Job Needed Righteousness, which We Receive through Christ Jesus

"Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,

9I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.

10Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,

11He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.

12Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man." (John 33: 8-12)

 

Job suffered not for his sins, but that as a son of Adam, he has no righteousness of himself, even in his works.

 

We are dead when we first enter this world:

 

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they died:

"17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2: 17)

and

"6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3: 6-7)

 

Because of Adam, we are all dead in sins:

 

"12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 12-14)

David prays the truth regarding iniquity in man:

 

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51: 5)

 

and

 

"1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, " (Ephesians 2: 1-4)

 

Of ourselves, we have nothing. We need God's righteousness and grace in our lives at all times for all things:

 

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

 

and

 

"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." (Romans 8: 10)

 

and

 

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

 

What Job suffered was not for sins that he had committed, but rather that as a sinner he thought he could be righteous. The righteousness that he needed, we have today through Christ Jesus today and forever!