Thursday, June 28, 2018

Can a person be pure before God?


Read Job 15.

This begins the second of three rounds of speeches as these men interact.  Last time, Eliphaz began by complimenting Job before strongly advising him.  In this exchange he skipped the courtesies and accused Job of being a harden sinner, disrespectful to his elders, and defiant toward God.

Then, Eliphaz falsely detailed how the sufferings of Job were exactly what happens to all those who defy God.  The wicked will come to ruin and poverty.

Among the many questions he did ask was this one: "What is man, that he can be pure?" (v.14)  God is holy and cannot tolerate sin.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Holiness and sin are eternally incompatible.

So, how can an unholy human being ever have a relationship with a holy God?  The answer is in the next verse in the book of Romans: "and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24)

Such right standing with God cannot be earned.  It is a free gift.  It is not the result of what we can do, but solely upon what Christ has already done for us.  Our sin was paid in full on the cross. Our forgiveness and holiness before God is there for the asking.

Forgiven, we are pure before the LORD

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