But Noah found favor in the eyes of God the LORD . . . . Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” – Genesis 6:8, 10

Sin grieves God’s heart. The flood of wickedness in Noah’s day prompted God to cleanse the earth by destroying all mankind, beasts, birds, and creeping things with a worldwide flood. But there was one exception: Noah.

Why did Noah find favor (grace) from the Lord?

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Noah wasn’t perfect; Genesis 9:20 shows that his sin nature traveled with him on the ark, (along with his family and the animals God designated).

So what set Noah apart from the people around him?

The Bible says that Noah was justified by God through his faith.  Noah is an exemplary model of one who had great faith. Of all the people listed in the “Hall of Faith” (Hebrews 11), his description is the only one that both begins and ends with “by faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Noah believed God’s promises and followed God’s will.

Walk describes the closest communion with God. It represents fellowship and obedience. Since Enoch, Noah was the only one left in his long life span who “walked with God” (vs. 10).

Noah was also recorded as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). Although no one responded to his message except his family.

Noah Declared Righteous By God

With unmerited favor, God looked upon Noah as a righteous man and enabled him to walk closely with Him step by step, day by day. It’s here in Genesis where grace is first mentioned; God giving undeserved favor to sinners (Noah and his family).

God deemed Noah righteous not because he was perfect, but because he believed and wholeheartedly loved and obeyed God (Gen. 6:22; 7:5, 9, 16):

• Even though it had never rained before—the earth had been watered by underground springs—Noah didn’t question God.
• When God told him to build this huge boat—the length of one and a half football fields and height of a four-story building—Noah got right to work.
• Even though he was most likely ridiculed and labeled “crazy”, Noah chose to obey God rather than cave to the expectations and temptations surrounding him (1 Peter 3:20).
• For 120 long years—longer than our life span—Noah pressed on to build the ark according to God’s detailed specifications.

So What?

Noah is our antediluvian link. Because Noah believed God and obeyed, he is a model of faith of how we too can please God.

As Noah and his family were saved by entering through the ark’s door, we are also saved by entering through the narrow door (gate) of Jesus Christ: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14).

As in Noah’s day, living God’s way may not be popular, but it is true and right.

Have you entered through the narrow gate by placing your faith in Jesus Christ? Trust in Christ is the only way to heaven because He alone died for our sins so we can be right before our holy God.