Watchtower Study, God declares us righteous by our faith and by our works, Week of February 5 to 11, 2024, Comments and Responses.

Watchtower Study, God declares us righteous by our faith and by our works, February 5-11, 2024, Comments and Responses.

“They follow closely the steps of faith that our father Abraham had” (ROM. 4:12).

1. What might we ask when thinking about Abraham's faith?

Well, sometimes we wonder if we are going to be able to have the faith that he had, so strong because of so many things that he went through and how he got through it.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, when we think, for example, of Abraham's faith, we remember that in Romans chapter 4, verse 11, the Bible calls him the father of those who have faith, meaning that he was the greatest person who demonstrated faith. So when we know this, perhaps we wonder if we can have the same strong faith that Abraham had and if we can follow in his footsteps.

And we, unlike the people of the world, most people do not know him well, but nevertheless, we Thanks to what Jehovah has allowed to be written about him, we know him quite well and we know that the Bible says that he is the father of all. those who have faith.

2. Why is it important that we examine Abraham's example? (James 2:22, 23).

James 2 verse 22 and 23 he was known for having the approval and friendship of Jehovah and if we want to have his approval and be friends of Jehovah we must display that same faith and the example of Abraham can precisely help us a lot to develop it.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

It is important that we examine the example of Abraham because as James says, he was known to have the approval and friendship of Jehovah, and if we also want to have his approval and be friends of Jehovah, we must display that same faith, and the example of Abraham can help us a lot to develop it.

Yes, talking about the works that Abraham performed during his life, a Watchtower, then analyzing the text of James 2:22 and 23, Well, it says that some of the works that he demonstrated in his life, it says that it was helping his relatives, it also says that he showed hospitality. He was a very hospitable man and then he also says that he had to prepare himself to sacrifice his son, so these are good qualities that adorn the great faith that he had.

How interesting it is also that in the paragraph the expression you is put in bold because although it is true that Abraham is considered the father of all those who have faith, we have seen that he made a really great sacrifice like those mentioned, even willing to be able to sacrifice his own son Isaac, but we are reminded that it is within our reach to have the friendship and approval of Jehovah just as Abraham had, so we want to take good note of what we are going to consider now to imitate him.

3. What verse did Paul and James quote from?

We know that Abraham was not without fault but Jehovah describes him in Genesis 15 verse 6 as someone righteous and this verse was quoted by Paul and James.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Abraham put faith in Jehovah and something interesting that we are going to develop through this study is that Jehovah considered him righteous. So this verse highlights how Abraham's faith caused Jehovah to consider him a righteous person.

These words take on a special value when we understand what Jehovah meant by being just, it does not mean that he was happy with her with that person with Abraham who considers him blameless and was free of guilt, without a doubt, that puts a magnificent perspective on all of us. We also want Jehovah to see us that way.

WE MUST HAVE FAITH SO THAT GOD CONSIDERS US RIGHTEOUS

4. What prevents us human beings from being fair?

It is our imperfection how we read in Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

What prevents us human beings from being righteous is sin. In his letter to the Romans, Paul stated that all human beings are sinners.

Yes, our imperfection could prevent us from being righteous, but Abraham was also imperfect and yet Jehovah did consider him righteous, meaning that we can also be considered righteous.

As mentioned in the text of Romans 3:23, it says that we fall short of the glory of God or fall short of being able to reflect the qualities of Jehovah, but that does not mean that we cannot reflect them to a lesser extent and that is what happened. with Abraham so that we can become considered righteous by Jehovah.

5. Why did Jehovah declare Abraham righteous? (Romans 4:2-4).

Jehovah declared Abraham Righteous, not because of his perfect obedience to the law of Moses, since this law was given to the nation of Israel more than 400 years after Abraham's life. Instead, Jehovah showed Abraham deserved mondani and declared him righteous because of his faith as mentioned in Romans 4:24.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Yes, the text explains it very well because verse 4 says to those who work, the salary is not counted as undeserved kindness, that is, it is not that Jehovah owes it to us, we have earned it, it is a salary that has nothing to do with it, it is more of a gift which is what the expression undeserved kindness means, Jehovah gives us that condition based on what we will see later but it is something undeserved.

In verse 3 of Romans 4 there is a study note he was considered righteous explains that it is a Greek term that was used accounting, so this faith is counted or credited as righteousness and thus Jehovah can consider him righteous without violating his own standards.

It is significant that he also mentioned the paragraph that the one who takes the first step is Jehovah, that is, Jehovah showed undeserved kindness to Abraham and he knew how to respond by acting with those examples of faith that leave us open, in fact I don't know if any human being may have expressed faith as Abraham did.

6. Why does Jehovah declare a sinner righteous?

Jehovah declares a person Righteous when he puts faith in him, because Jehovah completely forgives people's sins, then those people are free from guilt of their sins and can be considered righteous.

Paul cited later in Romans chapter 4 how happy were those who had their sins covered and in those phrases is where the key is because Jehovah God completely covers the sins, the faults of these people do not take them into account and therefore they are can declare them righteous.

7. In what sense were God's servants of the past righteous?

God's faithful servants of the past, such as Abraham and David, were declared righteous by God because of their faith, even though they remained imperfect and sinful. God considered them blameless, especially compared to those who did not worship Him.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Although they were imperfect and sinful, Jehovah considered them righteous because of the great faith they had compared to people who do not worship him.

That is why today the same can be said about us, not us because of imperfection today because we are going to make mistakes, maybe we are not going to make mistakes and we are going to do things that Jehovah does not like, but that does not mean that Jehovah does not like us. Whether he will love us or not, he will simply accept us, we make an effort, we do things the best we can and Jehovah sees that.

The paragraph is saying that Jehovah considered them blameless especially compared to the people who worshiped him and that agrees with what Ephesians 2:12 says that at that time they were without Christ separated from the state of Israel and about Everything says that they had no hope and were without God in the world. That reminds us of the situation that we have right now in our world in which we are living and for that reason we have to be very consoled to know that Jehovah can consider us blameless.

From other outsiders who do not believe in God, but as Paul emphasized, it is actually something, it is a personal relationship that we come to have with Jehovah as our friend. We can only experience it on a personal level, not because we belong to a group of people. 

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND WORKS?

8, 9. What wrong conclusion have some reached, and why?

Some mistakenly affirm that it is only necessary to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved and many times and surely they refer to Roman 4:6 for example.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Some believe that only faith is needed, but others believe that works are also needed and this has been because they think that Paul and James had different opinions about faith and works. This is because Paul emphasized faith as a means of obtaining God's approval, while James emphasized the importance of works.

Yes, however, others teach that to be saved they have to do good works, quoting from James 2:24 which says that a man becomes declared righteous by his works and not only by his faith. So as a consequence they say that perhaps they have to go on a pilgrimage. to certain places and do good deeds.

That's why what they think is that Paul and James had different opinions about faith, that Paul only thought that it was necessary to have faith while James thought that it was necessary to do good works.

The problem is that they do not allow the Bible to interpret itself, rather they seek a human perspective and point of view and perhaps do not take into account the words of Second Timothy 3:16 where we are reminded that all writing is inspired by Jehovah, both texts and texts must complement each other.

However, both Apostles wrote under divine inspiration and their teachings do not contradict each other. Since we must take into account the context, the context clarifies exactly what each of them was referring to.

10. What “works” was Paul primarily talking about? (Romans 3:21, 28; see also images).

When Paul mentioned that they did not need works to have the approval of Jehovah, he was referring to the works of the law, and this was because the law of Moses was already annulled or it was not necessary to do the works that this law said. So what he needed was to put faith in Jehovah and Christ Jesus.

Verse 28 makes it very clear that he was talking about the works of the law and he argued this because some Christians who were of Jewish origin still thought that it was important to continue complying with the law when it had already been abolished by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So now Paul uses the example of Abraham, Abraham was declared righteous not by works of law because the law was not yet in place when Abraham lived.

And we understand it very well seeing the image that we have for this paragraph, when Paul was now talking to them about these works of the law like the one we are seeing about putting the little blue string on the clothes or celebrating the Passover or well about washing the hands. hands to a certain extent, in reality they were things that the law commanded but that were not necessary now for him to receive the approval of God, but rather faith was now important and faith in what he now had to learn again the law about Christ and everything that I carried, so we see that I have seen in the framework of circumstances clarifies very well what Paul meant by these words.

Yes, the context also helps us to see the picture in a more complete way because it is referring to Christians who had a Jewish background. It is clear that for them, compliance with the law of Moses was fundamental and some of them had not come to understand that now all that law In addition, it was so difficult to understand what the apostle is saying to them: it is no longer necessary to follow that law but rather we can be named righteous before Jehovah through our faith.

We just come to the conclusion from Romans 3:28 which says For we come to the conclusion that a man is declared righteous by faith and not by the works of the law.

ILLUSTRATION

From the photo, as the explanation says, Paul told Christians of Jewish origin that the important thing was faith, not works, as in this case it is wearing a little blue string on the edge of your clothes or celebrating Easter and washing. Well, he says following certain ritual rites.

Well, it is also a sign of love that Paul said this not because we know that perhaps they could concentrate more on following these rituals that in the end did not bring us closer to Jehovah instead of developing their faith and this highlights how important our friendship is with Jehovah and having faith instead of following certain rituals that perhaps even distanced them from Jehovah.

Yes, after also that once Jesus Christ came to Earth and gave his body as a sacrifice that law was abolished, that's why Paul was saying not by the works of the law at that time his faith had to be in Jesus Christ.

To the works of the law, wearing a little blue string on the edge of one's clothes, ceremonially washing, was speaking of these works.

Images of Paul and three “works of the law” that the Law of Moses required. 1. Someone sewing a little blue string on the edge of a garment. 2. The Passover meal: a roast lamb, unleavened bread and bitter vegetables. 3. A man washes his hands while another pours water on them. Paul told the Jewish Christians living in Rome that it was not necessary to perform works of the Law, but to have faith. (See paragraph 10). 

11. What “works” was James talking about?

James was talking about the works or activities that Christians perform in their daily lives, which indicate whether they have authentic faith in God or not.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, he was not talking about the works of the law that Paul was talking about, but about the activities that Christians carry out on a daily basis.

Yes and now it seems that everything fits, we were not talking about those works that had become ceremonial with the law but everything that we understand by the qualities of being a good Christian: kindness, treating people well, love, forgiving and now we see how these phrases fit perfectly with the context.

12. How did James explain the relationship between faith and works? (See also images).

James explained the relationship between faith and works through two examples. In the first example, he mentioned the importance of treating all people impartially, and showing that works are a reflection of true Faith. And in the second example, he talked about the futility of signing up to have faith, If it is not demonstrated through actions, such as helping those who do not need, thus showing us that works are a reflection that we have faith.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Yes, well, Santiago was talking about the works that demonstrated the faith that one has, the degree of faith that one had because if one demonstrated, for example, whether a brother had a certain need, then just by saying, Well, I have faith, go calmly and that's it, but he had To demonstrate it by giving him something by giving him help or by providing him with food or something because this demonstrated the degree of faith he had was not referring to the works of the law but to the works that demonstrate our faith so to speak.

He did highlight the importance of being impartial and treating all people in the same way. We see that in James 2:5-9 he spoke about favoritism. For example, he said that if they treated a rich man with kindness but then despised the poor even though they claimed to have faith in In reality, his works would demonstrate the opposite, so he highlighted the importance of developing those Christian qualities.

Santiago used another example in which he spoke about someone who saw a brother who needed clothes and food but did not do anything to help him even though that person said he had faith in the end he was not showing it and that is faith without works as Santiago said in A few verses later it is dead, so it is very important that we demonstrate it not only on certain occasions but in our daily lives.

And we see how this couple who comes out in the foreground helping a sister who will be in need, we also see them at another time talking to a sister who does not need financial help, therefore they talk both with brothers who had financial resources and also with those who did not. They had economic resources, this shows that they were not partial, for better or worse, all of Jehovah's servants were equal to them.

James says it very clearly, he says that this faith is dead, it is of no use, it is not valid, that is why the Christian who has faith has to demonstrate it with his works.

ILLUSTRATION

What appears in the image was what the Christians of the first century had to do to demonstrate their faith with works, in this case helping their brothers in need.

With the image we are seeing, not these works that were being talked about, how we are helping a person or a sister who perhaps does not have what she needs, who is a widow or has some need and that is the same thing that is done now in Jehovah's people. Those works are what you see, we are always helping the brothers who need it most both spiritually and physically and this makes us very happy because we know that these works are simple that we can all do them and that Jehovah is aware of it and we can reach to have this faith and these works in a fairly easy way in our daily lives and may Jehovah be happy with us.

And something that is seen in the image is that the brothers who are helping this sister are doing it with pleasure, they are doing it with pleasure, they are happy, they are so it is not because it is written that Jehovah says that you have to do it, but it is because they do it. with desire and happiness, then that is how we have to help our brothers because we see that they have a need and do it with pleasure, not as an obligation.

Images of the disciple Santiago and an example of an act of kindness. A first-century couple gives food and clothing to a poor, older woman while others, who are well dressed, chat in the background. James told Christians that they should demonstrate their faith through works, such as being impartial and doing good things for others. (See paragraphs 11 and 12). 

13. What example did James mention to make clear that we must demonstrate with works that we have faith? (James 2:25, 26).

Well, she mentioned the example of Rap that although she was not an Israelite, she had heard about Jehovah and that prompted her to hide the spies they had sent, that is, by her attitude she demonstrated by her works that she had really put faith in Jehovah.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

James mentioned the example of Rahab to make it clear that we must demonstrate when we see that we have faith. Rahab protected two Israelite spies to save their lives, demonstrating his faith in Jehovah. Despite not being imperfect and not being an Israelite, she was declared righteous by God.

Well, she mentioned the example of Rap that although she was not an Israelite, she had heard about Jehovah and that prompted her to hide the spies they had sent, that is, by her attitude she demonstrated by her works that she had really put faith in Jehovah.

I also compare a brother to a rowboat, if I only have one oar I won't get very far, I'm going around in circles, but then I need both and in the same way we need faith and we must demonstrate it with our actions.

Yes, this is also explained very well in Joshua 2, verse 11 because of course she concludes that Jehovah her God is God in the heavens above and in the earth below. The question would be, would only this faith in God have been enough to be saved? Well, it seems that the Faith is authentic if it is of quality, it is when it has works, she risked her life, the guy risked what he had to take care of them, so this combination is what Jehovah values.

14. How do you explain the difference between what Paul and James wrote?

James explained that all Christians have to demonstrate their faith by doing good works.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The difference between what Paul and James wrote about faith and works is explained by the perspectives from which they approached the subject. Paul emphasized to Jewish Christians that they could not gain God's approval through works of the law. On the other hand, James highlighted the importance of all Christians demonstrating their faith through the good works we do in our daily lives.

Paul and James were talking about faith from different perspectives Paul was addressing mainly the Jewish Christians and told them that of course from the point of view of the law they could never obtain its approval and instead James was speaking to the Christians telling them that to To demonstrate faith they had to do works.

He was speaking to Christians of Jewish origin who were never going to gain Jehovah's approval through the works of the law.

A simple example of what this would be is like if a doctor says I am a doctor but does not act as a doctor, he has the title but does not practice, which in the end is of no use, so it is important both to have faith and to demonstrate it with the plays.

We can say that those who affirm or that controversy that existed for so many times, Well, of religious people about faith and works, well, that is because they do not know Jehovah well and they have not well analyzed the context where this appears. So when we see the context and we see it because it seems obvious to us and it even seems impossible to us that there are people who have questioned this matter of faith and works, so it is good to be in a town that sees this so clearly that it analyzes the Bible in its entirety. context because this helps not only us now but we also want to help the people of the territory in this way.

15. Name some ways we demonstrate our faith with works. (See also images).

Well there are four ways Romans 15:7 talks about how we should gladly welcome those new to the congregation, 1 Timothy 5:4,8 talks about how we should be attentive to help those who are in need, 1 John 3:18 , where it is mentioned that we should do good things with our brothers and family, and finally 1Timothy 4:16, where it is mentioned that we should preach with enthusiasm, all these things show or are works of faith.

The works should be an expression of our faith and the image we see in some ways, for example, dedicating quality time to all the brothers in the congregation or we also see a little sister who is writing a note, perhaps anonymously, with some money for someone. brother who needs it and above all to participate in the work of preaching because without a doubt if we did not have faith it would be impossible.

He says that we can also gladly welcome new people who come to the congregation, help the brothers who are in real need and do good things for our relatives and this says that it will please Jehovah very much.

Yes, first Timothy 4:16 does not encourage us to pay constant attention to our teaching and if we have a strong faith this will translate into our way of talking about Jehovah with other people.

Yes, I really like that Jehovah has not given us a list of rules or requirements so that our faith is of quality or good, he has left us a wide number of different things that, as seen in the image, that we can do and that They make our faith show that it is of quality.

And also how beautiful and how hopeful it is to know that this faith based on works that Santiago cited is within the reach of everyone. These are things that we can all do. We can maintain or strengthen that faith every day by putting all those details into practice because in the end The result, as the end of the paragraph says, is something wonderful, something that surely all Christians are fighting for so that Jehovah sees us favorably.

The works should begin at home as first Timothy 4 and 5 says that we must first learn to demonstrate devotion to God in our own home.

Yes, but we cannot see the images of the brothers who are present, who are all enthusiastic, that is, they are not cold when it comes to presenting a message and the same thing when we are going to help, we have to do it with enthusiasm and joy that reflects that we like it. do it not that we do it to comply.

And when one sees these images where we see some brothers attending to older brothers who have arrived early for the meeting, a sister who is waiting to perhaps send an encouraging letter with some money, a brother in need, it makes me wonder if I really have faith because at the same time In the end these works come from me I am used to thinking about how to help others or I am more focused on my problems I am not thinking about the congregation because if that happens those works do not come from me because we are already learning that perhaps we have to strengthen our faith so that they begin to emerge because perhaps our faith is a little weak.

ILLUSTRATION

Images of brothers and sisters who demonstrate with works that they have faith. 1. A brother greets a man in a wheelchair and his companion as they arrive for the meeting. 2. A sister writes a letter. 3. A couple preaches in the cart. Does your faith compel you to do works that please Jehovah? (See paragraph 15).

HOPE STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH

16. What was the relationship between Abraham's hope and faith?

Abraham's example shows that hope helps us not lose faith, which is why he waited with confidence for Jehovah's promise to be fulfilled.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The relationship there was is that faith helps us keep hope alive. For example, Jehovah promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, a promise full of hope, but Abraham and Sarah had no children when he was 100 years old and she was 90, Abraham maintained his hope, because he had faith that Jehovah would fulfill His promise, as we see both things go hand in hand.

Romans 4:18 and 19 mentions that Abraham had hope that he would be the father of many nations just as he had promised Jehovah that his descendants would be numerous; however, it says that his faith did not weaken but that he realized that his body He was already as good as dead because he was already 100 years old and Sara was 90, however he was based on that hope and over time Jehovah fulfilled that promise and that hope that he had, he became the father of Isaac and therefore the promise that he had was fulfilled. had given him that the nations would be blessed through his descendants.

No matter how much faith we have, if we do not have hope, faith will weaken because there will come a time when time will pass and this does not come and then we can begin to doubt the hope that strengthens our faith, makes that faith that we have that we believe in. Jehovah, we believe in everything he is going to do, let us wait for it and since we wait for it, we know that it will come like what happened to Abraham because our faith grows stronger every time.

It reflects very well Romans 4:20 to 22 where it says that because of the promise he did not doubt for lack of faith but rather he became powerful through his faith. In other words, he was so convinced that Jehovah was going to give him that he did not doubt for even a moment a good example for all of us who also have hope.

In Romans 4:18 there is an apparent contradiction because it says although there was no hope it was based on hope how can this be how is this understood, because there was no hope of having offspring from a human point of view he was 100 years old his wife was 90 It was impossible and true, but nevertheless he continued to wait because he had faith in Jehovah that that promise would be fulfilled even though from a human point of view it was not possible.

And Jehova always does everything wonderfully well I love Genesis 15:5 the system the resource that Jehovah uses let him see the stars that image every time he doubted in his faith that it would be fulfilled he would remember that moment and Jehovah would tell him look at the stars look up high This is how many children you are going to have descendants, it is also very nice for us to use what Jehovah gives us today in broadcasting, songs, music videos, all this does is makes our faith strong when perhaps we decline a little because that revives hope like this. we want to use it too.

17. How do we know that it is possible for God to declare us righteous and consider us his friends?

It is possible that God declares us righteous and considers us his friends, if we have faith in him, we carry out works that demonstrate our faith and we maintain hope in his promises. And we have the example of Abraham that shows that it is possible.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

We have to thank Jehovah that these words that have been written that were considered were not only written for Abraham but also for us but for that we have to have faith, works and hope just like Abraham and in that way we will also be rewarded.

For Jehovah to declare us righteous and to be his friends we have to have the same kind of faith that Abraham had, an unbreakable faith because he was convinced that everything that Jehovah had promised him was going to be fulfilled, if we have that kind of faith would consider us fair.

I really liked the faith that Abraham had and his trust in Jehovah and in this way we also have to contribute that faith and hope to be able to be happy and in this way to be able to help other people to know Jehovah. .

And the note he makes at the end of the paragraph that we need to have the same three things that Abraham had, which were, on the one hand, faith, how we have seen works and next week we will see hope, these three things are what bring us closer to Jehovah and allow us free us from sin.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What did Paul mean when he wrote that “a man is declared righteous by faith and not by works of the law”?

When Paul mentioned that they did not need works to have the approval of Jehovah, he was referring to the works of the law, and this was because the law of Moses was already annulled, or so to speak, it was not necessary to do the works that this law said. . So what is important is to put faith in Jehovah and in Christ Jesus.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Well, on the one hand, when he talks about being declared or considered righteous by faith, we understand, as we have seen very well, that it is not only believing but that it must be accompanied by works that demonstrate that faith, but that these works are not the works of the law specifically the law that was given to the people of Israel through Moses.

That is why Paul cited of Abraham that he had not yet received the law and was declared righteous through his faith.

They would be declared righteous for having faith and obedience in Jehovah and not for fulfilling the law of Moses.

And that was why he gave Abraham as an example because Abraham was declared righteous by Jehovah not because he perfectly obeyed the law of Moses since he came 400 years later, in this way with this example of this patriarch he showed that it takes more than works. not the works of Moses so that God does not declare righteous.

Well, in summary, what is important is to put faith in Jehovah and in Christ Jesus. 

According to what James said, what relationship is there between faith and works?

What James said was that both faith and works are related or united to each other. And for this he mentioned some examples such as the case of Rahab, She demonstrated faith But how she demonstrated it with the works she did in hiding the spies so she showed that she had faith in Jehovah directing matters.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

When we say that we have faith in Jehovah we must show it with our daily actions that way we are sure that we have that faith.

James 2:14-17 He indicated that faith alone without works is dead, so he indicated that Christians, well, we have to have some guidelines in this, that is, try to be impartial, treat all people equally and also, and secondly, well That if we see a brother in need and we do nothing, that faith was of no use, therefore we have to apply works in our lives as well.

In what ways can we demonstrate with works that we have faith?

Some ways we demonstrate our faith with works include gladly welcoming those new to the congregation, helping brothers who are in need, doing good things for our family members, and preaching enthusiastically.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

If in first John 3:18 he tells us not to love with words but with actions and truth, then we could apply what the brothers are doing through public preaching.

Yes, as Paul also mentioned, something very important is to do good things for our relatives because they are Christians. It's great because taking care of our parents and grandparents is part of our sacred services, but if they are not witnesses, we can also be there for them and write notes to them. and know that they know that even if they are not witnesses we also love them.