The Saviour's words that those who are not against Christians are thereby ‘for’ them may seem somewhat strange at first sight. After all, there are plenty of people in the world who have nothing against Christ, or even against Christianity, but... on the whole, they have nothing ‘for’ them either. They are simply...
The Saviour's words that those who are not against Christians are thereby ‘for’ them may seem somewhat strange at first sight. After all, there are plenty of people in the world who have nothing against Christ, or even against Christianity, but... on the whole, they have nothing ‘for’ them either. They are simply indifferent to all this, either remaining agnostics or choosing other spiritual traditions and paths for themselves.
Can such a position be described as being ‘for’ Christ or ‘for’ Christianity? If Christianity is seen as a new religion of some kind, the answer can, of course, only be no. Every religion needs adherents, preferably conscious, active ones, convinced that they are right, who can spread that religion and bear witness to its truth.
But Christianity is not a new religion; it is a new life. Life with Christ in His Kingdom, which He has brought into the world. And life is not as simple as views and convictions, whether political, social, scientific or even religious. One can become an adherent of particular views or convictions only when one fully understands and accepts them. Of course, every religion has followers who are not particularly versed in its theological subtleties, or sometimes even its doctrinal ones. Yet even these followers, with little understanding of the finer points, express their support for their religion quite consciously and unequivocally, sometimes even more resolutely than everyone else. With life, however, it often happens that people spend all or most of it without ever reflecting on how, by what and why they live.
The same is true of the life of the Kingdom, which has now drawn near, as the Saviour says. A person may sometimes feel the breath of the Kingdom without really understanding what is happening to them or what they are encountering. This has happened often since Christ's coming, because the Kingdom has drawn near to everyone, not only to Christians. It is an objective spiritual reality, not a spiritual experience belonging to some particular denomination, still less one monopolized by it. Today anyone can feel the breath of the Kingdom, provided, of course, that they do not reject in advance everything connected with Christ and Christianity. In that case, someone who seems to have nothing to do with Christianity may turn out to be ‘for’ Christ and ‘for’ Christians, if, naturally, they take their experience and their life seriously.
Of course, such ‘anonymous’ Christianity does not yet guarantee that a person will consciously embark on this path, but they will most likely not become an enemy of Christ and Christians either. This means that the path into the Kingdom will be open to such a person, and the opportunity to walk it may remain available for a considerable time—as long as the One who brought the Kingdom into the world wishes.
1 Job's piety, children, substance, Job 1:1-5.
Satan obtains leave to try him, Job 1:6-12.
His oxen, sheep, camels and servants destroyed, Job 1:13-17.
His sons and daughters killed, Job 1:18-19.
His patience and piety, Job 1:20-22.
1:6 A day - A certain time appointed by God. The sons - The holy angels, so called, chap.Job 38:7 Job 1, Dan 3:25, Dan 3:28, because of their creation by God, for their resemblance of him in power, and dignity, and holiness, and for their filial affection and obedience, to him. Before - Before his throne, to receive his commands, and to give him an account of their negotiations. But you must not think that these things are to be understood literally; it is only a parabolical representation of that great truth, that God by his wise and holy providence governs all the actions of men and devils: It being usual with the great God to condescend to our shallow capacities, and to express himself, as the Jews phrase it, in the language of the sons of men. And it is likewise intimated, that the affairs of earth are much the subject of the counsels of the unseen world. That world is dark to us: but we lie open to it.
1:9 For nought - Out of pure love and respect to thee? No. It is policy, not piety, that makes him good; he doth not serve thee, but serveth himself of thee, serving thee for his own ends.
1:12 Behold, etc - It seems strange, that, God should give Satan such a permission as this. But he did it for his own glory, for the honour of Job, for the explanation of providence, and the encouragement of his afflicted people in all ages.
1:14 Messenger, etc - One messenger immediately followed another; Satan so ordering by God's permission, that there might seem to be more than ordinary displeasure of God against him in his troubles, and that he might not have leisure to recollect himself, but be overwhelmed by a complication of calamities.
1:15 Sabeans - A people of Arabia, who led a wandering life, and lived by robbery and spoil. I - Whom Satan spared, that Job might have speedy and certain intelligence of his calamity.
1:16 The fire of God - As thunder is the voice of God, so lightning is his fire. How terrible then were the tidings of this destruction, which came immediately from the hand of God! And seemed to shew, that God was angry at his very offerings, and would receive no more from his hands.
1:17 Chaldeans - Who also lived upon spoil, as Xenephon and others observe.
1:19 The young men - This was the greatest of Job's losses, and therefore Satan reserved it to the last, that if the other provocations failed, this might make him curse God. They died by a wind of the devils raising, but which seemed to be the immediate hand of God. And they were taken away, when he had the most need of them, to comfort him under all his other losses. Such miserable comforters are creatures: in God we have a constant and sufficient help.
1:20 Shaved - Caused his hair to be shaved or cut off, which was then an usual ceremony in mourning. Worshipped - Instead of cursing God, which Satan said he would do, he adored him, and gave him the glory of his sovereignty, of his justice, and of his goodness also, in this most severe dispensation.
1:21 Naked - I brought none of these things with me, when I came out of my mother's womb into the world, but I received them from the hand of God, who hath now required his own again. Return thither - I shall be as rich when I die as I was when I was born, and therefore have reason to be contented with my condition, which also is the common lot of all men.Into the lap of our common mother, the earth, as the weary child lays its head in its mother's bosom. We go out of the world naked; the body doth, tho' the sanctified soul goes clothed. (Co2 5:3.) Death strips us of all our enjoyments: clothing can neither warm nor adorn a dead body.Taken - He hath taken away nothing but his own, and what he so gave that he reserved the supreme disposal of in his own hand. And what is it to me, by what hand he that gives, resumes what he gave?
1:22 Charged - Heb. not imputed folly to God; so far was he from blaspheming God, that he did not entertain any dishonourable thought of God, as if he had done anything unworthy of his infinite wisdom, or justice, or goodness, but heartily acquiesced in his good pleasure, and in his righteous though sharp proceedings against him. Discontent and impatience do in effect impute folly to God. Against the workings of these we should carefully watch, acknowledging that God has done well, but we have done foolishly.