Like a chestnut tree

My days are past, my plans are torn apart,
The wishes of my heart.
They make night into day, saying,
‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness.
If I hope for Sheol as my home,
I make my bed in the darkness;
If I call to the grave, ‘You are my father’;
To the maggot, ‘my mother and my sister’;
Where then is my hope?
And who looks at my hope?
Will it go down with me to Sheol?
Shall we together go down into the dust? (vv. 11-16)

There are times in our lives when we feel hopeless. Things that we think are important are gone—money, houses, families, jobs, health, etc. We sometimes think we have no hope in life. Many prophets lived lives of deprivation. They were mocked and ridiculed by those who called themselves children of God. Job’s lament is that of a man who has lost all hope.

Job wants to seek help from God, but he knows it is God who made him suffer. He tried to live a blameless life. He was better than anyone in terms of morality. Yet, he had received all those disasters at once. If there were a sin he needed to confess, he would have confessed it. But those who commit crimes live better lives than he does. Is God unjust? Is God merciless?

When we hit rock bottom in our lives, we realize that our life on earth is just a shadow. We are given eternal life through faith in God, who will fulfill everything that He said in the Bible. We believe in the promise that God gave to Abraham—salvation through Jesus Christ.

Job had to suffer in order to understand God and His promise of salvation. This life is only a shadow. We undergo training. God gives us things to enjoy in this life. However, over time, we slowly become less interested. As we age, we lose the ability to taste, hear, and see. We have fewer things that we enjoy in our lives. Although our bodies become weak, our hope for eternal life grows stronger.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said,

“I called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I called for help from the depth of Sheol;
You heard my voice.
For You threw me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current flowed around me.
All Your breakers and waves passed over me.
So I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
Water encompassed me to the point of death.
The deep flowed around me,
Seaweed was wrapped around my head.
I descended to the base of the mountains.
The earth with its bars was around me forever,
But You have brought up my life from the pit, Lord my God.
While I was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple.
Those who are followers of worthless idols
Abandon their faithfulness,
But I will sacrifice to You
With a voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation is from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:1-9)

The wicked person writhes in pain all his days,
And the years reserved for the ruthless are numbered.
Sounds of terror are in his ears;
While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
He does not believe that he will return from darkness,
And he is destined for the sword.
He wanders about for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’
He knows that a day of darkness is at hand.
Distress and anguish terrify him,
They overpower him like a king ready for the attack,
Because he has reached out with his hand against God,
And is arrogant toward the Almighty. (vv. 20-25)

For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
They are not in trouble like other people,
Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth. (Psalm 73:3-9)

The words of Job’s three friends sound right. But the wicked do prosper in this life. They chase after money and fame. It appears that disasters don’t come to their life. So they stay arrogant. And pride is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. The proud do not know God. They don’t want Jesus Christ.

Many of us go to church to feel a sense of assurance and security. However, many churches do not care about proclaiming the gospel. They talk much about the gospel, but ministers and theologians do not speak the truth. They teach people that we have eternal life through Jesus’ perfect keeping of the law. They boast that they have read many books. They repeat the same lies that their ancestors spoke without shame. What they are doing is what Israel’s leaders did in the Old and New Testaments.

This is what the LORD of armies says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They tell a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:16)

Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

Going to church and learning about God should free us from sin and guilt. Every day we are challenged but we overcome temptations through the words of God. However, church leaders only care about their reputations and money. However, church leaders only care about their reputations and money. They try to maintain control over their communities. But they do not care about the people in the church community. Indeed, they are ravenous wolves.

We should not judge people by their appearances. But we do. Trusting our own judgements make us go astray. We must remember that Jesus Christ did not have the appearance that people admire.

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we would look at Him, Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. (Isaiah 53:2)

Strangely, many ministers and theologians care so much about their appearances. Christians pour money into building a grande and fancy church building.

When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the [o]wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. (Luke 7:24-26)

Are they prophets as they claim? I doubt it. In fact, we know this by what they say and do. They preach and believe in salvation by works. They say everyone should belong to a church because it is a living organism. But why should I be a part of a body that is perishing? God sent me to different churches to show me what they are doing. I spoke the truth but they did not want to hear it. So I shook the dust off my feet and left.

And whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. And as for all who do not receive you, when you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. (Luke 9:4-5)

For there is hope for a tree,
When it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And its shoots will not fail.
Though its roots grow old in the ground,
And its stump dies in the dry soil,
At the scent of water it will flourish
And produce sprigs like a plant.
But a man dies and lies prostrate.
A person passes away, and where is he? (vv. 7-10)

Is a human’s life indeed worse than that of a tree? Job did not have knowledge of the Savior; it was hidden from him. He only wanted a peaceful and prosperous life on earth. He wanted to be praised and respected by others, so he worked hard to earn these things. However, his efforts came to nothing; God took them away from him. Job is no longer praised by others, not even by his closest friends. He tried to live a righteous life, but now everyone thinks he has done something wrong to deserve the disasters he received from God. His life is threatened because of illness.

The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds firm to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.” Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. (Job 2:4)

Job now feels that death is at his doorstep. And he thinks a man’s life is worse than that of a tree because there is no hope of resurrection.

Water wears away stones,
Its torrents wash away the dust of the earth;
So You destroy a man’s hope.
You forever overpower him and he departs;
You change his appearance and send him away.
His sons achieve honor, but he does not know it;
Or they become insignificant, and he does not perceive it.
However, his body pains him,
And his soul mourns for himself. (vv. 19-22)

Everything Job has worked for is for his life on the earth. Job’s lament is somewhat similar to that of the writer of Ecclesiastes.

“Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher,
“Futility of futilities! All is futility.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

God planned the salvation through Jesus Christ before creation. However, the secret is hidden from Job.

Yet there will still be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is cut down. The holy seed is its stump. (Isaiah 6:13)

For a man to resurrect to a new life, he must die. He must take off the old garment and wear a new one. However, most people do not want to take off their old garment.

And no one, after drinking old wine wants new; for he says, ‘The old is fine. (Luke 5:39)

If we had been given a choice, most of us would have chosen a prosperous life on earth over a painful and sad one. However, no one can understand the secret of the kingdom of God without suffering. Why would anyone dream of resurrection if their life on earth is prosperous? Why would you wait for the kingdom of God if you are praised by others, have wealth, happy children, and good health? Many Christians boast that they have prosperity on earth because they are good. However, I saw that in the Reformed Church, they were prosperous and proud, yet were not afraid to cover up their own sins and the sins of others.

God could have let Job live a peaceful and prosperous life. Job could have continued to live an upright and blameless life, but then he would have died without the hope of the kingdom of God. Job could have died without knowing God, but God chose Job before creation and made Him know Him. Life experiences are very important in a Christian’s life.

We have freedom in Jesus Christ because God is faithful. Sufferings in our lives are beneficial, even though we do not like them. They are beneficial because life on earth is only a shadow of the true life in the kingdom of God.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)

Be silent before me so that I may speak;
Then let come upon me what may.
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hands?
Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.
This also will be my salvation,
For a godless person cannot come before His presence.
Listen carefully to my speech,
And let my declaration fill your ears.
Behold now, I have prepared my case;
I know that I will be vindicated.
Who could contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die. (vv. 13-19)

Remove Your hand from me,
And may the dread of You not terrify me.
Then call and I will answer;
Or let me speak, then reply to me.
How many are my guilty deeds and sins?
Make known to me my wrongdoing and my sin.
Why do You hide Your face
And consider me Your enemy?
Will You scare away a scattered leaf?
Or will You pursue the dry chaff?
For You write bitter things against me
And make me inherit the guilty deeds of my youth. (vv. 21-26)

Can any creature be guiltless before God? The answer is no. Theologians and ministers say that Adam was perfect before eating the forbidden fruit or getting tempted. But if he was so perfect, why did he betray God? If he was perfect, why couldn’t he resist the temptation? Why did he trust in the lie? Believing that Adam was perfectly moral and holy leads us to a man-made god. And most churches follow this idol.

The Reformed theology has become the Roman Catholic by focusing on the law and the punishment. Ironically, the Protestant and the Roman Catholic churches do not keep the law. They think keeping the law has to do with deeds and self-will. But keeping the law is from understanding God, having the Spirit of God. The Spirit does not teach what they teach.

God does want us to follow the law and be obedient to Him. But we do not serve God as slaves but as the children of God. The Father punishes His children for discipline. But He never casts them out of His house. In God’s plan, everything was made for His kingdom. Therefore, everything will be wiped out in the end. Only the kingdom remains. And the kingdom is the church founded by Jesus Christ.

Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near,
Because the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,
He has consecrated His guests. (Zephaniah 1:7)

In chapter 13, Job does not yet know why the world was created so he speaks only about his virtue and integrity. God knows that Job is blameless and upright. However, He never used the word “righteous” to describe Job.

The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” (Job 1:8)

On the other hand, Abraham was righteous.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:4-6)

Righteousness is about being one with God. Only God is righteous. The saints are called righteous because of the faith gifted to them. We must ask then: what do we believe? Our faith must be from our understanding of God and His plan. Abraham believed in the promise of the Saviour. Therefore, our righteousness is tied to that faith. The Saviour died and was resurrected so that we would be reborn as the children of God. If we think the cross of Christ is not enough for our righteousness, we are not righteous. Many renowned theologians and ministers from the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches deny that our righteousness is from the cross of Christ. They say that it is not enough. They believe we are righteous because of Christ’s perfect law-keeping. The theory is called the Active Obedience of Christ. They try to take us back to Egypt, the land of the dead.

He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. (Hosea 6:2)

He who is at ease holds disaster in contempt,
As prepared for those whose feet slip.
The tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure,
Whom God brings into their power. (vv. 5-6)

But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
They are not in trouble like other people,
Nor are they tormented together with the rest of mankind.
Therefore arrogance is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth. (vv. 2-9)

Job knows and believes that God is the most powerful and He can do whatever He wants to. It appears to him that God protects the evil while gives suffering to the innocent like himself. However, there is nothing Job can do about it because God is God. Many Christians believe that suffering is the results of a divine judgement. Job thinks he did nothing to deserve the disasters poured upon him although he is not perfect before God. Job’s three friends try to convince him that he must have done something wrong and he is not righteous.

Does God make evil people prosper? The answer is yes. Is God unjust in this? The answer is no. God is just, and this is unchangeable. Job’s idea of righteousness is still earthly. He cares only about life on earth.

Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you people do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, except He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him. (John 3:9-15)

Through suffering, God teaches Job what He had planned before the time began. Can God pour out wrath on a person when he did not sin? The answer is yes. Jesus Christ suffered on behalf of Christians. He is the only mediator of the New Covenant. He changed our status through suffering on the cross. Therefore, our life is no longer on the earth but in the coming kingdom of God. Although innocent, Christ went through much suffering to take away our sins. Was God just in doing this? The answer is yes. People judge others who are just or not by human standards and wisdom. However, Christians understand that God is just because we are now one with Him. We understand and know Him through the Holy Spirit.

It is sad to see that many people have wrong understandings of God. What we call Prosperity Gospel or American Gospel is rampant. Unbelievers have wrong understandings of Christianity because of lies preached everywhere. The gospel is no longer good news but bad news. People think their lives will be good on the earth and they will go to heaven after death if they dedicate themselves to their churches. They do not care if their churches preach lies. They are happy as long as they have wealth and health. So they refuse to repent.

Until I entered the sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their end.
You indeed put them on slippery ground;
You dropped them into ruin.
How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!
Like a dream when one awakes,
Lord, when stirred, You will despise their image. (Psalm 73:17-20)

If you would direct your heart rightly
And spread out your hands to Him,
If wrongdoing is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let malice dwell in your tents;
Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral blemish,
And you would be firmly established and not fear.
For you would forget your trouble;
Like waters that have passed by, you would remember it. (vv. 13-16)

In this chapter, Job’s friend Zophar argues with Job. Job is wrong to think that he is more righteous than God. But his friends fail to explain why Job is wrong. In fact, their words made God angry.

It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.” (Job 42:7-8)

Our task is to understand why his friends are wrong. Many theologians and ministers fail to explain this. Many think Job’s friends are right. However, we already know that they spoke lies about God according to Job 42:7-8.

But if only God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God forgets part of your guilt. (vv. 5-6)

Zophar does not know that God does speak and remembers all our sins. His ideas of God are again tied to morality. This morality is determined and judged by humans. All humans have some sense of morality. We know what is right and wrong. For example, hurting someone is morally wrong and this idea is shared by all humans. We have heard and read many stories where morally good people are rewarded with wealth and health. Zophar thinks Job was punished because of his sins. He thinks Job has to DO something – becoming morally perfect. His idea is connected to the conditional covenant. All conditional covenants in the Bible were broken because no one could meet the conditions. Zophar tells Job that he needs to try harder to meet the conditions to gain peace, health, and prosperity.

We often think we have peace and prosperity because we did something good. We boast that we have faith in God and do many good works. And we judge others that they have done wrong if they go through difficulties in their lives. We avoid them like curses as if they would make us impure and sinful.

Many prophets went through much suffering. They were humiliated and killed by those who call themselves God’s children. No one is indeed morally perfect before God. For the saints, suffering is education. We certainly do not enjoy it when we go through it. We often blame ourselves and think about our bad actions and thoughts that might have triggered God’s wrath. However, we must remember that God makes us suffer for our education. Our question should be: “What is God teaching me?” and not “What did I do wrong?”. Sin and punishment make us live in the past, not the future. That is what the Reformed theology is doing at present. Ministers and theologians talk about the glorious Adam in the Garden of Eden. However, we must talk about our new life in Jesus Christ and the new kingdom.

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13)

If I am wicked, woe to me!
But if I am righteous, I dare not lift up my head.
I am full of shame, and conscious of my misery.
And should my head be high, You would hunt me like a lion;
And You would show Your power against me again.
You renew Your witnesses against me
And increase Your anger toward me;
Hardship after hardship is with me. (vv. 15-17)

When God created Adam and Eve, they were slaves to God. God did not tell them or make them understand His plan and purpose of all creation. They were to obey God but rebelled against Him.

But like Adam they have violated the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously with Me. (Hosea 6:7)

It was not God’s intention that He would keep them as slaves forever. Through Jesus Christ, the remnants of Adam’s descendants are made the children of God. The (invisible) church is the purpose of all creation.

For though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. (Isaiah 10:22)

The church goes through much suffering just as Christ did. At the appointed time, the end will come. And we, the children of God, will live a new life in a new world.

The beginning of the suffering was from Adam’s sin. And since then, the whole human race has been confined under sin. Jesus Christ came to take away our sins.

But the Scripture has confined everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22)

But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

However, this is only a superficial reason why Jesus Christ came. The main purpose of Christ’s coming was to change our hearts. This is the promise of the New Covenant. We are born again as the children of God.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Adam and Eve did not understand God, and their lack of knowledge was the beginning of the rebellion. One understands God only when he/she has the Spirit of God. The Son came to make us know God, and we are one with God through the Holy Spirit. Without understanding this, Christianity is dead. Theologians and ministers focus on the law and the punishment.

Everyone sins and none escapes from God’s judgement. We are sinners and will remain guilty. Whatever we do right won’t be good enough. Even though we try hard to keep God’s commands, disasters still come. What is the point of keeping God’s commands? This is Job’s argument.

Is God guilty if He brings disasters to the innocent? Without suffering we do not know God. If this is how God strengthens His children and makes Himself known to us, suffering is good even though we dread it.

We no longer serve God as our Master. We are no longer slaves. We serve God as our Father. There is no more guilt or fear but love.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18-19)

For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my Judge. (v. 15)

I am guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
If I washed myselfI am guilty,
Why then should I struggle in vain?
If I washed myself with snow,
And cleansed my hands with lye,
Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me.
For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him—
That we may go to ^[n]court together!
There is no arbitrator between us,
Who can place his hand upon us both.
Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not the dread of Him terrify me.
Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself. with snow,
And cleansed my hands with lye,
Then You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would loathe me. (vv. 29-35)

I’ve been trying to keep the law perfectly. I am more righteous than any other human on the earth. Yet, I go through much suffering. What is the point of trying to obey God’s commands? Those who are unrighteous don’t go through suffering as much as I do. God will always find a fault in me so I can’t argue. There should be a judge between God and me who can judge fairly according to my righteousness. Then God will be rebuked and then He will remove my sufferings. But there is no such judge and God is always the mightiest as the Creator. I have no hope even though I am more righteous than others. And I am more righteous than God because I am right. This is Job’s argument.

Throughout the Old Testament, we read the same rhetoric that God punishes people for their lawlessness and breaking of the law. The law was given for a specific purpose: to show the difference between God and us.

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Far from it! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” But sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; or sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. (Romans 7:7-12)

God did not give us the law to become righteous through it. If you misinterpret the Old Testament, you will have the same argument as Job’s. You consider yourself more righteous than God. You think you only need someone to keep the law perfectly on behalf of you to become perfectly righteous. This is the argument of false teachers.

The Israelites were punished for not keeping the law. But the problem was not in their actions but in their heart and understanding.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)

The essence of the law is the sacrificial love of God, which changes a person. That person becomes reborn. Knowing that the knowledge of God came through Jesus Christ, we conclude that the law is about Jesus Christ. His sacrificial love for God and His people shown on the cross is all we need.

If anyone separates the law and the cross of Christ, that person has no understanding. Anyone who separates Christ’s obedience into two will be condemned.

If the law is the source of our righteousness, it means the law is above God. Anyone can condemn God for His actions. And that is what the Pharisee and the Teacher of the Law did.

The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken in this way!” The Pharisees then replied to them, “You have not been led astray too, have you? Not one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed!” (John 7:46-49)

Our Lord was condemned by the law and was put to death. He was accused of breaking the law and humiliated. Theologians and ministers are doing the same.

I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

If you are pure and upright,
Surely now He will stir Himself for you
And restore your righteous estate.
Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly. (vv. 6-7)

These are Bildad’s words. Most people think Bildad is right. Many Christians use the same rhetoric when seeing others in distress and trouble. But God was angry at Bildad. So what is wrong with his ideas of God?

Theologians and ministers like to blame people and their actions for the troubles they face. People come to churches to seek peace and help from God. Sadly, many ministers make them think they must obey them so that disasters won’t occur. They make them worse sinners than themselves. They appoint evil people as elders. So they build their kingdom.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)

God let those evil people live securely so that they would not repent. They entice others who are not the elect. God punishes them in the end. The elect people go through much suffering and the evil people make situations worse. We eventually learn that only God’s words prevail, not humans. There are people chosen by God to help them. But we must have a solid relationship with God first to know what is right and wrong. My relationship with God is built on the Rock, Jesus Christ. Christ is the Word. If I do not understand God’s words, I do not have the Father-child relationship. Many Christians interpret God’s words as they like. Theologians and ministers claim that they have the understanding. But most of them quote Greek philosophers and Aquinas, who did not know God.

Aquinas’ understanding of God is no different than that of Job’s three friends. Perfect morality does not make one holy. The same goes with righteousness. If we focus on morality, we judge people by what they do externally. Many people turned away from churches for this reason. They did not see the difference between Christianity and other religions.

The reason why I am against the Active Obedience of Christ is that it shifts the focus from Christ’s death and resurrection to Christ’s morality (or perfect keeping of the law). This is not what the Bible teaches. It appears that this theory is from Anselm of Canterbury and Aquinas. You don’t need to read their words to know if they are right or wrong. Evil people always mix truth and lies.

We do not read theology books tainted by human philosophies and man-made stories. We read God’s words every day and pray to God for guidance.

But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him. (Habakkuk 2:20)