The first nine chapters of the book of Genesis describe an ancient and mysterious era. Frankly, every time I read this section, I end up with more questions than I do answers. I’m a fan of head-scratchers — and the first part of Genesis is chock-full of them.

However, the Bible was not intended to be a history book or a science book, so most of my head-scratching questions go unanswered. First and foremost, the Bible is a love story — and the answers that are important to that love story are presented with stunning clarity. That being said, the Bible would seem untrustworthy if it made outlandish statements about history or science. It doesn’t — which is a rather amazing feat for a work of antiquity. And regarding its intended purpose, it is fully reliable.

There are four truths presented in the first nine chapters that are essential if we are going to follow the love story:

God created. The how and when of creation should not be overly important to us — and it certainly isn’t worth fighting about. The soaring statements of creation provide a grand overview of cataclysmic events that supersede our wildest imaginations. Rather than dissecting the narrative, we should stand in awe of it.

God created us in His image for divine relationship. God designed us to be with us because He loves us. It is the primal truth that provides the context of the entire Biblical narrative. If you are looking to address the instinctive questions of life, you will find the answers in the Bible. Who am I? Why am I here? What is wrong with me? What is the cure? What must I do? I call these questions instinctive because we naturally ask them — and mankind has always asked them. These questions reveal the fingerprints of God on us. We ask because He created within us a desire to know — and to know Him.

Mankind fell from grace. Adam and Eve broke the basic covenant that God had established, and then the love story got very messy. From the murder of Abel to the awful condition of the world before the flood of Noah, mankind fell hard. The Law of Extreme Potential states that anything that has the potential for extreme good, also has the potential for extreme evil. If you’re not familiar with that law, consider nuclear power. In medicine, nuclear power has the potential to be used for extreme good. But in warfare, nuclear power has the potential to create mass destruction and death — extreme evil. Mankind carries both extreme potentials, but in the run-up to the flood, it was the potential for extreme evil that was on full display.

God’s love is relentless. The story of the flood is tough to read, but the sparing of Noah and his family reveals God’s unrelenting desire to love mankind. The story provides a reset — a new opportunity and a new covenant by which God and mankind could relate. To this day, a rainbow in the sky reminds us of God’s relentless love.

The writer of Hebrews 11 selects Noah as the next hero of the faith in our series. Here’s what he writes about Noah: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became the heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

In our quest to learn more about what it means to live by faith, Noah provides a lesson in swimming against the cultural current. The description of humanity at the time of Noah was awful — it was all corruption and violence — so much so that God decided to wipe all living things from the face of the earth. Against that backdrop, Noah stands out as someone righteous and blameless. As believers in Jesus Christ, we can do the same. According to Philippians 2:14 and 15, people of faith can stand out and make an eternal difference, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.”

Noah also teaches us what it means to have faith in things not yet seen. God had declared that there was going to be a flood. We’re not really sure if Noah even knew what that meant. The concept of a flood was likely foreign to Noah. But God called him to build a big boat and fill it with lots of animals, so he did. And it took a long time. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to keep building that boat, but faith kept him moving forward for many years. I can’t even imagine the amount of time, materials, energy, and money he poured into that boat — and all based on faith.

Jesus uses that very story to illustrate how you and I must be prepared for His return. While teaching about His second coming, Jesus said, “But about the day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all way. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Noah lived during a very difficult time as he waited on God’s promise. He was faithful to do everything God commanded. What will be said of us? Live by faith.