Favor & Acceptance

Study 1 Favor and Acceptance
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8 NKJV) . This scripture oozes with grace. How can it get any plainer? God SHOWED love cause we were still sinners and Christ  died for us any way. But I am not focusing on one verse only. My focus is on searching the entire Bible to see what God tells me about grace. 

The first mention of the word grace in the bible is in Genesis.(NKJV) Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. The word grace used here is translated from the word Chen which means favor, grace, acceptance. 
In the New Testament the word grace first appears in the book of Luke. (NKJV) Luke 2:40; "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him." the word for grace here is charis, meaning;
a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech
2) good will, loving-kindness, favour
a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues
3) what is due to grace
a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
b) the token or proof of grace, benefit
1) a gift of grace
2) benefit, bounty
4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward, in common language it means favor and acceptance.

The church today defines grace as the undeserved favor of God.  I believe this cause I know the scriptures that show it, but "precept upon precept, line upon line, we are taking this slow. We will get to this definition. Right now, I want the whole counsel of scripture on grace, especially God's grace. 

So, Noah found grace in God's eyes and of the Child (Jesus), it is said the grace of God was on Him; favor and acceptance. Do these two have anything in common? 
Let's examine the passages. 

Does the Word tells us anything about why he received the Favor /acceptance of God?  verse 9 of Genesis 6 states, "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations." 
The word just comes from a Hebrew word meaning right in conduct and character.
Noah walked with God. His great grandfather Enoch, walked with God. They did not have the law of Moses. 

SIDE NOTE: The genealogy of Adam listed in chapter 5 is not a sequential genealogy. The men lived during the same time. Adam was 130 when he and Eve had Seth. He then lived 800 more years. Take the age of Adam when he had Seth the age of Seth and the ages of those after him when their children were born, add them together , you get 876 years from the time seth was born until  Methuselah was living. That means Methuselah was approximately 76 when Adam died. Why did I go here? Everything is in the Bible for a reason. This genealogy when you first read it you think in order, Adam, Seth...Enoch, Methuselah... Lamach, and then  Noah. Yet, Adam lived to see his great, great great, great, great grandson live to the age of 76?! He who had walked in the garden with God, who had firsthand knowledge of everything that had happened, was still around when Methuselah was alive!

"By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death,  and was not found, because God had taken him ; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith  it is  impossible to please  Him,  for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and  that  He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (Hebrews 11:5-7 NKJV)

I could go on with this but we will stop here for now. But we have learned Noah found grace/favor/acceptance with God.  Enoch and Noah apparently pleased God. And pleased Him by their faith in Him. (see above verse in Hebrews) Next lesson I will look more at this and also at the verse in Luke where the Child had the grace of God on Him.