When the world was corrupt
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Genesis 6:1–22 (KJV)
Text: Genesis 6:1–22 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 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. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Big Idea: When sin fills the world, God judges righteously—but preserves grace through faith.
Big Idea: When sin fills the world, God judges righteously—but preserves grace through faith.
Pre-introduction
Before we step into Genesis 6, let’s remember where we were last week.
Genesis 5 walked us through a long genealogy—but it carried one powerful message.
Over and over again we read the same phrase:
“And he died… and he died… and he died…”
Death had become the story of humanity.
But right in the middle of that chapter, there was one man who stood out. Enoch walked with God.
In a world marked by death, there was still a man marked by faith.
Now as we come to Genesis 6, the focus shifts.
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Genesis 6 shows us a world where sin is no longer just present—
it is everywhere. This chapter tells of the collapse of man’s first attempt at civilization. The general truths in Genesis 6 can be applied to all civilizations. Arnold Toynbee, a renowned historian, has indicated there have been in the past some twenty-one or more different civilizations, each one in turn collapsing and giving way to another.
Jones Very’s poem “Enoch” ends with the depiction of mankind’s universal and tragic habit of building temples to God while making no room for him in their hearts.
God walked alone unhonored through the earth;
For Him no heart-built temple open stood,
The soul forgetful of her nobler birth
Had hewn him lofty shrines of stone and wood,
And left unfinished and in ruins still
The only temple he delights to fill.
That was the problem before Enoch and after Enoch despite the temporary spiritual boost his contemporaries experienced when they realized that he had been taken up to heaven. Not a few, we think, responded well and began to walk with God, and as a result they went on to die in belief and faithfulness.
But with the passing of time and the growth of population, the ancient culture’s memory of Enoch began to fade, so that they came to regard the whole episode with a dismissive incredulity. It was so long ago, they thought, and life was different then. We’ve got our own living to do. And so the whole pre-flood culture began a headlong plunge into depravity so deep that it deserved to die. The account is, frankly, appalling—and sobering.
“Even in the darkest chapter so far, God still has a man—and God still has a plan.”
But even in a world gone wrong—
God still makes a way.
I. SIN FILLS THE HEART (vv.1–5)
I. SIN FILLS THE HEART (vv.1–5)
(Vs. 1-2)
Many have believed the sons of God were those from the line of Seth, and the daughters of men were from the line of Cain, and this describes an intermarriage between the godly and the ungodly, something God specifically prohibits (Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 2 Corinthians 6:14).
But this approach leaves many unanswered questions: Why did this make God angry enough to wipe out almost all the earth’s population? Why was there something unusual about the offspring of these unions (Genesis 6:4)? The idea that these were believers marrying unbelievers doesn’t seem to fit the record of the text.
The sons of God saw the daughters of men: It is more accurate to see the sons of God as either demons (angels in rebellion against God) or uniquely demon-possessed men, and the daughters of men as human women.
The phrase sons of God clearly refers to angelic creatures when it is used the three other times in the Old Testament (Job 1:6 2:1, and 38:7). The translators of the Septuagint translated sons of God as angels. Those ancient translators clearly thought sons of God referred to angelic beings, not to people descended from Seth.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jude goes on (Jude 7
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Here in Genesis 6, as in Sodom and Gomorrah, there was an unnatural sexual union.
It is useless to speculate on the nature of this union. Whether it was brought about by something like demon possession, or whether these angelic beings had power permanently to assume the form of men is not revealed. But we should understand the occult is filled with sexual associations with the demonic, and there are those today who actively pursue such associations.
Jude 6 Also makes it clear that their sinful pursuit of freedom has put them in bondage…
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
From the book of 1 Enoch, which is not inspired scripture, but may still contain some accurate accounts: “And it came to pass that the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children… ’ [They] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments… And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants… And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways.”
We can deduce why Satan sent his angels to intermarry (either directly or indirectly) with human women. Satan tried to pollute the genetic pool of mankind with a satanic corruption, to put something like a genetic virus to make the human race unfit for bringing forth the Seed of the woman — the Messiah — promised in Genesis 3:15.
“The Savior could not be born of a demon-possessed mother. So if Satan could succeed in infecting the entire race, the deliverer could not come.” (Boice)
And Satan almost succeeded… The race was so polluted that God found it necessary to start again with Noah and his sons, and to imprison the demons that did this so they could never do this again.
(Vs. 3)
The initial phrase, "My spirit shall not always strive with man," introduces a profound theological concept. The Hebrew verb for "strive" is dîn (דִּין), which carries a rich semantic range, including to judge, contend, rule, or plead. The King James Version's choice of "strive" conveys a sense of God's patient yet persistent engagement with humanity, perhaps through conviction of sin, moral guidance, or the work of a righteous remnant like Noah. John MacArthur consistently teaches that the Holy Spirit's primary work is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Therefore, this "striving" can be understood as the Holy Spirit's long-suffering work of conviction and restraint against the escalating evil, acting as a divine check on human depravity. The declaration signifies that this period of gracious intervention and patient forbearance is drawing to a close.
As James Montgomery Boice might articulate, “God's holiness is so offended by persistent rebellion that even His immeasurable patience eventually reaches a point of righteous withdrawal.”
The reason for this withdrawal is starkly stated: "for that he also is flesh." The Hebrew word basar (בָּשָׂר), translated as "flesh," here signifies more than mere physical existence. It denotes humanity's fallen, corrupt nature—the entirety of human being given over to sin, characterized by weakness, mortality, and a decided bent towards evil, diametrically opposed to the Spirit of God. As Arthur Pink would emphasize in his writings on human depravity, this indicates humanity's complete spiritual bankruptcy, a state where… (Genesis 6:5
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Man had become entirely flesh-driven, unresponsive to God's Spirit, and utterly rebellious…
This is one of the strongest descriptions of human depravity in Scripture.
Notice:
Every imagination
Only evil
Continually
Sin is no longer occasional—it is internal and constant.
This is not just behavior.
This is the condition of the heart.
This says a lot. It means there was no aspect of man’s nature not corrupted by sin.
“A more emphatic statement of the wickedness of the human heart is hardly conceivable.” (Vriezen, quoted in Kidner)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
In other words, the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus will be like the conditions of the world before the flood:
Exploding population ().Genesis 6:1
Sexual perversion ().Genesis 6:2
Demonic activity ().Genesis 6:2
Constant evil in the heart of man ().Genesis 6:5
Widespread corruption and violence ().Genesis 6:11
God did not allow the human race to stay in this rebellious place forever. This means there is a point of no return in our rejection of God. God will not woo us forever; there is a point where He will say “no more.”
All the more reason for us to say today is the day we will respond to Jesus instead of waiting for another day. We have no promise God will draw us some other day.
If we were to draw some truths from these verses it could be said this way…
Sin doesn’t stay external.
It starts in the heart—and eventually shapes everything.
II. SIN GRIEVES GOD (v.6)
II. SIN GRIEVES GOD (v.6)
“It grieved him at his heart.”
God’s sorrow at man, and the grief in His heart are striking. This does not mean that creation was out of control, nor does it mean that God hoped for something better but was unable to achieve it. God knew all along that this was how things would turn out, but our text clearly tells us that as God sees His plan for the ages unfold, it affects Him. God is not unfeeling in the face of human sin and rebellion.
James Montgomery Boice eloquently articulates that, “This divine sorrow reveals a God who is not distant or apathetic, but one whose holy character is deeply offended and pained by the rebellion of His creation. It demonstrates His personal involvement and emotional connection to His creatures, a holy grief distinct from human frailty or error.”
Arthur Pink, in his discussion of God's sovereignty, would argue that, “This is not God acknowledging a mistake in His eternal plan, but rather an expression of deep, righteous sorrow over the catastrophic choices of humanity.”
God is not detached from sin.
He is not indifferent.
He is not unmoved.
He is grieved.
This shows us:
God is personal
God is holy
God cares deeply about righteousness
We often tolerate what God grieves.
Sin is not just breaking rules—
it is breaking the heart of God.
III. SIN BRINGS JUDGMENT (vv.7, 11–13)
III. SIN BRINGS JUDGMENT (vv.7, 11–13)
“I will destroy man…” (Vs. 7)
His judgment would involve a complete erasure of man and all accompanying creatures from existence.
“His character demands a just response to such pervasive evil.” - Alistair Begg
(Vs. 11-13)
The phrase "end of all flesh" underscores the totality of God's decree against a world utterly corrupted. The reason is explicitly stated: "the earth is filled with violence." This is not just individual acts of aggression, but a pervasive state of injustice, oppression, and moral anarchy.
Corruption leads to destruction.
Some wonder if this is too harsh a judgment, or if this shows God to be cruel or a monster. However, since the fall in Genesis 3, every human being has a death sentence. The timing and method of that death are completely in the hands of God.
“On what grounds would God be told that He can bring death to millions of people at the end of a ‘normal’ lifespan, but that He may not do it in any other way?” (Barnhouse)
In addition, it points to a deep and serious problem in the world at that time, something far beyond the problem of believers marrying those who do not believe.
God told all of this to Noah with the intention of saving Noah and his family. In the midst of such corruption and judgment, there is also grace. Instead of wiping out the entire race, God preserved a remnant.
God’s judgment is not impulsive—it is just.
If God ignores sin, He is not good.
If God judges sin, He is righteous.
We cannot separate:
God’s love from His justice.
Judgment is not a contradiction of God’s character—
it is an expression of it.
IV. GRACE PROVIDES A WAY (v.8)
IV. GRACE PROVIDES A WAY (v.8)
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
The Hebrew conjunction "but" (וְנֹחַ - wə-nōaḥ, "and Noah" or "but Noah") serves as a dramatic pivot, shifting the narrative from universal condemnation to individual salvation. This single verse halts the relentless march toward destruction, pointing to God's sovereign intervention and distinguishing a righteous remnant.
That word “but” is everything.
In the middle of:
corruption
violence
judgment
God introduces grace.
Noah did not earn it. He found it.
It was all of grace. Noah had responded like Enoch to the grace of God. The Scriptures say of Noah that he, like Enoch, “walked with God” (v. 9). Like Enoch, he walked in deepest intimacy and obedience with God. Noah knew God…
Now Noah was a wretch like the rest. He was not saved by his righteousness. He was saved by grace. Left to himself, he would have perished like the rest.
"Noah “found grace” from God. It was sovereign grace that saved Noah. God was under no obligation to save Noah at all but He did it according to the good pleasure of His own will. It was pure grace that permitted Noah and his family to escape the judgment of the Flood. Salvation is directly related to God’s covenant." - Jack Arnold
Grace is not given to the worthy.
Grace is given to the needy.
And in a sinful world—
that includes all of us.
It was true then, and it is true today: But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Conclusion
“Noah walked with God.” - (Vs. 9)
“Thus did Noah…” - (Vs. 22)
Noah didn’t just believe in God.
He walked with Him.
He obeyed Him.
Even when:
it was unusual
it was difficult
it made no sense to others
Faith always leads to obedience.
7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
The ark becomes a picture of salvation:
One way
Provided by God
Entered by faith
Safe from judgment
Faith is not just agreement.
Faith is obedience to what God has said.
Genesis 6 shows us:
Sin fills the heart.
Sin grieves God.
Sin brings judgment.
Grace provides a way.
Faith responds in obedience.
FINAL CALL
FINAL CALL
We live in a world that increasingly mirrors the days of Noah.
But just like then:
God still offers grace.
The question is:
Will you ignore the warning?
Or will you respond in faith?
