Some might argue that sexual offenses do no harm, not even to the willing participants themselves; so wherein is it so wrong? Lying, yes! Stealing, yes! Such things deprive another of what is his due. But an offense such as adultery or fornication, is it not different? Since it is so commonly practiced in the old world, how can it be so bad for the members of the New World society to practice?

19. How does Paul show religion to be involved?

¹⁹ Perhaps the apostle Paul encountered such or similar reasoning. In any event in the sixth chapter of First Corinthians he shows that religion is involved, stating in part: “Flee from fornication. Every other sin which a man may commit is outside his body, but he that practices fornication is sinning against his own body. What! Do you not know that the body of you people is the temple of the holy spirit within you which you have from God? Also, you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means, glorify God in the body of you people.”—1 Cor. 6:9-20, NW.

20. Why must the Lord’s “other sheep” abstain from sexual impurities?

²⁰ Here Paul is addressing members of the body of Christ. But does this mean that this commandment to abstain from sexual impurities is not binding upon the Lord’s other sheep, who constitute the great majority of those in the New World society? That could not be the conclusion, but, rather, this injunction to moral cleanliness is equally binding upon all servants dedicated to God. Why? Because his spirit is upon his dedicated people as a group or body and as individuals. These other sins that are condemned, such as lying, stealing, teaching wrong doctrines, and rebellion, are sins outside the body of the individual member of the Lord’s “other sheep” but the sins of adultery and fornication are sins against the individual’s own body, which should be used to glorify God.

21. To glorify God, what must we do?

²¹ We cannot glorify God in this or in other matters if we refuse to be subject to the regulations that he laid down. Do the members of Jehovah’s other sheep have his spirit on them? They do. Therefore they dare not sin against their own bodies. The times in which we are living, which are critical and hard to deal with, demand exacting preservation of virtue and they demand this not only of the members of the remnant of the “body of Christ” but also of the members of the Lord’s “other sheep,” of all who compose or hope to compose the New World society. Back in his time Paul made reference to what he called the prevalence of fornication. It is no less prevalent now.

22. What about the privilege and responsibility of the entire congregation in this matter of preservation of virtue?

²² What about the privilege and responsibility of the entire congregation in this matter of preservation of virtue? We recall that in the case of typical Israel it was the congregation, the people, who executed the death sentence upon offenders who were worthy of it under the law of Jehovah God. In the Christian congregation all must sincerely wish to preserve Jehovah’s virtues among men. They must respect the decision of the servants in such a matter as disfellowshiping. This is supported by Titus 1:5-16: “Make appointments . . . that he may be able both to exhort by the teaching that is healthful and to reprove those who contradict. . . . unruly men, . . . shut the mouths of these, . . . keep on reproving them with severity, . . . They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable.” We see from this that unruliness is not to be permitted. Unruliness would be a second violation, and a second violation would not do good nor help the first violation of God’s law constituting the basis for the disfellowshiping action. One’s questioning the decision respecting the disfellowshiping action would be inconsistent with one’s profession of faith in God and his word and one’s profession of the desire to see the word of God operate among his people. It would be inconsistent with our joining in the New World society in its wonderful work of expansion of clean worship. It would show a lack of trust, whereas a co-operation by all in the congregation and a conformance to the disfellowshiping that was done in behalf of all is showing trust by those who are in fellowship. Therefore it is necessary that all in the congregation accept the policy of the congregation. To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote: “Now we request you, brothers, to have regard for those who are working hard among you and presiding over you in the Lord and admonishing you, and to give them more than extraordinary consideration in love because of their work.”—1 Thess. 5:12-27, NW.

23. To what extent must an erring individual be saddened because of his sin?

²³ Anger on the part of the disfellowshiped person is not associated with his repentance. A person is not both repentant and angry; therefore there must not be any misplaced pity and misplaced sympathy. Must the heart be made sad then? Yes, disfellowshiping should make the heart sad. On the part of the erring individual, for any violation of God’s laws, small or serious, there must be real repentance, which means sadness of heart. In the case of a disfellowshiped person, in order for the disfellowshiping to work for his good and possibly to reinstatement, the heart must be cut, the mind must be hurt, there must be a real sincere longing for virtue on his part, which longing will lead to repentance.

24. In what action can we show our dependence upon Jehovah and our love of his virtue?

²⁴ For genuine worship and preservation of God’s virtue, the entire congregation is under test. Following the obedient course brings Jehovah’s blessing. Thereby all in the congregation show consistently their dependence on Jehovah through Christ Jesus for everything; for the truth itself, for his spirit enabling us to maintain our integrity and to perform our ministry, and for even the common blessings of life. Where counsel and guidance and even severe discipline are applied and received, ‘whatever virtue there is, whatever praiseworthy thing there is,’ such is from Jehovah God through Christ Jesus. The theocratic New World society, decade after decade, consistently continues to merit our wholehearted support and co-operation as Christians worshiping Jehovah God in the preservation of virtue, in his virtuous triumphant kingdom. Turn to the New World society!

A Jesuitical Prayer

● The Roman Catholic Jesuit magazine America, in its issue of March 31, 1956, said in an article entitled “Our Brother, the Jew” the following: “On Good Friday the Church bids us pray ‘ . . . that our Lord and God may take away the veil from their hearts, so that they, too, may know Jesus Christ Our Lord.’” However, the Jesuits published in their magazine only part of the Good Friday prayer—a phrase from the middle of it. In its more complete version this famous prayer runs as follows: “Let us also pray for the perfidious Jews; may the Lord our God remove the veil from their hearts so that they, too, may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord. Almighty Eternal God, Thou who dost not exclude from Thy compassion even the perfidious Jews, listen to our prayers which we offer on behalf of this deluded people, so that they see and recognize the light of Thy truth which is Christ and may be rescued from their darkness by the same Jesus Christ our Lord.”