God made a covenant with Noah. It was an arrangement whereby God would protect Noah and his family (Genesis 6:18-21). Noah had to meet the conditions of the covenant to receive the reward (Genesis 6:14-17; Genesis 7:2-3; Genesis 7:5). Then, God used the waters of the flood to save them from the wicked world. They emerged in a world purified of all evil.

Just so, baptism can deliver us from the condemnation of sin. It can purify us from its terrible stain (1 Peter 3:20-21; Acts 22:16). Baptism serves as a grave for the old man of sin from which God resurrects us to walk in a new life (Romans 6:3-4). The waters of baptism separate us from our former sins and make us a new creature in Christ (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

The water would not have saved Noah if he had not acted in accord with God's will. Neither can we be saved unless we act in accord with God's will (Matthew 7:21). Receiving the love of God is contingent upon our keeping his commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 5:1-3).