Puzzle Piece 2: Cleansed
Noah’s flood cleansed the earth of evil
Key Bible Reference: Genesis 3-11
Adam and Eve used their free will and opened the door to sin through their disobedience. As a result, sin spread like wildfire for about 1,500 years until God decided to physically cleanse the earth of sin by flooding the earth with rain. Noah found grace with God and God made a covenant with Noah to save him and his family in the ark. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and water covered the earth, but more than a year passed before the earth was dry enough for them to leave the ark. Noah sent out a dove and when it returned with an olive branch, he knew that new life had begun. Afterwards, God vowed that He would never flood the earth again and created the rainbow so we could remember His promise .
JESUS’ baptism cleanses our hearts of evil
Key Bible Reference: Matthew 3, Luke 3
When we are baptized in water, we are in effect, taking part in the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we go under the water it is symbolic of His death and when we rise up out of the water it is symbolic of His resurrection. God gave us a sign of new life through the Holy Spirit who descended like a dove on Jesus at His baptism. Jesus is our spiritual ark and everyone can freely choose to take refuge in Him and be cleansed by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Those who take refuge in Jesus, our spiritual Ark, are cleansed of sins and given a new life in Him!
Connecting the Old & New Testament
| Old Testament | LIFE | New Testament |
| Noah | WHO | Jesus |
| Flood-Cleansed Earth | WHAT | Baptism-Cleansed Heart |
| ~2344 BC | WHEN | AD 30 |
| Earth; Mt. Ararat | WHERE | Jordan River, Israel |
| Faith in Noah’s Ark | HOW | Faith in Jesus |
| Love via Grace | WHY | Love via Grace for All |
1 Peter 3 (NIV)
18…Christ was put to death in the body
but made alive in the Spirit.
19 After being made alive, he went and
made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—
20 to those who were disobedient long ago
when God waited patiently in the days of Noah
while the ark was being built. In it only a
few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
21 and this water symbolizes baptism…
the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at
God’s right hand—with angels, authorities
& powers in submission to Him.