Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Rom.7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.

Have you ever been deceived but something or someone you have loved? The apostle Paul uses here powerful language for a devastating occurrence in his life, and what was that? God's good and righteous law deceived him, shocking him, stunning him into a reality that he thought could never happen? In fact, something most of us would think could not happen to us either? Paul thought being zealous towards God by application of the law in his life was life, would declare him righteous, make him somebody in eyes of his brothers in Israel?

Hebrews 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Yes, Paul was profoundly deceived, and once Paul received God's Holy Spirit upon conversation into Christ with his legal training in the law it was absolutely a devastating moment in his life! He was not good and righteous, his motives were not pure, and most of all, what about all those people he had hated and judged evil by a law that declared him evil? How awful of thing was that? How could he have been so deceived into self-rightness when honestly believing he was doing God's work? He could not imagine he was that blind, he a teacher in Israel, a great teacher in Israel, how could he have been so stupid?

1 Timothy 1:9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers.

1 Timothy 1:7 desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.

Galatians 5:4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

Many Christian's today and throughout the history of mankind since Christ have found themselves in another state of repentance after realizing that by church rules, organized religion rules, or even as Paul shocking came to understand even by God's own righteous law we cannot by some work of be righteous, or even declared a good person by God's standards of righteousness through the law.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

No! The apostle Peter as well found himself in repentance throughout his own life after thinking by some goodness found within him he was favored of God. Hence, he pointedly wrote these words under the power of Holy Spirit not from his own will because he was sadden by his own conduct, but just as Christ told Peter to say from God's own originality:

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.

Paul nor Peter hadn't been deceived by a God whom does not lie, and only good comes from him, no! They had been deceived by their own filthy flesh, which they thoughts smelled good to God! They like all sinners, hence, which is the fleshly mind, for that what it means in our bibles to be a sinner thinking with a fleshly mind, thought they could reform themselves by application of God's laws, or their religion laws into a new person acceptable to God through Christ, but they could not they were found hopelessly wanting! No person by works coming a sinner can reform themselves, did you know that truth? To be reformed, that is, made new, so one is no longer a sinner comes from God's power and not man's, did you know that?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

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.

That point was expressly made in God's laws for thousand's of years, not one person under God's law applying it zealously was made righteous by it, no! Please don't be confused here as Paul was and most of Israel was? It was the blood of an innocent victim that made people right before God under a righteous good law condemning them as unrighteous sinner that changed the person standing before God.

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleanness of the flesh:
Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

Self-righteousness is when we stand before a superior judges law, and judge ourselves as worthy/faithful under it, without his approval. This was the deception for Paul, and Peter, and us, we decided if we are faithful to God by our own actions under his rules, this is a profound deception for us sinners in our fleshly mind. That is, we can't be righteous by the law of God which is why God gave them blood, the very laws existence proved they needed blood of atonement. They had deceived themselves into not putting faith in the blood of atonement, but rather in their own goodness by works of law! They had declared themselves faithful, unlike Christ whom refused to be called faithful until God resurrected him and gave him glory as a faithful slave. Men and woman whom are fleshly are declaring themselves worthy and faithful by some rule of law found in their bibles, or a group, or organized religion. But sinner cannot be faithful they must be made faithful by God's actions in innocent blood all sinner are under one thing, do you know what that is? It is called undeserved kindness, unmerited kindness, not deserved by some work of law.

Psalms 53:3 Every one of them has gone back. They have become filthy together. There is no one who does good, no, not one.

Titus 2:14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

See also: www.nu-truth.com