1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

also in the blessing. Moses, for example, preferredto suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than toparticipate in the honors of the Egyptian Government.Although adopted into the family of Pharaoh, he hadR5117 : page 323respect to the promise that the Messiah would come.Hence he suffered on account of his faith in the promise.So all the patriarchs desired to be in harmony with God,in accordance with His promise made to Abraham, andbecause of belief in that promise they suffered more orless persecution.--Heb. 11:24-26;36-38.Some one may ask, "Why should the godly suffer?"The Bible answers that sin has brought the world intoopposition to God. Whoever, then, would have all menspeak in commendation of him would not be in harmonywith the Divine arrangement, for the masses of the worldare pursuing a course that the Lord does not approve.We are not saying that everything which the world doesis sinful, but that the standards of God are so high thatbecause of their fallen condition the masses of the worldare not subject to the Law of God, neither, indeed, canthey be, for they are carnal, sold under sin. (Rom. 8:7; 7:14,15.)Those who wish to have influence with theworld must cater to popular prejudices. On the contrary,those who would be God's people must be loyal to theprinciples of righteousness and consequently must go inthe opposite direction to that of the world. Hence theyare opposed by the world.From the standpoint of God the course of the worldis sinful. There is a tendency in our flesh to go withthe world, who are laboring under false views of variouskinds, because that course is in sympathy with the desiresof our own fallen flesh. Hence to live godly is to live inopposition to the course of the world and of our ownflesh. This would include not only living uprightly andavoiding sin, etc., but also the making of sacrifices aswell, where principles are not involved. We are to beware,however, lest we be deceived along this line. Notonly are we contending with the world, but we arewrestling with wicked spirits in high positions.--Eph. 6:12.ILLUSTRATION OF SATAN'S DEVICESSometimes Satan's arts seem to be employed to getthose who are trying to live godly into contention witheach other. One of his devices is to make unimportantthings seem important, and in this way to make peoplethink that they are contending for righteousness' sake,and that the sufferings that they bring on themselves inthis manner are for righteousness' sake. Another deviceis to deceive people into "busy-bodying in other men'sR5117 : page 324