365 Reflections

Job 25:1–6 (ESV) Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2 “Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven. 3 Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his light not arise? 4 How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? 5 Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; 6 how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!” I put the entirety of Bildad's final accusation against Job here because of its brevity and to celebrate this as the final word from the three horrible friends who have not changed in the least as they have sat and mourned with their "friend" in his dire situation.  Some people are all theology and no heart. Job's three friends fit that bill exactly. When I first read Bildad's final speech here in Job 25 I thought, "This guy sounds like a die-hard reformed theologian." He's speaking hard-line "total depravity...

We all have a certain theological bent when it comes to salvation. Some are heavy Calvinists... God elects and choses.  Man can do nothing. Some are heavy Arminians... Man can chose and some do. God knows who will, and elects accordingly. I'm Calminian.  I know.  It's kind of a cop out.  But it's passages like Luke 13:22ff that help shape this centrist position.  While I believe we cannot save ourselves in any way, I do believe we are responsible to choose Christ and accept Him.  How that plays out in the mystery of God's will and foreknowledge is something I cannot explain.  When the Word asks, "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" I do not raise my hand! Back to Luke... something interesting happens in Chapter 13: Luke 13:22–24 (ESV) He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the ...