Chapter 12: Living in a way that pleases God

This post is part of a series of posts summarising chapters of the Jehovah Witnesses' booklet, "What does the Bible really Teach?", and seeking to evaluate those chapters against Scripture somewhat briefly. Those posts were introduced at the Introduction, and a contents page will be added to that entry once this run of posts has finished.

Chapter 12: Living in a way that pleases God

We choose as friends those have similar qualities to us. So with God – his close friends in Scripture were those who listened to his voice and obeyed him.

Jehovah strengthens his friends: God helps his friends live for him, rather than expect them to do it alone.

Satan’s challenge: Satan challenged God that people do not obey him because they love him; they just obey him for what they get in return. That challenge was made explicit with Job.

Job is tested: Satan took Job’s animals, family and then harmed his own skin. Job didn’t know about the challenge, so assumed God might be responsible, but he maintained his integrity.

How are you involved?: Proverbs 27:11 makes clear that our good living is also a rebuttal to Satan’s challenge; we are involved as Job was. Satan uses various means to tempt us to disobey God – from roaring like a lion to appearing like an angel.

Obeying Jehovah’s commandments: We need to love God with all we are, which will lead us to obey his commands. Some of those commands involve avoiding the things that God hates. God won’t ask more of us than we are capable of.

Developing Godly qualities: We also need to learn to love what God loves, such as the fruit of the spirit [sic]. Read the Bible, study it and memorise it.

Evaluation

It is correct to say that the Christians’ conduct vindicates God before the spiritual powers. Proverbs 27 is portraying this from the perspective of an earthly father advising his son, but it is explicit in Ephesians 3:9-10, where the Christian living of Ephesians 4-6 demonstrates God’s wisdom to the heavenly rulers.

It is also correct to say that godly living involves hating what God hates and loving what he loves. It is correct to identify our love for God as at the heart of all our motivation to live for him. One might disagree with the list of qualities that they give that God hates, wanting to remove some and add others, but the broad shape is right.

What is striking in this chapter is the omission. At no point, in discussing the way in which God helps us, is the Spirit mentioned. God’s help and strength for us to live for him is found in the God himself coming to live within us, to be with us, and to work his own qualities in us. The fruit of the Spirit are the Spirit’s own characteristics first and foremost, as they are worked in us.