Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1Cor.7:37 But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own heart, to keep his own virgin, does well. 7:38 So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn't give her in marriage does better.

Most Christian's unless they are highly legalized find Paul's words confusing, even disregarding many of his writings as not written under Holy Spirit. The truth of the matter is this; if a person has a legal mind, which is a fleshly mind sold under sins laws, where, every thought of the person is judged against another rule of law, they will legalize Paul's writing into a rule book of do's and don'ts. When in fact, Paul's writing were to prevent that very thing from happening among the brothers and sister in Christ Jesus; so how can we say this?

It is because Paul dealt in details unlike the other writers of the Greek scriptures. He dealt with all the issues being legalized by fleshly mind Christian in the congregation of God's anointed. He took on every issue moving them back from a rule of law, into spirit minded conscience, under the headship of Christ Jesus, such as the example above regarding virginity. Many in false religion have taken Paul's statement here doing the opposite making them into a mandatory rule for a person to be part of a priesthood, no where did Paul make such a rule.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Paul instead fought against such laws in Christ Jesus. In context too all Paul's writings he spoke of gifts given by membership in the body of Christ, these gifts were freely given to members by God. Hence, they could not be earned by beating the flesh, studying the bible more, or doing pendants. They were gifts, just as an eye does not know why its is an eye within the body, or a foot a foot, no one can say why they have been given a certain gift in the body of Christ Jesus, accept to say to minister too the rest of the body with their gift.

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

However, overlooked by fleshly minded legal Christian's, which really means, the person gain salvation through their own fleshly will, and not the will of the body of Christ Jesus, which makes them a fleshly minded person, not a spirit minded member of the spirit body of Christ, hence being directed by a spirit will of head of the body, which has a spirit mind - directing each body member. They overlook the gifts of the Holy Spirit one of those gifts is “self-control” given to each member through the body of Christ. Some had this gift allowing them to maintain being a virgin without needing to be married, serving Christ, while other did not! Was one more righteous than the other not having such a gift, did one have a better standing in Christ? No!

James 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.

So here is the point, once a person makes such a determination they fall under the laws of the flesh, and its works, which are works of law, and not gifts of the body of Christ. Holy Spirit gifts have no works of flesh against them. In other words, there is no competition in the Christ body members, just as there is no competition within our own body for a greater position through works of law. A work of law is a fleshly minded work, on the other hand, a work of Spirit is from the mind of Christ, his spirit mind from God's Holy Spirit producing fruit/gifts through the uses of the law of love, and/or the law of Christ. The law of Christ is freedom from the fleshly mind, which fleshly mind is dead in Christ, the fleshly mind excites the flesh into works of law, and self-righteousness, and/or self-justification by its judgments of sins laws, which are dead works.

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on to perfection--not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

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