Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Lacking Love

1Cor.13:1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.
13:3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.

The verses above written by the apostle Paul are thought to be easily understood by most Christian's. Yet, they are some of the most miss understood of all Paul's writings, which, many find Paul's writings offensive, but why is love so misunderstood?

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

Number one: Paul speaks not to his personal love, the love of human's. Paul is being point specific when writing of love, he speaks to those in Christ, and Christ life indwelling them, that is, Christ living through them. In other words, the love Paul speaks to, is the love of God, not the love human's in their fallen flesh, but why?

Romans 3:12 They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable.
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There is no one who does good, no, not, so much as one."{Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20}

Because as stated by Christ and Paul the flesh is of no value at all, it is the Spirit in them that teaches each child of God the love of the Father YHWH.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.

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.

So with that in mind before we ever read the points below about these verses we begin to see that when Paul tells us love never fails, he not talking at all about human love.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

Ephesians 1:12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

He is, however, speaking pointedly to God's love found in his Son Christ Jesus that should richly dwell in each child of God who are part of the body of Christ.

So a lack of love would be a lack of Christ indwelling a child of God?

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The Void of Love

Ephesians 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

The void of God's love started when Adam removed himself from God, that is, from the God of love, which means from God's love into his own selfish choice, into his own love.

1 John 4:21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

Matthew 25:45 "Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.'

Thus, we can say removing oneself from God love caused a void, a black hole creating a lack. To fill the void of the lack of God's love we must do so with the lust of our flesh. God is light, God is love, so lack of God's love would be the first sin, hence, darkness causing fear was found in Adam's heart, mind, and soul for the first time because he lacked God's love in himself.

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.

Sin is a lack of love for God, the God who is love

Filling The Void
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The truth of all voids is, they are going to be filled with something, good or bad. A void is a vacuum that will be filled once the thing filling it is removed.

Matthew 6:23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Matt.12:43 But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn't find it.
12:44 Then he says, 'I will return into my house from which I came out,' and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 12:45 Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation."

Thus, all lust of our flesh come from a void, a void of created by a lack of God's love. Fear, is lack of love, sadness, is lack of love, hate, is lack of love, a quest for knowledge is lack of love. Whenever, lust in us, is a lack of God's love from the sins of Adam and Eve past on to us.

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. 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

If we have to have all things perfect in our life, or the greater the lust for perfection is in us, the greater the lack of love. The more we want people to be perfect, the truth is, we lack love, God's love.

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James. 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The more we have to control others, the greater the lack of love in us the fear of losing someones love. If we think we are Christ on earth in our flesh making ourselves into a Marty by self-sacrifice for control using guilt, we lack God's love. If we are highly sensitive getting offend easily, we are lacking in love. If we always have to be right, we are lacking God's love.

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.

1 Timothy 6:8 But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Hebrews 13:5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, "I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you."{Deuteronomy 31:6}

Ephesians 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love.

In other words, all sin in any form or shape is a lack of God's love, a lack of God's love that should fill the void leaving us content in all things through the power of his grace. So now we have the proper meaning/understanding of Paul's superlative words about the love in Christ each body member should be filled with. He is stating love first, not love last and tehn search for something that will us love God more by gifts.
All Things Are Yours

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As easily as the above verses from Paul are to confuse, there is just as much confusion about Paul's words we list here below:

1Cor.3:21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
3:22 whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
3:23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

If we lack in love, that is, lack in Christ filling our life, we cannot imagine what Paul is speaking about here above, it is only a theory. Yes, we might become highly offended when questioned about why we lack in all things? But without the reality of Christ filling us up in God's love all we can in that void is to repeat meaningless words like a parrot because we are void of God's love.

It is the fear in us that makes us repeat words to fill the void of lack of love. We want to please others so we don't lose their association, and/or respect. So when we don't know something the flesh demands we look good in all things of the flesh. Thus, without perfect knowledge of everything about Christ we fall short of the perfection that the flesh demands for proof of Christ. which is a lack something good so that is proof we are not adequate, we are lacking knowledge so we cannot be in Christ, which is a complete lie.

All Things aren't ours when we lack love not knowledge!

Because we repeat words, but they have no meaning for us we are just agreeing with someone so we don't look bad in their eyes. That is a clear lack of Christ in us. Subsequently, that is what Paul was pointing at in the book of Corinthian's that these brothers and sisters were lacking in God's love, because they were looking to fleshly (in knowledge) over Spirit, and truth in love; their being fleshly was proof of their lack of Christ life in them, which life could not lack anything good for them. (in God's love)
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Either they were lying to each other about their lack, or Christ was lying when there can be no lack in him?

1Cor. 3:1 Brothers, I couldn't speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 3:2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren't yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren't you fleshly, and don't you walk in the ways of men? 3:4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you fleshly?

Proverbs 24:34 so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.

Proverbs 23:7 for as he thinks about the cost, so he is. "Eat and drink!" he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Proverbs 17:20 One who has a perverse heart doesn't find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

Proverbs 14:30 The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.

Discontentment and Want of Heart is not of Christ

In other words, their lack of love caused them to be fleshly, and the more they tried to feed their black hole from their lack of love by the will of their flesh the greater the problem became, they had missed the Christ.

The Flesh Can't Satisfy The Flesh Lust Against The Spirit

Proverbs 8:5 You simple, understand prudence. You fools, be of an understanding heart.

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Ephesians 6:6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

They had an another Good News, but not the power of Christ that should fill their lives with the love of God in Spirit and truth! They were running to knowledge, to man, to the wisdom of the world, because they lack love, so to, they lacked faith, they lacked contentment in all their ways, and were running every which way to fill up the hole in the name of Christ, by using empty words.

2Tim.3:1 But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3:3 without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, 3:4 traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also.

They were filled with words, having no power in them because they lacked the power of Christ indestructible life as the Word of God to fill them with the love of God, the fruit of God's Spirit, the God who calls himself love! The lack was in them, the looking to the flesh, a flesh dead in Christ as their feeder of the Spirit through some gift or knowledge was a work of futility, and not the living bread of God.

John 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." 6:34 They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

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2 Corinthians 13:4 For he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him through the power of God toward you.

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might.

Ephesians 3:7 of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

Ephesians 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

They had jealousy for the knowledge of others, they had fights over fleshly doctrine, they worshiped the gifts in men, because they lacked such gifts in themselves. Simply put, they were discontented with their own lives, and where lying to themselves and other because they were supposed to know Christ, that is, have Christ in dwelling them they were more concern with want of heart and looking good in the flesh then love of truth. Their lacks of Christ could not be admitted to others or themselves because it meant they didn't love Christ (another lack), and they weren't in him like they were boasting in their flesh to others about!

James. 5:13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. 5:14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 5:15 and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

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5:16 Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

Healing Comes From Loving The Truth (Spirit), Christ Jesus

Their spiral downwards seemed never ending because they were trying to fill the void by lust of their flesh, by doing more works of law, works of competition, works of judging other flesh, comparing themselves against gifts in other. Christ had to fill them, but unfortunately, they could not hear the Christ (Spirit) for fears found in their own flesh. Fears causing a greater lack of love and faith, fears that caused them to lie instead of humbling themselves under the mighty hand of God.

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

James.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}
4:7 Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
4:9 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
4:11 Don't speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

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4:12 Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

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.

Learning the flesh is denying, fighting, lying, and never admitting a weakness, all things against the Spirit

Learning The Christ

They needed to learn the Christ, how he resided in them richly? Did they lack in God's love? Then repeating words of the flesh was not going to fill them up with Spirit. Using the standards of the flesh would only fail them putting them back into the void of darkness Christ had delivered them out of. That some exchange the lie, the flesh for the Christ and learn mankind's love always fails the very opposite of the truth of God.

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

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.

“Who Am I”

Coming to Christ meant denying self, nothing had changed in Christ for them they had not earned merit beyond denying self, what had changed was their own own love for Christ the truth, they were trading Christ for the love of their flesh, they now had more love for themselves (as Adam did) than Christ.
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They had removed themselves from the truth, in Christ for the wants of their heart found in the world.

John 3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."

Thus, when Paul wrote his words under Holy Spirit he deny himself and he always deny himself for the love of Christ.

Hence, in Christ the living incorruptible life God gave him everything his head had already received, there was nothing lacking in anything good for Christ body members.

Headship is trust in the person we are part of that their love saves us

Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

But that is not what Christ body members wanted in Corinthian's they wanted the world; what their ideas was of Christ by human knowledge, that is, from the world, which is the flesh. Conversely, they had become void, repeating religious words to look good in their flesh to fill the void of fear of men. But the hard truth was all things didn't belong to them in Christ in theirs flesh they could not even understand what those words meant or why it mattered?

James.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.
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1:15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.

What Christ had, and what Christ could fill them with was not the desires of their hearts for the things of mankind.

Suffering In Christ

James.1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers{The word for "brothers" here and where context allows may also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."}, when you fall into various temptations,
1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
1:4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.
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.

The key to all their problems was not found in their want of heart, but “in Christ” in the wants of his heart in their lives as their head. The world is not in Christ, so any suffering in their flesh was not known by the world, correct? They were no part of this world, hence, they were then dead in their flesh (world) in Christ. Unfortunately, they would in their flesh happily suffer for a religion, a person, a leader, an elder. Yes, that type of suffering would be of the world and acknowledge by the flesh given them merit in the eyes of other in the flesh, but not in Christ where their rewards must come from, God, not the world.

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Seeking glory of men for God's treasures is a sickness of our flesh

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. 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;

In Christ was the fullness of God, the God of love that would fill their void from their sins of their flesh. The sins that were causing them to lack, where the false flowers of the flesh burst into weeds of all false teachings of Christ. They needed to go back to square one and suffer in Christ to be filled with the Spirit of truth, and love.

James.3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

How can one get good fruit or fresh water from the fallen flesh?

Luke 9:22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up."

Luke 17:25 But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.

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2 Corinthians 1:6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.

They had become lovers of flesh of men and woman wanting their association with them more than the Spirit in Christ. In other words, they wanted the middle ground of some light, and some darkness more than the love of God. The best of both worldbut receiving little of nothing from either world.

Matt. 5:37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ.

In that want of pleasing men every thing lacked for them, in that false religion was found the lust for knowledge, the lust to find the latest and greatest thing, the lust for the latest prophecy, the lust to have more faith, the lust to eat up everything of God's word but never get filled or satisfied.

Micah 6:14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied. Your humiliation will be in your midst. You will store up, but not save; and that which you save I will give up to the sword.

Matt.7:8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

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Isaiah 53:11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light{So read the Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint. Masoretic Text omits "the light".} and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities.

They had become spoiled children demanding from their teachers perfection, and their religious leader constant attention for they were never filled with Holy Spirit, never satisfied lusting for constant feeding like gluttons, they lacked all things in Christ, they had all things of the world that's like leeches are never satisfied, while demanding more, and more, and more, having no godly appreciation accept in words, words of false godly love, but denying the very working in them from the power of the lust of their flesh. The same lack of Adam had after sinning in darkness alienated him from God. He blamed his wife, she blamed the serpent, but if their were true and maintaining face was so important why the new void and lack of everything good in them now?

Can the Lie Expose the Lie?

They lived a lie, they were no longer speaking truth with the most important person themselves, for they should have been one in Christ who is truth, their head of their own body as a new creation all things are light in Christ there is no lie, one can only speak truth in Christ.

Matt.7:9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent?

Does the heart lie to the lungs, does the eye lied to the mouth, what deception had the flesh taught us? Isn't it taught us the truth of the flesh instead of God?

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1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before times eternal.

1Cor.11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 11:29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn't discern the Lord's body. 11:30 For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. 11:31 For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn't be judged.

Matt.7:16 By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

Can one get a good fruit off a corrupted tree, can one get a good fruit off the flesh that is dead in Christ?

The suffering of that reproof is the love of God they were mistakenly lusted in flesh, but could not find in men, or woman. They must suffer in Christ being hid in him, that is, from the glory of men and woman on earth. They must love Christ more (not of this world) than this life. If we are inclined any other way, Christ is faithful and will reveal it to us.

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Colossians 2:3 in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.

Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.

John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 3:6 but Christ is faithful as a Son over his house; whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the glorying of our hope firm to the end.

2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, he remains faithful. He can't deny himself."

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the evil one.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Completed: July 31, 2018

by: Daniel a Slave of Christ Jesus

http://jwsstraighttalk.squarespace.com/
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