Eyes to See
Well-Known Member
My wife and I watched a kids movie last night about the Grinch that stole Christmas. It led me to thinking about various things, including the past thread I made on this website about adulterating pure worship.
The first thing we both noticed was how the town in the movie, the Whos' as they were called, got together to sing and eat together. We told each other, that's what Jehovah's Witnesses do all the time. Then I thought about it. I said, maybe this is one of the reasons unbelievers get so mad when you share with them the origin of their celebrations. They live in a society that is cruel and oppressive, where the dominant traits of 2 Timothy 3:1-6 are on full display. And they get a tantalizingly slim sliver of taste of the unity and love we bask in all the time. To many perhaps it is priceless. And you understand that.
My previous thread had to do with adulterating pure worship and how an unclean person could not be in a peaceful relationship with our God. Jehovah is a holy God:
"Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of armies.
The whole earth is filled with his glory.”
-Isaiah 6:3.
Thusly declared one of the Seraphs standing above the throne of Jehovah God.
The high priest of Israel had "Holiness belongs to Jehovah" on a gold band on their forehead.-Exodus 28:36.
And since Jehovah is the superlative degree of holy, and the standard of all perfection he sets the requirements of pure worship. One of these requirements is to be holy as he is:
"You must be holy, because I am holy."-Leviticus 11:45.
Notice, God first and foremost is holy:
"The Rock, perfect is his activity,
For all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness who is never unjust;
Righteous and upright is he."
-Deuteronomy 32:4.
And then after setting the standard of holiness and providing the perfect example he expects his creation to imitate it.
That begs the question exactly what is holiness? And what it has to do with accurate knowledge?
Holiness according to the Biblical Encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures: "The state or character of being holy. Holiness means “religious cleanness or purity; sacredness.” Also, the original Hebrew qoʹdhesh conveys the thought of separateness, exclusiveness, or sanctification to God, who is holy; a state of being set aside to the service of God. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the words rendered “holy” (haʹgi·os) and “holiness” (ha·gi·a·smosʹ [also, “sanctification”]; ha·gi·oʹtes; ha·gi·o·syʹne) likewise denote separation to God; they also are used to refer to holiness as a quality of God and to purity or perfection in one’s personal conduct."
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002055
Something that is holy is clean and pure. It is thusly sacred.
Take a clean cup of pristine pure mountain water. What would happen if you added a drop of deadly poison? Is is still unadulterated? Is it pure? No it has become polluted, adulterated, impure. It is no longer fit to be drunk.
The Bible likens the truth of God's word to water many times. It is life-giving water that bubbles up to impart everlasting life.
What type of water would you think that Jehovah God, the true God offers? Pure, or polluted?
And if God offers purity, why would he accept impurity in the worship given to him? Rather would he not give us instructions on purifying ourselves in order to approach the living and clean God?
"Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones."-James 4:8.
Everything about a person must be clean when approaching God, even his physical appearance and his attire, and the form of worship he offers.
That is why it is crucial to have "accurate knowledge" of truth:
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the accurate knowledge of him."-Ephesians 1:17.
In fact Jesus said that this is the type of worship that is acceptable, that of truth:
"God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”-John 4:24.
Notice that the Bible tells us that truth is required to worship God.
Let us take the following picture and use our power of reasoning to see if what is depicted is truth:
Does this look like an accurate depiction from the Bible?
What is wrong with this picture?
If you were to say that the Bible account never says that the astrologers were in the manger with Jesus and the others when he was born you would answer correctly. This is inaccurate. The Bible account reveals that a supernatural star lead the astrologers from the east first to Jerusalem where they informed Herod of Jesus' birth, and then directly over the house of Jesus whom may have been 2 years old by the time they reached his house.
Does it really matter that the depiction is inaccurate? Isn't it just the spirit that counts?
Ask yourself why is the depiction wrong to begin with? Surely someone must have a Bible and is able to read it? What about the people who made up the tradition? And even if they somehow misread the information hasn't enough time passed to correct the inaccurate tradition?
Ask, why are false, inaccurate traditions good enough? Would Jehovah God really approve of lies such as the fact that Santa Claus exists
The Bible says that we need an accurate knowledge of truth to serve Jehovah appropriately. We need to be holy, clean, pure in our worship to him.
True, people have in earnest worshiped in ignorance. So when we learn that the way we were taught or believed or worshiped, or celebrated goes against God's standards of right and wrong, of good and bad what do we do?
If God is pure and holy and expects nothing less than purity and holiness with accurate knowledge of truth in service to him what do we do?
Do we conform to God's standards to please him or do we chose our own path? What do you think is the best way of doing things?
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove your evil deeds from my sight;
Stop doing bad.
Learn to do good, seek justice,
Correct the oppressor,
Defend the rights of the fatherless child,
And plead the cause of the widow.”
“Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They will be made as white as snow;
Though they are as red as crimson cloth,
They will become like wool."
Isaiah 1:16-18.
The first thing we both noticed was how the town in the movie, the Whos' as they were called, got together to sing and eat together. We told each other, that's what Jehovah's Witnesses do all the time. Then I thought about it. I said, maybe this is one of the reasons unbelievers get so mad when you share with them the origin of their celebrations. They live in a society that is cruel and oppressive, where the dominant traits of 2 Timothy 3:1-6 are on full display. And they get a tantalizingly slim sliver of taste of the unity and love we bask in all the time. To many perhaps it is priceless. And you understand that.
My previous thread had to do with adulterating pure worship and how an unclean person could not be in a peaceful relationship with our God. Jehovah is a holy God:
"Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of armies.
The whole earth is filled with his glory.”
-Isaiah 6:3.
Thusly declared one of the Seraphs standing above the throne of Jehovah God.
The high priest of Israel had "Holiness belongs to Jehovah" on a gold band on their forehead.-Exodus 28:36.
And since Jehovah is the superlative degree of holy, and the standard of all perfection he sets the requirements of pure worship. One of these requirements is to be holy as he is:
"You must be holy, because I am holy."-Leviticus 11:45.
Notice, God first and foremost is holy:
"The Rock, perfect is his activity,
For all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness who is never unjust;
Righteous and upright is he."
-Deuteronomy 32:4.
And then after setting the standard of holiness and providing the perfect example he expects his creation to imitate it.
That begs the question exactly what is holiness? And what it has to do with accurate knowledge?
Holiness according to the Biblical Encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures: "The state or character of being holy. Holiness means “religious cleanness or purity; sacredness.” Also, the original Hebrew qoʹdhesh conveys the thought of separateness, exclusiveness, or sanctification to God, who is holy; a state of being set aside to the service of God. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the words rendered “holy” (haʹgi·os) and “holiness” (ha·gi·a·smosʹ [also, “sanctification”]; ha·gi·oʹtes; ha·gi·o·syʹne) likewise denote separation to God; they also are used to refer to holiness as a quality of God and to purity or perfection in one’s personal conduct."
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002055
Something that is holy is clean and pure. It is thusly sacred.
Take a clean cup of pristine pure mountain water. What would happen if you added a drop of deadly poison? Is is still unadulterated? Is it pure? No it has become polluted, adulterated, impure. It is no longer fit to be drunk.
The Bible likens the truth of God's word to water many times. It is life-giving water that bubbles up to impart everlasting life.
What type of water would you think that Jehovah God, the true God offers? Pure, or polluted?
And if God offers purity, why would he accept impurity in the worship given to him? Rather would he not give us instructions on purifying ourselves in order to approach the living and clean God?
"Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones."-James 4:8.
Everything about a person must be clean when approaching God, even his physical appearance and his attire, and the form of worship he offers.
That is why it is crucial to have "accurate knowledge" of truth:
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the accurate knowledge of him."-Ephesians 1:17.
In fact Jesus said that this is the type of worship that is acceptable, that of truth:
"God is a Spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth.”-John 4:24.
Notice that the Bible tells us that truth is required to worship God.
Let us take the following picture and use our power of reasoning to see if what is depicted is truth:
Does this look like an accurate depiction from the Bible?
What is wrong with this picture?
If you were to say that the Bible account never says that the astrologers were in the manger with Jesus and the others when he was born you would answer correctly. This is inaccurate. The Bible account reveals that a supernatural star lead the astrologers from the east first to Jerusalem where they informed Herod of Jesus' birth, and then directly over the house of Jesus whom may have been 2 years old by the time they reached his house.
Does it really matter that the depiction is inaccurate? Isn't it just the spirit that counts?
Ask yourself why is the depiction wrong to begin with? Surely someone must have a Bible and is able to read it? What about the people who made up the tradition? And even if they somehow misread the information hasn't enough time passed to correct the inaccurate tradition?
Ask, why are false, inaccurate traditions good enough? Would Jehovah God really approve of lies such as the fact that Santa Claus exists
The Bible says that we need an accurate knowledge of truth to serve Jehovah appropriately. We need to be holy, clean, pure in our worship to him.
True, people have in earnest worshiped in ignorance. So when we learn that the way we were taught or believed or worshiped, or celebrated goes against God's standards of right and wrong, of good and bad what do we do?
If God is pure and holy and expects nothing less than purity and holiness with accurate knowledge of truth in service to him what do we do?
Do we conform to God's standards to please him or do we chose our own path? What do you think is the best way of doing things?
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove your evil deeds from my sight;
Stop doing bad.
Learn to do good, seek justice,
Correct the oppressor,
Defend the rights of the fatherless child,
And plead the cause of the widow.”
“Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They will be made as white as snow;
Though they are as red as crimson cloth,
They will become like wool."
Isaiah 1:16-18.
