Page 68 - Reading Job to Know God

Here is the point. The foundation of truth is a revelation of God. What
God says, what God reveals. Experience is a wonderful thing if it
illustrates and confirms God’s manifested wisdom. Tradition, the voice of
men, is a wonderful thing, if it illustrates what God has revealed. Doctrine
also can be wonderful if it illustrates God’s foundational truth. But so
often doctrine is like that woman who reached out and touched the hem of
His garment. A lot of people think that the virtue(power) was in the
garment. It was not. What made that garment a healing garment was that
Jesus was in it. The garment was touching the Healer. Doctrine is like
the robe without Christ in it, and many people just touch the doctrine and
expect healing. If Christ is not in it, then there is no healing in the
garment, and doctrine can be just the garment.

A VISION OF GOD BRINGS A SPIRIT OF REPENTANCE

There is much discussion in this section, 3-31, on the depravity of man.
Was Job convinced of his own sinfulness? He was. But not, by Eliphaz’
arguments. Eliphaz eloquently argues the depravity of man, but he doesn’t
get to Job. Bildad talks about the holiness of God but he did not get to Job
either. Do you know how he was convinced of it? He saw God. That is
how you are always convinced of it. God gave him the truth by laying a
foundation. A vision of God produces a repenting spirit, a repenting
heart, a humble attitude. So, experience, tradition and dogmatism must all
bow low to the revelation of truth as it is found in the Bible.
The fifth warning I get from Job chapters 3-31 is; Don’t be fooled by what
appear to be peoples good qualities, strengths or special gifts. Let me
illustrate that. In James 5:11 we read these words. “You have heard about
the patience of Job.” If you read the book of Job you would write your
own verse, and it would read something like this. “I have heard of the
impatience of Job”. From reading Job, that is what you come up with.
He was a very impatient man. We are only as deep as the third chapter
and we see the impatience of Job.

One of the clearest doctrines in the Bible is what theologians call the
depravity of man. In order to have the Bible doctrine of depravity of man,
you have to have three things included. Let me give them to you. The first
is wretchedness, which simply means that man cannot be worse off than
he is. Man suffered a complete and total fall. Sin has turned man into a
monster. Sin has turned man into a beast. By nature, man is blind and
ignorant. He is plunged into pollution by his nature and practice. He is
just wiped out. He is filthy through and through.

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