'Appreciating God's Love'
A) God's Delight in Noah
Gen 8:20 "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma.
Immediately after the deluge, the first thing that came to Noah's mind was to thank, honour and worship God. He offered to the Lord as sacrifices not only just a clean animal or clean bird, but from every clean animal and every clean bird.
God was delighted with the respect, honour and love shown by Noah with the great amount of sacrifices out of every clean animal and clean bird. God found the sincere and respectful sacrifices were with soothing, pleasant and sweet aroma.
This clearly reveals that though man's heart has always been evil, men's sacrifices can be accepted, if like Noah, they are sincere in their respect, honour and worship of Him.
God filled with the delight of Noah's honour, respect and worship, immediately promised not to curse the ground nor destroy the earth again with deluge.
Gen 8:21 Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done."
Note All mankind today are descendants of Noah, and they are under the Noahic Covenant with the exception of the Jews who were under the Mosaic law and Christians who are now under the Grace of Jesus.
B) Laws of Noah's Covenant
Gen 9:1-4 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood."
For God's pleasure, acceptance and approval, Gentiles (men) must worship only the Almighty God (no Idolatry), offer clean sacrifices, can eat all living things (both clean and unclean), and abstain from eating meat with blood.
On top of these, men must follow their conscience of doing good works (the gift of love in every spirit of man) to be counted as devout.
Rom 2:11-15 For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
C) Conversion of Devout Gentiles
Acts 10:1-2,7 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
Gentiles being the descendants of Noah have only the Noahic covenant to keep. They need to fear God to be monotheist, offer clean sacrifices, eat all living things, abstain from blood and do good works to be counted as devout.
Cornelius, a devout man and his family on hearing the gospel, were the first Gentiles to be saved when the Holy Spirit fell upon them making them to speak in tongues. Immediately they were baptized.
Act 10:44-46a While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Gentile Converts
Acts 15:28-29 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Gentiles converted to Christianity do not need to offer sacrifices (Jesus is the perfect sacrifice) under the New Covenant. They are forbidden to follow any part of the Old Covenant - Judaism or Mosaic law (circumcision, feasts, sacrifices, law, and religious ceremonies), which was given to the Israelites when they were in possession of Canaan land.
Christians only need to follow the word of Jesus in the four Gospels and the teachings of His words in the Apostles' Epistles.
