These argumentative responses are hard for me to understand and what would motivate them. I wouldn’t think anyone would have a problem with sincere prayer. We can do nothing good on our own but through Jesus Christ our righteousness, even pray…
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That is what is called Puppet Theology.
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It is NOT that Job’s praying for his friends caused God to restore his fortunes.
We know this for sure because at the very beginning of the book, the author went to great lengths to illustrate the righteousness of Job. He said, “So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify [his sons], and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did regularly.” Job 1:5
YET, in spite of regularly praying FOR THE FORGIVENESS of others, his sons there at the beginning, disaster befell him. How come? Don’t they say praying for others amounts to something “because God restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends”?!
Rather, it was part of Job’s return to his priestly role, far more aware of God in a very practical sense, as if returned from the dead, born again, enlightened through trials, without bitterness or rancor, that God might have said in like manner as He told Abraham after Abraham was also tried and proved steadfast:-
“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Gen. 22:16-18
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Christian philosopher Keith Ward said it this way “A God of love only makes sense if he has given us the ability to freely choose or reject him” Ward believes… “that we are neither subject to a puppet-master God nor a puppet-master universe matters a great deal.”
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