Watchtower Study, Week May 9–15, 2022, Keep Wearing “The New Personality” After Baptism, Answers Underlined.

Watchtower Study, May 9-15, 2022, Keep Wearing “The New Personality” After Baptism, Answers Underlined.

1. What mainly determines our personality?

Whether we have been baptized for just a few days or several decades, all of us want to have the kind of personality that pleases Jehovah. To achieve this, we need to control our thoughts. Why? Because these largely determine our personality. If we are always thinking about things that please our carnal desires, we will say and do bad things (Eph. 4:17-19). Instead, if we fill our minds with good thoughts, we will be more likely to speak and act as our Father, Jehovah, pleases (Gal. 5:16).

2. What questions will we answer in this article?

As we saw in the previous article, we cannot completely prevent bad thoughts from entering our minds. But we can choose not to put them into practice. Before we get baptized, we need to stop talking and acting in ways that Jehovah detests. This is the first and most important step in getting rid of the old personality. However, to make Jehovah totally happy, we also have to obey this command: “Put on the new personality” (Col. 3:10). In this article, we will answer the following questions: What is "the new personality"? And how can we put it on and always wear it?

WHAT IS “THE NEW PERSONALITY”?

3. What is "the new personality," and how do we dress in it? (Galatians 5:22, 23).

“The new personality” is the way of thinking and acting that reflects the qualities of Jehovah. And how do we dress with it? Showing the fruit of God's spirit by allowing this spirit to influence our thoughts, feelings, and actions (read Galatians 5:22, 23). For example, the person who puts on “the new personality” loves Jehovah and his servants (Matt. 22:36-39). He maintains happiness even when he faces difficulties (Jas. 1:2-4). He fosters peace (Matt. 5:9). He is patient and kind to others (Col. 3:12, 13). He loves what is good, and does it (Luke 6:35). He demonstrates by his actions that he has strong faith in his heavenly Father (Jas. 2:18). He remains mild when provoked (Titus 3:2). And he controls himself in the face of temptations (1 Cor. 9:25, 27).

4. Why can't the qualities mentioned at Galatians 5:22, 23 be cultivated one by one?

To put on the new personality, we have to cultivate both the qualities that appear in Galatians 5:22, 23 and those that are mentioned in other Bible texts. These qualities are not like different clothes that we put on one by one. Rather, they are related to each other. For example, if we truly love others, we will be patient and kind to them. And to be really good, we must be gentle and have self-control.

HOW DO WE PUT ON THE NEW PERSONALITY?

5. What does it mean to have “the mind of Christ,” and why should we study the life of Jesus? (1 Corinthians 2:16).

(Read 1 Corinthians 2:16). To put on the new personality, we need to have “the mind of Christ”, that is, we need to learn how Jesus thinks and then imitate him. Jesus manifests the fruit of God's spirit to perfection. Like a good mirror, it reflects Jehovah's qualities just as they are (Heb. 1:3). The more our way of thinking resembles that of Jesus, the better we will imitate his way of acting and the better we will reflect his personality (Phil. 2: 5).

6. What must we remember as we strive to put on the new personality?

Can we really follow the example of Jesus? Perhaps you think, “Jesus is perfect. I can never be exactly like him!” If you think so, remember three things. First, you were designed to be like Jehovah and Jesus. So you can choose to imitate them and you can, at least to some degree (Gen. 1:26). Second, God's holy spirit is the most powerful force there is. With his help, you can achieve things that you would never be able to do alone. Third, Jehovah does not expect you to manifest the fruitage of the spirit perfectly now. Consider that our loving Father will give those who expect to live on earth 1,000 years to become perfect (Rev. 20:1-3). What Jehovah expects of us now is that we do our best and trust that he will help us.

7. What are we going to see now?

How specifically can we imitate Jesus? We are going to examine four qualities of the fruit of God's spirit. We will see how Jesus demonstrated each of these qualities and what we can learn from it. We will also look at some questions that will help us examine whether we need to improve the new personality.

8. How did Jesus show his love?

Jesus loved Jehovah so much that he was moved to make sacrifices for him and for us (John 14:31; 15:13). And he demonstrated his great love for people by the way he lived while he was on Earth. He was always loving and compassionate, even to some who opposed him. He demonstrated this love in a special way by telling people about the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43, 44). He also proved how much he loved God and people by being willing to suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Thus he gave us all the opportunity to live forever.

9. How can we show love, following the example of Jesus?

If we dedicated ourselves to Jehovah and got baptized, it was because we love our heavenly Father. So, like Jesus, we should show that love in dealing with people. The apostle John wrote: “Whoever does not love his brother, whom he sees, he cannot love God, whom he does not see” (1 John 4:20). Let's ask ourselves: “Do I feel a deep love for others? Am I compassionate in treating others, even when they are mean to me? Do I spend my time and resources talking to others about Jehovah out of love? Do I do it even when most people don't appreciate it, or even when they oppose me? Could you spend more time preaching?” (Eph. 5:15, 16).

10. What did Jesus do to promote peace?

Jesus was peaceful. He did not return evil for evil. But he did something else. He took the initiative to be at peace with people and encouraged others to resolve their disputes. For example, he taught them that they must make peace with his brother if they wanted Jehovah to accept their worship from him (Matt. 5:9, 23, 24). And time after time he encouraged his apostles to stop arguing over who was the greatest among them (Luke 9:46-48; 22:24-27).

11. How can we promote peace?

To promote peace, we not only have to avoid causing conflicts. We need to take the initiative to make peace with others and to encourage our brothers to work out their differences (Phil. 4:2, 3; Jas. 3:17, 18). We might ask ourselves, “How far am I willing to go to make peace with others? Do I hold a grudge if a brother hurts my feelings? Do I expect the other person to take the first step in resolving things? Or do I give it, even though he thinks she's to blame? If appropriate, do I encourage those who have issues with each other to make amends?”

12. How did Jesus show that he was kind?

Jesus was kind (Matt. 11:28-30). He was warm and reasonable, even in difficult circumstances. For example, when a Phoenician woman begged him to cure her daughter, he did not at first do as she asked. But he was kind to her and healed the girl when he saw her great faith (Matt. 15:22-28). Now, he was not carried away by sentimentality. Sometimes kindness required that he be firm with those he loved. For example, when Peter tried to influence Jesus not to comply with Jehovah's will, he rebuked him in front of the other disciples (Mark 8:32, 33). He did not do it to humiliate Peter, but to teach him and to warn the other disciples that they should support him and not prevent him from doing God's will. No doubt Pedro felt a little embarrassed, but it was for his own good.

13. What do we have to do sometimes to be truly kind?

To be truly kind to those we love, sometimes we have to speak frankly. When we do, let us imitate Jesus and base our advice on the principles of God's Word. Let's be affectionate. Let us expect the best from them, trusting that those who love Jehovah and us will accept the advice we give them with affection. Let's ask ourselves: “Do I dare to speak up when I see that someone I love is doing something wrong? And how I do it? With kindness, or am I harsh? And why am I giving you the advice? Is it because I'm angry with the person, or because I want what's best for them?

14. How did Jesus demonstrate kindness?

Jesus not only knows what is good; he does too. He loves his Father, so he always does what is right and for the right reason. The person who manifests kindness is always looking for ways to help others and to do things for them. It is not enough to know what is good; we have to do it and with the right reason. Someone might ask, “Is it possible to do something good for a bad reason?” Of course it is possible. For example, Jesus spoke of those who gave alms to the poor but made sure others knew what they were doing. These apparent good works did not impress Jehovah (Matt. 6:1-4).

ILLUSTRATION:

The Bible student in the previous article, who is now a baptized brother and put on new clothes, is going down a path. Series of images: Jesus demonstrating the qualities of the fruit of the spirit. 1. To feed a crowd, Jesus receives some loaves and some fish from a child. 2. Jesus sits and talks with some children. 3. Jesus peacefully endures being slapped during the illegal trial they gave him.

The more we learn to think like Jesus, the better we will reflect his personality. (See paragraphs 5, 8, 10, 12 and 14).

15. How can we be truly good?

We can only be truly good if we do good things thinking of others and not out of selfishness. We should ask ourselves: “Can I say that I not only know what is right, but also that I do it? Why do I do good things?

HOW CAN WE KEEP THE NEW PERSONALITY IN GOOD CONDITION?

16. What do we have to do every day, and why?

Let us not think that when we are baptized we completely clothe ourselves with the new personality, and we do not have to do anything else. The new personality is like a piece of clothing that we must keep in good condition. Therefore, every day we have to look for new ways to manifest the fruit of God's spirit. Why? For Jehovah is a God of action, and his spirit is an active force (Gen. 1:2). This means that each of the qualities of the fruit of the spirit can and should motivate us to act. For example, the disciple James wrote, "Faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:26). And the same can be said of the other qualities that the spirit of God produces. Every time we manifest them, we show that the spirit of God is working in us.

17. What can we do when we do not manifest the fruitage of the spirit as we should?

Even Christians who have been baptized for many years sometimes do not manifest the fruit of the spirit as expected. But the important thing is not to give up. Let's take an example. If our favorite piece of clothing rips, don't we throw it away right away? We will most likely try to fix it, if possible. And from then on we would be more careful. Similarly, if on occasion we do not treat someone with as much kindness, patience, or love as we should, let us not be discouraged. A sincere apology can repair the damage and be the first step to reestablishing our good relationship with that person. And let's resolve to do better next time.

18. What can we be sure of?

How thankful we are to have the example of Jesus! The more we imitate his way of thinking, the easier it will be for us to act like him. And so we will better reflect the new personality. In this article, we have only discussed four of the qualities of the fruit of God's spirit. But it would be good if we spent time looking at other qualities that spirit produces to see if we can better manifest them. You will find a list of helpful articles in the Jehovah's Witness Study Guide under the topic “Christian Living” and then “Fruit of the Spirit.” We can be sure that if we work hard to put on the new personality and continue to wear it, Jehovah will help us.

HE REMEMBERS?

What is "the new personality"?

“The new personality” is the way of thinking and acting that reflects the qualities of Jehovah.

How can we put on the new personality?

To put on the new personality, we need to have “the mind of Christ”, that is, we need to learn how Jesus thinks and then imitate him. Jesus manifests the fruit of God's spirit to perfection. 

How can we keep the new personality in good condition?

The new personality is like a piece of clothing that we must keep in good condition. Therefore, every day we have to look for new ways to manifest the fruit of God's spirit. Why? Because Jehovah is a God of action, and his spirit is an active force.