Basic HTML Version
imply being guilry. Nor does ir imply
God
caused
ir.
All
rhar has happened is a necessary
part
of thar grear design. Sacan can do
norhing God does nor aJiow. "My
purpose shall stand," says God.
There is
NO CONTEST
being waged
berween God and che devil. God
reigns
SUPREME,
and every crearure
and every being srands subjecr ro
God's will!
Becomiog the Soos of God
Whar che world does nor grasp is
rhat God is
reproducing HimJelj-
cre–
aring, in morral humans, His very
own divine characrer - permitcing
humans ro learn by experience. For
characrer cannoc be auromatically or
insranraneously creared, imparred or
impured. Ir muse be developed, and
chis only rhrough
EXPERIENCE;
and
experience requires time.
We humans muse have our pan in
che developmenc of righreous and
holy characcer. We muse firsr
come
ro
realize the rrue values, and ro rhor–
oughly repenr of che false way. We
musr come ro seek, wirh our whole
hearrs and minds, God's rrue way of
righreous characrer. We muse ser our
wills in cune wich God's will.
Then we muse come ro realize our
urrer helplessness, and learn ro rely on
God, in living faith, for che power.
che srrengrh, rhe understanding, che
righreousness we ourselves are in–
capable of arcaining.
We receive erernallife and aJJ rigb–
reousness from Goo. But we have
our
part todo!
We muse cometo
desire
ir
above all else - ro
seek
it
wirh all our
mighr - ro
yield
ourselves urrerly ro
God's will, and ro reuse implicidy and
unswervingly in Him. In no orher
manner could we become che su–
preme characrers which ir is God's
purpose
to
make of us.
To this end,
we
muse now be be–
goteen as God's own children, inher-
PLAIN TRUTH Jonuory 1973
iring His divine narure.
Thro~gh
Hi?
power, rhrough feeding on His Spirir,
we
GROW
in grace and knowledge
and spirirual characrer, unril , at che
resurrecrion, we shall be
BORN
of God
as His very
SONS -
elevared ro His
plane and leve!!
Thar's God's supreme purpose.
Ir
can be achieved only rhrough
EXPERI–
ENCE,
and in process of rime. And
men learn by suffering.
.Jesus suffered. " Ir became him ...
in bringing many
som
unto glory, ro
make che caprain of their saJvarion
[Chrisr] perfecr
through sulferings
11
(Heb.
2:10).
Again, "Though he
were a Son, yer learned he obedience
by che rhings which he suffered"
(Heb. 5:8).
Now see how .Job's experience ex–
plains why men suffer.
Ler's undersrand ir!
Job's Experience Explains lt
Thousands of years ago, rhere was
a man named J ob. You've heard of
che man. He lived, as
,YOU
live roday,
for a
PURPOSE.
And che solurion ro
chis whole quesrion is made clear by
che life experiences of J ob. Many
know rhe srory, bur
few
understand
ics meaning.
This Job was a wealthy man - che
wealrhiesr in all che East. Solomon
may have possessed grearer wealrh.
Bur, as Solomon was che
tuisest
man
who ever lived, so Job was che
most
righteous!
So ler's briefly look inro chis rhrill–
ing srory and irs revealing lesson.
"There was," begins che scriprural
record, "a man once in che land of
Uz, whose name was Job; and rhat
man was perfecr and uprighr , and one
rhar feared God and shunned evil. He
had seven sons and rhree daughrers;
also in livescock he possessed seven
rhousand sheep and goars, rhree rhou–
sand camels, five hundred pair of
oxen, and five hundred she asses, be-
sides a very large household; so rhat
chis man was che grearesr man in all
che Easr" Oob
1:
l-3,
Moffatt rrans–
larion and Aurhorized Version) .
"Now chere was a day when che
sons of God carne
to
presenr rhem–
selves befare
che
Eterna], and Sacan
carne also among rhem.
"And che Eterna! said unro Sacan,
Whence comesr rhou? Then Sacan an–
swered che Eterna! , and said, From
going ro and fro in che earrh, and
from walking up and clown in ir.
"And che Eterna! said unto Sacan,
Hase rhou considered my servanr Job,
rhat chere is none like him in che
earth, a perfecr and an upright man,
one rhat fearerh God and eschewerh
[shuns] evil?" (Verses 6-8, A.V., ex–
cepr "Eternal" from Moffatt.)
"Sacan answered, 'But is ir for
nothing rhat Job reverences God?
Have you nor hedged him safely in,
his house and al! he has? You have
prospered him in bis business, and his
flocks are reeming on che land. Only
put out your hand, rouch wharever he
possesses, and
see
if he will nor curse
you to your face!'" (Verses
9-ll,
Moffatt, excepr "Job" and "Sacan"
from A.V. throughour.)
This World's Philosophy
Nor ice, please, Sacan couldn't
poinr out one imperfection in che
man's righreousness. Even God said
ir
was perfecr. Yes, undoubredly J ob
was che mosr righreous man who ever
lived.
Bur Sacan tried ro ger around ir.
He argued thar ir
paid
Job ro be righ–
reous. So, Sacan argued, jusr cake
away from him whac he has, and che
man will lose bis remper and srarc
cursing God!
Well, God deliberarely
PERMITTED
Sacan ro cake away Job's possessions
and pur Job ro chis test.
"Then said
che
Erernal ro Sacan,
'There! 1 leave all he has wichin your
37