A Most Important Question

Job 25:1-6 A Most Important Question

Bildad is one of Job's friends and he, along with Eliphaz and Zophar have been trying to counsel Job. In the process he poses a question with two parts - 4 How then can man be justified with God?

or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

I. THE MEANING OF JUSTIFICATION

a. The Essence of justification - in the Light of:-

i. The Rule of God - God is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe.

1. The Position of the Rule 2 "Dominion ..... is with him"

2. The Priority of the Rule 2 "fear is..... with him"

3. The Peace of the Rule 2 "He maketh peace in his high places"

• The Source of peace. "He maketh peace." God brings peace.

• The Scope of peace. "His high places." peace on earth & heaven.

• The Salvation of peace. Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

4. The Power of the Rule 3 "Is there any number of his armies?"

Ps 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

The power of a ruler is seen in his army. No one is greater than God.

Rev 5:11 I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

5. The Place of the Rule 3 "Upon whom doth not his light arise?"

God's rule is everywhere.

ii. The Righteousness of God

1. The Perplexity of Righteousness 4 "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman"

Bildad understood all men were sinners, and cannot save themselves 2. The Principle of Righteousness 5 "Behold even to the moon,

and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight"

• The scientific accuracy of the statement. "The moon… shineth not"

• The spiritual application of it. "The stars are not pure in his sight."

3. The Position of Righteousness

The Deduction of his position. 6 "How much less"

If the universe is not holy, how much less is man holy.

The Descripion of his position. 6 How much less man, that is a worm?

Man, without Christ, is at his best nothing but a worm.

b. The Essentials of justification

Justification is essential for us to have a relationship with God.

c. The Example of justification

Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

II. THE MERCY OF JUSTIFICATION

a. The Sovereign - Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: JUSTIFICATION

the feature of obligation.God did not & does not have to justify any

the feature of origin - by his grace

the feature of opportunity. the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: PROPITIATION 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

DECLARATION 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

b. The Substitute - 2 Cors 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

III. THE MIRACLE OF JUSTIFICATION

a. The imputation ascribed - Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, b. Innocence assumed c. The implications analyzed

D L Moody "Too late; Mr. Moody?" All the DOING has been DONE