Finding Grace

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Genesis 6:8)

This is the very first reference in the Bible to the great concept of the grace of God. In the midst of the most violent and wicked society that history has ever seen, there was one man who was "a just man and perfect in his generations" (Genesis 6:9), and the reason why he was different was that he "found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

In this first mention of such a vital doctrine, it is stressed that the grace of God is not something which is either earned or learned. It cannot be gained by good works or by much study. Grace is found! "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). The eyes of the Lord had to search diligently in an earth "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:13) to find a man whose heart was open toward God. But when He did find such a man, "Noah found grace!"

In a beautiful pattern of divine inspiration, it is significant that the first mention of grace in the New Testament stresses the same great truth. It appears in the words of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary: "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor |literally 'grace'| with God" (Luke 1:30). Thus Mary, like Noah, "found grace with God." Noah was chosen by the Lord to save a believing remnant through the Flood by the building of the Ark of safety, and Mary was chosen by the Lord to bring into the world the One who would take away its sin, the eternal Ark of Salvation.

It is the same today. Although "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11), only "few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). God's grace is available to all if they will but believe and accept it, but it takes a seeing heart and a hearing soul to find it. HMM