I’m freezing this document, even though it isn’t done, and start on the draft for v2.

The importance of the story of Job

To understand Job, one must understand Satan, or in Hebrew, HaSatan. The Adversary, but the word is also the Accuser. Job was being challenged by one who would accuse all of humanity before Adonai Elohim (Hebrew translates of My Lord On High, aka God). But since there was an accusation laid, there was an accuser, who was now going to test the accused.

Let us look at Job’s mind and his challenges.

1. This is what most people see when they look at his accusation.

“Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 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 42:3-6 KJV

Most people have a pretty shallow understanding here. Job’s first sin was leaning on his own counsel about Adonai. Even Moses knew to turn to Adonai to figure out the inheritance of daughters of a father who had no male heir.

The Challenge laid out to Moses

Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons. “Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” 

Num 27:1-4 NASB 1977

Moses addressed it

And Moses brought their case before the LORD. 

Num 27:5 NASB 1977

Adonai Elohim (God) provided the judgment

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. “Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ‘And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ‘And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ‘And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.'” 

Num 27:6-11 NASB 1977

What are the points to be taken from this?

1. Adonai does not forget those whome he has made promises to.
2. If you don’t have Adonai’s judgement with you at hand, then go seek His judgement, either in his written word (which is written revelation) or in direct revelation.
3. Be faithful to deliver the full judgement. Do not change His judgements.

2. Job’s first failure

And his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 

And it came about, when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. 

Job 1:4-5 NASB 77

This event was called out to be the end of a feast event. There are three feasts in the Torah. Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (What we call Pentecost), Sukkot (Feast of Tents). However, the expression here is “his day,” It is not in the Jewish tradition to celebrate one’s birthday. So the options are:

1. His sons had picked up pagen practice of personal holiday
2. As Pesach and Shavuot are multiday feasts, they could be taking turns hosting the feast
3. It isn’t uncommon to share a meal with family on Shabat.

The first and second are most likely.

So their sin was insinuated in that “they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.” If this was sexual immorality, as it appears Job thought it might be, then the disobedience of the Torah over such matters was Job’s other sin. Sure, Job would need a witness and remove all offenders, which would remove all of his children; however, that would have been the right action.

Before I am challenged with the claim that he was upright, let’s break down what that expression means.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. 

Job 1:1 NASB 1977

• Did Job fear God? Yes.
• Did he turn from evil? In so much as he didn’t participate, yes.
• For his own actions was he upright? Yes.

How could he be blameless and upright and still wrong? Let’s look at the Hebrew of these words.

תָּם, tâm, tawm (blameless):

† תָּם adjective complete — ת׳ Genesis 25:27 + 10 times; suffix תַּמָּתִי Songs 5:2; Songs 6:9 (late, except Genesis 25:27); —

1.complete, perfect: in beauty Songs 5:2; Songs 6:9; of physical strength Psalm 73:4 (read לָ֑מוֺ תָּם Ew De Dr^{Sam. xxxi} Che Bae and others).

2.sound, wholesome: אישׁ תָּם, of Jacob as tent-dweller, opposed to Esau, hunter, Genesis 25:27 (J; De leutseliger Mann, Di ruhig, still, AV RV plain man; ת׳ here possibly redactional, = 3).

3.complete, morally innocent, having integrity: אִישׁ תָּם Job 1:8; Job 2:3; ת׳ alone Job 1:1; Job 8:20; Job 9:20, 21, 22; Proverbs 29:10; Psalm 37:37; Psalm 64:5. — תַּמִּים see [תָּאם].

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. BibleSoft.com

So Blameless isn’t righteous.

Still not righteous. So let’s look at righteous, which is just (as in judged and found just)

צַדִּיק adjective just, righteous;

absolute צ׳ Genesis 6:9+; plural צַדִּיקִים Exodus 23:8+, etc.; —just, righteous, in government:
a. of Davidic king 2 Samuel 23:3; צֶמַהּ Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 9:9 (|| victorious).
b. of judges, Ezekiel 23:45; Proverbs 29:2 (see Toy; Kau questions this meaning in all these).
c. of law, צ׳מִשְׁפָּטִים Deuteronomy 4:8.
d. of God Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 119:137; Psalm 129:4; Job 34:17, opposed to Pharaoh Exodus 9:27 (J); in discrimination Jeremiah 12:1; Zephaniah 3:5; Psalm 7:10; Psalm 7:12; Psalm 11:7; condemnation 2 Chronicles 12:6; Daniel 9:14; Lamentations 1:18; Ezra 9:15; Nehemiah 9:33; redemption Isaiah 45:21; Psalm 116:5; keeping promises Nehemiah 9:8; in all his ways Psalm 145:17.

just in one’s cause, right: Exodus 23:7, 8 (E) Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 25:1; 1 Kings 8:32 2 Chronicles 6:23; Isaiah 5:23; Isaiah 29:21; Job 32:1; Job 36:7; Proverbs 17:15, 26; Proverbs 18:5, 17; Proverbs 24:24; Amos 2:6; Amos 5:12; Habakkuk 1:4, 13; right in law, not under penalty 2 Samuel 4:11; 1 Kings 2:32; innocent of specific offence 2 Kings 10:9; with מְן compare 1 Samuel 24:18.

just, righteous, in conduct and character:
a. towards God Genesis 7:1; Genesis 18:23, 24 (twice in verse); Genesis 18:25 (twice in verse); Genesis 18:26, 28 (J) Genesis 20:4 (E), Habakkuk 2:4; Malachi 3:18.
b. in general, ethically: Psalm 5:13; Psalm 7:10; Psalm 11:3; Psalm 11:5 + 21 times Psalms (+below), Proverbs 2:20; Proverbs 3:33; Proverbs 4:18; Proverbs 9:9 + 56 times Proverbs; Ecclesiastes 3:17 + 7 times Ecclesiastes; Isaiah 3:10; Isaiah 57:1 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 20:12; Lamentations 4:13; Ezekiel 3:20, 21 (twice in verse) + 12 times Ezekiel; Hosea 14:10; || תמים Genesis 6:9 (P) Job 12:4; || נָקִי Job 17:9; Job 22:19; Job 27:17; Psalm 94:21; || יִשְׁרֵי לֵב Psalm 32:11; Psalm 64:11; Psalm 97:11.

righteous, as justified and vindicated by י׳, especially servant of י׳ Isaiah 53:11, so his people, usually plural Isaiah 60:21; Psalm 33:1 + 8 times Psalms (see also above); אָהֳלֵי צ׳ Psalm 118:15 tents of the righteous; גּוֺרַל צ׳ Psalm 125:3; עֲדִת צ׳ Psalm 1:5; דֶּרֶךְ צ׳ Psalm 1:6; singular collective Psalm 34:20, 22; Psalm 75:11; Isaiah 24:16; Isaiah 26:7 (twice in verse); גּוֺי צַדִּיק Isaiah 26:2 (|| שֹׁמֵר אֱמֻנִים).

right, correct, Isaiah 41:26 (compare אֱמֶת Isaiah 43:9); lawful שְׁבִי צ׳ Isaiah 49:24 EV; but read H6184 עָרִיץ.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. BibleSoft.com

So, Righteous is not the same as blameless and upright. Job was a decent fellow.

How important was this sin that Adonai would allow Job to go through this judgment? Remember, Adonai stopped Moses from going into the promised lands because rather than praying over a rock, he struck it to get water. Adonai also stated that no man born in Egypt would make it to the promised land, but their surviving offspring would.

Summary

The importance of Job is to see ourselves in the piousness and emotional wall that stops us from finding real repentance. We have to repent to our core to fight the accusor and defeat him in the court of the heavens.

Job’s mistake, or sin, was that he let his children do what they will, and he was whitewashing their sins with sacrifices. We know this doesn’t work because Adonai even stated that he was weary of His people’s prayers and sacrifices when their hands were covered with blood.

Where is God

What is said in Jeremiah

4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD,

Jeremiah 2:4-5 NASB 1977

This sets the next two sections because this is what Adonai Elohim says.

5 “What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after emptiness and became empty?
6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD
Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [fn]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man dwelt?’
7 “I brought you into the fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.

Jeremiah 2:5-8 NASB 1977

This whole section is all about how God recapped what he did for his people, and they still followed after false gods and wrong teachings.

It gets worst.

9 “Therefore I will yet contend with you,” declares the LORD,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
10 “For cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see,
And send to Kedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
11 “Has a nation changed gods
When they were not gods?
But My people have changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
12 “Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.

Jeremiah 2:9-13 NASB 1977

God called out His people who turned against Him.

His people are supposed to be strong and bold. They are to be free. However, their descent into the madness of sin is putting them into ruin.

14 “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
15 “The young lions have roared at him,
They have roared loudly.
And they have made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have shaved the crown of your head.
17 “Have you not done this to yourself
By your forsaking the LORD your God
When He led you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 “Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the LORD your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jeremiah 2:14-19 NASB 1977

I’m stopping here on Jeremiah because this reads like a long litany of accusations against the Hebrew people. It wasn’t that God vanished, but you can see that the people rushed into the depths of sin and expected God to party with them.

What does it say in 2 Kings?

When did God promise to protect against all forms of death by the flesh? It is always going to be emotional. Even when Elishah knew he would see Elijah again, he was still emotionally distraught. But God still honor’s his promises.

9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.

2 Kings 2:9-14

Why did Elisha shred his clothing? He was mourning. This was a great pain to him. But, in the end, he didn’t turn from God and his appointed position as God’s prophet. Rather, he took up the Mantle and proceeded. He did many great miracles before the end of the chapter but still didn’t bring his father back. Death by the flesh is not the end and should not be the breaking point for people who stand before God.

What does it say in Psalms

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
(For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.)
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 42 NASB 1977

This ballad song talks about someone desperate to see God and appear before Him at His court. This character is being challenged by his enemy and accuser. He is in despair; however, he renews his mind to what Adonai has done for him, looking at verses 7 and 8. Now that his mind is renewed, he is reframing his claim in verse 9; his accuser in verse 10. Finally, verse 11 is his summary and solution, “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him.”

In the Jewish faith, there is a prayer called the Mourner’s Kaddish. The excitement of the Kaddish is a renewed mind process. It doesn’t drive away or cause one to forget the dead, but it is a renewed mind process that is practiced for 30 days so that the mourner’s heart can settle with peace over time. Mourning is natural in the scriptures, but being lost in despair is not. Here is some information from Chabad: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/514160/jewish/Mourners-Kaddish.htm

A Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.
(A Psalm of Asaph.)
1 O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your holy temple;
They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the dead bodies of Your servants for food to the birds of the heavens,
The flesh of Your godly ones to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem;
And there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and derision to those around us.
5 How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob
And laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us;
Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us,
For we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight,
Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
11 Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power preserve those who are doomed to die.
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
The reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
13 So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture
Will give thanks to You forever;
To all generations we will tell of Your praise.

Psalm 79 NASB 1977

When it comes to the laws and statutes of God, one must realize that compassion is at the individual level, whereas Justice is at the community level. This doesn’t mean that justice cannot be provided to the individual, but we are expected to be compassionate to one another.

With this in mind, let’s look at that chapter. This chapter is about the destruction of Jerusalem. God took away his protection over Jerusalem because they lived as if they had another God and didn’t live according to His compassion and justice. Now those surviving his judgment are mourning their losses and requesting his judgment over the other nations. This is why they request that God not hold their families and community’s sins against them. They want to improve and live back in His grace. This is repentance. They don’t want their enemies to be able to proclaim that their God is gone. They are committing themselves back to being God’s people. The history in the scriptures reflects that God does honor repentance, but it may be delayed. If you look into Daniel, one prayer was answered in moments, and the other in months. Both God discharged the answer to the prayer instantly, but there was a reason for the angels being delayed in answering.

You have been delivered, but Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 10:5 show it is now your problem if you don’t see it.

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2 NASB 1977

Note this doesn’t say change yourself; it says to be transformed by renewing your mind. The distance between you and God is in relationship to your perception of Him. How much do you study His scriptures? How much time do you spend in one on one communion with Him in prayer? How many times does he put something on your heart, and harden your heart against him, so that you may go your own way? Just repent and change your mind; you will see that improvement.

1 Now it is I myself, Sha’ul (Paul), making an appeal to you with the meekness and forbearance that come from the Messiah, I who am considered timid when face-to-face with you but intimidating from a distance. 2 But I beg you not to force me to be intimidating when I am with you, as I expect to be toward some who regard us as living in a worldly way. 3 For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; 4 because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. 6 And when you have become completely obedient, then we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience. 

7 You are looking at the surface of things. If anyone is convinced that he belongs to the Messiah, he should remind himself that we belong to the Messiah as much as he does.  8 For even if I boast a little too much about the authority the Lord has given us—authority to build you up, not tear you down—I am not ashamed. 9 My object is not to seem as if I were trying to frighten you with these letters. 

2 Corinthians 10:1-9 CJB

Paul spent a lot of time setting context. This is why his letters have a strength to them. With that in mind, verse 3 lays out what Paul is expecting. You live in this world, but you are not to live as if you are a member of this world. Verse 4 states that our strength, power, weapons are not worldly items. If you have read the book of Romans and Ephesians, our power is Spiritual. We wage our fight in the hearts and minds, demolishing arguments and arrogance, which stand against the knowledge of God. However, more importantly, we take these thoughts and control our mind, to put those thoughts into the obedience of the Messiah.

Verse 6, when YOU are obedient, then you are in the right position to punish disobedience. Remember, our tools are not physical but spiritual. So likewise, your enemy isn’t a person but the spiritual influence in their life.

Verse 7, the surface of things is like looking at the top of a pool of water; at the right angle, you don’t see depth, but reflections of those things around it, including the light source. You have to look deep into it to understand what is before you. So when you look at the rest of verses 7 and 8, our depth is the Messiah and how we reflect his actions. The depth of a person may look quite different per person, but you don’t get light from that person. You get light from a pool that reflects the source of light. When a pool has little water, it reflects little, but if Paul is boasting not in his authority but the authority the Lord has given us, then he is filling in his pool to reflect more light. A pool in darkness will only reflect darkness, whereas a pool in light will reflect light. A pool without a source of water will dry up. Adonai is the fountain of living waters.

Paul continued talking about why his letters seemed authoritative and strong in verse 9. Still, when you look at it in light of the first 7 verses, Paul is trying to bring you back to God’s word and cast down that which is against God, and take the rest of those thoughts back to obedience of the Messiah. So with that, you see that Paul’s letters are for a single purpose, to keep you in that life with our Messiah in the Kingdom of God. Why would you not want that?

Where is my authority

You are not standing on the promise and have not put into your heart that your Lord, Yeshua (aka Jesus), had already appointed it to you.

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Luke 10:17-22 NASB 1995

Most people think that Jesus only had 12 followers, but those were his closest 12 disciples. Above, you can see that 70 returned with praise and joy.

Also note, it isn’t the power that one rejoices in but that their names are recorded in heaven. This is the book of life. Power and authority are to be common as we renew our minds and walk in his image. But having our names recorded is an eternity with him.

9 since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colosians 1:9-14 NASB 1995

Verse 9 is cool; Paul pushes spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and to be able to have our walk pleasing him, bearing fruit, and learning more of God. Did you realize that this parallels Romans 12:2?

Why would we want to increase in the knowledge of God? Verse 11, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might. But also to attain, or gain, in more steadfastness and patience.

With this patience and ability to stand when the winds of this world knock over others, we can joyously give thanks to our Father. He was made it so that we are heirs to the same inheritance as the saints in Light.

We were rescued from darkness, put in Jesus’s Kingdom, given redemption, and the complete forgiveness of sin.

18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:18-21 NASB 1995

Who is the one? Adam. Who is the other one? Jesus. Adam sinned; we lost our full inheritance. That was the death that Adam gained when he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

Jesus, though, obeyed to the point of taking punishment which was not rightfully due him. Then was crucified for a crime he didn’t commit. Relinquished his life, which he didn’t have to. But then, he obeyed enough to be resurrected, lifted up, and establish a new place for us. He still isn’t done.

If you feel so lost that you cannot see your position in the body of Christ, I suggest the following reading assignment. The book of Romans, then the book of Romans. Finally, when you are finished with those two one-hour assignments, read the book of Romans.

When you do this, pls realize that Paul wrote this as a summary document. Each section building upon the previous.

1. Rom 1:1-17: Paul’s introduction, who this is for, and his goal for the letter.
2. Rom 1:18-32: The nature of Man. Oh man is not pointing to a person, but our nature, especially those who are not dilligent in the Torah, Tanach, and prayer.
3. Rom 2:1-11: The nature of God’s judgement
4. Rom 2:12-16: The nature of the Law
5. Rom 2:17-24: Nature of the Jews failing to uphold the standard that God established in the Law.
6. Rom 2:25-29: The nature of the Circumcision. This isn’t taking it from the Jew, but an exhortation that it is nothing more than a cutting of the flesh without a change in the heart.
7. Rom 3:1-4: Why did God establish the tribe of Israel, and create the circumcism covenant.
8. Rom 3:5-8: Nothing in here is permission to go around sinning.
9. Rom 3:8-20: Your nature is so condemned that it is burried in sin.
10. Rom 3:21-31: It isn’t the law that provided righteousness, but believing God. Note believing in God isn’t enough. One must believe the words that God has laid out, that is the grounds of our righteousness. It is the believing of God that establishes the Law in us.

This document is Frozen, and I will be creating a new version, which I will break into several parts. What I have above are parts 1-3, version 1. Below are the working titles for parts 4 and 5. I am editing Parts 1 – 3 and will post as v2. Then I will post parts 4 and 5.

Why can I do nothing

That is condemnation and get over it.

What a fool I am (was)

That is a realization that you are ready to repent.