Far Be It From Me
Job had endured the loss of his children, the loss of his wealth, and the loss of his health. In society he had endured the humiliation of going from respected statesman to social outcast. But when his friends came to see him, he found it necessary to endure their reproach, their indignation, and their accusations. To Elliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, the answer to all of Job’s problems was to confess his sin—to admit to any or all of the various trespasses they had placed at his feet during their multitude of speeches. However, despite his frustration with the situation he found himself in, Job refused to be intimidated into confessing what he knew to be a lie (Job 27:4). Sadly, I know of a situation much like this that happened in the church, where church leaders attempted to extract a confession of sin from a man who had done nothing wrong. Besides being highhanded, controlling, and intimidating, such an approach would be unlikely to elicit sincerity, turning the confession into a self-serving ritual rather than a soul-saving release. Job took a stand against such behavior that deserves greater consideration. He said, “Far be it from me That I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (Job 27:5).
When people are wrong, it is wrong to say they are right. It is therefore wrong to make compromises in the name of keeping peace, wrong to give ground in an argument just to keep a friend, and wrong to act as if doing what is right is somehow doing what is wrong. Yet this is often the expectation in society today. Many outspoken people in American society, fueled by postmodernism and political correctness, have assumed their moral superiority and therefore insist on extracting a confession of sorts out of people that suits their agenda. Among this cadre, a scientist must confess evolution or be shunned to a degree that would make the harshest cult leader proud. To them, anyone who dares to judge morality based upon the Bible has somehow violated the words of the Bible. They can quote Matthew 7:1 but apparently have never read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. To be accepted in society today, one must at the very least agree to keep quiet about morality and doctrine while the high priests of secularism dance on the graves of the faithful. Even in religious circles Satan works hard to make compromising integrity expected because he knows that the more generic he can make our convictions the less power the gospel can have in our lives (Rom. 1:16).
The gospel is filled with insights and exhortations to love, and these should fill our hearts and lives; however, we should never allow the ungodly to try to define what godly love is. We should never accept a justification for sin just because that sin has become popular in society. My Savior died on the cross for me and gave me access to truth revealed from heaven (Rom. 5:8; Jn. 8:32; 17:17). Far be it from me to ever say or do anything that would compromise that saving message (Matt. 10:32-33). “Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.”