Tag Archives: God’s sovereignty

In our daily Bible reading schedule, we recently finished the book of Job, and though I have gained much from Job, it can at times be a feat of endurance to finish. Our English translations don’t help much, rendering the Hebrew poetry wordy. And after the beginning of the story from the supernatural realm to the devastating tragedy that is Job’s life, we can get lost in Job’s dialogue with his so-called friends. On and on, back and forth, one is struck by their lack of mercy but also Job’s candor. But what Job and his friends are both guilty of is what I call “karma Christianity,” or theologians call the “retribution principle,” “the idea that God blesses those who are righteous and punishes those who are wicked in this life. If a person is blessed, that is proof that he is righteous. If a person suffers hardship, that is proof of sin in his life.”[2] Such teaching was popularized in the last century in a movement called the “prosperity gospel,” but it was nothing new. What charismatics were selling on television is the same thing Job and his friends believed.