In the passages I pointed out, it seems more to speak of God's displeasure with what the others were doing, both in Noah's world and in the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah.
If Noah had been an active, homosexualizing, murdering, idol worshipper.....would he have found favor in the eyes of the Lord?
Perhaps. Paul & Moses were murderers. Rachel stole household idols. Transforming Christians have proven that homosexuals can leave that lifestyle....agreeing with Paul about some Christians Paul knew who had done the same.
If it isn't the good behavior and it isn't the bad behavior (although the bad behavior above is frowned upon), then it must be something else, since it CANNOT be arbitrary. I don't believe God has a random number generator, and when your number randomly comes up that He says, "OK, favor bestowed on that one."
***If it isn't the good behavior and it isn't the bad behavior (although the bad behavior above is frowned upon), then it must be something else, since it CANNOT be arbitrary. I don't believe God has a random number generator, and when your number randomly comes up that He says, "OK, favor bestowed on that one."***
I'm happy for you that you don't believe God to be a "random number generator."
"(for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),"
I believe as the Bible teaches. Men are called according to the purpose of God and his good pleasure. If you wish to label that as arbitrary and a random number generator, then that is fine with me.
However, since you acknowledge that the calling of God is according to neither good works nor evil works, then perhaps, you have go the route of genetics. Maybe God has a master race. Or, you could reveal that men find favor with God based upon something they do. Some of your Arminian friends here have gone that route in determining what makes man worthy of salvation.
BTW, do you have a verse which says that God cannot be arbitrary in election? I'm just curious to see if you are imposing your own humanistic presuppositions upon the Scriptures.
In the service of the Lord,
Christian.
I would agree. I don't think God is a random number generator and I think He had a divine purpose in mind when Noah found "favor" from the Lord. As you pointed out the favor the Noah received from God could not have been because of any behavior Noah exhibited. It is God's divine plan from which Noah was selected and why Noah we don't know but it wasn't because Noah was "a good guy". And I believe God works exactly like this in each one of our lives.
Deu 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.