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“Will It Be Well When He Examines You?” - Job 13:9

by Chris Simmons

We read in Job chapter one that Job was a man who was “blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil” (verse 1). We then read that Satan accuses Job of being faithful only because God had blessed him so much. God then allows Satan to bring a series of catastrophic events upon Job. Through all of the pain and great loss, we read that “Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:22). We read in Job 2:11 that three of Job’s friends heard of the adversity that had come upon him and they came to offer their sympathy to Job. His three friends, however, brought him little comfort, but rather proceeded to accuse Job by stating that this tragedy came upon him because of some sin that was in his life (cf. Job 4:7-8). In one of Job’s responses to his so-called friends, Job asks a very sobering question that all of us need to consider. “Will it be well when He examines you? Or will you deceive Him as one deceives a man” (Job 13:9)? Job’s friends could continue to accuse him all they wanted and Job could defend himself, but the real question is how will it be when God examines us? Job’s point is that it is possible for man to deceive man, but no one will deceive God.

The fact is we will all be examined by God. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Similarly in Romans 14:12 we read, “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.” No one shall escape this examination from God. When we are examined, we can be sure that the judgment will be accurate and true – a “righteous judgment” (cf. II Thessalonians 1:5). Though our human courts may often make mistakes in the judgments of men, there will be no mistakes when we are judged by God.

We are commanded to examine our own selves (II Corinthians 13:5), but we need to remember that we will never impose our perspective of self upon God. Paul addressed those in Corinth who, like Job’s friends, were challenging Paul in I Corinthians 4:3-4 where he said, “But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.” Though Paul was “conscious of nothing against myself,” he recognized that it was God who would ultimately examine his heart.

When we are examined by God, how well it will be for us will depend on two key points. One, did we ever submit ourselves to the will of God and obey the gospel? It’s not an issue of whether we have ever sinned, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Rather, it’s an issue of whether we ever truly believed (John 8:24; Mark 16:16). It’s an issue of whether “all everywhere” are willing to truly repent (Acts 17:30; 2:38; Luke 13:3). It’s an issue of whether we are willing to confess our faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Luke 12:8; Romans 10:9). Finally, it’s an issue of whether we’ve ever had the saving faith so as to be baptized for the remission (washing away) of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16) so that we might rise to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3). It is through these steps that we make the preparations to be ready (Luke 12:35-40) to be examined by God.

The other key point is if we have obeyed the gospel, have we remained faithful? We can fall away (Hebrews 3:12 – 4:11; I Corinthians 10:12; II Peter 3:17; Galatians 5:4)! We can lose what we have accomplished (II John 8). We can fail to “press on” (Philippians 3:12-14). We can once again become entangled in sin (II Peter 2:20; Hebrews 12:1-2). Again, it’s not an issue of whether we can sin as a Christian, the issue is what are we going to do about it when we do? Will we confess our sins, repent and seek the prayers of our brethren (I John 1:8-9; Acts 8:22-24)? Or will we deny it, make excuses and not do what is required to make things right with God?

Will it be well when God examines you? It depends on what we chose to do about our sin.

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