Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Heb.4:1 Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.

Can our fallen flesh enter into God's rest? Moreover, is it a sin if we cannot rest in Christ in our flesh? But if we legalize that statement as religion does we would say: “ you better work very hard in your flesh to please God!”

John 1:13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

But that was not a trick question? The question was can we enter into God's rest in our fallen flesh? The simple truth is, no! Furthermore, if we read our bible untainted by religious doctrine we will find clearly defined for us that our sinful flesh is dead to God's judgment. Moreover, that we cannot please God in our flesh. However, how many of us truly believe that, lets be honest? The flesh cannot rest it is impossible according to God's word, it cannot be in subjection to God or his laws, so how can something rest if it cannot be in subjection to God?

John 6:63 It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.

John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.

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.

Do we fear that we are not truly resting in Spirit and truth? You see that is the real question in the book of Hebrews for those seeking the truth of God's message within? Who are we resting in, a fleshly person, or Christ Jesus, a living spirit being made incorruptible by his Father Jehovah? And is we cannot rest in our flesh, than how do we rest in Christ the spirit person? First, let it be noted, rest, is the absent of labor is it not? So who's labor are we resting from? Simple put, in context to the book of Hebrew itself it is from works of law done by our flesh under God's righteous law given to Israel through Moses.

Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

Hebrews 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.

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Romans 9:11 For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,

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;

God's law cause wrath, and/or hostility towards sin of our flesh, we had no rest because the law was perfect and only a perfect person, that is, without sin was not judged by it, the law! So what did God do? He provided Israel a rest by purchasing their debt of sins against the law with innocent blood that of an animal. God's wrath would rest towards them in peace. But what would happen if lets say an Israelite thought he could be made perfect apart from the blood God provided for his sins?

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

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

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}

You, see, the law made nothing perfect. In other words, it could not remove sin by just trying to obey God's law without blood, nor could animal blood remove the sins of our flesh completely, that is, once for all times.

Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for him for salvation.

Hebrews 10:2 Or else wouldn't they have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins?

Hebrews 10:10 by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When one entered into God's rest in Christ Jesus, his righteous blood take our sins away once for all time. But lets say, if we think our religion or our good works in doing God's commandments makes us perfect before God, we then have no rest, why? Because to be in Christ one must be made sinless, to be made sinless, requires us to redeem ourselves by our own merit, our own worth, by what works we can do for God. But can a sinner please God, because all sin is lawlessness to God? No! A sinner cannot please God, we must have a substitute life, stand in for us, but much more so, we must live in that life resting from our own works in our flesh.

1 John 3:4 Everyone who sins also commits lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:5 You know that he was revealed to take away our sins, and in him is no sin.

1 John 3:6 Whoever remains in him doesn't sin. Whoever sins hasn't seen him, neither knows him.

1 John 3:9 Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God.

Christ is our head, we are in his body, meaning simply, his life is our life, but our old life is dead buried when Christ redeem us purchasing us from this earth, out of this world into his kingdom of the Son's love by his precious life he gave too us freely. We must rest in his life, free of the strife from our flesh, free then from sin and its judgments. Free from our own worth trying as we do to please God in our flesh by works of law.
James.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.
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.

James. 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.

James. 5:9 Don't grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won't be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.
5:10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
5:11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

But the ultimate question is? How is that possible when we live in a war zone of our flesh against God's spirit? We can't unless we believe that's right, we put faith in the power of Christ life, and not our own? That is the key, when we put faith in our own life, we fall into works of law, we start justifying our every actions as being good enough to take our sins away, foolishly leaving the promise rest of God given to us freely in Christ life. Now we become haughty comparing our worth, and our works against others, we defend our actions fighting in our flesh to prove our point of what? Worthiness! Yet, lets take a breathe here we are not worthy in our flesh, we are never worthy enough in our flesh, we are dead in our flesh and it is truthfully Christ Jesus life that makes us worthy.

1Cor. 4:1 So let a man think of us as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries. 4:2 Here, moreover, it is required of stewards, that they be found faithful. 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.

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.

Rom.7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God's law, but with the flesh, the sin's law.

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;

Romans 1:17 For in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, "But the righteous shall live by faith."{Habakkuk 2:4}

See Also: www.nu-truth.com