What we call the Old Testament Jesus referred to as “the law and the prophets.” The Lord intends everything in the Old Testament to bring us to Christ. As our goal in life is to “come unto Christ and be perfected in him,” [2] the Old Testament becomes a precious and invaluable guidebook.

The question posed by this lesson is: How does the story of Job help bring us to Christ?

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” [3]

Thus are we introduced to one of the great prophets, who gained a full understanding of what it means to come unto Christ and to be perfected in Him.  Everyone knows the story of Job, but many are unclear about its meaning.

President James E. Faust sums it up this way:

I Know That My Redeemer Liveth

Unlike many who lack an understanding of our Father’s plan, Job refuses to blame God for his trials. His first response to the loss of his wealth, his health, and his family is to “fall down upon the ground, and worship.” He knows that in the end, the Lord is the only source of solace:

Three friends come to mourn with Job and to give him advice in his misery. They assume that Job is undoubtedly guilty of sin, or God would be unjust in “punishing” him with such severe trials. One of them, Eliphaz, interrogates him: “Is not thy wickedness great? And thine iniquities infinite?” [6] Then they spend their energies trying to persuade Job to dredge up old sins and confess them.

Eliphaz is correct in a way. Without an atonement, we all are, as Eliphaz says, infinite in our iniquity and therefore merit infinite punishment. The Book of Mormon teaches:  “According to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish.”

Job understands, however, what Eliphaz does not: that Job is not guilty of sin because he has been redeemed from sin. “I know that my redeemer liveth... He also shall be my salvation... I know that I shall be justified.” [7]  Evidently, Job understands the teaching of Amulek in the Book of Mormon: “It is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice... and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.” [8]

Job is confident that, although he is a sinner like all men, he is a repentant sinner, and he knows that because of the Redeemer his past sins will not be held against him:

“How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin... Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.” [9]

Job knows that his past iniquities are as dead leaves and dry stubble consumed in the Atonement of Christ, for the promise is clear: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.” [10]

Many of us fail to understand this doctrine of Atonement. We see ourselves as unredeemable, as somehow broken beyond repair. We say to ourselves that a holy God could not love nor forgive us. Because we think we have no hope, we don’t bother with the promises the Lord makes to the repentant. It’s important to remember that Job was “perfect” not because he had never committed sin — he concedes that there were “youthful iniquities” in his life — but because the Redeemer makes him, as a repentant sinner, perfect through His own blood. We too can be perfect in this sense.

Partakers of Christ’s Sufferings

Why then does Job have to undergo such punishing trials? If he is not being chastised for sin, what is the purpose of all this grief “that was very great”? [11]

This is a question the world has no answer for. They call it “the problem of evil.” Philosophers, even some religious ones, have concluded that suffering like Job’s is meaningless — and go so far as to use the Book of Job to substantiate that conclusion.  They argue that God is capricious, and thus there is no purpose in human suffering:

The god imagined by such thinkers is a nightmare and is certainly not the God that Job knows.

The scriptures give an entirely different answer to the question why people suffer as they strive to come unto Christ:

To receive Christ’s glory, we must in some sense be partakers of Christ’s sufferings — and this is not a sorrowful but a joyful thing. To come unto Christ we must in some measure walk the path He walked. The “fiery trials” we suffer are not “strange” or mysterious but perfectly designed to fit us for exaltation. Jesus Himself “learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” [14]

Job exemplifies what it means to be a “partaker of Christ’s sufferings.”

We too may experience something of these sufferings in order to come unto Christ. Some may undergo painful losses, some may be unjustly treated, others will suffer pain, and still others will feel abandoned—even by God, when His light is withheld for a season. But if we “overcome by faith,” we become members of the “church of the Firstborn. . . into whose hands the Father has given all things.” [18] Job understands this principle clearly: “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” [19]

Because he understands God’s plan, Job is determined to keep his covenants faithfully regardless of what he is called upon to suffer: “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul... my lips shall not speak wickedness... Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and I will not let it go.” [20]

At the end of Job’s appointed trials, the Lord rewards his patience and integrity in a marvelous way. He is granted a vision of the creation of the earth, of the “sons of God” shouting for joy when they hear the Lord’s plan, of the laying of the foundations, the dividing of the light from darkness and the waters from the land, the herb springing forth, the beginning of beasts and birds and fishes. [21] Job is decked “with majesty and excellency” and arrayed “with glory and beauty.” [22] He receives the vision of God Himself: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” [23] And in the end “the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” [24] The same blessing is in store for all who bear their trials with patience and integrity. [25]

Our Trials Bring Us to Christ

Like Job, we are justified by the blood of Christ through our repentance; further, we are sanctified by exercising faith in Christ in the midst of trials. These trials are necessary for our progression. President Faust has said: