Noah believed in God and, as a result, became a righteous person. He was right with God, with others, and with himself. None of the worldly people are right with God, with others, or with themselves. However, Noah was a righteous man (Ezek. 14:14), and Hebrews 11:7 says that he "became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
Firstly, Noah found grace. Secondly, because God had been transfused into him, he believed in God. Because God's believing element was transfused into him, Noah had the believing faculty. He believed in God, and immediately his believing was reckoned unto him by God as righteousness as God did with Abraham (Rom. 4:3, 9). Moreover, because he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, this grace strengthened him and helped him to live a righteous life. In his daily walk, righteousness was lived out of him. This kind of righteousness was not merely objective, but also subjective. Firstly, he received objective righteousness; eventually, he lived out subjective righteousness. Thus, in the eyes of God, Noah inherited righteousness.
In the sixth chapter of Genesis, we see three important seeds: flesh, grace, and righteousness. This matter of the flesh is fully developed in the New Testament, particularly in the Epistles, and especially in Romans 7 and 8. Since we have covered this in the Life-study of Romans, we need not to repeat it now.
Do you realize that God's grace came because of the flesh? "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us..full of grace.." (John 1:14). In a good sense, where there is flesh, there is grace. What is flesh? The flesh is Satan's masterpiece. Do you know where Satan is today? He is in our flesh. The flesh is the meeting hall of Satan, sin, and death. These three great enemies continually meet together in the hall of our flesh, and their meeting is never dismissed. I cannot tell you how many thousands of years this meeting has been going on. The flesh is such an ugly thing.
What then is grace? Grace is God Himself enjoyed by us and helping us to face the situation of the flesh. In a sense, if there were no flesh, grace would not be so much needed. If it were not for the flesh, probably God would not have to give us so much grace. We have seen that, according to Hebrews 4:16, we may find grace to meet our timely need. What element causes us to need grace? It is mainly the flesh. I sympathize with the young people, for I was once a young man myself. As I passed through all the human experiences, I came to realize how much we are in the flesh. Although I do not like to be in the flesh, the flesh is here. Once I got mad at the Lord and said to Him, "Lord, why don't You take away my flesh?" Eventually He showed me that, in a sense, I needed the flesh, for the flesh is the very factor that compels me to come to the throne of grace. I cannot do anything with this flesh. All I can do is go to the throne of grace. Although there is nothing that we can do, yet there is somewhere that we can go—the throne of grace.
If you read the New Testament carefully, you will see that where the flesh is, there also is grace. This is especially true in the book of Galatians. Galatians 5:4 says that if we attempt to be justified by the law, we are fallen from grace. We are in the flesh. Galatians deals with this matter of the flesh, and it also speaks much about the matter of grace. Do not say that you do not have the flesh. You have a great deal of flesh. Even as you read this message, you have the flesh to contend with. What shall we do? Let us come to the throne of grace for the sake of dealing with the flesh. Because the flesh is here with us, we need grace.
The flesh is the very presence of the Devil, and grace is the very presence of God. In order for us to face the presence of Satan, we need the presence of God. Where is Satan? Do not think that Satan is far away from you. He is within you. Every minute, even while you are praying, Satan is in your flesh. A good number of times my prayers have been frustrated by the flesh. Even in the holiest time, the time of prayer, the flesh is a frustration. This frustration of the flesh forces us to come to the throne of grace. Although the flesh is the presence of Satan, over and against it we have grace, which is the presence of God. How strong are you? Are you strong enough to overcome Satan? Do you think that you can deal with him? Forget such thoughts. Satan is much greater than we are. Although Satan is greater than we are, God is greater than Satan. God is the greatest. Since Satan is here with us, we need God to be present. We have to say, "Lord, You know Your enemy is right here. You have to come and stand with me against him." When God comes to us and stands with us, that is grace.
God is sovereign and wise. He knows that if He were to take away the flesh, probably very few of us would be desperate to seek His grace. In His sovereignty and wisdom, He leaves the flesh here, knowing that, in a sense, it is useful to us. Day and night the flesh helps us turn to the throne of grace. When we are matured, that is, when we are raptured, we will be able to turn to the flesh and say, "Little flesh, your time is over. You may leave now." Before the maturity of life, in a sense we need the flesh, not to damage us, but to force us to come to the throne of grace.
Where the flesh is, there is grace, and where grace is, there is the issue of grace—righteousness. Romans 5:17 puts grace and righteousness together. This verse says that "those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." Righteousness always accompanies grace. There is not one husband who can be right with his wife without grace, and there is not one wife who can be right with her husband without grace. There is only one kind of wife or husband who is right—the wife or husband who finds grace. Once we have found grace, grace will make us right with our husband or wife. Consider the case of a particular husband who for years has been told by others that he should treat his wife better than he does. Nevertheless, he is not convinced. One night he finds grace, and grace issues in righteousness. Immediately he changes his attitude.
It is by the power of grace, the strength of grace, and the life of grace that we can be right with God, with one another, and even with ourselves. Grace produces righteousness. Righteousness is the highest product of grace. Therefore, Romans 5:21 says that "grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life." Thus, righteousness and grace always go together. Where the flesh is, there is grace, and where grace is, righteousness is produced.
We who have found grace are righteous. We are more righteous than others because of grace. We are not righteous because of ourselves, but because of grace. It is even possible to boast that the church members are more righteous than other people. They are righteous because they have found grace. Righteousness not only became a boast to Noah; it was also a boast to God. God was able to boast to His enemy. God could boast of Noah's righteousness to that crooked and perverse generation. Noah's righteousness strengthened God's standing to execute His judgment upon that ungodly generation.