Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gross%xyzzy@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: why does God allow bad things to happen to Good people? Message-ID: Date: 8 Jul 90 03:46:30 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 41 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article jrossi@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Joe Rossi) writes: > >maybe, self-righteous. I realize these points underly the overall >meaning, and message of Job, but then a contradiction is a >contradiction. Its erroneous to think that somehow you can do good >and be righteous enough to merit God's favor, and avoid the >consequences of your sin. Who knows what Job's sin was, maybe it >was his wealth? Maybe it was his mistaken idea that somehow in >his righteousness he deserved to live like he did. From what the text says, Joe, Job was considered by God to be a righteous man. Satan made the accusation that this was so only because God had so richly blessed Job. The testing of Job had nothing to do with his sin but rather his faith. Job's friends were merely mouthing the thinking of the day. One good lesson to take from Job's story is to be careful how we treat those undergoing severe trials. The idea that they are going through the wringer because of some sin is without good foundation. Their testing may be for the same reason as Job's--Faith in the living God. That there are none righteous is quite true, but when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, His righteousness is imputed to us. We stand before God filtered by His Son. When He returns and the saints are called to Him, we will shed this body of corruption and unrighteousness and take on incorruptibility and righteousness. This is the culmination of our gift--salvation. That Christians are sinners cannot be argued. John said that if anyone says he is without sin that person is a liar and God is not in him. The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is Jesus Christ. As for the suffering we go through, we can choose to let it take our eyes off of Jesus, or we can choose to recognize suffering for what it is. And I grant that often we mess up and cause our own problems. Still, we are children of the King. And whatever aflicts us, we must carry to our Father's throne and place it in His hands. The focus must never be ourselves. Grace and Peace, Gene Gross