True Christlikeness

I have been reading Gary Benfold's book "Why Lord? The book of Job for today", and the sensitive and compassionate nature of the book has been a real help to me.

Today's chapter was on Job's well meaning friends... it is true that all their theology was correct. They quoted scriptures at Job, which were technically accurate and spot on. And yet, as Gary points out in his book, they were without compassion!

Here's something to think on:

"True holiness is never unfeeling or insensitive. Our Lord Jesus was the holiest man of them all, but he was never uncaring. He hated sin; everything in his holy nature cried out against it. Yet he cared, and still cares, about the sinner. When he looked on the crowds, full of sin as they were, we are not told that he thought 'They deserve all they get.' Instead we are told 'he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.' (Matthew 9v36). A little bit of compassion goes a long way; true Christlikeness will make us very compassionate indeed."

I know the doctrines of grace in my head. In my head and with my intellect I know that the Bible tells me that I am precious in God's sight. I know that even if I am not, it is an honour to live and work for such a wonderful God, and that the sufferings we go through in this life are all we deserve before him...

And yet, this morning, a little of that doctrine of Grace has sunk into my heart. We are NOT under the law, we are under Grace. Christ has compassion for us, he sympathises with our weaknesses. No, he doesn't excuse our sin, but HE died for it.. isn't Grace amazing?!!

Let me quote Gary again "It is a good thing to know our Bibles, and it is a good thing to know the system of theology that the Bible teaches. It is very dangerous though, when we start to think that everything is simple... without love, we become a sounding brass, a clanging symbold"

"If any one of [Job's comforters] had said 'I can understand how you must be feeling. If I suffered like you, I would probably react very badly', it would have made all the difference in the world. But no-one did. Their attitude was the exact opposite. 'Oh now come on' said Eliphaz in effect, 'Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees, you have been a pastoral counsellor, telling others to put their trust in God. Now a little bit of trouble comes to you and it strikes you with dismay' (Job4v1-5) He did not feel what Job felt; he did not seem to understand that there are limits to human endurance and did not recognise that Job had been pushed to the edge of those limits.

Thank God that God Himself is not like that. 'He knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust' (PS103v14). When we sin, we must remember that God knows about the temptations that pushed us there. He knows our circumstances. This does not excuse our sin and must never encourage us to sin; but the Lord Jesus came to save, not comdemn. He knows our frame 'from the inside'. He has been tempted in all points as we are"