Noah Found Grace
QUESTION
"And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:7-8)
May I inquire:
In what sense did Noah find grace in the eyes of the LORD?
Did anyone else in that generation find grace in the eyes of the LORD in the same sense?
Were the other seven souls in the ark the elect of God? Did they find the grace of the LORD in the same way Noah did?
Were there any elect of the LORD among those who perished in the flood?
Whatever happened to all those from the so-called godly line of Seth, e.g. Noah's parents and siblings?
Please help me with some answers. Thanks.
ANSWER
Let’s take these questions up one at a time:
In what sense did Noah find grace in the eyes of the LORD?
He was chosen for special revelation and temporal salvation through instruction and obedience.
Did anyone else in that generation find grace in the eyes of the LORD in the same sense?
Not so far as we know.
Were the other seven souls in the ark the elect of God?
They were certainly elect in the sense that they were part of the 8 souls that the Lord promised to save.
"But with THEE will I establish my covenant; and THOU shalt come into the ark, THOU, and THY SONS, and THY WIFE, and THY SONS' WIVES with thee." (Genesis 6:18)
It is important to note that this covenant of salvation was made for 8 people. The idea that Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" (II Peter 2:5) and that this means he was inviting others to board the ark to be saved from the flood is FALSE. Noah had absolutely no warrant to invite others onto the ark for salvation and any invitation extended to those beyond the 8 would be an invitation extended outside God's established covenant. I mention this because of how frequently I hear Christians affirm this false notion.
As to their election unto eternal salvation, I cannot definitively say, but I am inclined to believe that they were.
Did they find the grace of the LORD in the same way Noah did?
I don't think so. While there were 8 saved in the ark, only one was commanded of God to build the ark. Noah's position is unique in this regard.
Were there any elect of the LORD among those who perished in the flood?
I do not know but do not doubt this is possible, given the promise of God's family being composed of every "kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." (Revelation 5:9) Many Christians would likely oppose the idea that there were some who were eternally saved among those who perished in the flood. But the relationship between temporal ruin and eternal ruin is not a direct, 1:1 correlation. Grace is nothing if not the confounding of the ratio. I'll leave that alone but take a moment to note that this area of inquiry quickly devolves into speculation and speculation usually has a short shelf-life in the marketplace of profitable gleanings from scripture.
Whatever happened to all those from the so-called godly line of Seth, e.g. Noah's parents and siblings?
I don't believe in a "godly line of Seth." It seems that those who do would have to admit that MANY of God's elect perished in the flood. It has been my experience that very few Christians are willing to take that position, even the promoters of the "godly line of Seth.
- Elder Daniel Samons