Why the Righteous Suffer | The Institute for Creation Research

Why the Righteous Suffer

"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5-6)

God had said that Job was "a perfect and an upright man" and that there was "none like him in the earth" (Job 1:8). Yet Job suffered as few men have ever suffered. After a fruitful life of great prosperity and highest esteem in the community, he suddenly lost all his possessions, all his children, his health, the love of his wife, and the respect of his closest friends. His friends, presuming to defend God's character, insisted Job must have been guilty of some terrible secret sin. But Job, in all good conscience, while still trusting God, felt he had to defend his own integrity against these false charges.

Nevertheless, despite Job's spotless record of moral righteousness, when he encountered God Himself, he could only despise his own proud self-righteousness and prostrate himself in dust and ashes. Similarly, the beloved disciple, John, after a long life of faithful service, fell like a dead man at the feet of Christ when he saw Him in His glory (Revelation 1:17). Daniel also saw Him in this fashion, and even after his long, exemplary life, all of his apparent goodness and work suddenly appeared like corruption (Daniel 10:5-9).

In the presence of God, even the most holy among men appear vile, and the sins of pride and self-righteousness and self-sufficiency--which almost inevitably are still present in their hearts--must somehow be purged before they are fully like Jesus.

This is why Job and Daniel and Paul and all other godly men and women must suffer in some degree as training for heavenly service. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29). HMM

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Searching for Truth Across the Globe | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How can we bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of creation to others outside our small spheres of influence?   Host...

NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...