By Beatrice Amponsah, Agnes Agyei & Papa Kwamina Ansah

“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” – Hebrews 5:9

Christ is the author of salvation for those who obey him (John 12:48). In our world today, where numerous denominations exist with different teachings, we need to ask what God commands for the salvation of our souls. Differing doctrines were condemned during the time of the apostles (1 Corinthians 1:12-13) because the plea for all believers is to be one (Ephesians 4:4-5; John 17:17-20; Galatians 1:6-9).

Enthusiasm for God must be in accordance with the righteousness of God; otherwise, it is in vain (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 10:1-3). Thus, in matters of salvation, we should look towards the righteousness of God, not men (Matthew 15:8-9). When we insist on not respecting the silence of Scripture, the introduction of man-made teachings is inevitable, and false teachers arise to turn away the minds of the simple. Regardless of having a clear conscience towards God, we must still follow the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9).

The Case of Noah, the Patriarch

The account of Noah is well documented at the beginning of the scriptures. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in observing the commandments of God (Genesis 6:22), and in this way, he found favor in the sight of God (Genesis 6:8). Thus, righteousness and favor in the sight of God are attained when people observe only that which God prescribes (John 14:15; Leviticus 10:1-2). A connection is made between the account of the flood during the time of Noah and baptism as a requirement in Christianity. The striking resemblance in both is water; thus, water is a requirement for a person to be saved today, just as water saved Noah’s family (1 Peter 3:20-21). The apostle Peter concluded that baptism now saves us.

Certain elements in both accounts are worth our attention:
– Firstly, the plan that saved Noah’s family was commanded by God (Genesis 6:14-16)… the plan that saves today is commanded by God (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16).
– Secondly, the plan that saved Noah’s family was to eradicate sin (Genesis 6:13, 17)… the plan that saves today indeed eradicates sin (Acts 22:16).
– Thirdly, the plan that saved Noah’s family brought them into a safe place, the ark (Genesis 6:18-19; 7:7)… the plan that saves today takes a person into the body of Christ (Galatians 3:27), explaining why Christ will save His body (Acts 2:47).
– Fourthly, God remembered Noah’s family (Genesis 8:1,18)… God will certainly remember the saved because Christ will present them to Him (1 Corinthians 15:24).

In conclusion, the saved entered the ark by believing God’s word preached to them by Noah (Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5), the same was done by the early Christians (Acts 18:8).

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ ” – Acts 2:37

Clearly, since a person cannot be saved and still be in sin (1 Corinthians 6:9), the response of the apostle Peter rang true then and even more so now:

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” – Acts 2:38

Thus, the answer to the question, “How can we spend eternity with God?” After being purged from sin through baptism (Romans 6:3-4), the Christian must live faithfully until death (Revelation 2:10; 14:13).