Page 70 - Job

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.
Now, wretchedness does not mean man is at his worst. You go out there
and you will see that people could be far worse than they are. The
doctrine of depravity says man is wretched, and he is potentially at his
worse. That is, inside of man there is no end to the evil he can do.

The second aspect of depravity is Helplessness. Man is ignorant of his
own condition. He is senseless of his own state. He does not see his sin.
He does not see his danger and, obviously therefore, he cannot see his

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