How Can a Man Be Just?

OT: Job 9-17
NT: Romans 4-5

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Job 8:20; 9:1-3 — "[Bildad the Shuhite said:] See, God will not reject a blameless person, / nor take the hand of evildoers. / Then Job answered: “Indeed I know that this is so; / but how can a mortal be just before God? / If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand."

The question of righteousness or justice permeates every part of human society. We all want to be right. Even more, we all want to set the standard of being right. And then impose that righteousness on everyone else! But what does it take to be right in the eyes of One who is perfect? This is Job's question here. How can a mere man be blameless before God? Job was suffering great trial for a cause unknown. He looked back on his life and everything was going right. He has a good wife, many kids, many flocks and herds and, thus, was a very wealthy man. But it was almost all taken away from him by Satan, who was allowed by God to test Job's faith.

Psalms 14 clues us in to the answer for Job's question. David says that the Lord looks down on mankind to see if there are any of us who are righteous, who are seeking God first, and he sees only wicked men who are fallen. All have turned away. There is none righteous. As a result, mankind was in need of another righteousness — the perfection of one who is more than a man. And so God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life on earth, purchase our salvation on the cross, rise from the dead, and give us His righteousness if we'd only believe in Him. Once we believe in Jesus, His righteousness is automatically transfered to us, and we are now seen as being just in God's sight. How glorious is that!

Be God's.