Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Matt.15:10 He summoned the multitude, and said to them, "Hear, and understand. 15:11 That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

An angel on the outside but Oh so dirty on the inside! The entire faith of the Jews was religious cleanness, so powerful was being clean that it was forbidden in their law to even touch or taste certain things and food. This righteousness by cleanness escalated into fanaticism by Christ time!

James 3:8 But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 3:9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. 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.

Worship of being holy and not unclean had become more important than worshiping God. Many times God's own prophets were put into a unclean circumstance such as Ezekiel, and even the apostle Peter whom had to eat thing unclean; unholy outlaw by God's righteous law, so God to make a point! But Christ left his disciples in no doubt as to what make a person truly unclean, it is their heart, what proceeds out of their mouth from their hearts defiles a person!

Act.10:9 Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon. 10:10 He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance. 10:11 He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, 10:12 in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 10:13 A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat!"
10:14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." 10:15 A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean."

Here the Jews had forgotten the real cleansing from defilement of their hearts and what was that? Blood, they could not keep God's law by human righteousness, they could not stand perfect before God saying: “I have not sinned!” No! The very heart beating in their chest knew better than that, but were they lovers of all the truth, what truth? The truth of human failure under sin? Were they honest did they not know the defilement that is in all human hearts towards others, and even God, or were they self-righteous?

Matt.5:27 "You have heard that it was said, {TR adds "to the ancients,"} 'You shall not commit adultery;'{Exodus 20:14} 5:28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Did they hid behind religious cleanness think themselves better than others or did they examine the truth pounding in their chest the heart that looked at a woman in lust, the hate and jealousy that was hid from others with religious words to justify the evil in their hearts?

James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth. 3:15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

What defiles a person that is the question is it not? Do religious words make us clean? Does doing good religious works make us clean, does bathing our bodies ten times a day for God make us clean? The power of self-righteousness is how Satan mislead the world, and still does, many Christian's have fallen into the trap of self-righteous through works of law forgetting the truth of the scriptures which is, according to God we cannot put away the filth of our flesh, we must be atoned for by His Son's blood, and than request a clean conscience, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh which is impossible for a sinner because its not outside, or what goes inside, it is just as the Christ spoke, its what comes out of our hearts that defile us!

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

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.

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."

See also: www.nu-truth.com