After a recent focus-group screening of Noah, Pastor Brian Houston quipped, “You’ll enjoy the film—if you’re not too religious.” Seems that Hollywood has met our expectations yet again.
Noah comes at an interesting time due to the corresponding release of Son of God, which has captured evangelical imagination. Tim Challies delivers an excellent perspective on Son of God that you should read if you haven’t already.
The release of Noah and Son of God open the door to serious evaluation of Bible-based media. I always worry that Bible re-enactments run the risk of violating several Scriptural principles, regardless of the producer’s motivations. Affirming or rejecting such media often involve conscience issues that are almost as old as the Church itself.
Noah will not make for agonizing deliberation—it treats Scripture like a fairy tale. When challenged how Bible-believers reacted negatively to Noah, director Darren Aronofsky said, “Those people can be noisy.” Our apologies, Mr. Aronofsky, but your studio asked us. And since Paramount Pictures paid $125M for your project, I think they have a right to know what we think—or more succinctly, whether we’re willing to pay $12 a head to see it.
I’ll let the cat out of the bag—I plan to see neither Noah nor Son of God. Although Son of God will be much more faithful to Scriptural content, Noah will likely prove more useful in starting evangelistic conversations. I could be wrong, but I think there are a few reasons for this paradox.
First, unbelievers will assume that you’re eager to talk about Son of God, which will probably make them want to avoid the topic in the first place. They were likely bummed when your local mega-church turned the theater into a weekend-long Son of God marathon, so the movie itself might be a sore topic. Also, Americans typically assume that they already have a level of expertise about the story of Jesus, making them a little less eager to learn.
But herein lies your opportunity with Noah—unbelievers are almost completely unaware that Old Testament events uniformly point to Christ. Combine that with nearly complete ignorance of the Bible’s teaching on Noah (“is that the funny-looking boat and the rainbow?”), and they’re ripe to hear a gospel presentation. The practical question is how do you guide a conversation from giraffes on a boat to saving faith?
If Christians can stay on target with the Bible and refuse to get side-tracked by the location of Mt. Ararat or sediment layers, they can get right to the gospel. The story of the flood is loaded with teaching on sin, judgment, faith, grace and deliverance. (Just look at Matthew 24:37-38, Luke 17:26-27, Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:20, and 2 Peter 2:5.) Like any gospel picture, it packs a powerful punch. Here are two key passages that talk about it:
God Judges Sin
When Peter says that God brought “a flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5), he’s referring to Genesis 6:5-7—“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…. So the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created.’” God, of course, is long-suffering. He waited at least several decades and maybe more than a century before executing His swift justice on Noah’s generation. Even with all that time to repent, God’s imminent judgment inevitably caught mankind off guard. Jesus argues that just as the flood waters surprised Noah’s neighbors, His second coming will shock those under God’s wrath (Luke 17:26-30). Now is the time for repentance.
God Delivers Believers
Hebrews 11:7 summarizes the Genesis account in just one, information-packed verse. 
Notice that the word “faith” appears twice, at both the beginning and end of the verse. The point of this verse is Noah’s faith. He believed, which resulted in reverent fear and ultimately salvation.
Getting to the Gospel
Here’s a model of how I plan to answer the inevitable question about Noah the movie, “You know, I haven’t seen it. Was it good? Wonderful. Did you know that Noah’s story continues in the New Testament? No, for real! I’ll show you.” Then, after discussing Hebrews 11:7, I will say something like, “You know, lots of times the New Testament finishes an Old Testament story for us—a bunch of them are right here in Hebrews 11. Have you ever read all of Hebrews 11?” And we’re off and running in an evangelistic conversation.
Anybody can memorize one verse and three key words, right?
The verse: Hebrews 11:7.
The key words: sin, judgment, and faith.
Noah might be neither a great representation of Biblical truth nor a movie worth watching, but its presence in theatres can be used redemptively. 1 Peter 3:15 states, “Always be prepared to make a defense to him who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Noah provides more than just an opportunity to share your faith; it confronts you with the obligation for preparation. Let’s prepare to tell the message of Noah (and of Christ) in light of the times.
