Deists believe in an Intelligent God. On the other hand, Albert Einstein referred to the Material and Processes that Created as “Spinoza’s God;” “the sum of the natural and physical laws of the universe and certainly not an individual entity or creator” (Cannon, J. A.; 2009, May 17. “World in time of upheaval: Sources of enlightenment.” Deseret News). That implies that God is merely the substances of the universe, and the interactions of the substances which scientists call “physical laws.”
Hence, both Deism’s and Spinoza’s gods are impersonal, and the only difference between them is that the god of Deism has some sort of intelligence and Spinoza’s god merely substance and internal power. Judeo-Christianity worships a Creator God who has, not only Intelligence and Power, but emotions. He empathizes with his Creatures and interacts with them for their protection.
A wise parent will smack the hand of an infant who explores the intriguing flame of a fire. God, as the Good Parent, smacks the hands of his creatures for their own protection. Discipline is a form of exhibiting love. Parents who truly love their children will do hard things, and much of that “wisdom” is unwanted!
The Story of Job is symbolic of the faithful Christians’ interaction with God and the Evil One. Job was faithful; however, he was not perfect in that, “all have sinned and came short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).
The glorified man is the faithful one who has been resurrected. When Jesus comes to save the faithful, the new person will be realized and finalized. Glorification is therefore “saved.” Until then, God puts a “hedge” of safety about faithful people. In the Garden, Adam and Eve, although still in jeopardy due to the cunning Serpent, were safe from death of their souls. Only outside the Garden was Satan allowed to create havoc to ultimately have them kill themselves. Satan has no power to kill, but his false wisdom can convince otherwise faithful people that they have the power over their own life, death, and future.
Job’s test was: Is Job’s faith substantial enough to overcome Satan’s convincing activities? In other words, is Satan’s power greater than God’s? Throughout history, war was all about whose God was stronger. If Satan could cause Job to deny God, then perhaps even Job would see who had the greater power, and consequently, Satan would be ruler in Job’s life. The temptations of all Christians are much like Job’s. Our test is to find if we can overcome and endure the temptations of Satan. Is that even possible? Jesus overcame the temptations of the Devil, yet we say, “the temptations of Christ.” Indeed, Satan had no power to tempt God Himself, but God allowed Satan to tempt His Flesh. Likewise, all the temptation Christians face on a daily basis are “temptations of Christ.” Satan is Jesus’s fool tool, and nothing more than a physical “scientist” allowed to use God’s laboratory to test the fidelity of men’s flesh to the pattern. (Gen 1:26-27).
The pattern for mankind is one “being” with three substances: mind, body, and spirit. Everyone was created in the image of God with his three substances. If only Spinoza’s God, Yahweh would have one substance - matter. If the God of Deism, Yahweh would have two substances – matter and mind. However, the Judeo-Christian True God has an additional substance- Spirit! Yahweh’s Spirit is the Power behind Creation and Divine Interaction with what He created! The Book of Job reveals the Personality of God. That is how the Person of God interacts with who and what He Created.
Job credited God as Creator and Destroyer of all that was Created, “Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me” (Job 10:8). Furthermore, Job recognized God as a personal God, “Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit” (Job 10:12). As such, God made Job, decides when he dies, and if Job remains faithful, He will “preserve his spirit.”
The substance of the body is unimportant to God. He can regenerate a new one. However, the souls of men are of utmost important to God, and because he loves our soul, He can and will preserve it! The “preservation of the saints” is God’s Plan for mankind and the hope of Christians, as is written, “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer” (Psalm 31:23).
Note that there is a contingency on preservation. The temptation of Job was a test of his faith. “Belief” is recognizing that there is a god who created; but “faith” is recognizing that there is a God who can Re-Create. The Creator god generated existence, but the Personal God has the power to preserve earthly existence and regenerate heavenly existence, or glorification. Job’s faith was tested, and Satan used the power of philosophy and the physical sciences to undermine Job’s faith. God allowed that, but Satan could not take his soul! God preserves the bodies of saints while they live, but saves their souls in the afterlife. Thus, those who have steadfast faith shall be saved: “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephes 2:8), and “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mat 24:13). Endure what? Persecution, or the temptations of Christ that Satan tempts with.
Why is the Book of Job canon? Because it defines persistent and steadfast faith! Is faith merely momentary, or does is it time dependent? Faith is a variable extending from those with no faith to the ultimate faith that only God has because He knows Himself. In between, are those with little faith, faith to move mountains, and the faith of Abraham. To be saved, some degree of faith must always be maintained, and our minds that control that faith are a gift from God.
The “faith of God” is faith without any doubt. Those with little faith have much doubt. When preachers ask, “Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are saved?” is that true or even realistic. The Book of Job is not only about Job’s faith, but about Job’s doubt as well. Satan looked for doubt to use it to have Job deny God.
Why do people deny God who once believed it Him? Peter knew Jesus and followed him, but he doubted the power of Jesus even after seeing his miracles. Peter denied God to save his own life, and did not have faith that Jesus’s sacrifice would do the miracle.
Philosophy, as a science, denies miracles and all things must be within human reasoning. Satan knew God and knew that Job knew God. Satan knew the power of God after having experienced it himself. He wanted to see how much Job trusted the Power of God to preserve him! That’s what Satan is allowed to do with Christians on a daily basis. Satan wins and we lose if we come to doubt God’s power to generate and regenerate through glorification.
In the end, God destroyed what Job had… Satan merely thought it was by his power. In the end, God regenerated all that Job had because he did not deny Him! Job went from glorious in the beginning, to persecuted and kept safe by his faith, and finally was regenerated before it was all through.
The of Job was the faith of Abraham, and neither of his three philosopher friends could convince him otherwise. Through the grapevine the three came to help Job in his crises, and without invitation. Tomorrow, the focus will be on vain philosophies of men verses the wisdom and truth of God.
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| Philosopher and Trouble (From TheFix.com) |
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