Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Heb.5:1 For every high priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 5:2 The high priest can deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, because he himself is also surrounded with weakness. 5:3 Because of this, he must offer sacrifices for sins for the people, as well as for himself.

The truth stands upon our coming to the light so our own sins are reproved first! Truth in not looking at the sins of others first to justify our own sins as better than the other guy! God choose men of sin as high priest, does that offend you? Do you think those at the top of your religions are better, more righteous then the common member of your religion?

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

John 3:19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn't come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

Well, if so, you are partial making evil judgments according to God and his word! The high priest, in fact. any priest first had to offer sacrifices for his own sins and then knowing he had been “freely” forgiven his sin, by taking the life of innocent victim, having the right to life for clearing his sins, he could be kind, and moderate when dealing with the sins of others.

James.2:3 and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, "Sit here in a good place;" and you tell the poor man, "Stand there," or "Sit by my footstool;" 2:4 haven't you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Very important first step here, God instituted out of divine wisdom knowing the nature of sinful man. That the law blinds and fills us with hate in judgment towards the infraction of others. Have you noted that? Nothing upsets us more then when someone violates God's righteous standards. We have a real sense of injustice when it comes to other peoples sins of their flesh, we want to blot them out by law, the direct punishment of the law being brought upon them in full force by the power of those in charge of the law, right?

Heb. 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.

But God's wisdom was stated thousand's of years before he appointed a high priest to Israel. God stated at the rebellion of the first human couple that all sin bring the full legal force upon all sinners, and what is that? The death penalty! Now anything else is lacking the full force of the God's law.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

Gen. 3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 3:18 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. 3:19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

What if the high priest did not offer up sacrifice for his own sins, thinking' “I am high priest, I was placed here by God, respect me, I am the law, I am above the average Israelite!” Simply put, he has nothing but the death penalty to face because he rejected the undeserved kindness of God to forgive his sins freely by the life of innocent victim. Such conduct would enrage the Holy Spirit that had made him high priest in the first place.

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?

Now we have the context of what was happening in the book of Hebrews at the time of its writing the fatal flaw of sinful humans to believe they are righteous by some work of law, in this case, the law of God given to Moses that appointed a high priest. Christian's at this writing were getting into works of law being taught by the Jews that had convert into Christianity.

Luke.18:9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 18:12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

They were mistakenly forgetting their own cleansing of sin by Christ the innocent passover lamb of God. They were not being kind with their brothers and sisters in Christ, they were judging them with laws for sinners harsh laws that condemn them and all others into death. A law so powerful that all that stood before it, it shut their mouth to self-justification of their sins, not as they practiced when standing before human judges, but not so with God, all that sin die!

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.

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

Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;

If they wanted wrath for the sins of those declared righteous by the same blood of Christ they brought upon themselves the same judgment. God did not condone any sin, which should have been clear to any humble person, because he atoned for all sin, he did not justify it, he killed sin, by the absents of judgment in purchasing our sin by another innocent life. This concept alluded the self-righteous that could only see the splinter in their brothers eye, but not the death penalty of sin in their own dying bodies in the flesh.

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?

They too were not to condone sin, but they should be moderate in dealing with the sinner knowing they we in no better position, and if they were it was because God gave them the gift of undeserved kindness for their own sins.

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

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.

The fleshly mind cannot separate the truth from deserved justice the flesh hates the sins of other flesh, while, being kind with its own weakness. But here is the test of true faith? Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Ourselves could include our wives, our children even our friends in some religion. Do we hold out another standard of judgment for them? Yes, we do, all human fall completely short of God's glory in this area.

Matt. 22:35 One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" 22:37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'{Deuteronomy 6:5}

This is why, we needed a high priest in Christ, free from the judgment of unrighteous sinner to bring us to perfection in love.

2 John 1:6 This is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

1 John 4:21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

See also: www.nu-truth.com