Man fell because he rejected God. Rejection is a painful thing, isn’t it? When others push us away, they are really saying we aren’t what they want; that we do not satisfy them. And, when we are rejected, aside from being hurt, we may even want to hurt those who reject us. We may want to “get them back” somehow.<\/p>\n
In Genesis 6, we see the ultimate destination of man’s behavior. What began with Adam and Eve in the form of a lie and deceit gave way to “every intent of the thoughts of his heart were on evil continually<\/em>.” Man rejected God. However, such behavior on man’s part didn’t prompt anger from God, but sorrow (Genesis 6:6). Because God knew how destructive sin was and how much He longed to bless, it hurt God that man didn’t follow Him. The only choice God had was to punish man for his rejection.<\/p>\n “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord<\/em>” (Genesis 6:8). Sometimes people think that grace is a New Testament concept, but it isn’t. Anytime God acts toward us in a way we do not deserve, that is grace. Every action of God in the Bible of a positive nature toward man is an expression of His grace and love. What did Noah do that caused God’s grace to shine upon him? Genesis 6:9 tells us he was righteous and that he “walked with God<\/em>.”<\/p>\n God’s grace is never arbitrary. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy<\/em>” (Proverbs 28:13). God gave His mercy to Noah because Noah was trying to do right. Does this mean Noah earned God’s favor? No, Noah was still, like all men, a sinner, but because he had a heart of service for God, He extended His grace and provided salvation to Noah and his family when He wiped out sin from the world by the flood.<\/p>\n What about you? In this sinful world, in which we now live, have you found grace and mercy in God’s eyes? Does He look upon you with mercy, and long to give to you what you don’t have, but so desperately need?<\/p>\n In reality, while all of us need His grace, all don’t seem to find His favor. What separates the two? The same things that separated Noah from the antediluvian world: righteousness and a desire to be with God. For us, this righteousness is not our own, but only comes to us through Jesus Christ, “And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is through the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith<\/em>” (Philippians 3:9). When our sins are washed away, we can have a relationship with God — impossible while we were sinners. We can then “walk” with God, which speaks of an ongoing relationship, a desire to be with Him, and never without Him. It is to worship, honor, respect, and yes, obey Him as our Lord and King.<\/p>\n Have you “found grace in the eyes of the Lord<\/em>?” Have you sought to be forgiven and then to live a righteous life through Christ? Can it be said that you, like Noah, are walking with Him?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Mark McCrary via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 11, Nov. 2008. Man fell because he rejected God. Rejection is a painful thing, isn’t it? When others push us away, they are really saying we aren’t what they want; that we do not satisfy them. And, when we are rejected, aside from being hurt, we may…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-56211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-grace"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48266,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-hurt-the-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":0},"title":"Is it a sin to hurt the earth?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, Is it a sin to hurt the earth? Are Christians supposed to take care of the earth and the environment? Answer: The difficulty in answering your question is that you are using terms that mean different things to different people. For example, it is wrong to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85191,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/evil-continually-genesis-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":1},"title":"Evil Continually (Genesis 6)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chuck Richardson via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 1, January 2015 Genesis chapter 6 opens with the revelation that man was desperately evil, and God responded with a complete destruction of all living persons and things, save Noah and his household. The reason: Noah found grace in the eyes of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60167,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/theistic-evolution-denial-of-the-record\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":2},"title":"Theistic Evolution — Denial of the Record","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jim R. Everett via bulletin from the Cedar Park church of Christ Atheistic evolution is an unscientific hypothesis because it affirms that life came from nothing. Theistic evolution is an unwarranted compromise and a denial of the record of creation (Genesis 1-2). No man can believe the Bible to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37273,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-we-be-given-grace-without-repentance\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":3},"title":"How can we be given grace without repentance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What does this mean? Does this mean that we are giving grace without repentance? I'm looking at a church and I looked up their beliefs, this was one of them. \"That God has given us all a measure of grace according to our gifts: Ephesians 4:7\u00a0\"But to each one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62449,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/finding-grace-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":4},"title":"Finding Grace (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 6:1-8 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each time we choose to sin, we are rejecting the one who tells us not to sin. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is something God has seen throughout man\u2019s history \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Numbers 14:11 - Israel\u2019s rebellion \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I Samuel 15:23 - Saul\u2019s rebellion \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0II Kings 17:15 - Israel\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63406,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/roles-in-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":56211,"position":5},"title":"Roles in Salvation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are many misleading claims in the denominations regarding salvation \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Most of the misconceptions come because people only look at some of the verses regarding salvation. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They find verses which says we are saved by God\u2019s grace and then trumpet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}