What a profound and weighty question.

The verse you’re referring to is from Genesis 8:21, right after the flood, when Noah offered a sacrifice and God responded with a promise:

“I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Nor will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.”

This statement reveals a deep paradox in God’s heart: His recognition of man’s corruption, yet His decision to show mercy. Let’s unpack this:

💔 1. Acknowledging Human Corruption

God does not deny the truth about humanity:

“…everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood.”

This echoes what He said before the flood (Genesis 6:5):

“…every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”

But here’s the shift: God reaffirms the diagnosis, but now chooses a different response.

🌈 2. A Change in Divine Approach (Not in Character)

Before the flood, God judged the earth with destruction.
After the flood, He reaffirms that the problem is still present, but promises:

“I will never again curse the ground… I will never again destroy all living things.”

🧩 Why? Not because man had changed—but because God reveals a deeper layer of His mercy and long-suffering.

This is not resignation but restraint. God knows man is bent toward evil, but He also begins a redemptive story that doesn’t rely on mass destruction—it relies on grace.

💝 3. The Covenant of Mercy (Foreshadowing the Cross)

God’s mercy here isn’t blind. It anticipates something greater. After all, judgment cannot fix a corrupted heart. Redemption is needed.

And the animal sacrifice Noah offered? It was a pleasing aroma to God (v. 20)—pointing forward to the ultimate sacrifice:

“…Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)

God binds Himself to a new path: instead of wiping out evil from the outside, He will conquer it from within—by changing hearts.

⚖️ 4. Shouldn’t God Exterminate Us?

From the standpoint of justice—yes. If God acted only in justice, no one would survive.

But this is the stunning message of the Bible:

God is just—and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26).

He doesn’t ignore sin—He absorbs its cost Himself, in Christ. The mercy He showed Noah becomes a pattern of how He’ll deal with the world: through covenant, patience, and ultimately, salvation.

🧎‍♂️ So, what does this reveal?

• God knows our sin better than we do.
• He doesn’t destroy us because we’re broken—but because He plans to heal.
• Mercy isn’t overlooking sin—it’s God postponing judgment to provide redemption.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise… but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

In short:
Yes, man is corrupt from birth.
But God’s mercy is older than the flood and stronger than our sin.
He didn’t choose to destroy us because He had already chosen to save us.

Absolutely—you’re touching on something both sobering and profoundly revealing. The flood wasn’t a random act of divine frustration. It was intentional, symbolic, and foundational to God’s revelation. You’re right: God could have chosen redemption from the beginning without this cataclysm. But He didn’t—and that means the flood had a purpose in His eternal plan.

Let’s explore what the flood teaches us and why it still matters in light of redemption:

🌊 1. The Flood as a Global Revelation of God’s Justice

Before the flood, evil had reached an unbearable climax:

“The earth was filled with violence… all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” (Genesis 6:11–12)

📍This event anchors a historical and theological truth:
God does not and will not ignore evil.

The flood was a terrifying declaration:

“Sin is not just personal—it’s cosmic, and it brings death on everything it touches.”

The flood becomes the loudest divine megaphone about judgment before the final one.

🧬 2. A Pattern of De-creation and Re-creation

Notice the language of Genesis:

• The waters cover everything (like in Genesis 1:2).
• Then the waters recede.
• A new humanity begins (Noah as a new Adam).
• God blesses Noah: “Be fruitful and multiply.”

📖 The flood is a cosmic reboot—but also a symbolic drama of unmaking and remaking.
But here’s the twist: even after the fresh start, sin remains. Why?

👉 Because the problem is not just outside of man—it is inside of him.

This points forward:

The world won’t be fixed by new circumstances.
It must be fixed by a new heart.

⛪ 3. A Shadow of Baptism and Salvation

Peter says something astounding:

“God waited patiently in the days of Noah… In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you…” (1 Peter 3:20–21)

🌈 The ark becomes a symbol of God’s saving grace.

• The flood waters judged sin.
• The ark bore the righteous through judgment.
• The rainbow sealed a covenant of mercy.

⛵ In the same way, Christ is the ark. We are saved not from water, but through judgment—by being in Him.

🔥 4. A Prefiguration of the Final Judgment

Jesus said:

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37)

The flood is not just history—it’s prophecy in reverse.

⚖️ It is a preview of final justice:

• Swift
• Unexpected
• Inescapable—except through grace

But again, God’s mercy preceded the flood (Noah found favor before building anything), and His promise of mercy followed it.

🧭 5. The Human Condition Exposed for All Time

“…the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

This is the diagnostic moment. God’s not just showing us the problem—He’s showing us how deep it runs.

🔎 We needed to see:

• That even a clean slate (Noah) isn’t enough
• That man left to himself always returns to corruption
• That external reform cannot produce internal righteousness

🚪The flood forces us to look for a different kind of salvation:
Not one that changes the world around us, but one that changes the heart within us.

🌍 So Why Did God Use the Flood?

Because before He could unfold the grace, He had to show us the gravity of sin.
Before He could offer redemption, He had to show us why we need it.

And not just once, but for all generations to witness:

“Remember what I did with the flood… and remember the ark.”

🧠 Final Thought:

You’re right: we’ve missed this lesson for millennia.
But Scripture keeps drawing us back to it, because it is a story meant to be reread in the light of Christ.

The flood teaches us that judgment is real,
and that grace is greater still.

Just as God set the rainbow as a reminder for Himself, perhaps He also meant it to remind us—that while justice is certain, mercy is astonishing.

Your question echoes the urgency and trembling weight of both history and prophecy.

When we peer into Genesis 6, we see a sobering declaration:

“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.” (Genesis 6:5)

This is the deepest indictment of humanity in all of Scripture before the cross. It was a time of unrestrained corruption, violence, and moral anarchy. And you’re asking:
Is our time better, worse—or just repeating it in a new form?

Let’s unpack this.

⚖️ 1. Qualitatively: Is today’s evil as deep?

Genesis 6 describes evil that pervaded:

• Thought (“every intention”)
• Emotion (no remorse or repentance)
• Action (“the earth was filled with violence” – v. 11)
• Society (corruption of all flesh – v. 12)

Today, sin manifests in sophisticated and systemic forms—technological, institutional, cultural—but the heart behind it is the same.
Jesus said:

“Out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matt. 15:19)

The quality of evil hasn’t improved. If anything, it’s grown more deceptive, celebrated, and institutionalized.

And Paul warned in Romans 1 that a society that:

• Exchanges truth for lies
• Worships creation over Creator
• Celebrates evil openly
  is under judgment already—not waiting for it.

📊 2. Quantitatively: Is there more evil now?

There are more people now.
More connectivity.
More reach.
More visibility.

So while sin is not worse in nature, its scale is broader, and its propagation faster.

Digital corruption, mass violence, genocide, abuse of power, destruction of innocence—these are global, not local.
The tower of Babel is digital now—and we’re building it again.

📜 3. Scripture’s Pattern: Days of Noah as a Mirror

Jesus didn’t just compare the sin of Noah’s day to ours. He compared the attitude of the people:

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in those days… they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.” (Matt. 24:37–38)

🚨 That is: life went on like nothing was coming.
The issue was blindness, complacency, and willful ignorance.

People weren’t evil by their own standard—but by God’s, their hearts were fully turned inward.

That is today’s world.

🔥 4. The Flood to Come

The flood of Noah was judgment by water.

Peter says there’s another judgment:

“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 3:7)

So yes—the next flood is nearer than many expect.
Not water—but fire.
Not to cleanse the earth temporarily, but to refine it permanently.

But again—Peter reminds us:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise… He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish.” (2 Peter 3:9)

We’re in the days of mercy’s delay, but not mercy’s denial.

🌈 5. The Ark Is Still Open

So is the wickedness today like Genesis 6?
In essence, yes.
In scale, even broader.
In judgment, we are closer than ever.

But God hasn’t changed.

He sent a flood once to show the seriousness of sin.
He sent His Son to show the power of grace.
And now He calls us—not to build an ark, but to enter into Christ, the final Ark.

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:9)

⏳ Final Thought:

You’re right to feel the weight of this age.
But remember: the judgment of God always walks hand-in-hand with the invitation of grace.
And right now—we’re living in the narrow space between the two.

This is the very cry that touches heaven. And if someone is saying, “I want to change, but I can’t,” they’re far closer to the truth—and to hope—than the one who says, “I’m fine just as I am.”

Let’s walk through this together, gently but truthfully.

🧎‍♂️ 1. Despair is the Beginning of Real Hope

The moment you realize, “I cannot change myself”, you’re not defeated—you’re finally seeing clearly.
This is the doorway to salvation, not the end of it.

Paul, the apostle, wrote this as a born-again man:

“For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”
—Romans 7:18, 24

And then the answer immediately follows:

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
—Romans 7:25

If you’re saying, “I can’t fix this”, you’re ready to hear, “Christ came for people exactly like you.”

🕊️ 2. God Doesn’t Wait for You to Change—He Changes You

You don’t need to clean yourself up to come to God.
You come dirty. You come weak. You come enslaved.

And He says:

“A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3)

He doesn’t despise the weak. He dwells with them.

Jesus didn’t say, “Fix your life and follow Me.”
He said, “Follow Me—and I will make you…”

You don’t need self-transformation.
You need surrender.

🌄 3. God’s Power Begins Where Yours Ends

The Gospel is not about trying harder. It’s about trusting deeper.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God is not surprised by your helplessness.
He’s only asking you to stop hiding it.

Let this be your prayer:

“God, I can’t do this. But You can. Help me trust You, even in this mess.”

And He will. Every time.

🔐 4. What Should You Do, Practically?

• Cry out honestly. Say it like it is. No religious performance.
• Call on Jesus by name. Not an idea—not a concept. Him.
• Open Scripture—especially the Gospels and Psalms. Let His voice speak louder than yours.
• Find one believer you can share your struggle with. Don’t do this in isolation.
• Stop measuring your progress. Look at Christ. Not at yourself. Your feelings lie—He doesn’t.

🕯️ Final Word: There Is Hope

If you want to change but feel stuck, that’s not failure—it’s a sign of life.

The ones Jesus came for were never the strong, but those who finally said:

“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Luke 5:12)

And He said:

“I am willing. Be clean.” (Luke 5:13)

He still says it today.
To the weary, the addict, the doubter, the failure, the one who can’t break free:

“Come to Me.”
“I will give you rest.”
“I will never cast you out.” (Matthew 11:28, John 6:37)

So no—you should never despair.

Not because you’re strong—but because He is, and He is near.