Introduction to Job

If one would study the book of Job today we would find certain features of this book would provide the essential foundation for a Biblical World and Life View. The book of job supports the pillars of creation, fall, and redemption which are foundational to the rest of Scripture and Christian Theology.The following are some elements in the foundation of a biblical World and live view found in Job.

1. The book of Job shows that “evil” has meaning and purpose. Job defines evil as more than just the absence of good, but is really used for good under the sovereign hand of God.
2. The book of Job establishes the principle of Sola Sciptura and destroys natural theology. The friends of Job depend on human autonomy, and believe that man is the source of truth, meaning, morals meaning, and beauty. Human autonomy leads on to a man-centered worldviews as expressed in rationalism, empiricism, mysticism, and fideism. As with any non-biblical world and live view, Rationalism is reductionalistic; where you pick part of man – in this case reason – to be the authority, and the rest of man is reduced under reason. Empiricism puts your experience on the throne. Mysticism put feelings on the throne. It looks on the inside to feelings for truth. Fideism put belief on the throne. It says what I believe is automatically true. One believes because he believes. Each of these natural theologies claim it is the preeminent source to determine truth, meaning, morals, and beauty. Through studying Job’s God-centered vision of life, one can learn to refute of all natural theologies and man-centered gospels.
3. The book of Job is unsurpassed by any modern work by setting forth the greatness and glory of God’s perfections.
4. The book of Job defines the word Christian under the Lordship of Christ. The word “Christian” is a rubber band word today. We stretch and pull words like “Christian” all over the place to include just about anyone who wants to title. We must fight this trend. In the past – to be a Christian meant that you were a follower of Jesus the Lord and Messiah in all things including suffering. When one denies these tenants one does not have the authority to use the term. Today we need to get rid of the rubber band, and place our understanding of the person of “Christ” and and what it means to be identified by the term “Christian” in its original context.
5. The book of Job shows why we should live with strong convictions in God. Most Christians are too feeling oriented to proclaim a Gospel that runs contrary to the humanism that is so rampant even within the church. The only one who is hated is the Christian who says there is objective truth and heracy. In the book fo Job we will be encouraged in finding that Job is a man of stea, showing forth strong convictions in the sovereignty of God.