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Are You Reasonable About Religion?The Watchtower—1962 | February 1
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with shrewdness and I find even the knowledge of thinking abilities. . . . Those loving me I myself love, and those looking for me are the ones that find me. Riches and glory are with me, hereditary values and righteousness. My fruitage is better than gold, even than refined gold, and my produce than choice silver.”—Prov. 8:12-19.
19 This Son is the One who will rule the Kingdom government under which those who willingly reason now so as to make their minds conform to God’s ways will be able to live in peace. This is the course of reasonableness, which is simply good sense.—Eph. 1:8-10; Rom. 12:2; Isa. 55:8, 9; 1:18.
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Reasonableness Leads to PeaceThe Watchtower—1962 | February 1
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Reasonableness Leads to Peace
1, 2. (a) What transformation can result if a person uses his reasoning faculty? (b) How is this emphasized by the apostle Paul?
JEHOVAH God has given reason to man, with the ability to be reasonable. Using this marvelous faculty enables man to serve God because of his appreciation of God’s wonderful qualities—his love, mercy and undeserved kindness, his almightiness, his limitless wisdom and his perfect justice. By reasoning on these things, the wise person can see that he himself has a limited measure of such qualities and that he should work to increase them in himself. He can thus serve God and, by loving and pleasing the God he serves, can become more like God, copying his ways.
2 The apostle Paul, a close imitator of Christ, who imitated and exemplified his Father Jehovah in a perfect way, counseled us: “Consequently I entreat you by the compassions of God, brothers, to present your bodies a sacrifice living, holy, acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason. And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”—Rom. 12:1, 2.
3. How is having the quality of reasonableness pleasant and essential? Why?
3 We enjoy association with one having the Godlike quality of reasonableness. Such a person is fair-minded, right-thinking, approachable, so peaceable to be around. But more important than this, reasonableness is essential to please God, who is always reasonable. He extends the invitation to men to use their reasoning power through the apostle, who says: “I entreat you.” In chapter 12 of the Bible book of Romans we are given a full description of what serving with our power of reason means. We find that wisdom, balance, understanding and good sense can be gained by right reasoning. A reasonable person will not think more of himself than is necessary, but will be sound in mind. Ro 12 Verse three tells us: “For through the undeserved kindness given to me I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think; but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has distributed to him a measure of faith.”
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