Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1Cor.8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 8:5 For though there are things that are called "gods," whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many "gods" and many "lords;" 8:6 yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him. 8:7 However, that knowledge isn't in all men. But some, with consciousness of the idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8:8 But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don't eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Here is the problem for those Christian's living by works of law, in other words, they practice a commandment from the bible or their religious group thinking it makes them righteous before God. But such is the way of the fleshly mind, now they stumble upon verses in their bible like these Paul wrote, and they must legally lock them down into a doctrine justifying how a person can eat something known as unclean from an idol, as a Christian's, when indeed breaking a work of law makes them unclean person. Do you see the connection?

Romans 14:20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.

Works of law, a Christian's can become unclean by so many works of law it impossible for them not to think unclean first and than impute evil for the slightest infraction of others make against laws of the flesh. Subsequently, this is what apostle Paul was dealing with in the Corinthian's congregation, just such fleshly minded thinking. Food, commandments, and/or works of law cannot make a member of the body of Christ unclean, do you know why? Because they were never made clean by these things, they are made clean by Christ Jesus blood, imputed too them when they ask God for a clean conscience based upon the merit of Christ Jesus life, and not their own. Its much like looking at a pig rolling in the mire, thinking that it will become clean by obeying a commandments of God, or not eating a certain food found in the mire!

Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

God does not come down and clean the mire from the pig, he simply does not look at the mire on the pig. He instead looks at the Christ righteousness, that is, Christ earned merit given too us. We are now clean from the mire, not that we cleaned ourselves up, but God does not see the mire he instead see the clean and righteous garments of Christ Jesus. Now once we have this simply understanding Paul's words will make perfect sense to us, but should we refuse this understand returning to rolling in the mire by self-good works of eating or not eating, obeying laws that judge us as rolling in the mire, Paul's words will make no good sense at all!

Acts 11:8 But I said, 'Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.'

Acts 11:9 But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, 'What God has cleansed, don't you call unclean.'

Because we have a clean conscience before God does not make our flesh clean, or our fleshly mind thinking clean, what it does is allows us to be humble knowing the truth of our own sinful condition, we do not point out from laws that judge cleanness and uncleanness the obvious fact that we are all sinners/unclean. That truth God Himself established through the Old Law; Christ Jesus completed for us. So we have an option living in the past, which is death, or dead works, or living in Christ Jesus who is life our future.

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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