Continual Evil, The Ark, And God’s Restraining Mercies

By Dr. R. Scott Clark - Posted at The Heidelblog:

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen 6:5–8; ESV).

We live in a fallen world. Every human heart is corrupt. After the fall, because of our sin, by nature, apart from grace, the intention of the thoughts of our hearts are evil continually. Before the flood it was so bad that Scripture says that God “repented that he had made man on the earth.” This is a remarkable expression. In light of both the narrow and broader context it is clear that this expression is intended to be taken metaphorically. To say, as the Open Theists and the other Socinians do, that Yahweh Elohim literally changed his mind because of unforeseen consequences of his decision to create us, is nothing but paganism. No, Scripture describes Yahweh Elohim, the sovereign God who, out of nothing (ex nihilo) spoke creation into existence, as deeply regretting his decision to create us in order to signal to us the gravity of the situation the greatness of human depravity in the fall. The God of Genesis 1 is the God of Genesis 6. He is also the God of Genesis 3:14–15: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

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