341 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 ourselves what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good! 5 For Job hath said, I am righteous, and God hath taken away my judgment: 6 Should I lie against my right? My wound is incurable without transgression. 7 What man is like Job? he drinketh up scorning like water, 8 And goeth in company with workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men. 9 For he hath said, It profiteth not a man if he delight himself in God.
10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be wickedness from God, and wrong from the Almighty! 11 For a man's work will he render to him, and cause every one to find according to [his] way. 12 Yea, surely, God acteth not wickedly, and the Almighty perverteth not judgment. 13 Who hath entrusted to him the earth? and who hath disposed the whole world? 14 If he only thought of himself, [and] gathered unto him his spirit and his breath, 15 All flesh would expire together, and man would return to the dust.
16 If now [thou hast] understanding, hear this: give ear to the voice of my words! 17 Should he that hateth right indeed govern? and wilt thou condemn the All-just? 18 Shall one say to a king, Belial? to nobles, Wicked? 19 [How then to him] that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich man more than the poor? for they are all the work of his hands. 20 In a moment they die, even at midnight the people are convulsed and pass away; and the strong are taken away without hand. 21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his steps. 22 There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 For he doth not long consider a man, to bring him before God in judgment. 24 He breaketh in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and setteth others in their stead; 25 Since he knoweth their actions; and he overthroweth [them] in the night, and they are crushed. 26 He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others, 27 Because they have turned back from him, and would consider none of his ways; 28 So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted. 29 When he giveth quietness, who then will disturb? and when he hideth [his] face, who shall behold him? and this towards a nation, or towards a man alike; 30 That the ungodly man reign not, that the people be not ensnared.
31 For hath he said unto God, I bear [chastisement], I will not offend; 32 What I see not, teach thou me; if I have done wrong, I will do so no more? 33 Shall he recompense according to thy mind? for thou hast refused [his judgment]; for thou so choosest, and not I; speak then what thou knowest. 34 Men of understanding will say to me, and a wise man who heareth me: 35 Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were not with intelligence. 36 Would that Job may be tried unto the end, because of [his] answers after the manner of evil men! 37 For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth [his hands] among us, and multiplieth his words against God.
351 Moreover Elihu answered and said, 2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's? 3 For thou hast asked of what profit it is unto thee: what do I gain more than if I had sinned? 4 I will reply to thee in words, and to thy companions with thee. 5 Look unto the heavens and see; and survey the skies: they are higher than thou. 6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? If thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? 7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou to him? or what doth he receive of thy hand? 8 Thy wickedness [may affect] a man as thou [art], and thy righteousness a son of man.
9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry; they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty: 10 But none saith, Where is +God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night, 11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowl of the heavens? 12 There they cry, and he answereth not, because of the pride of evil men. 13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.
14 Although thou sayest thou dost not see him, judgment is before him, therefore wait for him. 15 But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, doth not [Job] know [his] great arrogancy? 16 For Job hath opened his mouth in vanity, and made words abundant without knowledge.
151 And certain persons, having come down from Judaea, taught the brethren, If ye shall not have been circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 A commotion therefore having taken place, and no small discussion on the part of Paul and Barnabas against them, they arranged that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others from amongst them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. 3 They therefore, having been set on their way by the assembly, passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, relating the conversion of [those of] the nations. And they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And being arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, and related all that God had wrought with them. 5 And some of those who were of the sect of the Pharisees, who believed, rose up from among [them], saying that they ought to circumcise them and enjoin them to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter. 7 And much discussion having taken place, Peter, standing up, said to them, Brethren, ye know that from the earliest days God amongst you chose that the nations by my mouth should hear the word of the glad tidings and believe. 8 And the heart-knowing God bore them witness, giving [them] the Holy Spirit as to us also, 9 and put no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we shall be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same manner as they also. 12 And all the multitude kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul relating all the signs and wonders which God had wrought among the nations by them. 13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has related how God first visited to take out of [the] nations a people for his name. 15 And with this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written: 16 After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which is fallen, and will rebuild its ruins, and will set it up, 17 so that the residue of men may seek out the Lord, and all the nations on whom my name is invoked, saith [the] Lord, who does these things 18 known from eternity. 19 Wherefore I judge, not to trouble those who from the nations turn to God; 20 but to write to them to abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses, from generations of old, has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.
(Read Acts 15:1-6)
Some from Judea taught the Gentile converts at Antioch, that they could not be saved, unless they observed the whole ceremonial law as given by Moses; and thus they sought to destroy Christian liberty. There is a strange proneness in us to think that all do wrong who do not just as we do. Their doctrine was very discouraging. Wise and good men desire to avoid contests and disputes as far as they can; yet when false teachers oppose the main truths of the gospel, or bring in hurtful doctrines, we must not decline to oppose them.
(Read Acts 15:7-21)
We see from the words "purifying their hearts by faith," and the address of St. Peter, that justification by faith, and sanctification by the Holy Ghost, cannot be separated; and that both are the gift of God. We have great cause to bless God that we have heard the gospel. May we have that faith which the great Searcher of hearts approves, and attests by the seal of the Holy Spirit. Then our hearts and consciences will be purified from the guilt of sin, and we shall be freed from the burdens some try to lay upon the disciples of Christ. Paul and Barnabas showed by plain matters of fact, that God owned the preaching of the pure gospel to the Gentiles without the law of Moses; therefore to press that law upon them, was to undo what God had done. The opinion of James was, that the Gentile converts ought not to be troubled about Jewish rites, but that they should abstain from meats offered to idols, so that they might show their hatred of idolatry. Also, that they should be cautioned against fornication, which was not abhorred by the Gentiles as it should be, and even formed a part of some of their rites. They were counselled to abstain from things strangled, and from eating blood; this was forbidden by the law of Moses, and also here, from reverence to the blood of the sacrifices, which being then still offered, it would needlessly grieve the Jewish converts, and further prejudice the unconverted Jews. But as the reason has long ceased, we are left free in this, as in the like matters. Let converts be warned to avoid all appearances of the evils which they formerly practised, or are likely to be tempted to; and caution them to use Christian liberty with moderation and prudence.
