Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Keep His Commandments

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

We are presented with a puzzle here regarding the words above from the apostle John, which is, how many commandments are there that we must obey to prove we love God?

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another.

First, lets us make a couple points that will help us understand why these words become confusing for many Christian's. We as Christian's have two minds in us, did you know that? One mind is the mind of Christ given him by God. The other mind is the mind of our own flesh driven by the fleshes heart, mind, and lust; sin past on too us by the first man Adam.

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

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 Spirit mind of Christ, which is God's mind is controlled by love (willingly), by the law of God, who is love. However, the fleshly mind of us sinners, which is, controlled by judgments of our flesh, which have many laws, and creates many rules and laws to judge each other by sin to prevent hurting each other, and society.

Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

The mind of the flesh is forced by law punishing the flesh, and its desires, whereas, the mind of Christ is not forced, but loves to obey what is good and righteous according to God, who is love. Since we've clarified that point lets move on.

Many Commandments

For those in the fleshly mind when they read: “To love God, we must keep his commandments”; the first, and always their thinking is of a number of commandments they must obey to protect themselves from God's judgment.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

The fleshly mind is a fearful mind motivated by fear of being punished by God and/or man's laws. It cannot think of God as love that thought is impossible for the fleshly mind. It first, and will always thinks of God as judgments, hence, it preaches whats in its own heart, not knowing the love of God.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we don't preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake;

Love to the fleshly mind is a set of rules, and laws that must be kept to prove one is loved and can be loved. In other words, love to the fleshly mind is by merit, a merit gained by certain works those works are by keeping commandments that earn a person the right to be loved, or to give their love too others.

Rom.13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Matthew 18:32 Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.

Romans 4:4 Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as debt.

So that answer for those in their fleshly mind is yes there are many commandments for them to keep to prove they love God. And yes, they are motivated by a judgmental God that looking critically at their conduct of good and evil, holding an account of their works by score card to see which column adds up more?

Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers{TR adds ", raise the dead"}, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.

Does God Lie?

The rule book, the law, the bible tells us no God cannot lie! That is a truth, but the truth God is concern with is in our heart, do we teach God lies by our own fleshly mind and feelings? You see, those in their fleshly mind are big on being fair, but God is not fair regarding our flesh, he says all flesh lies, he does not change his truth, because he can speaks only truth, nor does it matter that we have feeling of wanting to serve him our flesh is judged by God long before we are born into 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.

Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.
God YHWH tells us there is only one commandment which commandment fulfills all of our obligation that is love, not many such commandments. Subsequently, we cannot obey anything of God by a law making us love our neighbor. Such a law will only make us live a lie, if we don't like our neighbor, but we put on airs that we love them because we are commanded to do so, so we are not punished by God were are in the flesh living in fear of God's judgment.

James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

You see pure worship comes from a clean heart that loves God, anything less is evil, a hypocrisy that God's hates and is sin. In other words, we can't lie to God, because he is truth, but also the creator of love, and is love. Love is not motivated by a law, a rule, it is motivated by love itself, which makes it life, life is God, who is love.

Gal. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,{or, faithfulness} 5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The mind of Christ does not set down and think of hundreds of laws and rules when God ask Christ to do something, its not a question as if the commandment is good or not? Love moves the person to obey because God is good, and he is love and cannot do evil. Love has no laws against it, it can't, or its not love. Love is given freely without strings of owing someone something by a law that creates an obligation one must do it or be punished.

James.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.

Love Puts Fear Outside

The fleshly mind cannot put fear of punishment outs of itself or others. Instead it must and does promoted it as a primary doctrine of Christ. The fleshly twist is one-hundred and eighty degrees the opposite of light, that is, God's love.

Hebrews 13:6 So that with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?"{Psalm 118:6-7}

2 Timothy 1:7 For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

The flesh cannot trust, it is based upon death an inherent distrust of God and his commandments. The flesh cannot be in subjection to God because its distrust God and cannot put faith in him. What it puts faith in is commandments as laws that cannot be alter by anything including God, but it has no faith in God's love. Hence, the flesh cannot put fear of punishment outside of its own self, which is, a god, choosing right and wrong.

Its power comes from is in its members which is found lacking and wanting. The flesh cannot produce life, that is, love of God because it is an instrument of death, and its thoughts plant more death by its judgment of evil in others.

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.
4:4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously"? 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."{Proverbs 3:34}

Freedom From Judgment

The flesh can never have freedom from judgment because it is born into sin, and sin is its judgment and is what it feels and thinks from, and it judges in, just as a cat is a cat and feeding it dog food does not change the cat's thinking.

Ecclesiastes 1:15 That which is crooked can't be made straight; and that which is lacking can't be counted.

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

Many believe you can feed a sinner God's food the bible and make them a non-sinner, which is a lie! Unfortunately, this lie is the foundation stone of all false religion, and proof is found in the pudding of having fear of judgment in ones own heart constantly, but instead lying about it by uses of words from God word the bible.

Jeremiah 7:4 Don't you trust in lying words, saying, The temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, are these.

Jeremiah 14:14 Then Yahweh said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name; I didn't send them, neither have I commanded them, neither spoke I to them: they prophesy to you a lying vision, and divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart.

Freedom from judgment comes from one thing according to the mind of Christ, it is being sinless. People without sin are not judged by laws created for those having sin. Hence, they are free from judgment, God's and man's. Subsequently, to remain sinless one must remain in God's love.

1 John 3:9 Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

1 John 5:18 We know that whoever is born of God doesn't sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn't touch him.

Once sin enter into us by lacking God's love we remain in death, the state of distrusting God's love, acting out of fear of punishment. Moreover, this is why love covers and multitude of sins, and why love is called life, and light.

Exodus 21:5 But if the servant shall plainly say, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;'

1 John 3:11 For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.

1 John 4:8 He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love.

A New Commandment

The world is full of commandments, laws, rules legislated by governing bodies creating so many laws no one could read them all in a thousand's life times, why? Because that is what flesh is, it creates laws from distrust of it own brothers and sisters in the same human race.

Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.

The fleshly mind hates other humans out of fear of their bad conduct, hence, imputing evil into them for fear they may harm them in some way. The flesh is proactive in knowing the inclination of other human creating law before bad happens to protect itself from death of the flesh.

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of whatever things they don't know. What they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, they are destroyed in these things.

The flesh is motived by fear, and uses the power of punishment to make other obey, without such punishment the flesh will not obey, it will decline into more and more corruption until it is unmanageable causing ciaos and confusion in society.

2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts.

Christ stunned his listener living in a religious society of thousand's upon thousand's of rules and laws, by removing all of them with a new commandment that each of us should love our brothers as ourselves. So unbelievable was this request to the fleshly mind, God would have to create a new person, and kill the flesh, then teach the new creation from above by his Holy Spirit free from desires of our flesh the love of God.

Hebrews 10:20 by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator.
Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

Identifying Mark of Truth

Truth is not truth from our fleshly mind no matter how much of God's word we stuff into it, it will only produce more rules and laws devoid of God's love. The fleshly mind steal God's word, planting it into soil of death, by the judgment of sin, which is death. It translates everything of God into death by judgment of sins.

1Tim.1:9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 1:10 for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;

John 3:17 For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

The flesh cannot stop doing what it is, no more than a cat being a cat, not a dog, because it eats dog food. The truth of the Spirit is to translate all of God's word into love, delivering us from the corruption of our flesh into the kingdom of the son of God love. Thus, if this is truth the identifying mark of those born of God, who is love, must be love, and proof of sonship.

John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Christ was not of this world, he did not think like the world imputing evil first, and then the person must prove they are not evil by doing some good work. No! Christ was from above, free of sin, and its corrupt thinking, he imputed life, that is, love, which cannot impute evil.

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.

He did not come to save mankind out of a commandment obligating him to do so. He came because of the love of his Father in wanting to please his Father who is love, love cannot fail, or be evil it can only do good, as a perfect gift. Christ did not do like the flesh by setting down and calculated like the Devil choosing right and wrong for himself. No! Christ stayed in God's love with complete trust in the Father's love, who is God. He did not doubt as Eve did if God was holding back something good from him. No! He was perfect in love, he was created in love not doubting at all God was good. Hence, he stayed in God's love in his flesh on earth.

John 15:9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.

Christ was made into the “likeness of sin” but he was not sin, he knew the fears of our flesh because he carried our sins, which made him into the likeness of sin. Christ conquered our flesh for us, he conquered the death of our sinful flesh and its desires becoming our father replacing Adam fatherhood.

Heb.4:14 Having then a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold tightly to our confession. 4:15 For we don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.
4:16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.

Loving Our Brothers

If we are in Christ, that is, in God's love, as members of Christ spiritual body, we love our brothers. However, if we are in our fleshly mind, we judge our brothers by death that in our fleshly mind, and cannot know the things of Christ.

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good.

We as body members are freely forgiven by God's love, we cannot remain in the judgment of sin against our brothers and be in God's love whom redeemed us as one body. The oneness of God was destroyed by judgment of good and evil towards God's motives first by Satan and then Eve, but Adam was not deceived he choose human love over God's love.

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.

Cain destroyed Abel by imputing his motives were evil, he assumed the worst, took God's position and took the life God had given Abel freely from his love.

1 John 3:12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
When God's children are found in their fleshly mind they declare God's children sinners, imputing the laws of God which condemns them to death, fear of punishment. They assume the righteousness of fleshly laws can be put upon those declared righteous by God's love, the blood of Christ which exempts them from the judgment of sinners.

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. 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?

In other words, if love saved them, by no righteousness within themselves, but rather the righteousness of Christ, how can we like Cain enslave body members to laws that do not apply to non-sinners? If a brother or sister is not moved by love of Christ in them, compelled by God's love, what can a law do that obligates them from fear and death, by punishment of the flesh dead in Christ actually help them?

Galatians 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians 5:1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

1 Peter 2:16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How can life come from death, a death condemned by God, which cannot produce life of the Spirit? If love fails we are the most worthless people every born of God. We have no hope, we are born of God's love should we not remain in love, the one commandment that saves the world?

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

Rev.22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" He who hears, let him say, "Come!" He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely. 22:18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, may God add to him the plagues which are written in this book. 22:19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.
22:20 He who testifies these things says, "Yes, I come quickly." Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus. 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.

Completed: January 28, 2016

by: Daniel a Slave of Christ Jesus