Job, like all of us, gave with his mouth certain platitudes about God and himself that he neither understood nor believed. In the beginning of his trial, he professed certain ideologies about God; but it took his sufferings to bring to the surface what were the true feelings of his heart. God does not want our platitudes or our professed obedience, He wants our heart. Open and honest confession before God is more important to Him than to try and hide our feelings, even if we know they are wrong. At least, when we are honest, God can begin to reason with us and bring us to see the truth. Hiding from God, denying what we know is our real feelings, seeking shelter in our “refuge of lies,” only delays our repentance and turning to Christ.

Job 42:3 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

Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

Matt 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Prov 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Isa 28:17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we have already brought out, sudden severe trials do not always cause our own inner-strength or fortitude to fail. At first, Job professed to believe in the sovereign goodness of God in all that happened.

Job 1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 2:10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

However, as the length of his trial began to wear him down, he started to question God, cursed the day he was born, and revealed his longstanding fears about God.

Job 3:1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job spake, and said,
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Job 3:25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

In the beginning, he refused to say anything that he felt would dishonor God or that would betray his vain piety.

1 Job 1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

However, as his trials broke down all his restraints, he then became quite outspoken, and began to attack the very goodness and justice of God.

Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

Job 16:11 God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.
12 I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.
13 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.
14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.
15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
16 My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death;
17 Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.
18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

Job 19:6 Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.
7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
9 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.
11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

He professed to believe in man’s frailness and unrighteousness, and the absurdity of trying to reason with God.

Job 9:1 Then Job answered and said,
2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.

Then he justified himself and desired to debate with God, challenging God to give an answer for His unrighteous treatment of Job.

Job 10:1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

Job 13:18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

Job 23:1 Then Job answered and said,
2 Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
4 I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.
6 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
7 There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Job 27:1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

In the same sentence that Job utters the most well-known and oft-quoted verse in the book, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” he belies those words by adding, “but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” We cannot have complete and total trust in God and His salvation, and at the same time hold on to our own righteousness and works.

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

In like manner, the woman at the well, though living in open adultery, made certain platitudes about how her fathers worshipped God. By doing this she was trying to appear religious when Jesus began to reveal her sin. When we are confronted by someone concerning our spiritual welfare, our fleshly defenses puts on its religious front, lest our true spiritual condition be revealed.

John 4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus however, would not be fooled by her words, but told her plainly, “Ye worship ye know not what.” He went on to say that God is not impressed by what she professed, but that the “true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Many are they who, wanting to appear religious, often express certain beliefs or speak common phrases that have become catchwords for being a Christian. They say they ‘go to church’ or ‘keep the Ten Commandments.’  Many profess to be ‘born again’ without having the faintest clue about what that means. Many there are who will say ‘I believe in Jesus’ or, ‘I have accepted Jesus,’  without knowing the first thing about what they believe or what they have accepted concerning Him. Easy believism has become a common error of the modern church; because just saying or praying certain words does not make one a true child of God. We have made trusting Jesus a work of the flesh, whereby our words, or our prayers, somehow will take the place of genuine faith.

Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Acts 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

For all of us, the most important thing we need to be honest about is—where will I spend eternity? We may fool other men in the everyday aspects of our lives—as we try to hide our real faults and needs; but God knows our real condition—because “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do

Job was being forced by his trials to honestly face questions about death and the hereafter. At first he seemed to take the view of many that the grave was the end of man’s existence when he said, “so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.” Then, as the specter of his own death was becoming more real, he began to voice some genuine concerns about his eternal destiny when he said, “If a man die, shall he live again?” Later, he would say in desperate hope, “For I know that my redeemer liveth” and “in my flesh shall I see God.” But finally, he would say with absolute assurance, “mine eye seeth thee.”

Job7:7 O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.
8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

All of our religiosity will not save us in the day of final reckoning. We must be honest with ourselves and with God now, in this life, if we are to be saved. Saving faith is not just a mental assent to what the Bible says; it is something that has to become a reality to our soul, something we embrace in our hearts, and then confess with our mouths. The first step in becoming a child of God is admitting that we are a sinner and have no part in God’s Kingdom.  The second is to cry out for mercy. This is not just saying a little prayer that someone recites to you, but a true expression of divinely given repentance towards God. The third is to confess that Jesus is your only hope of salvation before God and man. This is done through Believer’s Baptism and by an open confession of faith with our mouths—for “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Matt 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

2 Tim 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

As a lost sinner, we must come to the place where we agree with God in an open and honest confession. When the eye of faith shows us our sinful and hopeless condition, and then shows us God’s remedy for us in Christ, we will, by the “answer of a good conscience toward God,” make a confession of our faith in what God has done for us. Faith that does not evidence itself is not saving faith, because “faith without works is dead.” Our confession of Christ is an evidence that we have been saved, because “whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” to acknowledge Him. When our hearts have become the dwelling place of the Spirit of Christ, then from “the abundance of the heart,” our mouths will speak.

1 Pet 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Lastly, we give this word to those who are already genuine believers in Christ. How many of God’s true children would be honest enough to admit, that most of the religious clichés we utter are meaningless as far as how we really feel or believe? When asked how we are doing, we might say, ‘Everything is just great.’ or, ‘The Lord is good.’ When in reality our lives are a miserable wreck, and we certainly don’t see any of God’s goodness. How many sing the song, ‘Oh How I Love Jesus,’  when at the moment you don’t feel any love for Him; but rather you are feeling quite angry at God for what He is allowing to happen in your life[1]. I am convinced that we should be honest about how we feel in what we say, or sing, or put forth to others. Now, we need not burden others with the details of our problems or our intimate feelings—those are between us and God alone; however, we shouldn’t be dishonest or try to put on a false religious front either. We can say, ‘Things aren’t going so well, please pray for me,’ or, ‘I’m going through some rough times right now and need some grace.’  If the song that is being sung doesn’t express what we are feeling, we don’t have to sing along. Remember, we are singing “to the Lord,” and He knows how we really feel. .

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.

Many of the expressions of David and other saints of God did not always convey feelings of joy and gladness in serving the Lord; but many expressed discontentment, sorrows, agony of soul, and perplexity concerning God. One of the most important lessons Job learned was to be honest about what he thought and how he felt, especially toward God.

Psa 13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Psa 73:13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

Jere 20:7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

True faith gives us the grounds upon which we can stand and be truthful with God and others. When we walked in the flesh, our false confessions attempted to cover up what we really were like. We needed to appear religious in all that we did and said to feel justified with God. Howbeit, now, in Christ, we realize all of our goodness is in Him; and it is no longer necessary for us to try and put on a religious show, either toward God or toward others.

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Man’s downfall began with hearing the lie, believing the lie, speaking the lie, and living the lie. God’s salvation is in hearing the truth, believing the truth, confessing the truth, and living by the truth. The confession of faith is speaking and living openly and honestly before God; for only then will God begin to show us and lead us into the truth.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

1 Tim 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Eph1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

2 Thess 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

1 Pet 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.