Job and his friends did not have the adequate revelation of the divine truths. As godly men, they expressed their sentiments within the limits of the revelation they had received.
The divine revelation in the Bible is progressive. Up to Job's time the progression of the divine revelation had reached only the level of Abraham's time, that is, that sinners need God's redemption with the shedding of the blood of the burnt offering. Nothing had been unveiled regarding regeneration, renewing, transformation, conformation, and glorification. These things were not a part of the spiritual culture of Job and Abraham.
Many of today's Christians do not know about such matters as transformation, conformation, and glorification. They may know a little about regeneration and renewing, but most do not know anything about transformation, conformation, and glorification. Did you know about these things before you came into the Lord's recovery? Among today's Christians, the teaching concerning such matters is lacking because the revelation regarding them is lacking. In the recovery, on the contrary, we strongly emphasize transformation. Since the beginning of my ministry in this country, I have been speaking about the exercise of the spirit for the experience and enjoyment of Christ and about transformation. However, for many of the saints transformation is merely a doctrine, not a practical experience in the spirit. The Christian life is a matter of Christ living in us. As Paul says, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). This is the Christian life, and this is the practical, daily experience of transformation in our spirit.
The divine truths regarding such matters as regeneration, renewing, transformation, conformation, and glorification were not explicitly revealed to man in God's Old Testament economy. They were not revealed in completion until the apostle Paul's time (Phil. 3:8). Paul received a full and explicit revelation of things concerning which Abraham, Job, and his friends had no understanding due to the shortage of the necessary spiritual culture. We should not blame or despise Job and his friends for their lack of understanding.
In Job 42:5 Job said, "I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear,/But now my eye has seen You." We may interpret Job's seeing God as his gaining God. But what does it mean to gain God? In Job there is no further revelation concerning this, for the revelation in this book is not clear, complete, or perfect. The clear, complete, and perfect revelation is found in Paul's writings, especially in Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, the four books that make up the heart of the New Testament. If we read these books, we will have a clear view of what it means to gain God. Unfortunately, many of today's Christians remain in Job's age. I hope, therefore, that this message will help to open your eyes.