Watchtower - August 1 2001

by hippikon 4 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  hippikon

  page 3-4

  YOUR RIGHT TO BELIEVE

  
  You probably cherish your right to believe whatever you wish to believe. So does almost everyone else. By exercising this right, earth’s six billion inhabitants have produced an amazing diversity of beliefs. Like the variations in color, shape, texture, taste, smell, and sound that we find in creation, differing beliefs often add interest, excitement, and enjoy-ment to life. Such variety can, indeed, be the spice of life.—Psalm 104:24.

  BUT there is a need for caution. Some beliefs are not only different but also dangerous. Early in the 20th centu-ry, for example, some people came to believe that Jews and Freemasons had plans to “disrupt Christian civilization and erect a world state under their joint rule.” One source of this belief was an anti-Semitic tract entitled Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. The tract alleged that the plans included ad-vocating excessive taxation, promoting arma-ment production, encouraging giant monop-olies so that ‘Gentile wealth could be destroyed in one blow.’ Allegations also in-cluded manipulating the education system so as to ‘turn Gentiles into unthinking beasts,’ and even constructing underground railways to join capital cities so that the Jewish elders could ‘quell any opposers by blowing them sky-high.’
  These, of course, were lies—designed to inflame anti-Semitic feelings. ‘This pre-posterous fiction,’ says Mark Jones of the British Museum, ‘spread abroad from Russia,’ where it first appeared in a newspaper article in 1903. It reached The Times of Lon-don on May 8, 1920. More than a year later, The Times exposed the document as a fake. In the meantime, the damage had been done. ‘Lies like these,’ says Jones, ‘are hard to sup-press.’ Once people accept them, they pro-duce some very jaundiced, poisonous, and dangerous beliefs—often with disastrous con-sequences, as the history of the 20th century has shown.—Proverbs 6:16-19.

  [h4]Belief Versus Truth[h4]
  Of course, it does not take deliberate lies to develop mistaken beliefs. At times, we just misread things. How many people have met untimely deaths doing something they be-lieved was right? Then again, often we be-lieve a thing simply be-cause we want to believe it. One professor says that even scientists “often fall in love with their own constructions.” Their beliefs becloud their critical judgment. Then they may spend a lifetime in vain trying to shore up mistaken beliefs.—Jeremiah 17:9.
  Similar things have happened with re-ligious beliefs—where immense contradic-tions exist. (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4) One man has deep faith in God. Another says that the man is only “weaving faith out of moonshine.” One maintains that you have
  an immortal soul that survives death. Anoth-er believes that when you die you cease to exist, totally and completely. Obviously, con-flicting beliefs like these cannot all be true. Is it not the course of wisdom, then, to make sure that what you believe actually is true and not simply what you want to believe? (Proverbs 1:5) How can you do that? The fol-lowing article will examine this subject.
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  hippikon

  Page 4-6

  WHY DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT You BELIEVE?

  To believe has been defined as “to accept as true, genuine, or real.” The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines every person’s “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” This right includes the freedom “to change his religion or belief” if he wants to do so.

  WHY, though, would anyone want to change his religion or belief? “I have my own beliefs, and I am happy with them,” is the commonly ex-pressed view. Many feel that even mistak-en beliefs cause little harm to anyone. Some-one who believes that the earth is flat, for example, is not likely to hurt himself or any-one else. “We should just agree to differ,” some say. Is that always wise? Would a doc-tor simply agree to differ if one of his col-leagues continued to believe he could go straight from handling dead bodies in a morgue to examining sick patients in a hos-pital ward?
  When it comes to religion, mistaken be-liefs have historically caused great harm. Think of the horrors that resulted when re-ligious leaders “inspired Christian zealots to
  pitiless violence” during the so-called Holy Crusades of the Middle Ages. Or think of the modern-day “Christian” gunmen in a re-cent civil war who, “just like medieval war-riors who had saints’ names on their sword hilts, taped pictures of the Virgin to their ri-fle butts.” All these zealots believed that they were right. Yet, obviously in these and other religious struggles and fights, something was terribly wrong.
  Why is there so much confusion and con-flict? The Bible’s answer is that Satan the Devil is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3) The apostle Paul warned that many re-ligious people would, sadly, be “doomed to perish” because they would be deceived by Satan, who would “produce miracles and wonders calculated to deceive.” Such ones, said Paul, would “shut their minds to the love of truth which could have saved them” and would thus be ‘deluded into believing what is a lie.’ (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, The New Testament, by William Barclay) How can you minimize the possibility of believ-ing a lie? Why, in fact, do you believe the wayyou do?

  Brought Up to Believe It?

  
  Perhaps you have been brought up in the beliefs of your family. That may well be a good thing. God wants parents to teach their children. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-21) The young man Timothy, for example, benefited greatly from listening to his moth-er and grandmother. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14,
  15) The Scriptures encourage respect for what parents believe. (Proverbs 1:8; Ephe-sians 6:1) But did your Creator mean for you to believe things simply because your par-ents believe them? Unthinking adherence to what previous generations believed and did can, in fact, be dangerous.—Psalm 78:8; Amos 2:4.
  A Samaritan woman who met Jesus Christ had been brought up to believe in her Sa-maritan religion. (John 4:20) Jesus respected her freedom to choose what she wanted to believe, but he also pointed out to her: “You worship what you do not know.” Many of her religious beliefs were, in fact, mistaken, and he told her that she would have to make changes in her beliefs if she was going to worship God acceptably—”with spirit and truth.” Rather than cling to what were no doubt cherished beliefs, she and others like her would, in time, have to become “obedi-ent to the faith” revealed through Jesus Christ.—John 4:21-24, 39-41; Acts 6:7.

  Educated to Believe It?

  
  Many teachers and authorities in special-ized fields of knowledge deserve great re-
  spect. Yet, history is littered with examples of renowned teachers who were absolute-ly wrong. For example, regarding two books on scientific matters written by Greek phi-losopher Aristotle, historian Bertrand Rus-sell stated that “hardly a sentence in either can be accepted in the light of modern science.” Even modern-day authorities of-ten get things drastically wrong. “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” was the confident assertion of British scien-tist Lord Kelvin in 1895. A wise person, therefore, does not blindly believe that something is true simply because some au-thoritative teacher says it is.—Psalm 146:3.
  The same caution is needed when it comes to religious education. The apos-tle Paul was well-educated by his religious teachers and was extremely “zealous for the traditions of [his] fathers.” His zeal for the traditional beliefs of his ancestors, however, actually created problems for him. It led to his “persecuting the congregation of God and devastating it.” (Galatians 1:13, 14; John 16:2, 3) Worse still, for a long time, Paul kept “kicking against the goads,” resist-ing the influences that should have led him to believe in Jesus Christ. It required a dra-matic intervention by Jesus himself to move Paul to adjust his beliefs.—Acts 9:1-6; 26:14.

  Influenced by the Media?

  
  Maybe the media have greatly influenced your beliefs. Most people are glad that there is freedom of speech in the media, giving them access to information that can be use-ful. However, there are powerful forces that can and frequently do manipulate the me-dia. What is often presented is biased infor-mation that can insidiously affect your thinking.
  In addition, to appeal to or to attract a larger audience, the media tend to give publicity to what is sensational and uncon-ventional. What could hardly be said or printed for public consumption just a few years ago has become commonplace today. Slowly but surely, established standards of behavior are attacked and whittled away. People’s thinking is gradually becoming dis-torted. They begin to believe that “good is bad and bad is good.”—Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corin-thians 6:9, 10.

  Finding a Sound Basis for Belief

  
  Building on the ideas and philosophies of men is like building on sand. (Matthew 7:
  26; 1 Corinthians 1:19, 20) On what, then, can you confidently base your beliefs? Since God has given you intellectual capacity to investigate the world around you and to ask questions concerning spiritual matters, does it not make sense that he would also provide the means to get accurate answers to your questions? (1 John 5:20) Yes, of course he would! How, though, can you establish what is true, genuine, or real in matters of worship? We have no hesitation in saying that God’s Word, the Bible, provides the only basis for doing this.—John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
  “But wait,” someone will say, “is it not the very ones who have the Bible who have caused the most conflict and confusion in world af-fairs?” Well, it is true that religious leaders who claim to follow the Bible have pro-duced many confusing and conflicting ideas. This is be-cause they have not, in fact, based their beliefs on the Bible. The apostle Peter describes them as “false prophets” and “false teachers” who would create “destructive sects.” As a consequence of their activities, says Peter, “the way of the truth will be spoken of abu-sively.” (2 Peter 2:1, 2) Still, writes Peter, “we have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”—2 Peter 1:19; Psalm 119: 105.
  The Bible encourages us to check our be-liefs against what it teaches. (1 John 4:1) Mil-lions of readers of this magazine can testify that doing so has added purpose and stabili-ty to their lives. So be like the noble-minded Beroeans. ‘Carefully examine the Scriptures daily’ before you decide what to believe. (Acts 17:11) Jehovah’s Witnesses will be hap-py to help you to do this. Of course, it is your decision as to what you want to be-lieve. However, it is the course of wisdom to make sure that your beliefs are shaped, not by human wisdom and desires, but, rather, by God’s revealed Word of truth.—1 Thessa-lonians 2:13; 5:21.
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  hippikon

  Page 7-12 Study Sept 9

  CAN You “DISTINGUISH BOTH RIGHT AND WRONG”?

  
  “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.”—EPHESIANS 5:10.

  I WELL know, 0 Jehovah, that to earth-I ling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) Jeremi-ah’s insightful observation applies to us today with added force. Why? It is because we are living in “critical times hard to deal with,” as the Bible foretold. (2 Timothy 3:1) Every day, we are confronted with perplexing situations that require that we make decisions. Large or small, these decisions can have a profound ef-fect on our welfare—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

  1. In what way can life today be perplexing, and why?

  Many choices we make in our daily life may be considered routine or trivial. Each day, for example, we go through the process of choosing the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the people we see, and so on. We make these choices almost automatically, with little thought. But are such matters really trivial? For dedicated Christians, it is a matter of deep concern that the choices we make in our at-tire and appearance, in our eating and drink-ing, and in our speech and conduct always re-flect our role as servants of the Most High, Jehovah God. We are reminded of the apostle Paul’s words: “Whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.”—l Corinthians 10:31; Cobs-sians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:9, 10.

  2. What choices may be considered trivial, yet how do dedicated Christians view such?

  Then there are choices that are of even more serious concern. The decision to marry or to remain single, for example, surely has a profound and lasting effect on one’s life. To be sure, choosing the right person to marry, to be one’s lifelong partner, is no small mat-ter.* (Proverbs 18:22) Additionally, our choice in friends and associates, in education, in em-ployment, and in entertainment and recre-ation plays an influential, even decisive, role in our spirituality—hence, in our eternal wel-fare.—Romans 13:13, 14; Ephesians 5:3, 4.

  [footnote](“In a list of over 40 of the most stressful experiences in people’s life, compiled by Drs. Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe, death of a spouse, divorce, and separation occupy the top three spots. Getting married ranks sev-enth.)

  3. What choices are of genuinely serious concern?

  Faced with all of this, it is certainly desir-able for us to have the ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong or between what appears to be right and what is really right. “There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward,” warns the Bible. (Prov-erbs 14:12) Thus, we might ask: ‘How can we develop the ability to distinguish between right and wrong? Where can we turn in order to find the needed guidance in our decision making? What have people, past and present, done in this regard, and what has been the outcome?

  4. (a) What ability would be most desirable? (b) What questions need to be considered?

  “The Philosophy and Empty Deception” of the World

  
  The first-century Christians lived in a world dominated by Greco-Roman values and ideals. On the one hand, there were the com-forts and luxuries of the Roman way of life, regarded by many as something to be envied. On the other hand, the intellectual circle of the day was abuzz not only with the philo-sophical ideas of Plato and Aristotle but also with those of the newer schools, such as the Epicureans and the Stoics. When the apostle Paul came to Athens on his second mission-ary tour, he was confronted by Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who felt that they were su-perior to “this chatterer,” Paul.—Acts 17:18.

  5. What kind of world did the early Christians live in?

  It is not hard, therefore, to understand why some among the early Christians were drawn to the pretentious ways and life-styles of the people around them. (2 Timothy 4:10) Those who were part and parcel of the system seemed to enjoy many benefits and advan-tages, and the choices they made appeared to be sound. The world seemed to have some-thing valuable to offer that the dedicated Christian way of life did not. However, the apostle Paul warned: “Lookout: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty de-ception according to the tradition of men, ac-cording to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.” (Cobossians 2:8) Why did Paul say that?

  6. (a) What were some of the early Christians tempted to do? (b) What warning did Paul sound?

  Paul sounded that warning because he sensed a real danger lurking behind the think-ing of those attracted by the world. His use of the term “philosophy and empty deception” is especially significant. The word “philoso-phy” literally means “the love and pursuit of wisdom.” That in itself may be beneficial. In fact, the Bible, particularly in the book of Proverbs, encourages the pursuit of the right kind of knowledge and wisdom. (Proverbs 1:
  1-7; 3:13-18) Paul, however, coupled “philos-ophy” with “empty deception.” In other words, Paul viewed the wisdom that the world had to offer as empty and deceptive. Like an inflated balloon, it had the appearance of so-lidity, but there was no substance to it. It would certainly be futile, even disastrous, to base one’s choice of right and wrong on something as insubstantial as “the philoso-phy and empty deception” of the world.

  7. What does the wisdom of the world really amount to?

  Those Saying That “Good Is Bad and Bad Is Good”

  
  Things are not very different today. In prac-tically every field of human endeavor, there are experts galore. Marriage and family coun-selors, columnists, self-styled therapists, as-trologers, psychics, and others are ready to of-fer advice—for a fee. But what kind of advice is being offered? Often, Bible standards on mo-rality are put aside to make room for the so-called new morality. For example, in speak-ing about the government’s refusal to register same-sex marriages,” an editorial in Canada’s mainstream newspaper The Globe and Mail declares: “In the year 2000, it is gro-tesque that a loving and committed cou-ple should be denied their fondest wish because they happen to be of the same sex.” The trend today is to be tolerant, not judgmental. Everything is consid-ered relative; there is no longer any abso-lute in right and wrong.—Psalm 10:3, 4.

  8. (a) To whom do people turn for advice? (b) What kind of advice is dispensed?

  Others look to the socially and financially successful—the rich and fa-mous—as models in their decision mak-ing. Although the rich and famous are considered respectable in today’s soci-ety, they often pay only lip service to vir-tues like honesty and trust. In the pur-suit of power and profit, many feel no qualms about cuffing corners and tram-pling on moral principles. To achieve fame and popularity, some casually discard estab-lished values and standards in preference to behavior that is bizarre and shocking. The re-sult is a profit-motivated, permissive soci-ety in which the motto is, “Anything goes.” Is it any wonder that people are confused and lost when it comes to right and wrong?—Luke 6:39.

  9. What do people considered respectable in sod-etyoften do?

  The tragic consequences of bad decisions made on the basis of faulty guidance are all around us—broken marriages and families, drug and alcohol abuse, violent youth gangs, promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, to name but a few. Really, how can we expect things to be otherwise when people abandon all standards or points of reference when it comes to right and wrong? (Romans 1:28-32) It is just as the prophet Isaiah declared: “Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes and dis-creet even in front of their own faces! “—Isaiah 5:20,21.

  10. How have Isaiah’s words about good and bad proved true?

  The fact that God called to account those ancient Jews who became “wise in their own eyes” makes it all the more important for us to avoid relying on ourselves in determining right and wrong. Many people today subscribe to the notion of “just listen to your heart,” or “do what you feel is right.” Is such an approach sound? Not according to the Bible, which plainly says: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) Would you rely on a treacherous and desperate person to guide you in your decision making? Hardly. If any-thing, you would probably do just the oppo-site of what such a person tells you. That is why the Bible reminds us: “He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid, but he that is walking in wisdom is the one that will escape.”—Proverbs 3:5-7; 28:26.

  11. Why is it unsound thinking to rely on oneself when determining right and wrong?

  Learning What Is Acceptable to God

  
  Since we should rely neither on the wis-dom of the world nor on ourselves when it comes to right and wrong, what should we do? Note this clear and unambiguous counsel from the apostle Paul: “Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be trans-formed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and accept-able and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) Why do we need to prove to ourselves the will of God? In the Bible, Jehovah gives a straight-forward but powerful reason, saying: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) Thus, rather than relying on so-called com-mon sense or good feelings, we are admon-ished: “Keep on making sure of what is ac-ceptable to the Lord.”—Ephesians 5:10.

  12. Why do we need to prove to ourselves the “will of God”?

  Jesus Christ emphasized this need when he said: “This means everlasting life, their tak-ing in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) The expression “taking in knowledge” has a far deeper meaning than simply “knowing.” According to Vine’s Expos-itory Dictionarn it “indicates a relation be-tween the person knowing and the object known; in this respect, what is known is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relation-ship.” To have a relationship with someone means more than just knowing who that per-son is or what his name is. It also involves knowing the likes and dislikes of that person, knowing his values, his standards—and hon-oring them.—1 John 2:3; 4:8.

  13. How do Jesus’ words recorded at John 17:3 em-phasize the need to know what is acceptable to God?

  Training Our Perceptive Powers

  
  How, then, can we acquire the ability to distinguish between right and wrong? Paul’s words to the first-century Hebrew Christians provide the answer. He wrote: “Everyone that partakes of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use have their perceptive pow-ers trained to distinguish both right and wrong.” Here Paul contrasted “milk,” which he described in the preceding verse as “the el-ementary things of the sacred pronounce-ments of God,” with “solid food,” which be-longs to “mature people,” who “have their perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong.”—Hebrews 5:12-14.

  14. What did Paul say is the chief distinction be-tween spiritual babes and mature people?

  This means that, first of all, we must work hard to gain an accurate understanding of God’s standards as contained in his Word, the Bible. We are not looking for a list of dos and don’ts to tell us what we may or may not do. The Bible is not such a book. Rather, Paul ex-plained: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for set-ting things straight, for disciplining in righ-teousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) To benefit from that teaching, reproving, and disciplin-ing, we must put our mind and thinking abil-ity to use. This takes effort, but the result—be-ing “fully competent, completely equipped for every good work”—is well worth it.—Prov-erbs 2:3-6.

  15. Why is hard work needed to gain an accurate knowledge of God?

  Then, as Paul indicated, mature people “have their perceptive powers trained to dis-tinguish both right and wrong.” Here we come to the crux of the matter. The expres-sion “have their perceptive powers trained” literally means “the sense organs having been trained (like gymnast).” (Kingdom Inter-linear Translation) A seasoned gymnast on a chosen apparatus, such as rings or a bal-ance beam, can perform split-second maneu-vers that seem to defy gravity or other natural laws. He has full control of his body members at all times, and he senses almost instinctively what moves he must make so that he can complete his routine successfully. All of this is the result of rigorous training and incessant practice.

  16. What does it mean to have one’s perceptive powers trained?

  We too must be trained like a gymnast, spiritually speaking, if we want to be sure that the decisions and choices we make are always sound. We must at all times have full control of our senses and body members. (Matthew %:29, 30; Colossians 3:5-10) For example, do you discipline your eyes not to look at immor-al material or your ears not to listen to degrad-ing music or speech? It is true that such unwholesome material is all around us. How-ever, it is still up to us whether we let it take root in our heart and mind. We can imitate the psalmist who said: “I shall not set in front of my eyes any good-for-nothing thing. The doing of those who fall away I have hated; it does not cling to me.. . . As for anyone speak-ing falsehoods, he will not be firmly estab-lished in front of my eyes.”—Psalm 101:3, 7.

  17. In what sense should we be like gymnasts?

  Train Your Perceptive Powers Through Use

  
  Bear in mind that it is “through use” that we can have our perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong. In oth-er words, every time we are faced with a decision, we should learn to use our men-tal powers to discern what Bible principles are involved and how they can be applied. Develop the habit of doing research in Bible publications provided through “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45) We can, of course, seek the help of mature Christians. Nonetheless, the personal effort we put forth to study God’s Word, coupled with prayer to Jehovah for his guidance and spirit, will pay rich dividends in the long run.—Ephesians 3:
  14-19.

  18. What is suggested by the expression “through use~~ in Paul’s explanation about training one’s per-ceptive powers?

  As we progressively train our perceptive powers, the objective is that “we should no longer be babes, tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in contriving error.” (Ephesians 4:14) Rather, based on our knowl-edge and understanding of what is acceptable to God, we can make wise decisions, big and small, that are beneficial to us, upbuilding to our fellow worshipers, and above all pleasing to our heavenly Father. (Proverbs 27:11) What a blessing and protection that is in these criti-cal times!

  19. What blessings can be ours if we progressively train our perceptive powers?
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  hippikon

  Page 12-17 Study Sept16

  MAKE YOUR ADVANCEMENT MANIFEST

  
  “Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, that your advancement may be manifest to all persons.”— i TIMOTHY 4:15.

  PICTURE in your mind your favorite fruit a peach, a pear, a mango, or something else. Can you tell when it is ripe and ready to eat? Most certainly. Its aroma, color, and feel all tell you that a mouth-watering ex-perience awaits you. The moment you get a piece of it into your mouth, you may let out a sigh. What succulence! What sweetness! It gives you a great deal of enjoyment and pleasure.

  1. How can you tell when a fruit is ripe and ready to eat?

  This simple but delightful experience has its parallels in other areas of life. For one thing, as is true with ripeness in fruit, spiritu-al maturity in a person is also manifest in var-ious ways. We recognize maturity in a person when we see discernment, insight, wisdom, and soon. (Job 32:7-9) It is certainly a delight to associate and work with people who dis-play such qualities in their attitudes and ac-tions.—Proverbs 13:20.

  2. How is maturity made manifest, and what eflect does it have on personal relationships?

  On the other hand, a person may be grown physically, but the way he talks and acts may reveal that he is immature emotion-ally and spiritually. For example, speaking of the wayward generation of his day, Jesus Christ said: “John came neither eating nor drinking, yet people say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of man did come eating and drink-ing, still people say, ‘Look! A man gluttonous and given to drinking wine.”’ Even though those people were mature physically, Jesus said that they acted like “young children”—anything but mature. Thus, he added: “All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by its works.”—Matthew 11:16-19.

  3. What did Jesus’ description of the people of his day reveal about maturity?

  From Jesus’ words, we can see that whether a person is in possession of true wisdom—a distinctive sign of matu-rity—is indicated by the works he per-forms and the results pro-duced. Along this line, note the apostle Paul’s counsel to Timothy. After enumerat-ing the things that Timo-thy should pursue, Paul said: “Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, that your advance-ment may be manifest to all persons.” (1 Timothy 4:15) Yes, a Christian’s ad-vancement toward maturi-ty is “manifest,” or clearly discernible. Christian matu-rity, like a shining light, is not an internal or hidden quality. (Matthew 5:14-16) We will, therefore, consider two princi-pal ways in which advance-ment and maturity may be made manifest: (1) growing in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom; (2) manifesting the fruitage of the spirit.

  4. In what ways are advancement and maturity made manifest?

  Oneness in Faith and Knowledge

  
  Most dictionaries describe maturity as the state of full development, of being full-grown, and as having attained a final state or desired standard. A piece of fruit, as men-tioned earlier, is mature, or ripe, when it has completed its natural growth cycle and its ap-pearance, color, aroma, and taste have reached what is considered desirable. Maturi-ty, therefore, is synonymous with excellence, completeness, even perfection.—Isaiah 18:5; Matthew 5:45-48; James 1:4.

  5. How can maturity be defined?

  Jehovah God is keenly interested in having all his worshipers advance to spiri-tual maturity. To that end, he has made wonderful provisions within the Christian congregation. To the Christians in Ephesus, the apos-tie Paul wrote: “He gave some as apostles, some as proph-ets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ; in order that we should no longer be babes, tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in con-triving error.”—Ephesians 4:11-14.

  In these verses, Paul explained that among the reasons why God made such am-ple spiritual provisions in the congregation are that all should ‘attain oneness in the faith and in accurate knowledge,’ become “a full-grown man,” and have the ‘mea-sure of stature of Christ.’ Only then will we be safe from being tossed about like spiritu-al babes by false ideas and teachings. Thus we see the close relationship between advancing to Christian maturity and gaining “oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God.” There are a number of points in Paul’s counsel we do well to take to heart.

  6, 7. (a) What shows that Jehovah is keenly inter-ested in having all his worshipers advance to spiritu-al maturity? (b) To what is spiritual maturity closely related?

  First, since “oneness” is to be observed, a mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete con-fidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jeho-vah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and “the faithful and discreet slave.” By regu-larly taking in the spiritual food provided “at the proper time”—through Christian publi-cations, meetings, assemblies, and conven-tions—we can be sure that we maintain “one-ness” with fellow Christians in faith and knowledge.—Matthew 24:45.

  8. What does attaining “oneness” in the faith and accurate knowledge require?

  Second, the expression “the faith” re-fers, not to the conviction that each indi-vidual Christian professes, but to the totali-tyof our belief, “the breadth and length and height and depth” of it. (Ephesians 3:18; 4:5; Colossians 1:23; 2:7) In fact, how can a Chris-tian be in oneness with fellow believers if he only believes or accepts a certain part of “the faith”? This means that we must not be con-tent with knowing just the basic teachings of the Bible or having just hazy or partial knowledge of the truth. Rather, we should be interested in taking advantage of all of Jeho-vah’s provisions through his organization to dig deeply into his Word. We must endeav-or to gain as accurate and as full an under-standing of God’s will and purpose as possi-ble. This includes taking the time to read and study the Bible and Bible publications, to pray to God for his help and guidance, to at-tend Christian meetings regularly, and to have a full share in the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work.—Proverbs 2:1-5.

  9. Explain the meaning of the expression “the faith” as used by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

  Third, Paul prefaced the description of the three-fold goal with the words “until we all attain.” Regarding the expression “we all,” one Bible handbook gives the meaning as “not all, one by one, separately, but all to-gether.” In other words, each one of us should put forth a reasonable effort to pursue the goal of Christian maturity along with the entire brotherhood. The Interpreter’s Bible ob-serves: “The fullness of spiritual achievement is not to be attained by the individual in iso-lation, just as one part of the body cannot reach its mature development except as the whole body continues its healthy growth.” Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians that it was “with all the holy ones” that they should strive to grasp mentally the full scope of the faith.—Ephesians 3:18a.

  10. What is the significance of the words “until we all attain,” as used at Ephesians 4:13?

  It is clear from Paul’s words that making spiritual advancement does not mean mere-ly filling our mind with knowledge and great learning. The mature Christian is not one who dazzles others with his brilliance. Rath-er, the Bible says: “The path of the righ-teous ones is like the bright light that is get-ting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” (Proverbs 4:18) Yes, it is “the path,” not the individual, that is “getting lighter and lighter.” If we put forth a continu-ous effort to keep up with the ever brighten-ing understanding of God’s Word that Jeho-vah is granting his people, we will be making spiritual advancement. In this case, to keep up is to move ahead, and that is something all of us can do.—Psalm 97:11; 119:105.

  11. (a) What does making spiritual advancement not imply? (b) What do we need to do to make ad-vancement?

  Manifest “the Fruitage of the Spirit”

  
  While attaining “the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge” is im-portant, it is equally important for us to manifest the fruitage of God’s spirit in every aspect of our life. Why? This is because ma-turity, as we have seen, is not internal or hid-den, but it is marked by clearly discernible characteristics that can benefit and build up others. Of course, our quest for spiritual ad-vancement is not merely an effort to look cultivated or to put on airs. Rather, as we grow spiritually, following the leading of God’s spirit, there will be a wonderful trans-formation in our attitudes and actions.
  “Keep walking by spirit and you will carry out no fleshly desire at all,” said the apostle Paul.—Galatians 5:16.

  12. Why is manifesting the fruitage of the spirit im-portant in our quest for spiritual advancement?

  Paul went on to list “the works of the flesh,” which are numerous and “manifest.” Be-fore a person comes to appreci-ate God’s requirements, his life is patterned after the ways of the world and may be filled with some of the things Paul mentioned: “fornication, un-cleanness, loose conduct, idola-try, practice of spiritism, enmi-ties, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects, envies, drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these.” (Galatians 5:19-21) But as the person makes spiritual progress, he gradually gains the mastery over these undesirable “works of the flesh” and makes room for “the fruitage of the spirit.” This outwardly visible change is a clear indi-cation that the person is advancing toward Christian maturity.—Galatians 5:22.

  13. What change is a clear indication of advance-ment?

  We should note the two expressions “the works of the flesh” and “the fruitage of the spirit.” “Works” are the results of what one does, the product of one’s actions. In other words, the items that Paul listed as the works of the flesh are the results either of one’s con-scious effort or of the influence of the fall-en human flesh. (Romans 1:24, 28; 7:21-25) On the other hand, the expression “the fruit-age of the spirit” implies that the qualities listed are, not the results of efforts in so-called character development or personality enhancement, but the results of the opera-tion of God’s spirit on a person. Just as a tree will bear fruit when it is properly tended, so a person will manifest the fruitage of the spirit when holy spirit flows freely in his life.—Psalm 1:1-3.

  14. Explain the two expressions “the works of the flesh” and “the fruitage of the spirit.”

  Another point to consider is Paul’s use of the word “fruitage” to encompass all the desirable qualities that he mentioned.* The spirit does not produce a variety of fruits for us to pick our favorite. All the qualities listed by Paul—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control—are equally important, and togeth-er they make possible the new Chris-tian personality. (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10) Therefore, while we may find that cer-tain ones of these qualities are more evident in our life on account of our own personality and inclinations, it is important that we give attention to all the aspects mentioned by Paul. By so doing, we can more fully reflect a Christlike personality in our life.—1 Peter 2:12, 21.

  15. Why is it important to give attention to all as-pects of “the fruitage of the spirit”?

  The important lesson we can learn from Paul’s discussion is that in the pursuit of Christian maturity, our objective is neither to acquire great knowledge and learning nor to cultivate refined personality traits. It is to gain a free flow of God’s spirit in our life. To the extent that our thinking and actions are responsive to the leading of God’s spirit, to that extent we become spiritually mature. How can we achieve this objective? We must open our heart and mind to the influence of God’s spirit. This involves our faithfully at-tending and participating in Christian meet-ings. We should also regularly study and meditate on God’s Word, allowing its prin-ciples to guide our dealings with others and the choices and decisions we make. Certain-ly, then, our advancement will be clearly manifest.

  16. What is our objective in our pursuit of Christian maturity, and how can it be achieved?

  Make Advancement for God’s Glory

  
  Ultimately, making our advancement manifest brings glory and praise, not to us, but to our heavenly Father, Jehovah, who makes it possible for us to gain spiritual ma-turity. On the night before Jesus was killed, he told the disciples: “My Father is glorified in this, that you keep bearing much fruit and prove yourselves my disciples.” (John 15:8) Both by the fruitage of the spirit and by the Kingdom fruitage of their ministry, the disci-ples brought glory to Jehovah.—Acts 11:4, 18; 13:48.

  17. How is making advancement related to glorify-ing our heavenly Father?

  Today, Jehovah’s blessing is upon his people as they engage in a global spiritu-al harvest. For a number of years now, about 300,000 new ones every year have dedicated themselves to Jehovah and symbolized their dedication by water baptism. This makes us happy and undoubtedly also makes Jeho-vah’s heart rejoice. (Proverbs 27:11) However, for this to be a continuous source of joy and praise to Jehovah, all such new ones need to “go on walking in union with [Christ], root-ed and being built up in him and being sta-bilized in the faith.” (Colossians 2:6, 7) This presents a two-fold challenge to God’s peo-ple. On the one hand, if you are newly bap-tized, will you accept the challenge to apply yourself so that “your advancement may be manifest to all persons”? On the other hand, if you have been in the truth for some time, will you accept the challenge to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the spiritual wel-fare of new ones? In either case, the need for pressing on to maturity is clear.—Philippians 3:16; Hebrews 6:1.

  18. (a) What joyful harvest is taking place today? (b) What challenge does this harvest present?

  Wonderful blessings await all who work hard to make their advancement mani-fest. Recall Paul’s encouraging words after he urged Timothy to make advancement: “Pay constant attention to yourself and to your teaching. Stay by these things, for by do-ing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” (1 Timothy 4:16) By dil-igently making your advancement manifest, you too can share in the privilege of glorify-ing God’s name and enjoying his blessings.

  19. What privilege and blessings can be yours if you make your advancement manifest?

  Do You Recall?

  
  • In what ways can spiritual maturity be made manifest?

  • What kind of knowledge and under-standing reflect maturity?

  • How does manifesting “the fruitage of the spirIts indicate spiritual ad-var*cement?

  • What challenge should we accept as we press on to maturity?
• 

  Jim Lad

  "A wise person, therefore, does not believe something is true just because an authoritive person says so"

  Yeah? Like the WT society??? Absolute propaganda!! Sickening