Skip to main content

More Pure Than His Maker?

             Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker? (Job 4:17)

          It’s probably not wise to base any doctrine on a claim made by someone who is later rebuked by God for all he said. Just sayin’. Eliphaz isn’t a guaranteed best source of Godly wisdom. However, there’s something about human nature in this passage that it might be useful to consider.

          When you make a claim or do something - most of the time - do you do it knowing and agreeing that what you are doing is impure or evil? When Eliphaz asked this question, the obvious answer was “No.” Those who claim to be Christians would undoubtedly say, “No.”  Of course, a mortal can’t be more righteous than God. That being acknowledged, what do we do with Abram, Moses, and a few others who have argued ethical questions with God, and God seems to have conceded. (A topic for another time.)

          However, do our lives demonstrate a sense that we aren’t as righteous and pure as we can possibly be? When we disagree with God, do we assume we’re wrong? When we disagree with people, do we assume we might be wrong? Do we bristle about their self-righteousness? Do our hackles go up when someone accuses us of being self-righteous? Does it bother us when someone suggests our motives aren’t pure? Do we feel guilty for not feeling guilty?

          I’ve read that there is a tendency to see what we do in a positive light, and to see what someone else does in a negative light if it’s not what we wanted them to do. It’s as simple (and complex) as “us v them.” We are the ones who are righteous and pure, and they are not. It’s natural and normal for us, and something we need to unlearn. That makes the whole idea good food for thought.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more