Unrighteous Maggots

 

 

In Today’s Living Word, we pick it up with Bildad speaking in Job 25:4 How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?  5 If even the moon does not shine, And the stars are not pure in His sight,  6 How much less man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm?"

 

No need to sugarcoat it Bildad!

 

It is as David stated in the 51^st Psalm…..we are sinners from conception on! Ps 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

 

Since sin separates us from God, indeed, “how CAN we be pure before God? Has God made provision for the cleansing of an infant, that cute little baby who is referred to here as a maggot?   (Remind me to cross uncle Bildad (uncle downer) off the invite list for the first birthday party!)

 

The answer is yes He has! It always starts with faith of course! But one might ask, “How can an infant have saving faith. How can an infant experience regeneration? How can an infant be “born again?” That’s a very legitimate question. Ps 22:9 is instructive here: “For You are He who took me out of the womb, causing me to trust (have faith) when I was on my mother's breasts.”

 

That doesn’t sound like someone toddling down an aisle in an arena to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. An infant can’t express faith in that manner. It’s faith that always comes first and this God-given faith is the same faith that moves the feet down the aisle at a revival meeting. It’s a simple affirmation of what God has already done in your heart.  

Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,  9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

One of the ways this saving faith comes to us (including infants) is through the act of water baptism. Baptism is a major part of the new covenant made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus!  Tit 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

The kindness of God in expressed in the new covenant! Born again! Regenerated! Renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit! And this promise is good for children as well!

 

Ac 2:39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

 

Yes Bildad, we come out of the womb as unrighteous maggots, but after we emerge from the waters of the God-blessed gift of baptism, coupled with His gift of faith, we like Abraham walk before  Him….blameless.

 

But remember, (this is vital) baptism must be coupled with faith! Mr 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Simply stated, “he who lacks faith will be condemned…baptized or not!”