Glenn wrote: > Job was blameless and upright, but did > not have sinless perfection.
Glenn, I like you, and surely do not want to offend you, but this statement is blasphemy. To blatantly contradict the Bible for no other reason than because it does not go along with your theology is blasphemy. As we read the book of Job, we see from the outset that Job was perfect, upright, someone who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:1). Then as we read further, we observe that God brags about Job's righteousness and blamelessness. Even Satan had not a single sin to accuse Job of before God. The only recourse that Satan had was to accuse Job of being righteous only because God had protected him. Satan bet God that he could get Job to sin, if God would only allow Satan to hurt Job. Clearly, if Job had sinned prior to this, Satan, the accuser that he is, would have just brought up that sin in accusation against Job. The truth was that there was NO SIN that could be laid to Job's charge. So, God gave Satan permission to attack, to test just how righteous Job really was. In Job 1:21, it plainly says that Job did not sin, even in the midst of this attack of Satan. Job was taken back by the attack. He was confused as to why he would suffer these things. Some friends came and tried to console Job. At first, they were quiet, but soon they began to talk. What was the sum of their speech? They believed that all men sinned, even Job. They were convinced that Job surely sinned somewhere, perhaps some sin of ommission somewhere, so if Job would just confess himself as a sinner, then all would be better. They considered Job self-righteous, because he maintained his innocence and continued to profess that he had not sinned. The testimony of the Bible here is that Job's friends were WRONG! Job had not sinned. If Job had complied with their constant urging to confess that he had sinned somewhere, even if he was unaware of it, THEN JOB WOULD HAVE SINNED by making such a confession. Why? Because that would be a false confession, and a foolish one. It would be a mockery of truth to confess that you have sinned when you have not sinned. The Bible testifies again and again, that Job kept his integrity, and continued his confession, that he had no sin. The Bible also testifies for Job, by the VOICE OF THE SPIRIT, that in all of this, Job did not sin (e.g., Job 2:10). So for you to lay sin to Job's charge puts you in the position of agreeing with Job's friends who God became angry at, and it places you in a position to contradict and blaspheme against the testimony of Scripture concerning Job. Was Job ultimately perfect in the sense that he had arrived and could be no better than he was? No. But was Job perfect in the sense that he did not sin? Yes, he was. That is what the Bible says. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
