Notes of Faith November 11, 2025
Grace and Favor
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:8
In British English the phrase “grace and favour” refers to a property provided by the government rent free in recognition of one’s service to the country. Grace and favor are synonyms in English and carry a similar core idea: free. We could say that grace and favour properties are earned by their recipients, but they are free in the sense that their provision is not an obligation.
English translations of Scripture use grace and favor to translate the same Hebrew and Greek terms. Both words carry the same idea of free. For instance, Noah found grace [favor] in the eyes of God in a wicked period of history. Yes, Noah was a righteous and blameless man who walked with God (Genesis 6:9). But he did not earn the favor God bestowed upon him. Rather, God looked with favor upon Noah as a man He could trust. The same was said of Mary the earthly mother of Jesus who was a “highly favored one” (Luke 1:28)—someone God could trust with a weighty commission.
We are saved freely by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Let us also live as those God can call when He needs a faithful servant.
God is better than gold, His favor is better than fortune.
Charles Spurgeon
Grace has become one of my most “favored” words in my spiritual journey. God’s grace toward me is something that I do not deserve and yet He gives it. My grace toward others in their spiritual journey is still a learning experience. I ask in prayer to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only to know Him, but to be more like Him day by day. God’s grace is obviously greater than all my sin, (yours too), but His grace also provides salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and through believing in the person and work of Jesus, I/we have forgiveness of sin and eternal life. May we meditate on the grace of God, giving thanks for His being with us every moment of every day! May we be ready to serve our eternal King whenever and for whatever He calls us to do!
Pastor Dale