The Watchtower, July 15, 1993

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The Watchtower — July 15, 1993

Source: jw.org

Contents

Who Is Jehovah?

Jehovah—The True and Living God

Jehovah Protects His People in Hungary

Respond to God’s Promises by Exercising Faith

How May We Supply Virtue to Our Faith?

Annual Meeting

Tenderly Shepherding Jehovah’s Precious Sheep

Prosperity Can Test Your Faith

“A Sign From Heaven”

Would You Welcome a Visit?

Who Is Jehovah?

Who Is Jehovah?

“WHO is Jehovah?” That question was posed 3,500 years ago by proud Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Defiance apparently moved him to add: “I do not know Jehovah at all.” Two men then standing before Pharaoh knew who Jehovah was. They were the fleshly brothers Moses and Aaron, of Israel’s tribe of Levi. Jehovah had sent them to demand that Egypt’s ruler send the Israelites into the wilderness to hold a religious festival.​—Exodus 5:1, 2.

Pharaoh wanted no answer to his question. Under his authority, priests promoted the worship of hundreds of false deities. Why, Pharaoh himself was considered a god! According to Egyptian mythology, he was the son of the sun-god Ra and an incarnation of the falcon-headed deity Horus. Pharaoh was addressed using such titles as “the mighty god” and “the eternal.” So it was not surprising that he would scornfully ask: “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice?”

Moses and Aaron did not need to answer that question. Pharaoh knew that Jehovah was the God worshiped by the Israelites, then suffering in Egyptian bondage. But Pharaoh and all Egypt would soon learn that Jehovah is the true God. Similarly today, Jehovah will make his name and Godship known to everyone on the earth. (Ezekiel 36:23) So we can benefit by considering how Jehovah God magnified his name in ancient Egypt.

Superior to Egyptian Gods

When Pharaoh defiantly asked who Jehovah was, he did not expect the consequences he experienced. Jehovah himself responded, bringing ten plagues upon Egypt. Those plagues were not just blows against the nation. They were blows against the gods of Egypt.

The plagues demonstrated Jehovah’s superiority over Egyptian deities. (Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4) Imagine the clamor when Jehovah changed the Nile River and all the waters of Egypt into blood! By reason of this miracle, Pharaoh and his people learned that Jehovah was superior to the Nile-god, Hapi. The death of fish in the Nile was also a blow to Egyptian religion, for certain kinds of fish were venerated.​—Exodus 7:19-21.

Next, Jehovah brought a plague of frogs upon Egypt. This discredited the Egyptian frog-goddess, Heqt. (Exodus 8:5-14) The third plague confounded the magic-practicing priests, who were unable to duplicate Jehovah’s miracle of turning dust into gnats. “It is the finger of God!” they cried. (Exodus 8:16-19) The Egyptian god Thoth, credited with the invention of magical arts, was unable to help those charlatans.

Pharaoh was learning who Jehovah was. Jehovah was the God who could announce his purpose through Moses and then accomplish it by bringing miraculous plagues upon the Egyptians. Jehovah could also start and end the blows according to his will. This knowledge, however, did not move Pharaoh to submit to Jehovah. Instead, Egypt’s haughty ruler obstinately continued to resist Jehovah.

During the fourth plague, gadflies ruined the land, invaded houses, and probably swarmed through the air, which was itself an object of worship personified in the god Shu or in the goddess Isis, queen of heaven. The Hebrew word for this insect has been rendered “gadfly,” “dog fly,” and “beetle.” (New World Translation; Septuagint; Young) If the scarab beetle was involved, the Egyptians were plagued by insects they considered sacred, and people could not have walked about without crushing them underfoot. At any rate, this plague taught Pharaoh something new about Jehovah. Though Egypt’s deities could not shield their worshipers from the gadflies, Jehovah could protect his people. This and all the subsequent plagues afflicted the Egyptians but not the Israelites.​—Exodus 8:20-24.

The fifth plague was a pestilence upon Egyptian livestock. This blow disgraced Hathor, Apis, and the cow-bodied sky-goddess Nut. (Exodus 9:1-7) The sixth plague brought boils upon man and beast, humiliating the deities Thoth, Isis, and Ptah, wrongly accredited with healing abilities.​—Exodus 9:8-11.

The seventh plague was heavy hail, with fire quivering among the hailstones. This blow shamed the god Reshpu, supposed master of lightning, and Thoth, said to preside over rain and thunder. (Exodus 9:22-26) The eighth blow, a locust plague, showed Jehovah’s superiority over the fertility god Min, supposedly the protector of crops. (Exodus 10:12-15) The ninth blow, a three-day darkness over Egypt, poured contempt on such Egyptian deities as the sun-gods Ra and Horus.​—Exodus 10:21-23.

In spite of nine devastating plagues, Pharaoh still refused to release the Israelites. His hard-heartedness became very costly to Egypt when God brought about the tenth and final plague​—the death of the firstborn of man and beast. Even the firstborn son of Pharaoh perished, though he was viewed as a god. Thus Jehovah ‘executed judgments on all the gods of Egypt.’​—Exodus 12:12, 29.

Pharaoh now summoned Moses and Aaron and said: “Get up, get out from the midst of my people, both you and the other sons of Israel, and go, serve Jehovah, just as you have stated. Take both your flocks and your herds, just as you have stated, and go. Also, you must bless me besides.”​—Exodus 12:31, 32.

Preserver of His People

The Israelites departed, but it soon seemed to Pharaoh that they were wandering aimlessly in the wilderness. He and his servants now asked: “What is this that we have done, in that we have sent Israel away from slaving for us?” (Exodus 14:3-5) The loss of this slave nation would be a heavy economic blow to Egypt.

Pharaoh mustered his army and pursued Israel as far as Pihahiroth. (Exodus 14:6-9) Militarily, the situation looked good for the Egyptians because the Israelites were hemmed in between the sea and the mountains. But Jehovah acted to protect the Israelites by placing a cloud between them and the Egyptians. On the Egyptian side, “it proved to be a cloud together with darkness,” thus preventing an attack. On the other side, the cloud was bright, “lighting up the night” for Israel.​—Exodus 14:10-20.

The Egyptians were bent on plunder and destruction but were hindered by the cloud. (Exodus 15:9) When it lifted, what a wonder! The waters of the Red Sea had been parted, and the Israelites were crossing over to the other side on dry land! Pharaoh and his forces thundered into the seabed, determined to capture and despoil their former slaves. However, Egypt’s haughty ruler had not counted on the God of the Hebrews. Jehovah began to throw the Egyptians into confusion, taking the wheels off their chariots.​—Exodus 14:21-25a.

“Let us flee from any contact with Israel!” cried Egypt’s mighty men, “because Jehovah certainly fights for them against the Egyptians.” This realization came too late for Pharaoh and his men. Safe on the other shore, Moses stretched his hand out toward the sea, and the waters returned, killing Pharaoh and his forces.​—Exodus 14:25b-28.

Lessons Taught by Experience

So, then, who is Jehovah? Proud Pharaoh got an answer to that question. Events in Egypt demonstrated that Jehovah is the only true God, totally unlike the “valueless gods” of the nations. (Psalm 96:4, 5) By his awesome power, Jehovah “made the heavens and the earth.” He is also the Great Deliverer, the One who ‘brought forth his people Israel out of the land of Egypt, with signs, miracles, a strong hand, and great fearsomeness.’ (Jeremiah 32:17-21) How well this proved that Jehovah can protect his people!

Pharaoh learned those lessons through bitter experience. In fact, the final lesson cost him his life. (Psalm 136:1, 15) He would have been much wiser if he had shown humility when he asked, “Who is Jehovah?” Then that ruler could have acted in harmony with the answer he received. Happily, many humble people today are learning who Jehovah is. And what kind of personality does He have? What does he ask of us? May the next article enhance your appreciation for the One alone whose name is Jehovah.​—Psalm 83:18.

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Jehovah—The True and Living God

Jehovah​—The True and Living God

PHARAOH of Egypt spoke with defiance and contempt when he asked: “Who is Jehovah?” (Exodus 5:2) As shown in the preceding article, that attitude brought plagues and death upon the Egyptians, including a watery grave for Pharaoh and his military forces.

In ancient Egypt, Jehovah God proved his supremacy over false gods. But there is much more to be learned about him. What are some facets of his personality? And what does he require of us?

His Name and Fame

When he made demands upon Egypt’s Pharaoh, Moses did not say: ‘The Lord says such and such.’ Pharaoh and the other Egyptians thought of their many false gods as lords. No, Moses used the divine name, Jehovah. He himself had heard it spoken from above when he was at the burning bush in the land of Midian. Says the inspired record:

“God went on to speak to Moses and to say to him: ‘I am Jehovah. . . . I, even I, have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I remember my covenant. Therefore say to the sons of Israel, “I am Jehovah, and I shall certainly bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from their slavery, and I shall indeed reclaim you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. And I shall certainly take you to me as a people, and I shall indeed prove to be God to you; and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah your God who is bringing you out from under the burdens of Egypt. And I shall certainly bring you into the land [of Canaan] that I raised my hand in oath to give to [your forefathers,] Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and I shall indeed give it to you as something to possess. I am Jehovah.”’”​—Exodus 6:1-8.

That is just what Jehovah did. He freed the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and enabled them to occupy the land of Canaan. As promised, God caused all of this to take place. How fitting! His name, Jehovah, means “He Causes to Become.” The Bible refers to Jehovah by such titles as “God,” “Sovereign Lord,” “Creator,” “Father,” “the Almighty,” and “the Most High.” Yet his name Jehovah identifies him as the true God who progressively brings his grand purposes to pass.​—Isaiah 42:8.

If we were to read the Bible in its original languages, we would find God’s name thousands of times. In Hebrew it is represented by the four consonants Yod He Waw He (יהוה), called the Tetragrammaton, read from right to left. Those speaking Hebrew supplied the vowel sounds, but people today do not know for certain what those were. While some favor the spelling Yahweh, the form Jehovah is common and suitably identifies our Creator.

Use of the name Jehovah also distinguishes God from the one called “my Lord” at Psalm 110:1, where one rendition is: “The LORD [Hebrew, יהוה] said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (King James Version) Acknowledging the occurrence of God’s name here in the Hebrew text, the New World Translation reads: “The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.’” Those words of Jehovah God refer prophetically to Jesus Christ, whom the writer called “my Lord.”

Jehovah made a name for himself in Pharaoh’s day. By means of Moses, God told that hard-hearted ruler: “At this time I am sending all my blows against your heart and upon your servants and your people, to the end that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have thrust my hand out that I might strike you and your people with pestilence and that you might be effaced from the earth. But, in fact, for this cause I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth.”​—Exodus 9:14-16.

Regarding Israel’s exodus from Egypt and the overthrow of certain Canaanite kings, the woman Rahab of Jericho told two Hebrew spies: “I do know that Jehovah will certainly give you [Israelites] the land, and that the fright of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have become disheartened because of you. For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea from before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, namely, Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. When we got to hear it, then our hearts began to melt, and no spirit has arisen yet in anybody because of you, for Jehovah your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:9-11) Yes, Jehovah’s fame had spread.

Jehovah and His Qualities

The psalmist expressed this heartfelt wish: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18) Since Jehovah’s sovereignty is universal, Jesus’ persecuted followers could pray: “Sovereign Lord, you are the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them.” (Acts 4:24) And how comforting it is to know that Jehovah is the “Hearer of prayer”!​—Psalm 65:2.

Jehovah’s main attribute is love. Indeed, “God is love”​—the very epitome of this quality. (1 John 4:8) Moreover, “with him there are wisdom and mightiness.” Jehovah is all-wise and all-powerful, but he never abuses his power. (Job 12:13; 37:23) We can also be sure that Jehovah will always deal fairly with us, for “righteousness and judgment are the established place of his throne.” (Psalm 97:2) If we err but are repentant, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Jehovah is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.” (Exodus 34:6) No wonder we can have joy in serving Jehovah!​—Psalm 100:1-5.

The Incomparable Heavenly King

Jehovah’s Son, Jesus Christ, said: “God is a Spirit.” (John 4:24) Hence, Jehovah is invisible to human eyes. In fact, Jehovah told Moses: “You are not able to see my face, because no man may see me and yet live.” (Exodus 33:20) This heavenly King is so glorious that humans would not be able to endure the experience of seeing him.

Though Jehovah is invisible to our eyes, there is plenty of testimony to his existence as Almighty God. Indeed, “his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.” (Romans 1:20) The earth​—with its grass, trees, fruits, vegetables, and flowers—​testifies to Jehovah’s Godship. Unlike valueless idol-gods, Jehovah gives rain and fruitful seasons. (Acts 14:16, 17) Look at the stars in the night sky. What grand evidence of Jehovah’s Godship and organizational ability!

Jehovah has also organized his holy, intelligent spirit creatures in heaven. As a harmonious organization, they carry out God’s will, as the psalmist says: “Bless Jehovah, O you angels of his, mighty in power, carrying out his word, by listening to the voice of his word. Bless Jehovah, all you armies of his, you ministers of his, doing his will.” (Psalm 103:20, 21) Jehovah has also organized his people on the earth. The nation of Israel was well organized, and so were the early followers of God’s Son. Similarly today, Jehovah has a worldwide organization of zealous Witnesses, proclaiming the good news that his Kingdom is at hand.​—Matthew 24:14.

Jehovah Is the True and Living God

Jehovah’s Godship has been demonstrated in so many ways! He humiliated Egypt’s false gods and brought the Israelites safely into the Promised Land. Creation gives abundant evidence of Jehovah’s Godship. And there is simply no comparison between him and the worthless idol-gods of false religion.

The prophet Jeremiah showed the great contrast between Jehovah, the living God, and lifeless man-made idols. That contrast is well expressed in Jeremiah chapter 10. Among other things, Jeremiah wrote: “Jehovah is in truth God. He is the living God and the King to time indefinite.” (Jeremiah 10:10) The living and true God, Jehovah, created all things. He delivered the Israelites languishing in Egyptian bondage. Nothing is impossible for him.

Jehovah, “the King of eternity,” will answer the prayer: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (1 Timothy 1:17; Matthew 6:9, 10) The heavenly Messianic Kingdom, already in the hands of Jesus Christ, will soon take action against the wicked and destroy all of Jehovah’s enemies. (Daniel 7:13, 14) That Kingdom will also usher in a new world of endless blessings for obedient mankind.​—2 Peter 3:13.

There is much more to learn about Jehovah and his purposes. Why not make it your determination to take in such knowledge and act in harmony with it? If you do this, you will be privileged to enjoy eternal life in an earthly paradise under Kingdom rule. You will live when sorrow, pain, and even death have passed away and the knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth. (Isaiah 11:9; Revelation 21:1-4) That can be your lot if you seek, find, and act in harmony with the Bible-based answers to the question, “Who is Jehovah?”

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Jehovah Protects His People in Hungary

Jehovah Protects His People in Hungary

HUNGARY, located in the center of Europe, has often felt the storms of history. Its people have suffered much, despite their having been offered to the Virgin Mary and forced to become nominal Christians in 1001 by Stephen, their first king.

Through the centuries Hungary was weakened by numerous internal conflicts that allowed other nations to subdue it repeatedly. The populations of entire villages were wiped out during these conflicts, later to be replaced by foreigners. Thus, the populace became a mixture of many nationalities. Religiously speaking, approximately two thirds of the country’s population remained Catholic, although the Reformation later spread in some areas.

A Modest Start

It was in 1908 that the seeds of Bible truth were first sown in Hungary. This was done by a woman who had learned the truth from the Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known. Because of her preaching, many became interested in the good news. Shortly thereafter two men returning to Hungary from the United States spread the good news full-time as colporteurs. The truth spread slowly but surely, and a printing press was set up at Kolozsvár.

The first reliable report was obtained in 1922, when 67 Bible Students from ten towns attended the Memorial of Christ’s death. Their witnessing work had an immediate impact, resulting in opposition as the clergy influenced the government and the press to hinder the preaching work.

The Attacks Intensify

In 1928, Catholic priest Zoltán Nyisztor issued a pamphlet entitled Millennialist Bible Students. In it he asserted regarding the Bible Students: “They are worse than the red bolshevists that attack with arms, for these mislead the innocent by hiding behind the Bible. The Hungarian Royal State Police is eagerly watching their activity.”

During that time a zealous brother named Josef Kiss visited the congregations. The gendarmerie stealthily followed him. In 1931 he was at the home of a brother when the police surprised him and ordered him to leave at once. As Brother Kiss started to pack his belongings, one gendarme hit him with the butt of his rifle and threatened: “Hurry up, or you will be stabbed through!” Brother Kiss smiled and said: “Then I will go home sooner,” referring to his heavenly hope as an anointed Christian.

The soldiers followed Brother Kiss to the train. He was expected to arrive at the congregation in Debrecen on June 20, 1931, but he never appeared. The brothers concluded that his enemies did away with him, that he indeed did “go home” to his heavenly reward. Although his work was stopped, the authorities were never able to extinguish the light of the truth.

Ingenuity was often used in order to give a witness. For example, in the mid-1930’s, a brother died at Tiszakarád. Funerals could then be conducted only with the permission of the officials. The brothers were allowed just one minute of prayer and one minute of song. Members of the gendarmerie, who came to the funeral with rifles and bayonets, were to enforce this. Many townspeople came because they were curious about how the funeral would be conducted.

A brother stood by the coffin and prayed for half an hour but in such a way that the people said they had never heard anything like it. “Even if six priests had conducted the funeral,” they said, “it wouldn’t have been so moving.” A brother with a good voice then started to lead the singing, but a gendarme ordered him to remain silent. The police later confessed that, although they felt uneasy, they could not interrupt the prayer.

As the attacks continued, Lajos Szabó, a priest of the Reformed Church, wrote the following in his 1935 brochure Antichrist by the River Tisza: “It was a stroke of genius to feed the people with bolshevism under the sign of religion . . . Marx took on Christ’s appearance . . . The Antichrist was here in his red robe with Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Years Under Ban

In 1939 the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned outright. It was branded an activity “against religion and against society.” Adventists, Baptists, Evangelicals, and Presbyterians issued pamphlets against the Witnesses. But Jehovah did not abandon his servants, and they were looked after by the Witnesses in other countries. Additionally, God’s people in Hungary had many faith-strengthening experiences.

For example, when a brother brought a backpack full of our magazines from Czechoslovakia, the customs officer asked: “What is in your backpack?” The brother honestly answered: “Watchtowers.” At that the officer made a sign with his hand as if to indicate that the brother was crazy, and he let him continue on his way. Thus, the spiritual food arrived safely in Hungary.

Yet, the harassment did not stop. More and more brothers were arrested and held captive for varying periods of time. Then a special investigating team was given the assignment of cracking down on Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1942, men, women, and children were gathered up and put in stables and empty Jewish schools. After two months of torture, they were tried and convicted. Some were sentenced to life imprisonment; others received from 2 to 15 years in the penitentiary. Three brothers​—Dénes Faluvégi, András Bartha, and János Konrád—​were sentenced to death by hanging, but the sentence was later changed to life imprisonment. Then, 160 brothers were taken to the death camp at Bor. After crossing the border, they were told that they would never return alive. Of the 6,000 deported Jews taken to this camp, only 83 remained alive. Except for four, however, all the Witnesses returned.

Jehovah’s Witnesses did have their martyrs. Toward the end of World War II, the Nazis executed a number of brothers. Bertalan Szabó, János Zsondor, and Antal Hónis were shot to death, and Lajos Deli was hanged.​—Matthew 24:9.

A Favorable Change Is Only Temporary

After the second world war, things changed once again. A coalition government promised human rights. The brothers returning from the camps immediately began to preach and to organize congregations. They felt that Jehovah had granted them freedom so that they could praise his great name, not in order for them to try to accumulate material possessions. By the end of 1945, there were 590 active Kingdom publishers. In 1947 a villa was purchased to be used as a branch office of the Watch Tower Society, and the first national convention was held, in a sports hall. The attendance was 1,200, and the Hungarian state railway even gave a 50-percent discount to those traveling to the convention.

Freedom did not last long, however. Soon, the Communist Party gained power, and the government changed. The increase of Jehovah’s people caught the attention of the new government, for they had grown from 1,253 publishers in 1947 to 2,307 in 1950. In that year officials started to put obstacles in the way of the preaching work. Permits were required, but the government refused to issue them, and those who applied were beaten by the National Guard. Newspaper articles continuously denounced the Witnesses as ‘agents of the imperialists.’ Interestingly, before Communism came to power, the Witnesses had been sent to detention camps as ‘Communist Jew henchmen.’

The Terror Starts

On November 13, 1950, the branch overseer and the translator (two of those formerly sentenced to death) were arrested, together with the overseer of the first circuit. They were taken to the infamous underground prison at 60 Andrássy Street in Budapest, to be “softened.” Their trial took place on February 2 the following year. The branch overseer was sentenced to ten years of detention, the translator to nine years, and the circuit overseer to eight years. All three had their property confiscated. During the trial, four more congregation overseers were given prison sentences ranging from five to six years on charges of trying to overthrow the government.

The brothers were put in a high-security prison, where they could not receive letters, packages, or visitors. Their families heard no news of them. Their names could not even be mentioned by the guards. For identification, each wore a wooden tag hanging from his neck with a number on it. There was even a sign on the wall that read: “Do not simply guard the prisoners; hate them.”

The Witnesses went underground, but the preaching work did not stop. Other Witnesses continued in the place of the imprisoned ones. In time the replacements also were captured. By the year 1953, over 500 of the brothers had been convicted and sentenced to prison, but the good news could not be bound in chains. Only a few of the brothers believed the enticing promises of the guards and compromised.

Bright Prospects

In the fall of 1956, the people began to revolt against the government. The Soviet Army suppressed the revolution, and the Communist Party regained power.

All imprisoned Witnesses had been freed, but then a few well-known brothers were sent back to prison to continue their sentences, though newer ones were not convicted. Finally, in 1964, things began to ease up. The authorities no longer did anything to interrupt funerals and wedding feasts. Circuit assemblies were held in the forests. While some of these were interrupted, no additional Witnesses were sent to prison.

In 1979 brothers in oversight were allowed to attend the convention in Vienna. During that year too, the authorities promised to grant Jehovah’s Witnesses legal recognition, but ten more years passed before this actually happened. In 1986 the first district convention was held, at the Youth Park of the Kamara Forest, with the knowledge of the authorities. A sign was even posted, stating that this was the “Divine Peace” District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The following year the “Trust in Jehovah” Convention was held, and in 1988 the brothers enjoyed the “Divine Justice” Convention.

Free at Last!

June 27, 1989, was a wonderful day, for it was then that the brothers received a document granting official recognition to the Religious Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hungary. In July the stately Budapest Sports Hall accommodated the 9,477 in attendance at the “Godly Devotion” District Convention. The same hall was used for the “Pure Language” District Convention in 1990, and conventions were also held in three other large cities in Hungary.

Now that the ban had been lifted entirely, it was possible to organize the first international convention. In spite of the bad weather, it was held at Népstadion in Budapest, where 40,601 met to enjoy the warmth of brotherly love. Members of the Governing Body attended and strengthened the brothers’ faith with their talks, and new books and brochures with full-color illustrations were released at this convention.

What Is Happening Today

The Hungarian editions of The Watchtower and Awake! are now published simultaneously with their English counterparts and in the same beautiful format. In 1992 the Yearbook began to be published in Hungarian. The number of publishers of the good news jumped from 6,352 in 1971 to 13,136 in January 1993.

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Hungary enjoy freedom of religion and preach freely from house to house. There are 205 congregations, and 27,844 attended the Memorial on April 17, 1992. Until sufficient Kingdom Halls are available, the congregations continue to meet in schools, cultural centers, empty barracks, and even in the vacated offices of the Communist Party. As of 1992, ten congregations had dedicated their own Kingdom Halls, and other halls are under construction.

Throughout all the changes and revolutions, the brothers have faithfully remained on the side of Jehovah God and his Son, Jesus Christ, and have kept on preaching. The storms of the times have not destroyed them, for Jehovah has protected his people in Hungary.​—Proverbs 18:10.

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Vienna

AUSTRIA

Budapest

Debrecen

HUNGARY

ROMANIA

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Jehovah’s people assembled in Budapest

Respond to God’s Promises by Exercising Faith

Respond to God’s Promises by Exercising Faith

“He [Jehovah God] has freely given us the precious and very grand promises.”​—2 PETER 1:4.

1. What enables us to exercise true faith?

JEHOVAH wants us to exercise faith in his promises. Yet, “faith is not a possession of all people.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) This quality is a fruit of God’s holy spirit, or active force. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Hence, only those led by Jehovah’s spirit can exercise faith.

2. How does the apostle Paul define “faith”?

2 But what is faith? The apostle Paul calls it “the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” The evidence of these unseen realities is so strong that faith is equated with it. Faith is also said to be “the assured expectation of things hoped for” because those who possess this quality have a guarantee that everything promised by Jehovah God is so certain that it is as good as fulfilled.​—Hebrews 11:1.

Faith and Jehovah’s Promises

3. What will anointed Christians experience if they exercise faith?

3 To please Jehovah, we must exercise faith in his promises. The apostle Peter showed this in his second inspired letter, written about 64 C.E. He pointed out that if his fellow anointed Christians exercised faith, they would see the fulfillment of God’s “precious and very grand promises.” As a result, they would “become sharers in divine nature” as joint heirs with Jesus Christ in the heavenly Kingdom. With faith and Jehovah God’s help, they had escaped from being in bondage to this world’s corrupt habits and practices. (2 Peter 1:2-4) And just think! Those exercising true faith enjoy the same priceless freedom today.

4. What qualities should we supply to our faith?

4 Faith in Jehovah’s promises and gratitude for our God-given freedom should move us to do our utmost to become exemplary Christians. Said Peter: “By your contributing in response all earnest effort, supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) Peter thus gives us a list we would do well to commit to memory. Let us take a closer look at these qualities.

Vital Elements of Faith

5, 6. What is virtue, and how can we supply it to our faith?

5 Peter said that virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godly devotion, brotherly affection, and love are to be supplied to one another and to our faith. We must work hard to make these qualities vital elements of our faith. For instance, virtue is not a quality that we display apart from faith. Lexicographer W. E. Vine points out that at 2 Peter 1:5, “virtue is enjoined as an essential quality in the exercise of faith.” Each one of the other qualities Peter mentioned is also to be an element of our faith.

6 First, we must supply virtue to our faith. Being virtuous means doing what is good in God’s sight. For the Greek word here rendered “virtue,” some versions use “goodness.” (New International Version; The Jerusalem Bible; Today’s English Version) Virtue motivates us to avoid doing bad or causing harm to fellow humans. (Psalm 97:10) It also prompts courageous action in doing good for the spiritual, physical, and emotional benefit of others.

7. Why should we supply knowledge to our faith and virtue?

7 Why does Peter urge us to supply knowledge to our faith and virtue? Well, as we face new challenges to our faith, we need knowledge if we are to distinguish right from wrong. (Hebrews 5:14) Through Bible study and experience in applying God’s Word and in exercising practical wisdom in daily life, we augment our knowledge. In turn, this enables us to maintain our faith and keep on doing what is virtuous when we are under trial.​—Proverbs 2:6-8; James 1:5-8.

8. What is self-control, and how is it linked to endurance?

8 To help us meet trials with faith, we need to supply to our knowledge self-control. The Greek word for “self-control” denotes the ability to get a grip on ourselves. This fruit of God’s spirit helps us to show restraint in thought, word, and conduct. By persistence in exercising self-control, we supply to it endurance. The Greek term for “endurance” signifies courageous steadfastness, not sad-faced resignation to inescapable hardship. It was for the joy set before him that Jesus endured the torture stake. (Hebrews 12:2) God-given strength associated with endurance bolsters our faith and helps us to rejoice in tribulation, resist temptation, and avoid compromise when persecuted.​—Philippians 4:13.

9. (a) What is godly devotion? (b) Why supply brotherly affection to our godly devotion? (c) How can we supply love to our brotherly affection?

9 To our endurance we must supply godly devotion​—reverence, worship, and service to Jehovah. Our faith grows as we practice godly devotion and see how Jehovah deals with his people. Yet, to display godliness, we need brotherly affection. After all, “he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) Our hearts should move us to show true affection for other servants of Jehovah and to seek their welfare at all times. (James 2:14-17) But why are we told to supply love to our brotherly affection? Evidently Peter meant that we must show love for all mankind, not just our brothers. This love is shown especially by preaching the good news and helping people spiritually.​—Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20.

Contrasting Effects

10. (a) How will we act if virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godly devotion, brotherly affection, and love are supplied to our faith? (b) What happens if a professing Christian lacks these qualities?

10 If we supply virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godly devotion, brotherly affection, and love to our faith, we will think, speak, and act in God-approved ways. Conversely, if a professing Christian fails to display these qualities, he becomes blind spiritually. He ‘shuts his eyes to the light’ from God and forgets that he has been cleansed from past sins. (2 Peter 1:8-10; 2:20-22) Let us never fail in that way and so lose faith in God’s promises.

11. What can we rightly expect of loyal anointed ones?

11 Loyal anointed Christians have faith in Jehovah’s promises and exert themselves to make his calling and choosing of them sure. Despite any stumbling blocks in their path, we can expect them to display godly qualities. For faithful anointed ones ‘there is richly supplied the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ’ through their resurrection to spirit life in heaven.​—2 Peter 1:11.

12. How are we to understand the words of 2 Peter 1:12-15?

12 Peter realized that he would soon die, and he expected to receive an eventual resurrection to heavenly life. But as long as he was alive in “this tabernacle”​—his human body—​he tried to build faith in fellow believers and rouse them up by reminding them of the things needed for divine favor. After his departure in death, Peter’s spiritual brothers and sisters could bolster their faith by recalling his words.​—2 Peter 1:12-15.

Faith in the Prophetic Word

13. How did God provide faith-strengthening testimony about Christ’s coming?

13 God himself bore faith-strengthening testimony about the certainty of Jesus’ coming “with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30; 2 Peter 1:16-18) Lacking evidence, pagan priests told false tales about their gods, whereas Peter, James, and John were eyewitnesses of Christ’s magnificence in the transfiguration. (Matthew 17:1-5) They saw him glorified and heard the sound of God’s own voice acknowledging Jesus as His beloved Son. That acknowledgment and the brilliant appearance then granted Christ were a bestowal of honor and glory on him. Because of this divine revelation, Peter called the site, likely on a spur of Hermon, “the holy mountain.”​—Compare Exodus 3:4, 5.

14. How should our faith be affected by Jesus’ transfiguration?

14 How should Jesus’ transfiguration affect our faith? Peter said: “Consequently we have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and a daystar rises, in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) “The prophetic word” apparently included not only Hebrew Scripture prophecies about the Messiah but also Jesus’ statement that he would come “with power and great glory.” How was the word “made more sure” by the transfiguration? That event verified the prophetic word about Christ’s glorious coming in Kingdom power.

15. What is involved in paying attention to the prophetic word?

15 To strengthen our faith, we must pay attention to the prophetic word. This involves studying that word, discussing it at Christian meetings, and applying its counsel. (James 1:22-27) We must let it be “a lamp shining in a dark place,” illuminating our hearts. (Ephesians 1:18) Only then will it guide us until the “daystar,” or, “the bright morning star,” Jesus Christ, reveals himself in glory. (Revelation 22:16) That revelation will mean destruction for the faithless and blessings for those exercising faith.​—2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.

16. Why can we have faith that all the prophetic promises in God’s Word will be fulfilled?

16 God’s prophets were not merely astute men who made wise predictions, for Peter said: “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20, 21) For instance, David said: “The spirit of Jehovah it was that spoke by me.” (2 Samuel 23:1, 2) And Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) Since God’s prophets were inspired by means of his spirit, we can have faith that all promises in his Word will be fulfilled.

They Had Faith in God’s Promises

17. What promise was the basis for Abel’s faith?

17 Jehovah’s promises were a basis for the faith of the ‘great cloud’ of his pre-Christian witnesses. (Hebrews 11:1–12:1) For example, Abel had faith in God’s promise about a “seed” that would bruise “the serpent” in the head. There was proof of fulfillment of God’s sentence on Abel’s parents. Outside Eden, Adam and his family ate bread in the sweat of their faces because the cursed ground produced thorns and thistles. Likely Abel noted Eve’s craving for her husband and saw that Adam dominated her. Surely she spoke about the pain of her pregnancy. And the entrance to the garden of Eden was guarded by cherubs and the flaming blade of a sword. (Genesis 3:14-19, 24) All of this constituted an “evident demonstration” assuring Abel that deliverance would come through the promised Seed. Acting in faith, Abel offered God a sacrifice that proved to be of greater worth than that of Cain.​—Hebrews 11:1, 4.

18, 19. In what ways did Abraham and Sarah exercise faith?

18 The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also had faith in Jehovah’s promises. Abraham exercised faith in God’s promise that all families of the ground would bless themselves by means of him and that his seed would be given a land. (Genesis 12:1-9; 15:18-21) His son Isaac and grandson Jacob were “heirs with him of the very same promise.” By faith Abraham “resided as an alien in the land of the promise” and awaited “the city having real foundations,” God’s heavenly Kingdom under which he would be resurrected to life on earth. (Hebrews 11:8-10) Do you have similar faith?

19 Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was about 90 years old and well past childbearing age when she exercised faith in God’s promise and was empowered “to conceive seed” and give birth to Isaac. Thus, from 100-year-old Abraham, “as good as dead” as regards reproduction, eventually “there were born children just as the stars of heaven for multitude.”​—Hebrews 11:11, 12; Genesis 17:15-17; 18:11; 21:1-7.

20. Although the patriarchs did not see the complete fulfillment of God’s promises to them, what did they do?

20 The faithful patriarchs died without seeing the complete fulfillment of God’s promises to them. Yet, “they saw [the promised things] afar off and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land.” Generations passed before the Promised Land became the possession of Abraham’s offspring. Throughout their lives, however, the God-fearing patriarchs exercised faith in Jehovah’s promises. Because they never lost faith, they will soon be resurrected to life in the earthly domain of the “city” God made ready for them, the Messianic Kingdom. (Hebrews 11:13-16) In a similar way, faith can keep us loyal to Jehovah even if we do not see the immediate fulfillment of all his wonderful promises. Our faith will also move us to obey God, even as Abraham did. And as he passed a spiritual heritage on to his offspring, so we can help our children to exercise faith in Jehovah’s precious promises.​—Hebrews 11:17-21.

Faith Vital for Christians

21. To be acceptable to God today, what must be included in our exercise of faith?

21 There is, of course, more to faith than having confidence in the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promises. Throughout human history, it has been necessary to exercise faith in God in various ways if we are to enjoy his approval. Paul pointed out that “without faith it is impossible to please [Jehovah God] well, for he that approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6) To be acceptable to Jehovah today, a person must exercise faith in Jesus Christ and in the ransom sacrifice God has provided by means of him. (Romans 5:8; Galatians 2:15, 16) It is as Jesus himself said: “God loved the world [of mankind] so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.”​—John 3:16, 36.

22. The Messianic Kingdom will bring about the fulfillment of what promise?

22 Jesus plays a vital role in the fulfillment of God’s promises about the Kingdom for which Christians pray. (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Daniel 7:13, 14; Matthew 6:9, 10) As Peter showed, the transfiguration verified the prophetic word about Jesus’ coming in Kingdom power and glory. The Messianic Kingdom will bring about the fulfillment of another promise of God, for Peter wrote: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) A similar prophecy was fulfilled when Jewish exiles in Babylon were restored to their homeland in 537 B.C.E. under a government with Zerubbabel as governor and Joshua as high priest. (Isaiah 65:17) But Peter pointed to a future time when “new heavens”​—the heavenly Messianic Kingdom—​would rule over “a new earth,” righteous human society living on this globe.​—Compare Psalm 96:1.

23. What questions about virtue will we next discuss?

23 As loyal servants of Jehovah and followers of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, we yearn for God’s promised new world. We know that it is near, and we have faith that all of Jehovah’s precious promises will be fulfilled. To walk acceptably before our God, we must strengthen our faith by supplying to it virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godly devotion, brotherly affection, and love.a At this point, it may be asked, How can we display virtue? And how will our being virtuous benefit us and others, especially our Christian associates, who have responded to God’s promises by exercising faith?

[Footnotes]

Faith and virtue are discussed in this issue of The Watchtower. Knowledge, self-control, endurance, godly devotion, brotherly affection, and love will be considered more fully in future issues.

What Are Your Answers?

□ How may “faith” be defined?

□ According to 2 Peter 1:5-7, what qualities are to be supplied to our faith?

□ What effect should Jesus’ transfiguration have on our faith?

□ What examples of faith were furnished by Abel, Abraham, Sarah, and others of early times?

[Picture on page 15]

Do you know how Jesus’ transfiguration can affect a person’s faith?

How May We Supply Virtue to Our Faith?

How May We Supply Virtue to Our Faith?

“Supply to your faith virtue.”​—2 PETER 1:5.

1, 2. Why should we expect Jehovah’s people to do what is virtuous?

JEHOVAH always acts in a virtuous way. He does what is righteous and good. Therefore, the apostle Peter could speak of God as the one who called anointed Christians ‘through His glory and virtue.’ Accurate knowledge of their virtuous heavenly Father had shown them what was needed to pursue a life of true godly devotion.​—2 Peter 1:2, 3.

2 The apostle Paul urges Christians to “become imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1) Like their heavenly Father, Jehovah’s worshipers should do what is virtuous in any situation. But what is virtue?

What Virtue Is

3. How has “virtue” been defined?

3 Modern-day dictionaries define “virtue” as “moral excellence; goodness.” It is “right action and thinking; goodness of character.” A virtuous person is righteous. Virtue has also been defined as “conformity to a standard of right.” For Christians, of course, the “standard of right” is determined by God and made clear in his Sacred Word, the Bible.

4. What qualities mentioned at 2 Peter 1:5-7 must Christians work hard to develop?

4 True Christians conform to Jehovah God’s righteous standards, and they respond to his precious promises by exercising faith. They also heed Peter’s counsel: “By your contributing in response all earnest effort, supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7) A Christian must work hard to develop these qualities. This is not done in a few days or years but calls for a lifetime of continued effort. Why, supplying virtue to our faith is a challenge in itself!

5. What is virtue from a Scriptural standpoint?

5 Lexicographer M. R. Vincent says that the original classical sense of the Greek word rendered “virtue” denoted “excellence of any kind.” Peter used its plural form when he said that Christians were to declare abroad the “excellencies,” or virtues, of God. (1 Peter 2:9) From a Scriptural standpoint, virtue is described not as passive but as “moral power, moral energy, vigor of soul.” In mentioning virtue, Peter had in mind the courageous moral excellence that servants of God are expected to manifest and maintain. Since we are imperfect, however, can we really do what is virtuous in God’s sight?

Imperfect but Virtuous

6. Though we are imperfect, why can it be said that we can do what is virtuous in God’s sight?

6 We have inherited imperfection and sin, so we may wonder how we can really do what is virtuous in God’s sight. (Romans 5:12) We surely need Jehovah’s help if we are to have pure hearts, from which virtuous thoughts, words, and actions can come forth. (Compare Luke 6:45.) After sinning in connection with Bath-sheba, the repentant psalmist David begged: “Create in me even a pure heart, O God, and put within me a new spirit, a steadfast one.” (Psalm 51:10) David received God’s forgiveness and the help needed to pursue a virtuous course. Hence, if we have erred seriously but have repentantly accepted the help of God and the congregation elders, we can return to a virtuous path and remain on it.​—Psalm 103:1-3, 10-14; James 5:13-15.

7, 8. (a) If we are to remain virtuous, what is necessary? (b) What help do Christians have in being virtuous?

7 Because of inherent sinfulness, we must carry on a continuous inner battle to do what the course of virtue would require of us. If we are to remain virtuous, we can never allow ourselves to become slaves of sin. Instead, we must be “slaves to righteousness,” always thinking, speaking, and acting in a virtuous way. (Romans 6:16-23) Of course, our fleshly desires and sinful inclinations are strong, and we have on our hands a conflict between these and the virtuous things that God demands of us. So, what is to be done?

8 For one thing, we need to follow the leadings of Jehovah’s holy spirit, or active force. We should therefore heed Paul’s counsel: “Keep walking by spirit and you will carry out no fleshly desire at all. For the flesh is against the spirit in its desire, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, so that the very things that you would like to do you do not do.” (Galatians 5:16, 17) Yes, as a force for righteousness, we have God’s spirit, and as a guide to right conduct, we have his Word. We also have the loving help of Jehovah’s organization and the counsel of “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45-47) Thus, we can wage a successful fight against sinful tendencies. (Romans 7:15-25) Of course, if an unclean thought should come to mind, we must dismiss it promptly and pray for God’s help to resist any temptation to act in any way lacking virtue.​—Matthew 6:13.

Virtue and Our Thoughts

9. Virtuous conduct calls for what kind of thinking?

9 Virtue begins with the way a person thinks. To enjoy divine favor, we must think about righteous, good, virtuous things. Paul said: “Brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste, whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well spoken of, whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things.” (Philippians 4:8) We need to set our minds on righteous, chaste things, and anything lacking virtue should not appeal to us. Paul could say: “The things that you learned as well as accepted and heard and saw in connection with me, practice these.” If we are like Paul​—virtuous in thought, speech, and action—​we will be good associates and fine examples in Christian living, and ‘the God of peace will be with us.’​—Philippians 4:9.

10. How will the personal application of 1 Corinthians 14:20 help us to remain virtuous?

10 If it is our desire to remain virtuous in thought and thus please our heavenly Father, it is necessary that we apply Paul’s counsel: “Do not become young children in powers of understanding, but be babes as to badness; yet become full-grown in powers of understanding.” (1 Corinthians 14:20) This means that as Christians we do not seek knowledge of or experience in wickedness. Instead of allowing our minds to be corrupted in this way, we wisely choose to remain inexperienced and innocent as babes in this respect. At the same time, we fully understand that immorality and wrongdoing are sinful in Jehovah’s sight. A keen heartfelt desire to please him by being virtuous will benefit us, for it will move us to avoid unclean forms of entertainment and other mentally corrupting influences of this world that is lying in Satan’s power.​—1 John 5:19.

Virtue and Our Speech

11. Being virtuous calls for what kind of speech, and in this regard, what examples do we have in Jehovah God and Jesus Christ?

11 If our thoughts are virtuous, this should have a profound effect on what we say. Being virtuous calls for clean, wholesome, truthful, upbuilding speech. (2 Corinthians 6:3, 4, 7) Jehovah is “the God of truth.” (Psalm 31:5) He is faithful in all his dealings, and his promises are sure because he cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Titus 1:2) God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is “full of undeserved kindness and truth.” While on earth, he always spoke the truth as he had received it from his Father. (John 1:14; 8:40) Moreover, Jesus “committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22) If we are truly servants of God and Christ, we will be truthful in speech and upright in conduct, as if “girded about with truth.”​—Ephesians 5:9; 6:14.

12. If we are to be virtuous, what types of speech must we avoid?

12 If we are virtuous, there are types of speech we will avoid. We will be governed by Paul’s counsel: “Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from you along with all badness.” “Let fornication and uncleanness of every sort or greediness not even be mentioned among you, just as it befits holy people; neither shameful conduct nor foolish talking nor obscene jesting, things which are not becoming, but rather the giving of thanks.” (Ephesians 4:31; 5:3, 4) Others will find it refreshing to be in our company because our righteous hearts impel us to avoid unchristian speech.

13. Why must Christians control the tongue?

13 A desire to please God and say virtuous things will help us to control the tongue. Because of sinful inclinations, all of us stumble in word at times. Yet, the disciple James says that “if we put bridles in the mouths of horses,” they obediently go where we direct them. Hence, we should work hard to bridle the tongue and try to use it only in virtuous ways. An uncontrolled tongue “is constituted a world of unrighteousness.” (James 3:1-7) Every kind of evil trait of this ungodly world is associated with the untamed tongue. It is responsible for such damaging things as false testimony, reviling, and slander. (Isaiah 5:20; Matthew 15:18-20) And when an unruly tongue makes abusive, cutting, or slanderous remarks, it is filled with death-dealing poison.​—Psalm 140:3; Romans 3:13; James 3:8.

14. What double standard in speech must Christians avoid?

14 As James indicates, it would be inconsistent to “bless Jehovah” by speaking well of God but then misuse the tongue to “curse men” by calling down evil upon them. How sinful to sing God’s praises at meetings and then go out and speak evil of fellow believers! Both sweet and bitter water cannot bubble forth from the same fountain. If we are serving Jehovah, others have a right to expect us to say virtuous things instead of speaking distasteful words. Let us therefore shun evil speech and seek to say things that will benefit our associates and upbuild them spiritually.​—James 3:9-12.

Virtue and Our Actions

15. Why is it so important to avoid resorting to devious ways?

15 Since Christian thought and speech must be virtuous, what about our actions? Being virtuous in conduct is the only way to have God’s approval. No servant of Jehovah can abandon virtue, resort to being devious and deceitful, and rightly think that such things would find acceptance with God. Proverbs 3:32 says: “The devious person is a detestable thing to Jehovah, but His intimacy is with the upright ones.” If we cherish our relationship with Jehovah God, those thought-provoking words should deter us from plotting mischief or doing anything devious. Why, among the seven things detestable to Jehovah’s soul is “a heart fabricating hurtful schemes”! (Proverbs 6:16-19) Consequently, let us avoid such actions and do what is virtuous, to the benefit of our fellow humans and the glory of our heavenly Father.

16. Why must Christians not engage in any hypocritical actions?

16 Displaying virtue requires that we be honest. (Hebrews 13:18) A hypocritical person, whose actions do not harmonize with his words, is not virtuous. The Greek word rendered “hypocrite” (hy·po·kri·tesʹ) means “one who answers” and also denotes a stage actor. Since Greek and Roman actors wore masks, this word came to be used metaphorically for one who puts on a pretense. Hypocrites are “unfaithful ones.” (Compare Luke 12:46 with Matthew 24:50, 51.) Hypocrisy (hy·poʹkri·sis) may also denote wickedness and cunning. (Matthew 22:18; Mark 12:15; Luke 20:23) How sad it is when a trusting person is victimized by smiles, flattery, and actions that are only pretenses! But it is heartwarming when we know that we are dealing with trustworthy Christians. And God blesses us for being virtuous and unhypocritical. His approval rests upon those displaying “unhypocritical brotherly affection” and possessing “faith without hypocrisy.”​—1 Peter 1:22; 1 Timothy 1:5.

Virtue Is Active Goodness

17, 18. As we display the spirit’s fruit of goodness, how will we deal with others?

17 If we supply virtue to our faith, we will strive to refrain from thinking, saying, and doing things that are unacceptable to God. However, displaying Christian virtue also requires that we practice active goodness. In fact, virtue has been defined as goodness. And goodness is a fruit of Jehovah’s holy spirit, not the product of mere human effort. (Galatians 5:22, 23) As we manifest the spirit’s fruit of goodness, we will be motivated to think well of others and to commend them for their good qualities despite their imperfections. Have they served Jehovah faithfully for years? Then we should show them respect and speak well of them and their service to God. Our heavenly Father takes note of the love they show for his name and their virtuous works of faith, and so should we.​—Nehemiah 13:31b; Hebrews 6:10.

18 Virtue makes us patient, understanding, compassionate. If a fellow worshiper of Jehovah is suffering distress or depression, we will speak consolingly and seek to give him some comfort, even as our loving heavenly Father comforts us. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4; 1 Thessalonians 5:14) We sympathize with those who sorrow, perhaps because of the loss of a loved one in death. If we can do anything to alleviate suffering, we will do it, for a virtuous spirit prompts loving, benevolent action.

19. How are others likely to treat us if we are virtuous in thought, word, and deed?

19 Just as we bless Jehovah by speaking well of him, others are likely to be blessing us if we are virtuous in thought, word, and deed. (Psalm 145:10) A wise proverb says: “Blessings are for the head of the righteous one, but as regards the mouth of the wicked ones, it covers up violence.” (Proverbs 10:6) A wicked and violent person lacks the virtue that would endear him to others. He reaps what he sows, for people cannot honestly give him their blessing by speaking well of him. (Galatians 6:7) How much better it is for those thinking, speaking, and acting in virtuous ways as Jehovah’s servants! They win the love, trust, and respect of others, who are moved to bless them and speak well of them. Moreover, their godly virtue results in the priceless blessing of Jehovah.​—Proverbs 10:22.

20. Virtuous thoughts, speech, and actions can have what effect in a congregation of Jehovah’s people?

20 Virtuous thoughts, speech, and actions are sure to benefit a congregation of Jehovah’s people. When fellow believers have affectionate, respectful thoughts toward one another, brotherly love flourishes among them. (John 13:34, 35) Virtuous speech, including sincere commendation and encouragement, fosters a warm feeling of cooperation and unity. (Psalm 133:1-3) And heartwarming, virtuous actions incite others to respond in a similar way. Above all, the practice of Christian virtue results in the approval and blessing of our virtuous heavenly Father, Jehovah. May we therefore make it our aim to respond to God’s precious promises by exercising faith. And by all means let us put forth earnest effort to supply to our faith virtue.

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