MORAL UPRIGHTNESS ESSENTIAL TO THE WAY OF LIFE

6. (a) What is the fruitage of the “new morality”? (b) How does the apostle Paul describe the course of immorality and its fruitage?

⁶ Anyone who reads the Bible knows that moral uprightness and cleanness are indispensable to the way of life of the Christian. However, many people today say that this view is outdated and that the “new morality” of looseness and permissiveness is liberating people for a fuller life. Is this true? Look at today’s situation. What is the fruitage of the “new morality”? Heartaches, broken families, diseases and death. Immorality cannot enter into the way of life of any person without damaging his happiness. The apostle Paul describes the effects of immorality, and we have the situation today as glaring proof of the truthfulness of what he said. He wrote concerning some who followed the way of permissiveness:

“Although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God nor did they thank him, but they became empty-headed in their reasonings and their unintelligent heart became darkened. Although asserting they were wise, they became foolish . . . Therefore God, in keeping with the desires of their hearts, gave them up to uncleanness, that their bodies might be dishonored among them, even those who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created . . . That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error. And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting.”​—Rom. 1:21-28.

7. What change does the apostle show is necessary in the person who becomes a Christian?

⁷ Then the apostle went on to name the many crimes and degrading practices that we see prevalent all over the world today. (Rom. 1:29-32) In another letter, he said to Christians: “Deaden, therefore, your body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of those things the wrath of God is coming. In those very things you, too, once walked when you used to live in them. But now really put them all away from you, wrath, anger, badness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of your mouth.” (Col. 3:5-8) Those who have followed this way to the best of their ability, seeking help from God, have found a far happier life by avoiding immorality and these other bad things named by Paul.​—1 Tim. 4:8.

THE OBLIGATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION TOWARD PRACTICERS OF SIN

12. (a) Why must the Christian congregation be maintained free from the practice of wrongdoing, and what is done to ensure this? (b) How does the action taken toward wrongdoers make life pleasurable in association with the Christian congregation?

¹² In harmony with God’s viewpoint and the standards that he has set forth in his written Word, in order to maintain God’s favor the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses must keep themselves free from accusation of wrongdoing. They must be clean in the sight of God. Therefore the congregations require that their members maintain the Christian way or manner of life. Those who insist on violating the Bible principles of truth, morality and honesty, as well as persons involving themselves in spiritistic practices, must be expelled or disfellowshiped from the congregations. (1 Cor. 5:11) Thus, the corruption and deterioration that have ruined the religious denominations of Christendom do not gain a foothold in the truly Christian congregation. It is a real pleasure to associate with spiritually clean people in the clean, pure worship of Jehovah God.

13. What advantage does obedience to the “good news” provide now and in the future?

¹³ Moreover, obedience to the “good news” of God, seeking first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness, is the satisfying, happy way of life now. Furthermore, God will not give life on earth under his Kingdom rule to those who would disturb its cleanness and tranquillity. In the apostle John’s vision, recorded in the last book of the Bible, he reports:

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’”​—Rev. 21:1-4.

14. In view of Revelation’s description of the “new earth,” will the practicer of immorality, spiritism, extortion, and so forth, find himself there?

¹⁴ Could lying, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, drug abuse, spiritism, astrology, occult practices, gambling, extortion, strife and murder find a place in such a human society? Could an earth infiltrated by these bad things be free from tears and death? By no means. God himself goes on to assure us of this, saying: “But as for the cowards and those without faith and those who are disgusting in their filth and murderers and fornicators and those practicing spiritism and idolaters and all the liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur. This means the second death.”​—Rev. 21:8.