From the writings of Tertullian circa 210 AD: “So long as you deem yourself a Christian, you are a different man from a pagan. Give him back his own views of things! After all, he does not himself learn from your views. Why lean upon a blind guide if you have eyes of your own? Why be clothed by one who is naked if you have put on Christ?”
And [God] spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. —2 Peter 2:5
In obedience to divine instruction from God, Noah faithfully labored for decades to build an ark. This ark was a means of deliverance from the flood that would destroy the wicked in God’s judgment. Despite being scoffed at and ridiculed, Noah steadfastly maintained integrity with God and did not yield to the pressures of society. He stood alone, believing God’s word was truth. He “prepared an ark to the saving of his house…and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).