352. Heir of Righteousness
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
By faith Noah was a hero because He obeyed the Lord in regard to things he could not yet see. He was moved by faith in God to prepare an ark in the desert; God said a Flood was coming, and he believed God. This action of faith condemned the world around him, for the ark judged the world for its sin and rebellion against God.
By faith, Noah became the heir of righteousness. By faith we also have become heirs of the righteousness, which is by faith. Faith does not make us righteous; it simply receives the righteousness of God that Christ earned for us and gives to us for free by grace. It is not a righteousness of faith, nor is it a righteousness of works, nor is it certainly a righteousness of self. It is all of Grace; it is all of God. Heirs do not earn the inheritance; they just receive it because they are sons of a wealthy man. And the wealth of our Father in heaven is exceeding great. And all of it God grants to us; He grants to us all the riches of grace to each of us, and there is enough to go around so each one receives the entire inheritance; it is not split up.
Abraham’s faith is counted as righteousness; David speaks of the blessing of the one to whom god counts righteousness apart from works; Noah became an heir of the righteousness, which is by faith. It is exactly the same for us. God counts our faith as righteousness and we are heirs of righteousness by faith. Faith makes personal and real the grace of God. Jesus merits it; grace gives it; faith receives it. The Holy Spirit comes along with the proclamation of the Gospel to create and strengthen faith within our spirit. That personal faith in Jesus Christ makes righteousness our own possession, our inheritance. It is not technically our own righteousness; it is the righteousness of God, an alien righteousness, but it is counted as ours. What an amazing gift we did not deserve!