Just with God

 

Elder Truman Keel


Job 9:2 “I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?”

 

Man, having transgressed the law of God, now stands guilty before a just God and consequently condemned to death by the penalty of the law. You may recall the short essay written by Jonathan Edwards in the 17th century, entitled WRATH OF AN ANGRY GOD, without justification, this is what we merited.

 

Job says it is true, we are just with God, but asks this question, how should it be?


(Job 25:4,5,6) asks the same question, “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” (V5) “Even to the moon and it shineth not: yea the stars are not pure in His sight.” (V6) “How much less man, that is a worm; and the son of man which is a worm?” (Job 14:4) says, “Who can bring a clean thing our of an unclean? Not one.” If I might digress for a moment, how did Job know at that time, being probably the oldest book in the Bible, that the moon had no light of its own, but merely reflected the light of the sun? (V5) declares that even the stars, an inanimate object that He had created, are not pure in His sight. Can you imagine how we, as vile sinners must have appeared in the sight of a pure and holy God, and yet He loved a portion of the race of Adam.


How difficult is it to become justified with God when even the stars are not pure in His sight? God’s law has been transgressed and the penalty is death. God, being a just God, requires that the penalty for the offense be paid. He looked in heaven, in the earth, and under the earth and no man was found worthy. God provided Himself a perfect sacrifice, one without blemish or spot. (The Lord Jesus Christ.)


(Job 15:14,15,16) further declares the depravity of man. (V14) “What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” (V15) “Behold, he putteth no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.” (V 16) “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” Can man deliver himself from this wretched condition? (Job 9:20) “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me; if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.”


In this depraved condition we have no hope and are without God in this world. How dreadful and sad was our condition. Because of the Lord Jesus Christ we now have hope.


We are given in (Rom. 8) a clear and precise answer to Job’s question. How should man be just with God? (V29) recognizes that God had a foreknowledge of a particular people. His foreknowledge embraced them He predestinated (pre determined their destiny – limited in advance). (V30) Those same people He had a foreknowledge of and predestinated He also (in addition to the above) He also called. This calling is an effectual call. They shall hear His voice as in (John 25). They that hear the voice of the Son of God shall live (this is regeneration.) The same people He had a foreknowledge of, predestinated, called, and justified, He also glorified. In the mind and purpose of God, this glorification is as if it has already come to pass.


Did you notice that He (God) did all these things, apparently, without the assistance of man? We now have the answer to Job’s question. God did the justifying and these events are spoken of in the past tense indicating all these things have already come to pass.
(V33) confirms what is written above. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies.” None can require of God’s elect any additional work to be justified. God is now reconciled by the work that He gave His Son to do. (John 17:4) “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.” The offended deity has been satisfied with a perfect offering. My question to those who would lay more to the charge of God’s people, can man improve on the perfect and finished work of Christ? God now looks upon His people as dressed in white robes, which is the righteousness of His Son.


I will close with this verse of scripture. (Rom. 5:1) “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice, you are justified by faith. How did you come into possession of faith? All men do not have faith. Faith is the fruit of the spirit. (Gal. 5:22) Since faith is the fruit of the spirit we must conclude that being born of the Spirit precedes our having faith, and that same Spirit also declares to us by faith, we were justified in Christ, when God raised Him from the dead.


I pray this will be of some benefit to you and trust it is honoring the name of God.