Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Commandments Proved to be Death?

****Rom.7:9 I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 7:10 The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death;
7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.

How indeed could the apostle Paul born and raised in the Jewish faith had been alive apart from the law once? The law had been enforced upon Israel for thousand's of year before Paul was even born? Here if we stop, and think, we have stumbled upon a profound mystery, what is that mystery?

2Cor.4:3 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish; 4:4 in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

The mystery is when Paul, then Saul started using the commandments of God to prove himself righteous, he had become a professional religious lawyer, a career teacher of what? The law and its commandments. Before that happen he may have loved God from his heart instead of proving by works of law that he was good enough to serve God!

Luke 18:19 Jesus asked him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one--God.

The law and its commandments was his undoing as it has been for every Christian's since undoing. Once we measure back to God our goodness in perceived obedience (that is our judging we are obedient by our works) we get the truth back of the law and its commandments, sin! No, not life as one imagines they can earn on earth by obedience to the commandments. Sin is the catch twenty two the more dig to obey the deeper the sin, the deeper the hole we dig. The law become measure line upon measuring line until the flesh breaks under the weight of true righteousness.

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.

Isaiah 28:10 For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.

Isaiah 28:13 Therefore the word of Yahweh will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.

James 4:11 Don't speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Who can stand is the question? How does sinner convince themselves they can obey their way out of sin? The principal is fundamentally flawed, one cannot take a weed and make it into wheat by obedience to the laws for wheat, it is a trick, a self-deception blinded by zeal for God's law. One cannot feed their fish cat food and think their fish will become a cat!

Ecclesiastes 1:15 That which is crooked can't be made straight; and that which is lacking can't be counted.

Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way that they don't know. I will lead them in paths that they don't know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.

Matthew 8:3 Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.

One can only humble themselves before the mighty hand of God, declaring he alone is good, and will make the way out for us because he is good. What was the law, without God's mercy, what was God's mercy? It was the seat of atonement where a life paid for our sins so we could be obedient by having our deserved judgment daily wiped away cast into the very sea once for all times as long as we are in the flesh on earth. Have we forgotten the primary doctrines of the Christ? Have we made the commandments an idol, that is, lets be clear here, commandments from God's word, and/or any other group we our associated with? Do we think we are better more deserving of life because of something we have done for God?

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives.

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

Psalms 10:17 Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."{Proverbs 3:34}

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."{Proverbs 3:34}

Lets not separate the truth from the reality, who of us would stand before God and declare our own goodness, righteousness? None, why would we think we can separated God from his commandments, or the law? Why than boast in them as making us better, when none of us can stand in our own works?

Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

How was Paul deceived by the perfect law God gave Israel, is there deception with God? No! That is impossible, so something deceived Paul where he miss-read the message of the law? Paul had to learn the truth about sin in his fallen flesh, and what is that? it lies, it impute evil to God who is perfect and holy. Paul stumbled upon something he did not think he was capable of, comparing himself to God by commandments to justify his own sins, but he found out he did not stand at all! God was perfect not Paul by his obedience, or even his desire to be obedience to God. The Law became a cruel task master breaking his flesh proving over and over again Paul could not be perfect by works of law, he could not put away the filth of his flesh he hated so much that he killed others to remove their sins against God's law, thinking he was righteous by such actions, as God is righteous by killing the sins of our flesh. (he was deceived by his flesh if he was obedient as he imagine by his own efforts than he must also punish those not as obedient making him a sinless god, a Christ, a sinless man in his own fleshly mind.)

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Romans 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.

The law that he believed with his whole soul, spirit, and mind was life, was found to be death to a sinner. But for a righteous man, one righteous man the law proved to be life, now Paul must remove his pride, and accept a gift without boasting in any merit in his flesh to serve and be saved by God. Paul found his own flesh evil not the righteous law of God, Paul found that he didn't get the message of the entire law, although, Saul a brilliant great teacher in all Israel. Saul had to be taken captive by Christ through humiliation for him to except the undeserved kindness in Christ. He found God is faithful and true, even if his heart condemned him, it wasn't about Paul's righteousness, it was about God's!

Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I don't do [this] for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went. 36:23 I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, says the Lord Yahweh, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

Titus 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.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

See also: www.nu-truth.com