Job 34
(American Standard Version)
1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2 Hear my words, ye wise men; And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
3 For the ear trieth words, As the palate tasteth food.
4 Let us choose for us that which is right: Let us know among ourselves what is good.
5 For Job hath said, I am righteous, And God hath taken away my right:
6 Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar; My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.
7 What man is like Job, Who drinketh up scoffing like water,
8 Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, And walketh with wicked men?
9 For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing That he should delight himself with God.
10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11 For the work of a man will he render unto him, And cause every man to find according to his ways.
12 Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
13 Who gave him a charge over the earth? Or who hath disposed the whole world?
14 If he set his heart upon himself, If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
15 All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust.
16 If now thou hast understanding, hear this: Hearken to the voice of my words.
17 Shall even one that hateth justice govern? And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?
18 Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile, Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
19 That respecteth not the persons of princes, Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; For they all are the work of his hands.
20 In a moment they die, even at midnight; The people are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without hand.
21 For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, And he seeth all his goings.
22 There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23 For he needeth not further to consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment.
24 He breaketh in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, And setteth others in their stead.
25 Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works; And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26 He striketh them as wicked men In the open sight of others;
27 Because they turned aside from following him, And would not have regard in any of his ways:
28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him, And he heard the cry of the afflicted.
29 When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn? And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man:
30 That the godless man reign not, That there be none to ensnare the people.
31 For hath any said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
32 That which I see not teach thou me: If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
33 Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it? For thou must choose, and not I: Therefore speak what thou knowest.
34 Men of understanding will say unto me, Yea, every wise man that heareth me:
35 Job speaketh without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom.
36 Would that Job were tried unto the end, Because of his answering like wicked men.
37 For he addeth rebellion unto his sin; He clappeth his hands among us, And multiplieth his words against God.
God's Plan of Salvation
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)
