Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Turning Away God's Wrath

1John.2:2 And he is the atoning sacrifice{"atoning sacrifice" is from the Greek "hilasmos," an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation--the sacrifice that turns away God's wrath because of our sin.} for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 2:3 This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments.

Why God's wrath? Moreover, what do we think of when we think of God's wrath? Is it the end of our world, the final judgment, or something else? The apostle John is speaking here specifically about the law of God and its commandments as causing us God's wrath, that is, if we don't keep the law with it commandments we are under God's wrath!

Romans 4:15 For the law works wrath, for where there is no law, neither is there disobedience.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God's wrath through him.

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, "Cursed is everyone who doesn't continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them."{Deuteronomy 27:26}

Which wrath being mean's under God's Judgment, but is that the wrath you were thinking of? Here is the key of John's letter, and if we miss it we will find ourselves in a religion of human worship, so what is that key? Christ life, his blood turn away God's wrath for us, not us, but Christ removed God's wrath by what? By his life fulfilling the contract of the Old Covenant for us by his blood. He paid it off, he paid the supreme price that no human on earth in their own righteousness could complete, he finish, stop its judgment of our sins by removing the instrument of our judgment the law and its commandments (covenant) replacing it with a new commandments, in a new covenant!

Ephesians 2:15 having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace.

Galatians 2:18 For if I build up again those things which I destroyed, I prove myself a law-breaker.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the fulfillment{or, completion, or end} of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

The first step away from God's wrath is our faith, not in ourselves, and our good motives, not even our wanting to serve God, no! We must put faith in God's love, his Son's life given us freely, for what reason? So we can stop being judged by God's laws and commandments. The bible is not about our great righteousness and goodness, it is pragmatically about God's goodness and righteous which causes us wrath as sinners, and the solution found in Jesus Christ in removing God's wrath for our not being able to obey his commandments because we cannot stop sinning.

Romans 8:3 For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.

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 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law, worked in our members to bring forth fruit to death.

Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you would be joined to another, to him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit to God.

These brothers were attacking the truth of Christ they were putting all the emphasis on keeping God's commandments, just as the Jew's whom foolishly worshiped the law instead of Jehovah God, who had cleared them of unrighteousness (sin) by the blood of innocent animal, which condemned any self-righteousness because none exist under the law for all were sinner failing short of God's glory, God's glory meaning to be without sin hence righteous. The law could not be kept by a sinner, it was impossible, it couldn't be done! The commandments are the law they could not be kept, not one person keep God's commandments by their own righteous, that is, without sin, for if we have sinned we are not righteous like God and Christ righteous means without sin, like Adam was without sin before sinning.

Romans 5:20 The law came in besides, that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly;

Romans 4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of no effect.

Romans 3:27 Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

Can you imagine the evil Satan has and it using in twisting the commandments into building false religion putting all his power onto the emphasis of the law and commandments that some how we are able to keep them in our own effort - righteousness? By works we perform on earth for a religion, for human to see, for governments, for our families to hold us up as being a good Christian's? Yes! Worshiping the commandments, worshiping works of law, worshiping self-rightness, worshiping the creation rather than the creator of life, which life is given us freely by his own love.

2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

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

Hebrews 10:8 Previously saying, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn't desire, neither had pleasure in them" (those which are offered according to the law),

Hebrews 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Now stop, rethink, how do we keep the commandments, if we as sinner that cannot keep them? How can we boast in a free gift? If God extends an undeserved gift to us, why now boast as a hard line that we demand others to obtain to a righteousness we can not through a commandments bent religion? If we judge by a double standard does that not prove we are a lawbreakers? You see the point was faith, do we really get what real faith is? It not in our obeying the commandments, because we can't as sinners. It is factually believing Christ finished them for us (commandments), it is believing in the Son of God righteousness, and not ours, but Christ righteousness as a gift from above too us so we can have a relationship with the Father, not as an enemy under the sins of our flesh, but as loved without God's wrath upon us because his law and commandments judge us as worthy of nothing but death!

Romans 2:20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babies, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth.

Romans 2:23 You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God?

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.

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 11:20 True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don't be conceited, but fear;

Romans 9:32 Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

Romans 10:8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;"{Deuteronomy 30:14} that is, the word of faith, which we preach:

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
2:7 Don't they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
2:8 However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"{Leviticus 19:18} you do well.
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.
2:11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"{Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18} also said, "Do not commit murder."{Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17} Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
2:12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

With that thought we have love for one another, we remain in God's love, and we judge if we must by what? The perfect law of love as what God has done for us in Christ. That is the faith Israel failed to have that is the faith every son of God must stay in that we are made perfect in God's undeserved kindness in giving us a righteous life indwelling us that conquerors this world by his life, the only life among mankind which kept all the commandments perfectly. Can we humble accept his gift?

James 4:1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your pleasures that war in your members?
4:2 You lust, and don't have. You kill, covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask.
4:3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.
4:4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously"?
4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."{Proverbs 3:34}
4:7 Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

See also: www.nu-truth.com