Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Matt.19:1 It happened when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee, and came into the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan. 19:2 Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there. 19:3 Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?"
19:4 He answered, "Haven't you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,{Genesis 1:27}
19:5 and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?'{Genesis 2:24} 19:6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don't let man tear apart." 19:7 They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a bill of divorce, and divorce her?" 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. 19:9 I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
19:10 His disciples said to him, "If this is the case of the man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."

Human under sin want to be justified by a rule of law, the power of law to appease the conscience is very powerful. Nations have been destroyed by a rule of law allowing the lives of millions of men, woman and children to be justifiably killed leaving those obeying the rule of law doing the killing free guilt!

Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples shall go and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We must never underestimate the power of law to judge others, and in justifying our conscience from guilt. Jesus here essentially said to many prominent teachers of Israel that they were an adulterer, moreover, that they were condoning adultery! But because of a law Moses had given them their conscience was clear without guilt this comment by Christ was shocking to his own apostles, so shocking they ran to the other extreme of wanting no one to marry!

Ephesians 2:9 not of works, that no one would boast.

Ultimately, Christ trapped them in self-righteousness. Christ spoke the truth, the teachers knew adultery was punishable by death under the law, so if a person was self-righteous thinking they were justified by law, Christ words set them straight condemning them as sinners by the law, having nothing good dwelling in their flesh, which the law undeniably proved.

Rom.2:1 Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.

Looking to a law to break yet another law is foolish, and to make matters worst being a teacher of Israel helping others feel justified for breaking the law was a grave sin. Stoning a woman for adultery, while practicing it in ones heart is a hypocrite that will take another life to justify their self-righteous hate towards law breakers.

Rom.2:19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
2:20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babies, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth.
2:21 You therefore who teach another, don't you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn't steal, do you steal?
2:22 You who say a man shouldn't commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
2:23 You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God?

What is the point we are as Christian's to take away from Christ counsel here? Simply, we are not justified by God's law, we are condemned and we must look to God for our redemption from sin. Sin is death, not some sins, but all sins, so lets stop playing the self-righteous game that somehow our judgments of what sin is, is better because we sin less than the other guy.

Matt. 7:1 "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged.
7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you.

We are not condoning sin, why? Because it is impossible for a sinner to condone sin or relieve another person from the wages of sin. What we are doing is teaching the truth, which is, if God were not undeservedly merciful none of us could stand before him. We are justified not by law, or our good actions towards wanting to keep the law. We are unmeritedly justified by the blood of Christ which purchase our lives, without our merit into God's love. Every person whom ever thought about sex with the opposite sex has been convicted by God's righteous laws.

Matt.5:27 "You have heard that it was said, {TR adds "to the ancients,"} 'You shall not commit adultery;'{Exodus 20:14}
5:28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Let us separate facts from fiction, so that we come to understand man's anger does not work out God's righteousness.

James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
1:19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
1:20 for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God.

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

See also: www.nu-truth.com