Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Col.3:7 You also once walked in those, when you lived in them;
3:8 but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth. 3:9 Don't lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, 3:10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator.

Do you really comprehend what Paul means here by the old man? If one is new than they are not old, and if one is old than they are not new. Paul is not saying here lets think new, lets act like we are new, no! A person, a thing, or a place is either new, or its is not? What is the old man? The old man is a sinner, before being made new by what?

Haggai 2:12 'If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with his fold touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?'" The priests answered, "No."

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

The personality of Christ and Christ righteousness, that is, Christ living in a person that has had their flesh under sin put to death by God being baptized into the Christ. But notice here, Paul not only states we must be new, but he gives us the character of the old person living under sin. He is not saying some people living under sin are better than others. He is not saying if you just make yourselves you can be new, no! He is stating the truth many of us really don't get, and what is that?

Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.{TR reads "self-indulgence" instead of "unrighteousness"}

We must be made new, not that we are making ourselves new by applying the scriptures in our lives. The old, which is all old personalities born into sin from the least to the greatest practice the works of their flesh, the scriptures do not change our flesh, they change our minds, and we try to control our flesh with them, but in our hearts where Christ lives is found the evil an old heart has in it. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.

James 3:10 Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 3:11 Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water. 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth.

But there is more, we speak such anger to those we call brothers and sisters why, because in the fleshly mind, under sin it judges sin of the flesh (flesh cannot know the Spirit), which makes our flesh angry when someone else flesh does not obey our judgments. Yes, Christian's don't get mad at each other unless they judge others by scriptures wrong, believing their brother or sister is disrespecting their counsel correct? Which they think to be God's anger, so its justified in their hearts by uses of scriptures.

James 1:16 Don't be deceived, my beloved brothers.
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. 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 1:19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
1:20 for the anger of man doesn't produce the righteousness of God. 1:21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls{or, preserve your life.}. 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.

So Does Paul here says for us to play with those thoughts, or put them all away? But how when some one disrespect God's word the bible and sins against us in their flesh? Good question? This is shocking so don't become offend in your flesh, the flesh of Christ brothers are dead in Christ, its not judged by Christ or God (being dead buried)! Its gone once for all time, we do not bring it back out of death in Christ and judge it again do we? No! We do not posses such power accept in false religion under works by law in an organization that presumptuously takes that power and thinks they are doing God's works upon earth.

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.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; 1:24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. 1:26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is worthless.

1Cor. 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by man's judgment. Yes, I don't judge my own self. 4:4 For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord. 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.

The flesh cannot separate the two thoughts, it only becomes offend when it can't judge causing it wrath, anger and lying, why lying? Because the flesh cannot stop sinning its simply impossible, nor can it stop judging that is its character. So it judges, and lies about what in in it own heart practicing the same sins or worst. Nothing good dwells in our flesh that does not lie, does not act like its righteous. What dwells good in our flesh according to God's word the bible, nothing! That is why God kills our flesh, in Christ, and gives us a new life. In the new life we can have the mind of Christ, and his sinlessness; being filled with his life making us sinless, yes! A “new creation” not an old creation, so brothers and sisters in Christ must separate the flesh from the spirit or they are judging what cannot be judged by the same old flesh which is equally sinful.

Rom.7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good.
7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice. 7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.

Matt.7:1 "Don't judge, so that you won't be judged. 7:2 For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 7:3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but don't consider the beam that is in your own eye? 7:4 Or how will you tell your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye;' and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.

Now as Paul says let us put on Christ which life fills us with truth and Holy Spirit and produces; not act like, but produces the fruits of God found in Christ by Holy Spirit. This we will do if God indeed permits!

Heb. 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, 6:2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 6:3 This will we do, if God permits.
6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

Gal.5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,{or, faithfulness} 5:23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 5:24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.

Romans 8:10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

James 4:12 Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

See also: www.nu-truth.com