You know how we are. We got through “stuff” and feel unfairly attacked, or just feel confused or rejected and turn to the book of Job. I did some reading recently in Job and spoke on man’s righteousness in God thru His son. I think there has been a long time misunderstanding that righteousness is conditional. It’s not. And it’s really difficult sometimes to admit that truth to others out of a fear that they won’t live up to what we perceive as God’s standards. You see we want them to be their best, and do their best and achieve their best and we don’t trust that God is the one who does the molding and convicting and breaking and shaping.
God revealed thus truth to me out actually out of Genesis with what He said to Abraham.
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:6
I have read this and heard this many times throughout my life, but as you know, God’s word is fresh and the Holy Spirit gives revelation. I got it, maybe for the first time. My perception had been:
Abram believed God could do miracles, and because of that, God used Abraham, and because of his faith, the Lord put stickers and highlighted Abram’s name and he would get extra credit on heavenly quizzes.
But I didn’t understand, which explains my usual state of feeling like a “less than” regardless of what I do to try to be good, or do nice things, or whatever.
Light-bulb moment: Abram believed God-Abram trusted God-Abram declared-God is God. Abram didn’t put his faith in what God could do, he put his faith in God, and that was exactly what God required to declare him righteous. The belief. Not the belief in the thing he could do. Not the belief in the creation.
Now……….he was righteous. It was done.
So as I read this with a new understanding, I felt a burden to share it. I understand some of your anxiety. You think “wait, if I tell my friend Bob who’s new in His faith that God loves him no matter what, he’ll think I’m saying it’s ok to keep doing the stuff he’s doing that goes against who God is.” I had struggled with that also (and still do sometimes), but I believe that some people continue to fail, because they continue to believe their righteousness is in their behavior. When you think that, you are not living in the FACT that your righteousness is in Him. Often times when sharing this people (Christians) say “Yes, your righteousness is in Him, but…………………”. Guys there’s not a but. Abram believed God and he was righteous.
So, as I shared recently out of the book of Job, my focus was on Job’s friends or enemies I guess. On the fact that he was misunderstood by those guys. How they pounded him with false conviction, and that sometimes we will not get answers to things that happen that we don’t understand.
But, there was a fourth man amongst the friends who has given me yet another revelation.
Elihu
Job 1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.
Wow. See the problem that Christians have with this entire behavior thing is our understanding that we desire to please God and feel an urge that in some way He wants others to do the same, but our misunderstanding of how to communicate it. I’m there with you. Elihu knew that to rebuke without reason, articulated reason would leave a feeling of rejection and confusion in every way. So he didn’t do that. He had a reason to have issue-his God was not being given ultimate authority by Job, and he found a way to glorify God and declare God righteous. He didn’t condemn Job, he spoke truth.
There are two extremities in Christendom today-
1. Scare the Hell out of people
2. People can live like Hell, but if they are going to Heaven, it’s all good.
Both are wrong.
I John 4:18 screams that abiding in Jesus love frees us from fear.
Ephesians 5:8 says that when His loves abides in us that the light we live in bears fruit in the way we live.
But how can both come from the same God? One says “God’s love casts out fear” and one says “6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”
But this is what God has revealed to me. God loves me and you, no matter what we do, no matter what we don’t do. His love for us is influenced in no way by our behavior. None.
What we are doing, or are not doing by our ACTION AND DEEDS is saying, or not saying “Father, I love you.” We love God by the things we do. He loves us no matter what we do.
So, for that reason, what we do matters. It’s just like out own kids, we love them even when they are less than. We can’t not love them-but we can however not like them. If our kids act up and rebel and disrespect and say “But I love you” something about that seems a little empty. Hello? If we ask them to do something and they say “But I love you. Oh, and I need $75.00 by tomorrow for that school trip.” Something about that feels like being used not being love. It’s this way with God. God always love. His corrects in love, he rewards in love, he heals in love, and he allows us to wait in love.
Righteousness in Him first through belief in Him, living in His love comes after.
Maybe in the next blog we can talk specifically about some ways in Scripture He says to love Him.
