Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1Cor.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.

Is there anything more powerful than good works in feeding and helping the poor? Well, here Paul actually is saying something shocking in context to his counsel to Corinthian Congregation, yes! And that is love, love is more important than giving to the poor, but wait just one minute, how can that be, isn't love giving too the poor?

Well, let us be reminded here Paul is speaking to the body of Jesus Christ members the Temple of God on earth, it is by their being made part of Jesus Christ that these temple members are found in God's love. However, Paul was also dealing with those loving the wisdom of world coming into the body of Christ Jesus to subvert it from the truth, which again is Jesus Christ.

Perhaps, these worldly wise ones were bragging about their good works in giving to others, or suggesting that gaining as much money through worldly knowledge was good because they could give more to the poor, in any event they were wrong if they turned away from the body of Christ Jesus, which also would turned them away from God's love and truth, causing division in the body, which must be united by the love of God's through the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus.

In other words, the only focus and good works Christ body members can do are by the fruits from God's Holy Spirit found in them as imperishable treasure in heaven, which can only be done through the true vine Jesus Christ. These body members were slaves to the body of Christ Jesus, they were bought and paid for by Christ blood.

John 15:5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

So outside of the body Christ, which these so called teachers were preaching in worldly wisdom of themselves is of no value at all, they could feed the poor, hand over their bodies, and sacrifice themselves for the good of others, but it would not mean anything outside of what Christ Jesus had already done for his body members. In other words, Christ Jesus was the perfect lamb of God:

Hebrews 7:26 For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.

These men were putting themselves into the position of Christ Jesus and justifying all they were doing in gaining control over the body Christ by their wisdom which was proved through their knowledge, and this knowledge was doing good works for others, so it must be justified as coming from Christ Jesus. But apostle Paul was about to take the Corinthian's into a far greater journey in indemnifying the one good tree of God in Jesus Christ, and the fruits found on it's branches, by the “Wisdom” of God; this fruitage the world could not know, or produce by worldly wisdom coming from super fine teachers.

See also: www.nu-truth.com