Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Am I Good Enough?

Two extremes exist in most Christian religions today, which is, an arrogance of: “I am good enough God loves me!” and the other extreme: “No I am not good enough, but if I try really hard in obeying the commandments, God might have mercy upon me?”

Both extremes are hurtful to God's word the truth, neither express the truth about us, or God. Thinking one is good enough comes across to most people as self-absorbed and frightening because any person in the world that has such a high opinion of themselves is rejected as someone that is very insecure and not truthful.

While on the other hand, those never good enough are more acceptable by the world, as a least having a little humility, but in truth it is nothing more than a mocked humility of treating oneself harshly by God's commandments for a reward earned. Subsequently, an obligation, hence, obligating God to repay us because we have deny ourselves so much while upon earth.

So what is the truth, simply put it is Jesus Christ, why? Because Jesus walk in truth while on earth, so he is our truth, thus, Christ Jesus words and examples should straighten out the question if we are good enough, correcting us in truth.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

Coming Out of Self Into God's Goodness

Matthew 19:16 Behold, one came to him and said, "Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

Matthew 19:17 He said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

Jesus Christ while on earth did not see himself as good enough, what he looked for was God's goodness, but why? Because God is sinless, God is incorruptible, meaning He could never be tempted or sin, He is perfect life, in fact, He is life to all His creation, without God there is not eternal life for us, without sin.

So Christ humbled himself, he looked up to a much higher example to his Father, Christ Jesus did not compare himself against sinful man to see if he was good enough, or he would have said: “Absolutely, I am good enough, better than any man born of sin on earth.”

John 5:41 I don't receive glory from men.

John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don't seek the glory that comes from the only God?

But rather, Christ looked up to the glory of God and did not care what man said about him, he sought God's approval unlike sinful man that seeks the approval of other religious men/woman.

John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don't seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Once Christ Jesus proved faithful onto death, not compromising his love of God by sinning as mankind does out of fear of death and approval of other men in the flesh. God resurrects Christ Jesus and rewarded Him with eternal life, incorruptible life making him the exact representation of Himself.

Furthermore, God rewarded Christ Jesus righteous life upon earth giving him all power and glory as God's King, replacing Adam's life becoming the father of our eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul."{Genesis 2:7} The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Christ Jesus Good Enough?

Is Christ Jesus now good enough, let God be found true and every man a liar, yes! Why? God said so, not man, or our judgment of Christ if he is good enough or not, but God, this is, the reward Christ sought, His Fathers approval, Christ loved his father like no other human every did while upon earth. This bond of love, went beyond all mankind's judgment, Christ Jesus perfect love was meant by God's own perfect love, in producing fruits of eternal life for us.

John 8:54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is our God.

Jesus was a perfect slave in love with His Father, Christ Jesus did not think he could earn life, God is life, and God wanted to give us life, how can one say that? Because God created life as gift too Adam and Eve, he did not create death, Satan created death by lying about the the God of life. God does not produce death by sin, God is incorruptible from sin, what He created in mankind was sinless, not corruptible having sin built into to die, no!

Matthew 22:32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?'{Exodus 3:6} God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

Christ Jesus did not feel punished for loving His Father, no! Christ wanted to with all his heart, mind, and soul too please his Father, life is all Christ Jesus knew, how do we know that, because his every desire was life, what does that mean? It means, nothing but good comes from God, Christ desired to please God not with a unrighteous obligation for reward, but because of love putting complete faith in God's goodness, how could God do evil. The thought never enter into Christ Jesus life course, he did not sin, in inputting evil to his Father.

In other words, Christ valued his Father goodness over his own life, and proved it by willingly giving it up for us.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Is Christ Jesus Good Enough For Us?

John 8:49 Jesus answered, "I don't have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

Our judgment of Christ Jesus will not change God's judgment of him, but it does affect our lives as Christian's, how? We have a fundamental choice, and that is, we either look up accepting Christ Jesus goodness, or we die in our sins. We either give glory to what God Himself gave His glory too, or we die in our sins.

John 8:24 I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am{or, I am} he, you will die in your sins."

What did God give His glory too, to Jesus Christ, God honored His Son, not us, we can only accept God's honor found in His Son, that is, the choice we have in the matter.

Christ Jesus, honor his Father, over all honor to men, we must honor Christ Jesus over all honor too men, but why?

John 5:23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn't honor the Son doesn't honor the Father who sent him.

John 12:26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Definition of HONOR
1 a : good name or public esteem : reputation b : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition <pay honor to our founder>
2 : privilege <had the honor of joining the captain for dinner>
3: a person of superior standing —now used especially as a title for a holder of high office
4: one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit <an honor to the profession.
Do We Honor Christ?

Christ Jesus honored his Father YHWH, he did not honor men over his Fathers approval, but do we honor Christ Jesus, or do we say: “Christ was faithful as a Son, but I must earn my Salvation, by proving my love of God by obeying His commandments.”

Do we take away from Christ Jesus honor, by setting aside what he has done, looking instead to man's approval by our obeying God's commandments?

Romans 2:23 You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God?

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Christ understood he had no goodness when comparing himself against his Father. In other words, Christ did not thinking he could be good enough by works of law, to say, I am God, I don't need to be rewarded God's reward, by my Fathers goodness, towards me”.

No Christ looked to his Father approval, knowing, God goodness was good and righteous not his own, that God was not his slave obligated too give Him life because God is life, no! God is love, and because God is love, God can only do good, and will not do unrighteousness towards those loving Him, it is impossible.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.

Christ Jesus based his worthiness upon God's love, God's approval in loving to do, not a legal contract by law saying; “Because you are love you cannot break the contract so I obey some rules, and you will be obligated to reward my good conduct by the rules”, no!

Do we honor Christ Jesus like he honored his Father from love, do we believe all things when it comes to Christ Jesus righteousness, and goodness, do we hope all things in Christ Jesus, or do we like many law Christian's live in fear of saying Christ name, using it only at the end of a prayer, as thought, God Himself is in a legal contract with His Son Christ Jesus?

1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man doesn't love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed{Greek: anathema.}. Come, Lord!{Aramaic: Maranatha!}

How foolish God loves his Son and declares His name before all creation, it is not a contract, how can love be a contract?

1Cor. 13:4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud, 13:5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
13:6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 13:8 Love never fails.

John 3:35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

John 10:17 Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life,{Isaiah 53:7-8} that I may take it again.

Heb.1:1 God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 1:2 has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. 1:3 His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 1:4 having become so much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they have. 1:5 For to which of the angels did he say at any time, "You are my Son. Today have I become your father?"{Psalm 2:7} and again, "I will be to him a Father, and he will be to me a Son?"{2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13} 1:6 Again, when he brings in the firstborn into the world he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

Our Relationship With God in Christ Jesus

Luke 18:19 Jesus asked him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one--God.

Can we have a relationship with God if we don't see ourselves in proper relationship to Christ Jesus glorified position? No, we cannot

We must see ourselves in relationship to Christ Jesus as a good for nothing slave, and what does this mean?

Luke 17:7 But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say, when he comes in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down at the table,'

Luke 17:9 Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not.

Christ Jesus looked to God's own righteousness expressed through the Law given to Moses, he did not look to his self-righteousness, but God righteousness, in meeting the Law, thus, proving righteous too God, as the sinless lamb of God

Philippians 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Philippians 2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

We look to Christ Jesus righteousness, not our own, waiting to be rewarded, for staying in Christ Jesus law, faithfully obeying his law, so that we can then prove righteous to Christ Jesus righteousness as a good faithful slave.

Luke 19:17 "He said to him, 'Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.'

But we don't stand in our own goodness, we stand in Christ Jesus goodness as our righteousness imputed too us by God as a free gift of His love. We don't redeem ourselves by our own good works or desire, Christ Jesus did not redeem Himself, God redeemed Christ based upon His own standards of righteousness based upon the law, Christ was the good and faithful slave to God righteousness under the law, and was rewarded incorruptible life, by it.

Obeying The Law of Christ Jesus

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

What is the law of Christ Jesus, it is important that we know it as rock solid as the Law of Moses written upon stone. We must know Christ fulfilled the law, and for us to fulfill the law we must live in love, moreover, for us to live and fulfill the law we must live in Christ Jesus our life. When we are in Christ Jesus as body members, we bear the burdens of our brothers, and sisters as does our own body bear the burden of each body part.

So Christ Jesus is, the law of Christ, he is the law of love, why? Because it was Christ Jesus love for his Father righteousness that fulfilled the law.

Rom.13:9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not give false testimony," "You shall not covet,"{TR adds "You shall not give false testimony,"}{Exodus 20:13-15,17; Deuteronomy 5:17-19,21} and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."{Leviticus 19:18} 13:10 Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

How can one say such a things? Simply put, Christ Jesus is life, God give Christ Jesus incorruptible life, Christ now is the source of life for all Christian's. Truth is not truth and until it is a living truth, it is not a separate function of Christ body, as is a doctrine, what does this mean? It means we can say we know the truth by a doctrine, but we are not the truth. Christ Jesus, on the other hand, is God's truth, as the living Word of God; the living truth, and the living law of love, and what does this mean?

What is the law of your own body, if a member of your body is hurt like a hand, what does the rest of the body do for the hand, hate it or love it back into good health? The idea of love as a legal act within your own body does not exist, what does this mean? You don't need to be told to love the hurt part of your body it is the life of the body to love it, is that not truth?

Ephesians 4:16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

Being Made One With Christ

Can we be at-one-ment with God, can we unite with God ,and His righteousness, no! We can unite with Christ Jesus God's righteousness too us, what does this mean?

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction,

Christ Jesus is our redeemer, he was entrusted with God's position, until he redeems us back too God, but how? Christ Jesus has done so by uniting us in love, the law of his body. In other words, by Christ Jesus giving us his precious life, we become part of his precious glorified life in heaven. By being in Christ we are in the truth, and we are in the law of his body, love.

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth to be an atoning sacrifice{or, a propitiation}, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God's forbearance;

We are one because of Christ Jesus righteousness towards his Father we share in the life of Christ Jesus, not our worthiness, we are but slaves in the body of Christ Jesus administering his love for the body towards each other, thus, carrying each other burdens.

We are atone for by Christ Jesus atonement, makes us not one with God, but one with Christ Jesus, we recived the love the Father has for his Son by proxy, not by merited earned in obeying God's commandment, but why?

Romans 3:26 to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.

Because there is only one law in Christ Jesus, and we are his body members, so there is only one law for each of us, what is that? Love, the love of Christ fulfilled the laws of God, by simply, loving God, without being made too by God's commandments for the wicked.

Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."{Genesis 15:6}

Being Set Free by Truth

John 8:32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."{Psalm 119:45}

Christ Jesus was free, in God's love, what does this mean? God's love expressed to us by His Law given to Moses was not a burden upon Christ Jesus, being sinless. It was not an effort to keep God's law, it was natural for Christ Jesus to keep it in God's love.

Christ Jesus loved God's righteousness with his whole heart, mind and soul, it was not an after thought, a burden, he wanted too, an naturally as a bird wants to fly. Christ Jesus was not made too, just like those in the body of Christ Jesus are not made too, they don't need laws of the flesh to make them love other body parts, which laws are for the evil not for those made righteous by Christ Jesus righteous live. Christ Jesus was free of laws evil, being made to do something against his natural will, we in Christ Jesus have a natural will, do you know what that is?

Romans 6:13 Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

It is the will of Christ Jesus body, which is love, and righteousness, do we need to be made righteous by some religious groups interpretation of God's word? No, we are free in Christ Jesus, with the love of God written into our hearts we love our Father with our whole heart, mind, and souls because we are of Christ Jesus, and live in him, and him through us. We are an unworthy slave, but we do not need to be told the law of the body, because it is our very nature.

1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don't need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.

Law Causing Doubt

So we accept that it is Christ Jesus goodness we stand before God, by being made a live in the body of Christ Jesus, but what is doubt?

Some would say it is evil while the lying acting like they believe in Christ Jesus righteousness, they pretend to put on faith from their own goodness through self-will. But our faith is not based upon our worthiness, but Christ Jesus worthiness, we have not yet been rewarded by our faith.

Law causing doubt is when we try to prove we are worthy or that we are good enough by meetings some law of our flesh or a group. Christ Jesus did not do this, he said, he was not good, his standards of wrong and right was not the issues, it was God righteousness that was the issue that would save him and redeem him because God is faithful.

Ephesians 5:9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.

Christ rejoiced in God's goodness, he was happy to be a slave of a good King, he was willing to lay his life down for a greater causes than himself, but he was not made too, because God is love, and without trust in God, or faith one cannot please Him, let alone love him more than ourselves.

Law causes doubt, because law is judgment if we are good enough on any given day! One day we are up and good, the next we are down and not so good. So how much good is good enough for us to gain God's favor? The good that is good enough is Christ Jesus, life, yes, Christ Jesus life gives us a standing with God. Not our own life, but Christ Jesus life already accept and rewarded with incorruptible life by God. This is the only good God accepts for us to stand before Him, we can either love God for that, or we can continue to try to prove ourselves good enough by laws causing doubt about or goodness and righteousness imputing to God as wickedly looking at us with punishment by His judgment.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power.

Let Us Not Doubt

We will always doubt, when we look at our own goodness in gaining us life, we are then like a man that is tossed about by every whim of teaching always reaching some point of perfection to gain life, but never good enough.

Unfortunately, we cannot receive anything from God, simply because we are looking at self, instead of Christ Jesus righteousness as being our goodness given us as a free gift of God's unmerited kindness. We are in every way a changing light, not the light of Christ Jesus, and his righteousness, but ours, which changes like a shadow from minute to minute, from a moods in hate too love. We thus, have made ourselves a god by self-rightness, ending in self-condemnation by our own judgments.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.
1:7 For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. 1:8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him. 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 1:14 But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 1:15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. 1:16 Don't be deceived, my beloved brothers. 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. 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.

Coming up to Love

There is no condemnation in love; have you notice, when we love some one we are not looking to distrust them? We are instead looking for every reason to trust the person, it is only when we looked to them with suspicions we start judging them against rules of laws, look for evil. We can call our evil by moral principles or whatever, but we are still judging, and with it come death to the relationship.

Rom.8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.{NU omits "who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit"}

The spirit of love is broken into darkness of questioning things we once over looked. Now we want to protect ourselves from the person is taking advantage of us, and our love. However, if the love is restored, all matters that were death too the relationship are gone for our feelings of affection and love for the person has been renewed.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who doesn't love his brother remains in death.

Coming up to God's love puts judgment outside, we are not condemned, and we see God as a loving Father, we want to draw closer to Him, because we know He is not putting us down, but instead building us up, over looking are faults in love. Legalized religion does not allow for such a God, it rather, build God into a performance god dismissing any of His kindness as gotten by obeying rules of some group, or their erroneous interpretation of God's word the bible.

But coming up to God's love, we know it cannot fail us, human love always fails us, but not Jesus Christ love for his Father. We don't defined God's love my emotions, but neither do we hate God's tender feelings of kindness towards us.

2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Coming up to God's love is not coming up to some groups legal interpretation of love, but rather God's love expressed in His gift of love too us, which is, Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus Christ that God's love is expressed towards us.

God's love is based upon a legal justification of precious life given too us in the blood/life of Christ Jesus. It is base on God pardoning us, buying us back as a great cost too Himself. Not on emotions, the emotion God has for us is because He has redeems us out of love, allowing Him to treat us as His own Son Christ Jesus, because we are a part of his precious life, his spiritual life imperishable in heaven with the Father.

Are We Good Enough?

Yes, we are good enough in Christ Jesus, thanks be to God for His undeserved kindness that we don't have to be good enough in ourselves, but why?

Rom.7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man,
7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.

So we don't have to see God as partial always changing according to our good days and bad days, no! Rather we can trust in the bank so to speak, deposited in the bank for us by a very rich friend Jehovah's in Christ Jesus priceless life, which is enough goodness in funds to impute good too us even on are worst day of death and sorrow.

1Pet. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy became our father again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1:4 to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn't fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, 1:5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We can now rest in God's account, in treasures stored in heaven for us, not in evil that God is trying to deprive us of such treasure based upon us being good enough to receive them, as so many false religions teach. We can rest in faith in God's goodness as Christ himself did under the worst test, knowing, only one is good, and because He is good, He can't deny us, if we put faith in His righteousness.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

Yes, God's righteousness, put in Christ Jesus as our substitute righteousness life, until we are fully redeemed into paradise where death and sin will be no more. How much nicer to put our lives in the hands of the one person that cannot rob us of life, but who only has good intention towards us.

Rom.8:37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

See also: www.nu-truth.com