Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

2Pet.1:5 Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; 1:6 and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness; 1:7 and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love. 1:8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9 For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins.

Many have read the apostle Peters words here and fallen into works of law, or works of self-merit. They see Peters list of virtuous gifts here as a building blocks in making oneself into a temple for God, thinking if I work on one these virtue the rest must follow, but was this what Peter was saying in context to the verses above these? No! The new creation does not make themselves into a new creation, they are born again not by man's will at all, but God's will, they are created for God's glory and for his purposes as he see fit.

John 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.

John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'They will all be taught by God.'{Isaiah 54:13} Therefore everyone who hears from the Father, and has learned, comes to me.

John 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The apostle Peter first speaks of grace, unmerited kindness, which they were given freely directly above his statement here, through such grace peace was given to each body member of Christ. Peace not of this world, but the peace of God from God's world, found in Christ Jesus as the head of the body. All gifts thus stem from one, Christ Jesus, there are not many bodies, but one, and all stem from him, and for him. There are not individual temples of God being build by self-merit, or works of law, there is but one temple, Christ, and we apart of him. Now in this context Peter speaks of profound godly qualities given to the body of Christ supplied too them freely as part of Christ by our faith in him.

1 Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.

Romans 9:11 For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls.

Titus 3:3 For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 3:4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love toward mankind appeared, 3:5 not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 3:6 whom he poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; 3:7 that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

From our diligence in faith gifts will be supplied too us through the body of Christ Jesus, what things? Fruits of Christ Jesus life, which are: moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness; and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.

These are the things of Christ living life that are richly supplied too us by our faith, what is not supplied to us is works of law, where each individual builds their own building and/or temple by laws dead in Christ. Either we are being build up by God, or we are building up our own self-faith, which real faith is also a gift to God's anointed. The problems was forgetting our cleansing from long ago, that is, how did we become clean in God's eyes was it by our works, doing works of law that cleanse us? No! It was by the precious blood of Christ Jesus letting us be born again by his incorruptible seed, and not ours works from a corruptible seed. We could not put away the filth of our flesh, but we could by the blood of Christ ask God for a clean conscious.

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 Corinthians 12:11 But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

These brothers were forgetting this truth, they were tying to prove themselves righteous by another means, not a new means, but an old means, by laws. Laws they had been freed from, which condemned sin in our flesh, for getting they had been raise up in Christ, and were given freely Christ life, and all things for this life, and next found in the eternal life of Christ Jesus and not their own. They were going back to self, which is death and its works. They must be diligence in faith in Christ alone, his life and not theirs by works of law. If they were diligent in this faith the one true faith, they would be supplied the virtuous qualities of Christ life, how would they know the difference? Christ Jesus is living eternal life, an incorruptible seed, and from his living life comes righteousness working in these brothers and sisters in the list of gifts Peter speaks to here.

1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn't have God's Son doesn't have the life.

2 Peter 1:3 seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue;

Hebrews 7:16 who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life:

See also: www.nu-truth.com