Genesis Chapter Six, Part 2

6:8 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.This is the first time in the Bible that the word “grace” is mentioned. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Was there something extraordinary about Noah? Not at all. Grace is the absolute unmerited favor of God which He gives to men of His own free will. Nothing we can say or do will ever make us worthy of grace, or compel God to look in our direction solely for our righteousness’s sake. All our righteousness are as filthy rags before a holy God, Isaiah 64:6. This is one reason why the doctrine of conditional salvation falls so shy of the mark. Grace is only found, NEVER earned! Ephesians 2:8-9 clarify this in some of the plainest wording in Scripture: “For by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.” Works do not enter the equation with either salvation’s conception or retention. Noah found grace, and was at that point a justified man before God. God’s plan of salvation has been the same from the beginning of time; there is no other method by which He brings sinful men and women before His presence, Ephesians 1:4.

The True God and Eternal Life, Part 7

The Pharisees asked a very reasonable question in their time: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:7. Yet Jesus could and did. All sin is against God, Psalm 51:4. Since we offend God by our sins, He alone must forgive. When you sin against someone, a neutral party cannot forgive you on their behalf. No, the offended party must forgive. Jesus forgives sins on earth because men have sinned against Him! The offended party offers forgiveness, or forgiveness is meaningless. Jesus promised that anyone who came unto Him for forgiveness of sin and eternal life would by no means be cast out, John 6:37. In fact, Jesus promised to give us rest, Matthew 11:28. This rest is free (His gift) and found in Him alone; our only work is to believe: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent,” John 6:29. The will of the Father is that anyone who believes in the Son of God would have everlasting life, John 6:40.

Genesis Chapter Six

6:1 when men began to multiply on the face of the earth
Chapter six begins with an overview or synopsis of man’s current state and numbers on the face of the earth. Chapter 4:16-22 and chapter 5 chronicle the growth of men on the face of the earth since the days of Cain and Abel. Some suggest hundreds of thousands might have been alive by this point; others suggest millions or even a population rivaling today’s world. If that is so, it might agree with our Lord’s words when He said, “But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be,” Matthew 24:37-39.

The True God and Eternal Life, Part 6

We need reconciliation; we need God’s mercy. We do not need to attempt to “be a good (fill in your religion’s name here.)” Then our faith is in ourselves and our works. The object of our faith is what makes said faith valuable. Faith in itself is nothing, unless it has an object worthy of resting upon. The very idea of faith, biblically speaking is humble trust, absolute reliance on the trustworthiness of the one who is the object of our faith. Being obedient does not create spirituality; rather, becoming a new creature through spiritual birth gives us the ability to be obedient!