Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Death of Self-Righteousness

Luke18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
18:12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

None of us like a self-righteous person, the arrogance of superiority, and the condensation is very offensive too us, but many of us may well be self-righteous in God's eyes and not even know it?

A self-righteous person is one that feels because of some talent, and /or money, something they posses greater in their mind than other people gives them the right to judge other as less. In other words, some people are not worthy of their time, association, and/or respect. From this comes the ability of a human leader to kill millions to sustain his/her power while his/her subjects live in deprivation.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

But what is Christian's self-righteousness, and why is this important? Because ultimately the word self-righteousness comes from the Jewish faith into the Christian's faith. Many professing Christian's are misled about this term, it has become a habit repeated at some person they don't like, but God's view of self-righteousness is not the same as man's.

Matt.7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye? 7:4 Or how will you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;' and behold, the beam is in your own eye?

God's View of Self-righteousness

The idea of being right with God, is a biblical term, and is prescribed by atonement through God's law. Atonement comes to a human by innocent blood of a victim, by putting their faith in the blood of the victim. Self-righteousness/self-righteness for human born into sin does not exist from God's stand point. In other words, no sinner can stand before God, declared themselves right with God, or without sin. Hence, atonement is necessary to be right with God, having our sins forgiven, by a price of innocent life.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

Subsequently, a price had to be paid for ones debt of sin by innocent blood, blood that has not sinned before God. Before Christ came to earth, an animals blood, which was not created by God to live under law of moral goodness, subsequently, animals did not break God's law, so could be used temporary for human sin, but not all mans sin for payment or remission of their sins.

Hence, any one not atoned for by blood would be self-right/self-righteous from God's point of view, not made right by God through innocent blood of a victim. So as one can see we have many erroneous views of self-righteousness by the Christian's community.

Self-righteousness of the Fleshly Mind

What is the fleshly mind, it is, a mind of sin, alienated from the mind of God. However, Christian's are found in Christ Jesus under his mind which is a spirit mind adn not fleshly. Christ mind was rewarded after his resurrection. Christ was given the thoughts, and/or the mind God's. Moreover, Christ becomes our justification, which is our righteousness. Hence, Christ sets us right before God by his blood. The first fleshly mind of sin was Adam and Eve's, Satan was corrupted by and evil mind of jealousy, but not the lust of the flesh mind being he was spirit person, without flesh. Thus, Satan introduced the human race into the fleshly mind of sin.

Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be.

The fleshly mind is a judgmental mind created by sin from Adam past on too us by his imperfection. We find the word self-righteousness to the fleshly mind is wrong; the fleshly mind things its about hate and condemning of other as being better than we our, but such thinking has nothing to do with God's view of atonement for our sins, by blood of an innocent victim.

Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

In other words, the fleshly mind earns merit or rights on this earth by what it possess, and/or performs in this life, than it competes for power and position, through beating its opponent to be better in the flesh.

This is why the fleshly mind can brag about its looks which were past on to it without any of its control through parents, and/or grandparents. This is the pride of the fleshly mind, which makes no sense at all. The fleshly mind will elevates itself by what every endeavor it undertakes, or comes in contact with.

Hence, self-righteousness can mean to the fleshly mind anyone telling it what to do, or someone that has some greater talent than itself, it will, and often does, impute bad motives too the person for having more than it has.

James 4:1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your pleasures that war in your members? 4:2 You lust, and don't have. You kill, covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask.
4:3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.

Weed-Christian's and Self-righteousness

Weed Christian's are not spirit led Christian's, they have a fleshly mind so they are quick to judge anyone not accepting their version of so called truth of the bible. person not seeing things their ways they consider correct, why? Simply put, because they do not understand atonement and what it means to sinners. Instead they have a legal definition by some an organized religion that teaches them they are right before God by meeting the rules/laws of their group, and/or doctrine of so called truth.

John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.

Weed-Christian's put faith in Christ Jesus by name, it is repeat often because the fleshly mind is a parrot mind that builds up the flesh by repeating words. Once they have accept Christ the idea of atonement is lost they quickly run down the road of works of law through their own works done for their religion.

Romans 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

In other words, how many times one come to their meetings or church services, how they dress, how much money they put into the plate, how they uses certain religious terms of the church doctrine and the list is endless depending upon the group. These works of law, which are denied vehemently by all weed Christian's are how these groups judge if you are considered a faithful Christian's or not?

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

Going Beyond Atonement into Self-rightness

God has provided atonement for all sinners, which is all mankind, accept for Christ Jesus. God has not provided atonement for self-righteousness because nothing stands outside of Christ Jesus own righteousness in God estimation. In other words, we either stand in Christ Jesus righteousness by faith, or we stand in our own works of righteous in proving we are righteous too other fleshly minded person; decieving ourselves into believing we have earned a position with God, which of course is the first lie!

Romans 4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.

Romans 5:16 The gift is not as through one who sinned: for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification.

Atonement is given too all of us freely by our belief/faith in a greater superior life saving us from God's judgment. It is not given and than we no longer need it because we have now decided to obey the rules of the bible. Atonement is the life of Christ Jesus living in us sanctifying us from all unrighteousness of sin, this is the one foundation stone built upon, not removed or stumble over by our earning righteousness outside of Christ through some good work!

Rom.10:3 For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn't subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

We are never bigger or better than Christ Jesus the last Adam giving us eternal life. We stand on him, we stand on his righteousness, not our own, we stand on his earned merit given too us as a sinner because we could not earn it by self-rightness, or self-righteousness.

Weed-Christian's spend their life earning merit by doing or saying certain religious words before men, they love labels that makes their flesh feel righteous, but they are not atoned for by Christ Jesus blood. All of us can be atone for by Christ blood when we stop declaring ourselves righteous by doing or not doing works of laws by the bible.

Colossians 2:23 Which things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imposed worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but aren't of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Atonement for the Spirit Mind of Christ Jesus

There is no self-rightness in the body of Christ Jesus, a person cannot be in Christ Jesus as body member on their own merit, it is impossible, no matter how powerful of position they hold on earth in a religious group or how many great works they do in the name of Christ.

The body members of Christ Jesus are under the headship of Christ Jesus as the head of the spiritual body they are connected too him through faith. Subsequently, as there is one head to the body, there is only one righteousness in, and for the body of Christ that all members are declared righteous by. Self-righteousness is outside the salvation of Christ Jesus blood it invalidates his life, which was given for us because we could not pay the price and stand right before God without God giving us the life of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.

The spirit mind of Christ given to each body member is opposed too any self-rightness, no body member can boast in bring themselves into the body of Christ Jesus by meeting some rules of an earthly religious organization. Nor can a body member boast as though they have earned a higher position in the body of Christ Jesus from some self-good work in their ministry.

Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Righteousness of The Spirit Mind

Despite what the fleshly mind thinks, there is no self-rightness in the body of Christ Jesus, righteousness comes from the head of the body freely too us. Now even though the fleshly mind hates self-righteousness found in others, it cannot imagine that Christ was self-righteous, but not in their legal understanding of the fleshly mind righteousness, but in truth and Spirit under God's love.

Being self-righteous mean according to the God's standard a person has not sinned against God righteous laws. Hence, Adam and Eve for a time before their sin were self-righteous in God estimation of them being free of sinning or missing the mark of what is right in God judgment.

Hence, God undeservedly imputed Christ righteousness too us. Which means without sin, mankind could be covered from God's judgment in not being able to keep his standards of right. Subsequently, as human we can be given amnesty from laws of another nation as ambassadors, and their conviction, so too God's children under the righteousness/self-rightness of Christ are given amnesty from all laws of the flesh.

Yes, human fleshy has all kinds of law, why? Because the flesh is given to disobedience by nature, it can not for one keep God's law, and two it cannot, not
stop sinning, so mankind in their fleshly minds propagates laws to control the sins of fleshly mind for growth and an orderly societies.

But as simplistic and also profoundly deep are the waters of life, the Spirit mind of Christ Jesus has one simple law, love. This law of love is without the flesh and its desires influencing its judgments, but why is this so important? It is important for all Christian's to understand the two minds are not the same mind, and are 180-degrees opposed too each other. One cannot passover into the other as a great chasm exist between the two. Subsequently, what every is digested by the fleshly mind it will come out flesh, and/or laws of the flesh. But what ever is digested by the mind of Christ will be translated into the law of love without adding rules to each facet of love.

Law of Love is True Righteousness

Why is the law of love true righteousness, 1.) because it is now for us Christian's the mind of Christ Jesus, whom becomes our righteousness by our being grafted into the spirit body of Christ.

And 2.) Christ was given the Kings mind YHWH because of his own self-rightness in faithfulness too his Father. Now all of us must go through the Christ to know the mind of God.

Rom.11:33 Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 11:34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"{Isaiah 40:13} 11:35 "Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?"{Job 41:11}
11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?"{Isaiah 40:13} But we have Christ's mind.

The law of love is impossible for the fleshly mind too understand simple because it requires the mind of Christ to be given too us by God's own love through His Holy Spirit. Which cannot be given to a fleshly mind at all, but why? Because the fleshly mind must die to be in the body of Christ Jesus, so when talking about the law of love to the a fleshly minded person it will be babel. Not only will it be babel it will be foolish, and meaningless to what is need to sustain the fleshly mind life, and what is that?

Romans 13:10 Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

Laws of yeast feed upon by the fleshly mind in earning merit by performance. In other words, nothing in the fleshly minds world is free, it must be earned and possess, taken, as its own for its to flourish and be something with in its world. Hence, this is why it cannot understand their is one simple law of love, without first identifying with something in its own world, by degrees of love and degrees of forgiveness!

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.

The law of love first puts life first in all things doing nothing to take life away or restrict it by laws preventing love, which means, the law of love is life too God. So love cannot be legislated by laws of the flesh, because laws of the flesh are dead laws creating death in us.

So when the fleshly mind reads God's actions record in the bible it puts them into some concrete legal doctrine to legislate them into laws of the flesh, not understanding the love works from life, and what does that mean? It means love does not have a blanket law applying to all, it has love, which takes each individual circumstance and works toward life for the person it loves.

If love did not it would fail in some cases and it would look for the evil in us, but love does not do that it first hopes all things believes all things and moves towards saving all things by the life of Christ.

Now if you feel crushed in spirit thinking as we do in our fleshly mind that we are not good enough, rest assured we aren't, and never will be, because God is the King and we are His children not judges of right and wrong which Satan convinced Eve of, deceiving her into death and sins laws.

We should and can at times do what love requires of us, and what is that? Resting in God's love as the King that can never deny Himself, that is, love, for he is love! That's what we can do, but nothing more, everything else is a lie from our fleshly mind, all we can do is rest in God's love, which is true faith.

Loves standards are higher than all standards because it can't fail and never takes one away from entering into life by its application in each individual case, something righteous laws cannot do, such as the law of Moses given him by YHWH. This is the reason that God's true worshipers cannot be in a group upon earth in some place, they are instead like the wind, the Spirit that indwells them as part of the great spiritual temple the Christ. When religion creates rules thinking it creates freedom for the body of Christ Jesus, they are living a lie of the fleshly mind, such legislating does one thing increase corruption and yeast to the body of Christ and empowers ones into position of power over others.

Death of Self-righteousness

Death of self-righteousness comes when a person accept Christ Jesus, their own self-right way are killed as is their personal will of the fleshly mind. They than reside in truth, the Christ, and are sharing membership in his body as a servant to the body members under the headship of Christ Jesus.

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.

They are dead to the flesh, and its laws, because their judgment was removed by Christ Jesus own self-righteousness in not sinning. Hence, their life exist because of Christ Jesus life, not in the will of their own fleshly mind which is killed and its works of law so it can reside in the mind of the body in works of the Holy Spirit within the same body or Temple of the living God, YHWH.

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;

Subsequently, these are led by Spirit will, not their own, feed, and given life by the same Holy Spirit walking as a new creation under the Son without the sin of Adam in a fleshly mind. They have been adopt by God as Son's of God through the one Son of God Christ Jesus, whom has become their eternal father replacing the old Adam life having sin.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Hence, death to all self-rightness, but made righteous by another righteousness the Christ. Having this understanding of self-righteousness helps us understand when Christ referred too ones as self-righteous. In other words, they were standing in their own judgment of themselves as righteous or not righteous the same standard Adam and Eve both fell into after sinning, which is, choosing for themselves what was good and evil.

Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Moreover, we can now understand the whole truth of Christ words when he said: “stop judging, for what measure you measure it will be measure back too you.”

We cannot judge death to death for we get death. How do we judge by deaths laws without creating more death? Hence, we must let the rightful judge of us judge by life, which is love, if we don't love each other we cannot passover from death into life.

1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?

In other words, when we don't install the King over our brothers and sisters YHWH we steal like Satan the Devil did in telling them they can make the choice of ruling their own lives by laws for sin. Instead we should trust in God's love as eternal not failing us even though they may not prosper physically while on earth or at the moment.

Love does not protect us with walls of iron like laws do for our flesh, the law of love leaves us open to destruction of our flesh if God does not prevent it. But let none of us suffer the everlasting death of our soul trying to save this life by false religious teachings.

Matt.5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'{Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21} 5:39 But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 5:40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 5:41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 5:42 Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you. 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor,{Leviticus 19:18} and hate your enemy.{not in the Bible, but see Qumran Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26}'
5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, 5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? 5:47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.