Casey Anthony Not Guilty

Much of the world is stunned today.  In the court of public opinion, Casey Anthony was guilty, no doubt, but in a court of law, she was found not guilty.  I’m speechless, and as much as I’m tempted to say the jury must have been in the sun too much over there in Florida to render this verdict, I have to respect our judicial system.

In the middle of my yelling at the television, which I then had to explain to my son who observed me, a spiritual truth hit me. 

The same rage, disbelief, and disgust that many of us feel as we watch someone we believe to have gotten away with murder. . .

The same injustice we feel has been done as little Caylee suffered and died and no one will pay. . .

The same judgment we feel towards Casey as we watched her party and dance on her daughter’s grave, so to speak. . .

Isn’t this the same rage, disbelief, disgust, injustice, and judgment we should feel towards ourselves as sinners condemned to die, but whom Jesus declares NOT GUILTY?!

Casey received GRACE.

Casey received MERCY perhaps.

And in no way do I mean to imply that she is innocent (I personally do not believe that for a second), nor that she shouldn’t have had to pay for her crimes if she committed them (and I personally believe she did).  I’m simply illustrating a spiritual truth by way of a real life example. 

The Bible says that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  We all have sin in us, and as repulsive as the alleged sin of Casey Anthony is, God sees all sin as the same, and I am just as separated from a holy God for any number of my sins as a murderer (or “worse”) would be. 

Not only that, but the Bible also says that we are all capable of murder.  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  If 1 John 3:15 is to be taken literally, and I believe that it is, “anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.”  Did we catch that?  I am a murderer (and here, “brother or sister” is generic for anyone).   

But we have been offered grace and mercy by Jesus dying on the cross for us, bearing the weight of all our sin, so that we might be presented to God, “holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22).

GRACE

MERCY

Casey Anthony was offered a “Not Guilty” verdict, and it angers many of us, but she would by crazy if she refused it.

We know we are guilty of sin.  We are offered a “Not Guilty” verdict.  Will we refuse it, and instead, point fingers at other’s sin while rotting inside with our own?

To be declared “Not Guilty,” click here.

TRUTH Wins

There is a new book out that is getting a lot of people talking, myself included.  In fact, I’m doing more than talking. . .I’m a little bit steaming, a little bit grieved, a little bit disappointed, a little bit challenged.  Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, has written a book entitled Love Wins.  I am steaming because Bell’s interpretations of Scripture are erroneous and misleading.  I am grieved because many, many are being led astray with Bell’s teachings–away from the Truth of God’s Word.  I am disappointed because many are being pulled in to these “preferred” (easily digested) beliefs maybe without discernment and Bell is unknowingly (I will give him the benefit of the doubt) spreading this false teaching.  I am challenged to “stand on truth” as best as I can and challenge the “theology” of this book, and to be a megaphone of Truth to all those who are lost.

A few weeks ago, the pastor of my church spoke out against this book.  I had just finished reading it a few weeks earlier and felt as he did–upset, grieved, and obligated to speak about it.  Here are the notes I took as I read the book, with Bell’s text in black, my thoughts in red.  You will not find an eloquently written book review here.  My passion is still running too high to do anything more organized than repeat some of his words and react to them.  I hope it sparks good discussion and, for all of the fellow apologists out there, helps us to be aware of the false teachings that are so rampant here in the end times.  And so we begin. . .

“Rob Bell goes a long way in helping us acquire just such an imagination.  Love Wins accomplishes this without a trace of soft sentimentality and without compromising an inch of evangelical conviction in its proclamation of the good news that is most truly for all.”–Eugene Peterson (in the front flap)

I am very disappointed to find Eugene Peterson here with this quote endorsing Bell’s book and his theology.  It makes me very suspect of his interpretation of the Bible in The Message Bible.

“A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’s message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” (Bell, 2011, preface)

                A fair summary of what we are about to delve into here.  Toxic? 

“So is it true that the kind of person you are doesn’t ultimately matter, as long as you’ve said or prayed or believed the right things?  If you truly believed that, and you were surrounded by Christians who believed that, then you wouldn’t have much motivation to do anything about the present suffering of the world, because you would believe you were going to leave someday and go somewhere else to be with Jesus.  If this understanding of the good news of Jesus prevailed among Christians, the belief that Jesus’s message about how to get somewhere else, you could possibly end up with a world in which millions of people were starving, thirsty, and poor; the earth was being exploited and polluted; disease and despair were everywhere; and Christians weren’t known for doing much about it.  If it got bad enough, you might even have people rejecting Jesus because of how his followers lived.” (Bell, 2011, p.6)

True followers of Jesus, when they have the Spirit living and moving in them, are motivated to do for those “starving, thirsty, and poor” of this world–in fact, it is the very power of Christ living out His life through us that moves us towards that.  What breaks God’s heart comes to break ours.  I see almost no basis for the thought that true believers, because they have a ticket to heaven, would then say to heck with the suffering in this life.  True followers know that Jesus commanded us in John 13:34 for example to “Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  In Matthew 25:40, we read, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  We see over and over again throughout the Bible that the mark of a true Christian is his or her love for others, caring for the poor, and taking care of “the least of these.”  I would question those who have “prayed or believed the right things” but they don’t live out the fruits of that relationship with Christ, whether they have a true relationship with Christ or not.  Therefore I disagree with Bell’s premise here.

“Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and heaven are one.” (Bell, 2011, p. 46)

                Bell frequently seems to be implying that heaven is here on earth now.  Good theology?

“To portray heaven as bliss, peace, and endless joy is a beautiful picture, but it raises the question:  How many of us could handle it, as we are today?  How would we each do in a reality that had no capacity for cynicism or slander or worry or pride?  It’s important, then, to keep in mind that heaven has the potential to be a kind of starting over.  Learning how to be human all over again.” (Bell, 2011, p. 50-51)

This sounds to me like complete New Age jargon.  Not only that, but heaven will not be full of cynicism and slander.  There will be no sin in heaven, as only those who will be there are those whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. 

“Sometime when Jesus used the word ‘heaven,’ he was simply referring to God, using the word as a substitute for the name of God.  Second, sometimes when Jesus spoke of heaven, he was referring to the future coming together of heaven and earth in what he and his contemporaries called life in the age to come.  And then third–when Jesus talked about heaven, he was talking about our present eternal, intense, real experiences of joy, peace, and love in this life, this side of death and the age to come.  Heaven for Jesus wasn’t just ’someday’; it was a present reality.  Jesus blurs the lines, inviting the rich man, and us, into the merging of heaven and earth, the future and present, here and now.  To say it again, eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection to God.” (Bell, 2011, p. 58)

                Again, this part about the word “heaven” sometimes being a “substitute for the name of God” sounds like really faulty theology.  Those of you with seminary degrees, any response?

The best thing about heaven is being with Jesus forever–I don’t believe, to the best of my recollection, that Bell mentions this glorious truth anywhere in his book.

“So how do I answer questions about heaven?  How would I summarize all that Jesus teaches?  There’s heaven now, somewhere else.  There’s heaven here, sometime else.  And then there’s Jesus’s invitation to heaven here and now, in this moment, in this place.” (Bell, 2011, p. 62)

HUH?  This is what disturbs me about these emerging church pastors. . .they love using their words to ask a bunch of questions, provide little answers, keep everything mysterious, and cause everyone to scratch their head and say, “What on earth are they REALLY saying, beneath all these poetic frills?!”  Is that intentional–talk all over the place so that fewer of us can criticize what they are saying?

“And that’s what we find in Jesus’s teaching about hell–a volatile mixture of images, pictures, and metaphors that describe the very real experiences and consequences of rejecting our God-given goodness and humanity.” (Bell, 2011, p. 73)

So hell is rejecting our God-given goodness?  What about rejecting God, and just putting the period there, after ‘God’?  Again, very faulty theology and sounds like New Age.

“Some people are primarily concerned with systemic evils–corporations, nations, and institutions that enslave people, exploit the earth, and disregard the welfare of the weak and disempowered.  Others are primarily concerned with individual sins, and so they focus on personal morality, individual patterns, habits, and addictions that prevent human flourishing and cause profound suffering.  Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem the least concerned about hell after death.  What we see in Jesus’s story about the rich man and Lazarus is an affirmation that there are all kinds of hells, because there are all kinds of ways to resist and reject all that is good and true and beautiful and human now, in this life, and so we can only assume we can do the same in the next.” (Bell, 2011, p. 78)

Again, the “hell” on earth that I am most (not exclusively, but most) concerned about right now is the eternal destiny of billions of souls who do not accept Jesus.  This does not mean that I am not concerned with other’s suffering here on earth.  To me, Bell’s comment implies mutual exclusivity, and I don’t agree.  I do, however, think there are many people here today that “do good” around the world, but do it completely apart from the name of Jesus.  But why mention them here–they aren’t going to be concerned about other’s going to hell after death if they aren’t even saved themselves.  And again, why are we mentioning “all kinds of hells,” but neglecting to clarify the one hell that will be for those who reject Christ?

“. . .Jesus talked about hell to the people who considered themselves ‘in,’ warning them that their hard hearts were putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk, reminding that that whatever ‘chosen-ness’ or ‘election’ meant, whatever special standing they believed they had with God was always, only, ever about their being the kind of transformed, generous, loving people through whom God could show the world what God’s love looks like in flesh and blood.” (Bell, 2011, p. 82)

“Putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk”?  Our salvation, if we are truly saved, is not at risk of being lost.  Where does he get this ‘theology’?

” ‘Satan,’ according to Paul, is actually used by God for God’s transforming purposes.  Whoever and whatever he means by that word ‘Satan,’ there is something redemptive and renewing that will occur when Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy) are ‘handed over.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 89)

                Why is Satan in quotes?  Is he just a concept to Bell?

“To summarize, then, we need a loaded, volatile, adequately violent, dramatic, serious word to describe the very real consequences we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us.  We need a word that refers to the big, wide, terrible evil that comes from the secrets hidden deep within our hearts all the way to the massive, society-wide collapse and chaos that comes when we fail to live in God’s world God’s way.  And for that, the word ‘hell’ works quite well.  Let’s keep it.” (Bell, 2011, p. 93)

                He keeps saying “reject the good” rather than reject God.  Hell is more than just a word.

1 Timothy 2–”God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  “So does God get what God wants?  How great is God?  Great enough to achieve what God sets out to do, or kind of great, medium great, great most of the time, but in this, the fate of billions of people, not totally great.  Sort of great.  A little great.  Will all people be saved, or will God not get what God wants?  Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?” (Bell, 2011, p. 97)

As in, if He doesn’t get what He wants, He’s not great enough?  This is so very offensive to me–equating what God wants with what he is able to do or not do, and his greatness.  Completely erroneous logic on Bell’s part.

“Once again, God has a purpose.  A desire.  A goal.  And God never stops pursuing it.  Jesus tells a series of parables in Luke 15 about a woman who loses a coin, a shepherd who loses a sheep, and a father who loses a son.  The stories aren’t ultimately about things and people being lost; the stories are about things and people being found.  The God that Jesus teaches us about doesn’t give up until everything that was lost is found (what biblical reference is he using to support this?).  This God simply doesn’t give up.  Ever.” (Bell, 2011, p. 101)

                It’s not about God “giving up.”  It’s about our free will to choose to stay lost.   It’s also about the joy in finding something that once was lost.  God wants our legitimate love, not a bunch of robots forced to love Him.

2 Timothy 2, God “cannot disown himself.”  “As Abraham asked in Genesis 18, ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’  Which is stronger and more powerful, the hardness of the human heart or God’s unrelenting, infinite, expansive love?  Thousands through the years have answered that question with the resounding response, ‘God’s love, of course.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 109)

                Again, Bell seems to be making this a question of God’s competence and that is offensive to me.  The conclusions he draws from that logic are completely anti-biblical.

Why does Bell assume that “right” from Genesis 18 does not include holy and just?  He assumes the only “right” thing to do would be to save all?  So if I don’t believe “love wins,” I don’t believe God’s love is unfailing?

“A seed has to be buried in the ground before it can rise up from out of the earth as new life.  Think of what you’ve had to eat today.  Dead.  All of it.  So when the writers of the Bible talk about Jesus’s resurrection bringing new life to the world, they aren’t talking about a new concept.  They’re talking about something that has always been true.  It’s how the world works.  Although the cross is often understood as a religious icon, it’s a symbol of an elemental reality, one we all experience every time we take a bite of food.” (Bell, 2011, p. 130-131)

Am I being too sensitive?  Resurrection of plant life is same as the resurrection of our Lord and Savior?

“What kind of universe are we living in?  Is it safe or dangerous?  Is there a force, an energy, a being calling out to us, in many languages, using a variety of methods and events, trying to get our attention?” (Bell, 2011, p. 141)

A force?  Energy?  These are very New-Age terms.  And New-Age is one of the valid criticisms of the emerging church movement, of which Bell is a part.

“First, there is exclusivity.  Jesus is the only way.  Then there is inclusivity.  The kind that is open to all religions, the kind that trusts that good people will get in, that there is only one mountain, but it has many paths.  And then there is an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.  This kind insists that Jesus is the way, but holds tightly to the assumption that the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.  As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Christians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn’t matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn’t matter what you believe, and so forth.  Not true.  Absolutely, unequivocally, unalterably not true.  What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.  And then he leaves the door way, way open.  Creating all sorts of possibilities.  He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.  He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as containing every single particle of creation.” (Bell, 2011, p. 154-155)

                So is he saying the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., no matter what they believe about Jesus Christ?  No matter who they surrender their lives to?  That it’s all okay because Jesus will take the credit for saving them?  This is such dangerous teaching. 

“Some people have so much baggage with regard to the name ‘Jesus’ that when they encounter the mystery present in all of creation–grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness–the last thing they are inclined to name it is ‘Jesus.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 159)

                Again, suggestions of New-Age here.  Unfortunately, the “baggage” is a real issue that we need to address, but that doesn’t mean we should apologize that Jesus is who He is, and that He is the only way.  Is Bell suggesting that we condone crediting “the mystery present in all of creation” to someone or something else, instead of Jesus, because of those with baggage? 

“But there’s more.  Millions have been taught that if they don’t believe, if they don’t accept in the right way, that is, the way the person telling them the gospel does, (what about the way the Bible says?) and they were hit by a car and died later that same day, God would have no choice but to punish them forever in conscious torment in hell.  God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever.  A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.” (Bell, 2011, p. 173)

He is not a “different being” in one moment than the next.   He’s the same!  He is perfectly just, perfectly holy, and perfectly loving.  Bell seems to want to keep the “perfectly loving” but dump the “perfectly just and holy” (the part that tells us God will not co-exist with our sin).

“We do ourselves great harm when we confuse the very essence of God, which is love, with the very real consequences of rejecting and resisting that love, which creates what we call hell.” (Bell, 2011, p. 177)

Again, God is also HOLY and JUST.  And again, hell is created by us?

And those are just some of the thoughts about heaven and hell according to Rob Bell. 

The way that I see it, we believers have little choice but to get involved, and that’s okay by me.  It is the Great Commission of Matthew 28.  And in these end times, deceptions are on the rise, false beliefs are disguised as being more loving or politically correct (which is a deception in and of itself), and our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)!  We have a mission, and the stakes are high.  The Holy Spirit wants to work through us as He draws lost souls to Himself.  It is not loving to tell others what they may want to hear, but at the expense of keeping from them the very loving truth of the gospel–the love of a perfect heavenly Father, but also the wrath and judgment of a holy God.  Rob Bell is wrong in much of what he says (or even implies) in Love Wins, and I, for one, want to stand on truth and spread God’s Truth of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of what Rob Bell teaches, and because of it!

To God Be the Glory

The plan for today was to blog about something very personal to me and on my heart lately.  Then I got the political passions flowing after reading the latest Bill Maher/Sarah Palin controversy and started thinking about writing about the hypocritical nature of and frustratingly biased women’s organization NOW. . .and then launching into my thoughts on how the modern feminism movement is harming women more than they are helping.

SO, I decided to go back to my original plan, but if you want to read what’s really chapping my hide today, see the story here:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/03/23/slams-maher-sarah-palin-insult-chides-media-asking/

As I was saying. . .

Romans 7:22-25 is a beautiful Bible passage, especially in The Message translation:  “I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight.  Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.  I’ve tried everything and nothing helps.  I’m at the end of my rope.  Is there no one who can do anything for me?  Isn’t that the real question?  The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.”

Earlier in this chapter of Romans, Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. . . For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15, 18-19 NIV).

Lately the Lord has shown areas of my life that I have been disobedient to things He has been telling me to do, and I’ve found every way to dismiss it, justify it, defend it, and avoid it.  Although I don’t think I became completely numb to my sin (although I’m still processing that)–I think I always knew to some degree that I wasn’t behaving as the Lord wanted me to in this area–again, I found ways to put off the inevitable submission.  But then He showed me that I could either surrender to God and recognize my rebellion as sin, or I could be consumed by my sin.

Surrender is sweet.  I hope I never forget the joy that has come lately from doing it His way.  And I hope I can remember the hope to which He has called me (Ephesians 1:18), the strength I find in Christ alone to carry out my life (Philippians 4:13), and the forgiveness which only God can grant without condemnation (Romans 8:1).  I know I have a LONG way to go in many areas of my life, but because of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and enablement, maybe my eyes have been opened even a little bit.  To God be all the glory. . .

Surrendered Living

A few months ago I received a book for my birthday by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, called Surrender: The Heart God Controls.  About two-thirds of the way through the book, I was floored.  I came to the point in the book that I desperately needed to come to–a personal examination of what I still needed to surrender to the Lord in my life.  I mistakenly thought that I had pretty much given Him all of the big things–my husband, my son, and my life in general–but what I read in those 20 pages has changed my life and will be a blueprint for “surrendered living” for many years to come.  As we close out another year and wonder what 2011 will bring, I settle down with these questions and implore the Lord to show me where and how to surrender all those little (and big) things to Him.  For example, have you surrendered:

Your Life?

Your Time?

Your Body?

Your Tongue?

Your Possessions?

Your Mind?

Your Will?

Your Affections?

Your Relationships?

Your Health?

You may think you have (as I did) but as you are asked to probe even deeper into some very revealing questions from this article, you may find things that still need surrendering (as I did).  Take a look at this article by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and if you sincerely ask the Lord to reveal His will for you through this list–His will for a fully surrendered life–I bet you will be changed for the New Year as well.

http://www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/LivingSurrenderedLife.pdf

May God bless your 2011 and reveal to you all of the many ways His love, grace and mercy extend to those who fear (are awed by) Him!

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Eighth and Final Part

We will conclude our series with Part Eight today.  This series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe has been based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me.

As we seek to share the truth with those deceived Witnesses, Part Eight will cover many of the basic doctrines of Christianity. 

Click here to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, and Part Seven.

In order to share the Truth with our misled friends, we need to understand clearly what the Bible says and how our Christian doctrine differs from their JW doctrine.  This list is borrowed from CARM:  Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, a very informative site that I’ve come across while writing these blogs.  They list very simply (although that is not to say Christian doctrine is all simple) 40 doctrinal statements of Christianity, with references from the Bible which support those doctrines.  This list is not exhaustive, nor are these the only biblical references to support these doctrines:

1. There is only one God - Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Gal. 4:8-9
2. God is a Trinity - 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2
3. There are no Gods before or after God - Isaiah 43:10
4. God knows all things - 1 John 3:20
5. God is all powerful - Psalm 115:3
6. God is everywhere - Jer. 23:23,24
7. God is sovereign - Zech. 9:14; 1 Tim. 6:15-16
8. God is spirit - John 4:24
9. God created all that exists - Gen. 1:1; Isaiah 44:24
10. Spirit does not have a body of flesh and bones - Luke 24:39
11. God has always been God - Psalm 90:2
12. Jesus is God - John 1:1,14; 10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:8
13. Jesus became a man - Phil. 2:5-8
14. Jesus has two natures: divine and human - Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5
15. Jesus was sinless - 1 Pet. 2:22
16. Jesus is the only way to God the Father - John 14:6; Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22
17. The Holy Spirit is God - Acts 5:3-4
18. The Holy Spirit is not a force. He is alive - Acts 13:2
19. The Bible is inspired by God - 2 Tim. 3:16
20. All people have sinned - Rom. 3:23, 5:12
21. Man did not evolve, he was created - Gen. 1:26
22. Adam and Eve were real people - Gen. 3:20; 5:1; 1 Tim. 2:13
23. Death entered the world because of Adam’s sin - Rom. 5:12-15
24. Sin separates us from God - Isaiah 59:2
25. Jesus died for all our sins - 1 John 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Pet. 2:24
26. Jesus’ sacrifice was a substitution, for us - 1 Pet. 2:24
27. Jesus rose from the dead in His physical body - John 2:19-21
28. Those who reject Jesus will go to Hell - Rev. 20:11-15
29. Hell is a place of fiery punishment - Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20
30. Hell is eternal - Matt. 25:46
31. The unsaved go to hell forever - Rev. 21:8
32. Salvation is a free gift of God - Rom. 4:5; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9
33. The Bible is the Word of God - 2 Tim. 3:16
34. Jesus will return visibly to earth - Acts 1:11
35. Christians will be raised from the dead when Jesus returns - 1 Thess. 4:14-17
36. There will be a rapture (being caught up into the clouds with Jesus) - 1 Thess. 4:14-17
37. There will be a final judgment - 2 Pet. 3:7
38. The damned will be thrown into a lake of fire - Rev. 20:15
39. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire - Rev. 20:10
40. There will be a new heavens and a new earth - 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1

http://carm.org/basic-christian-doctrine

This same ministry, CARM, has another resource on their webpage in which they go deeper into many of these doctrines.  I have read enough to feel comfortable passing them along as a good resource, but obviously could not read everything, so, as always, use your biblical grid in discerning His Truth as you study. 

http://carm.org/christian-doctrine

So at this point, in addition to challenging them on some of the issues raised in this eight part series or in this list of Christian doctrines, what do we do in order to help rescue our friends from the deception of the Watchtower?  In my experience, I have found that not only the most powerful tool, but also the one I feel most comfortable overusing, is Scripture.  Click and study the verses above.  Find others (there are plenty).  Get as much of God’s Word to them as you can, for there is power in His Word.  Expose them to His Words on each of the doctrines we’ve discussed, for it may be their only exposure to the Truth.

Also, in every interaction you have with your friend, whether it be on the phone, in person, or by mail, speak the truth in love and show them that love at every opportunity.  That love is the love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God whom they have limited and put in a box while the Watchtower assumes final authority.  Let Jesus out in a humble, loving way, and then they will see the Jesus whom the Watchtower has kept hidden. 

Finally, let prayer precede every step you take in their direction.  Seek His guidance in everything you say to them, asking God for His wisdom, His words, and His motivation first and foremost.  Then respond with patience.  We have a tendency to want them to “hurry up” and realize the truth–I know I did.  Our human nature wants to almost shake them, scold them, or scream the truth to them and let them know how blind they seem.  That response will not only get you nowhere, but it will hurt the very cause of Christ.  Remember, Satan has “blinded the minds of those who don’t believe” (2 Cor. 4:4), but God is more powerful.  Allow Him to work through you in His timing and with His perfect love.  There is no secret or misleading doctrine that the Lord’s light cannot penetrate and illuminate, in His time and His perfect will.

Recommended Resources

Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Answered Verse by Verse by David Reed

The Watchman Fellowship http://www.watchman.org/ (this organization has volumes of the Watchtower’s own material that show their inconsistencies and deceptions)

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah’s Witnesses by Ron Rhodes

The Ten Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness by Ron Rhodes

The Deceivers by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Part Seven

This is Part Seven in a series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.  These findings are based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me.

Part Seven will cover one of the most disturbing issues I find with the Jehovah’s Witness theology, and likewise, one of the most important issues you can raise with any JWs you are trying to speak to about the truth.  Today we will cover the authority of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (WTBTS), the headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York.

Click here to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, or Part Six.

Assumed Authority

As born-again Christians, we believe that the Word of God is inspired by Him, and completely inerrant.  We believe that God made no errors in creating His Holy Scriptures and if there were anything more that was necessary, He would have included it in His Word.  Given that, does God’s Word (or God, for that matter) need help?  The Watchtower believes that the Bible alone is not enough, and in fact, God does need help.

“The Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.” ¹

“From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah’s people those who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude . . .They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively. . .” ²

Charles Taze Russell (former WTBTS president), claimed that people would “go into darkness” by studying the Bible alone, without the aid of his studies.³

“Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the Scripture Studies (Studies in the Scriptures) aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had merely read the Scripture Studies with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures” ⁴

“False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used ‘the faithful and discreet slave’ to convey to us ’sayings of everlasting life,’ why should we ever want to look anywhere else?” ⁵

Before there were commentaries, or even before there was the WTBTS, the Bible was studied and revered by many thousands of people.  Considering that those people did not have the “faithful and discreet slave” to interpret God’s Word, did they waste their time?  Will the Holy Spirit guide believers to the Truth independent of any extra-biblical material by any group or organization?  He absolutely will!

Why does the Watchtower insist on the need for other authorities, such as the WTBTS and all of their essential pamphlets?  Are these required reading for the Jehovah’s Witness?  In biblical Christianity, although we have many books written about God and the Bible, there is not a single one that has been made mandatory or as an essential supplement to the Bible.  Helpful, yes, but never mandatory. 

Here is what the King James Version of the Bible says:

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

^“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). 

“But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).

The JW’s are forbidden to study the Bible alone, that is, without the help of the WTBTS.  This, to me, says that the Bible is not the ultimate authority.  They are expressly commanded to “avoid independent thinking . . .” ⁶  Show your friend the words of the organization on this issue, and then challenge him or her on this point.  Do not let the JW deceive you.  After all, they may be very sadly deceived themselves and not know any differently.  They adamantly insist that the Word of God is their final and utmost authority, yet their literature strongly contradicts that position.  The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has placed themselves as the ultimate authority, and their own literature proves it.

End Notes:

1. The Watchtower, October 1, 1967, pg. 587.

2. The Watchtower, August 15, 1981.

3. The Watchtower, September 15, 1910, pg. 298.

4. The Watchtower, September 15, 1910, pg. 298.

5. The Watchtower, March 15, 1986, pg. 19-20.

6. The Watchtower, January 15, 1983, p. 22.

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Part Six

This is Part Six in a series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.  These findings are based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word-the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me.

Part Six will cover many of the failed prophecies set forth by the Jehovah’s Witness religion and their leadership.  I will then lead into a collection of rather disturbing quotes directly from Watchtower literature and leadership. This is important because Jehovah’s Witnesses are discouraged from reading religious material other than their own material, but yet they can read these quotes with no fear of excommunication.  I pray they read them with eyes wide open.

Click here to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, or Part Five.

I.  Phony Prophecies

“Before the end of A.D. 1914, the last member of the ‘Body of Christ’ will be glorified with the head.” ¹

“In view of this strong Bible evidence concerning the Times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished by the end of A.D. 1914.” ²

“All present governments will be overthrown and dissolved in 1914.” ³

“The chief thing to be restored is the human race to life; and since other Scriptures definitely fix the fact that there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful ones of old, and that these will have the first favour, we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth.” ⁴

“The year 1926 would therefore begin about October first, 1925…. We should, therefore, expect shortly after 1925 to see the awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Melchisedec, Job, Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, John the Baptist, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews.” ⁵

“If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things.   …..all evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years.  ….as a young person you will never fulfill any career that this system offers.  If you are in high school and thinking about a college education,  it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!”⁶

These are just a few of the many phony prophecies that the Watchtower presidents and the WTBTS have claimed as their own.  In scripture, we are warned to beware of false prophets, and it is well worth being reminded of that here.  In Deuteronomy 18:21-22, the Lord said, “You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?’  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.”

The Watchtower is the author of many prophesies that have never come about–prophecies about Christ’s return, about who the “faithful and discreet slave” is, and the end of the world.  Their stories are not consistent for very long, and therefore their doctrines cannot be considered sound.  Likewise, their prophecies do not come true, and therefore their prophets cannot be of God.  Ask the JW why they are comfortable pledging their allegiance, financial support, and gambling their eternal salvation on an organization that proclaims the teachings of multiple false prophets and prophecies.

End Notes:

1.  The Time is At Hand, 1906 ed., pg. 77.

2.  The Time is at Hand, p. 99.

3.  The Time is At Hand, 1889, pg. 98-99.

4.   Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p.88.

5.  The Way to Paradise, p.224.

6.  Awake, 5/22/1969, pg 15.

II.  Authorizing Abhorrence of People

Here are some quotes that not only completely baffle me, but also hurt given that I have family in this religion.  These quotes seem contradictory with Jesus command to love (Matthew 22:36-39; 1 John 2:6; John 15:12,13).  Do these quotes below (commands from the Watchtower) reflect that love?

“Children are to leave their disfellowshipped parents, even if it means financial hardship.“¹

“Disfellowshipped children, legally of age will be kicked out of the home.“²

“Don’t associate with outsiders (non-Jehovah’s Witnesses). You are too busy for that!“³

“Haters of God and his people are to be hated, but this does not mean that we will take any opportunity of bringing physical hurt to them in a spirit of malice or spite, for both malice and spite belong to the Devil, whereas pure hatred does not.  We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme and active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest.  Surely any haters of God are not fit to live on his beautiful earth. The earth will be rid of the wicked and we shall not need to lift a finger to cause physical harm to come to them, for God will attend to that, but we must have a proper perspective of these enemies.”⁴

“. . .in order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person”⁵

Why the hate?  Why the fear of those who have been disfellowshipped (asked to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses)?  Am I completely misunderstanding Matthew 5:44 which says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”?

There is a deception taking place that possibly only those of us that are not Jehovah’s Witnesses can see clearly.  The Enemy (Satan) has “blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and prayer and the Truth of God’s Word need to be two of the weapons we use the most of in this war for our loved ones.

End Notes:

1.  Watchtower, 15/11/52 p. 703.

2.  Watchtower, 11/15/52, p. 703.

3.  Watchtower, 2/1/74, p.93.

4.  Watchtower, 10/1/52, p. 599.

5.  Watchtower, 7/15/1961, p. 420.

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Part Five

This is Part Five in a series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.  These findings are based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

Part Five will continue the series of JW “Doctrinal Discrepancies,” discussing today their New World Translation.  Click here to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, or Part Four.

Doctrinal Discrepancies:  Transformed Translation

During my study sessions, I discovered that the New World Translation (NWT) used by the JWs is not the same translation as those translations I use (KJV, NASB, NIV).  But you might ask, “So what?  There are many different translations to choose from.”  Yes, but the changes made in the NWT change the context drastically.  A simple insertion of the word “a” into John 1:1 for example changes the Bible’s teaching so much, that Christians and JWs have been debating that verse for decades. 

Or what about John 8:58, which in the KJV says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

But that same verse in the NWT says, “Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”

Those are drastically different, as we know, because Christians know Jesus by one of His names, I AM, which speaks to his deity. 

I found it interesting in my research that the JWs used the KJV and NASB up until about 50 years ago, when they decided that it was not accurate enough.  Then, in 1961, they translated their own New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.  But I question why these critical changes were made?  They claim that the Christian Bible has been too tampered with and is no longer accurate.  Are they right?   Please note that we are not talking here about paraphrase Bibles such as The Message.  I have my own problems with The Message Bible and am speaking here of the time-tested versions such as the KJV and NASB (and a few others).  Why did the JWs feel those needed to change?  Was it to support their doctrine?

Dr. Philip Comfort, author of the book The Complete Guide to Bible Versions, says about the Christian Bible that “although there are certainly differences in many New Testament manuscripts, not one fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith rests on a disputed passage” ¹.  The NWT, however, has had passage disputes and doctrinal changes for many years.  Just consider their positions on blood transfusions, vaccinations, and excommunication.  Josh McDowell and Don Stewart in their assessment of the NWT, provide these five proofs of the invalidity of the JW translation:

“The use of paraphrasing in contradiction to the stated purpose; the unwarranted insertion of words not found in the Greek (such as John 1:1; Colossians 1:16,17; and Hebrews 9:27); erroneous rendering of Greek words; deception and misleading footnotes and appendix; arbitrary use and non-use of capitals when dealing with the divine name (such as John 1:1,18; Matthew 28:19; and John 15:26).²

Watchman Fellowship points out this proof in addition:

“The most widespread change in the Watchtower Bible is the insertion of the name JEHOVAH 237 times in the New Testament. Of course, it is appropriate for a translator to choose to use the divine name JEHOVAH or YAHWEH in the Old Testament where the Tetragrammator YHWH actually appears in the Hebrew text. However, the Watchtower has gone beyond this by inserting the name JEHOVAH in the New Testament, where it does not appear in Greek manuscripts. One need only look at the word-by-word English that appears under the Greek text in the Society’s own Kingdom Interlinear Translation to see that the name JEHOVAH is not there in the Greek.”

David Reed, an insider having been a Witness and now a Christian, says, “their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures continues to be rewritten every few years, with additional changes made to bring God’s Word into closer agreement with what the organization teaches”³.

Apparently, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has their own team of translators of the NWT but they refuse to disclose the names of those translators⁴. 

Again, Reed points out,

“an unbiased observer will quickly note that such anonymity also shields the translators from any blame for errors or distortions in their renderings. And it prevents scholars from checking their credentials.  In fact, defectors who have quit Watchtower headquarters in recent years have identified the alleged members of the committee, revealing that none of them was expert in Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic - the original languages from which the Bible was translated”⁵. 

This is corroborated again by Raymond Franz in his book, Crisis of Conscience, who is a former member of the JW governing body.

Daniel B. Wallace in an article from Bible.org entitled, “Why So Many Versions,” says this about how to choose the best Bible translation and the accuracy of the New World Translation: 

“One of the best safeguards you can follow is to stay away from the sectarian translations or those done by an individual. The New World Translation, by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, is the best known sectarian translation. . . . a word should be said about the New World Translation by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Due to the sectarian bias of the group, as well as to the lack of genuine biblical scholarship, I believe that the New World Translation is by far the worst translation in English dress. It purports to be word-for-word, and in most cases is slavishly literal to the point of being terrible English. But, ironically, whenever a sacred cow is demolished by the biblical writers themselves, the Jehovah’s Witnesses twist the text and resort to an interpretive type of translation. In short, it combines the cons of both worlds, with none of the pros.”

So who is Daniel B. Wallace and what are his credentials?  Fair question.  Take a look here.  It seems he is more qualified to speak on the accuracy of Bible translations than the translators on the Watchtower committee.  And as I research, I am finding many other independent scholars (those without any loyalty to one earthy organization) that have similar feelings about the NWT.

Ask the JW you seek to share the truth with who translated their NWT from the Hebrew and Greek and if they have ever studied the translations on their own.  Ask them to send you sound and independent (of the WTBTS literature) evidence of their beliefs as written in the original Greek translations.  In my correspondence with my family, I often reminded them that a loving God would lead us into His Truth and show us any error that we might be falling into, as it promises in John 16:13.  When I study my Bible, I am constantly dependent upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit for true meaning and understanding.  He is my Guide (John 14:26 NASB “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  John 16:13 says, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”  See also John 14:16-17).  Apart from the influence of the WTBTS, that is what the JW will have to depend on during this study as well.  And isn’t it of vital importance that the Bible we read every day and use to formulate our worldview be exactly what the Lord inspired those writers to pen all those years ago?

 End Notes:

 1.   The Complete Guide to Bible Versions, Dr. Philip Comfort

2.   The Deceivers, Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, pp. 104-106.

3.  Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse, David Reed, pp. 17-18.

4.  Penton, M. J. (1997), Apocalypse Delayed (2nd ed.), University of Toronto Press, pp. 174-176.

5.  Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse, David Reed, pp. 17-18.

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Part Four

This is Part Four in a series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.  These findings are based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

Part Four will continue the series of JW “Doctrinal Discrepancies,” discussing today the doctrine of salvation.  Click here to read Part One, Part Two, or Part Three.

Doctrinal Discrepancies:  Salvation

In order to save time, I’ve pulled most of the basic beliefs regarding salvation according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses from CARM: Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.  The author of this article, Matt Slick, has provided the sources for each.  Notice how they are in direct contradiction to what born-again Christians believe as well as to the Bible.

Jesus was born again, The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 682.

Jesus’ ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p.  119.

Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb, 15, 1979, p. 30.

Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150, 152.

The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.

There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80.

Only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witness go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121.

Only the 144,000 Jehovah’s Witness are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681.

Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150,152.

It is possible to lose your salvation, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 358-359.

So let’s expound on these a bit and view the biblical response.  How are Jehovah’s Witnesses taught regarding salvation?  How might they obtain it?  The bottom line is this:  WORKS.  Born-again believers know that the reason that they are saved from eternal damnation is because of God’s grace and His grace alone, by way of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross as payment for our sin.  The Bible clearly states that God’s grace absorbs His wrath for those who believe and receive Him, not our works (see later in this article for a very partial list of scriptures that support a grace-based, not works-based salvation).

However, the Watchtower says, “Do you want to live forever on earth under God’s government? Any person in his right mind would answer, Yes?… But to receive them you cannot simply raise your hand and say: ‘I want to be a subject of God’s government.’ Much more is needed“¹

So how does the Watchtower define “works” for the Jehovah’s Witnesses?  This list includes, but is probably not limited to, the following:

1.  LOYALTY TO THE ORGANIZATION

One of the ways they demonstrate their good works is by loyalty to the Watchtower, also known as, they believe, the “faithful and discreet slave” from Matthew 24:45.  The Watchtower has said, “Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication (faithful and discreet slave) that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.” ² 

The “faithful and discreet slave” used to be Charles Taze Russell (former WTBTS president), but that doctrine was one of many that changed over time (more about that in later posts). So this very clearly states that the Bible alone will not teach us enough or mature us enough.  We need the Watchtower’s help.  I wonder what the Lord would say about people teaching that His inspired Word is not enough?  In addition, this clearly states that loyalty to the Watchtower is necessary for salvation. 

They also say this regarding our salvation:  “To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.”³   Again, loyalty is required to receive everlasting life.

2.  LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION

Watchman Fellowship has this to say about this requirement:

The most pronounced manifestation of loyalty to the Society is proselytism. “God requires that prospective subjects of his Kingdom support his government by loyally advocating his Kingdom rule to others” (Watchtower, February 15, 1983, pp. 12-13; emphasis theirs), with all Jehovah’s Witnesses serving as “loyal spokesmen or proclaimers of God’s kingdom” (You Can Live Forever., p. 133; emphasis theirs). Serving as loyal spokesmen for the Society is “a sacred duty, a requirement on which our life depends” (Keep Watch Over Yourselves., p. 35). 

This proselyting work primarily involves distributing Watchtower literature. The status of the individual member in a Kingdom Hall is measured according to activity in distributing literature, with individuals referred to as “publishers” (e.g., see Keep Watch Over Yourselves., pp. 98-99). Publishers must “be determined to exert ourselves physically, using our energies and strength in the evangelizing work.  [God's] service would be whole-souled. Those whose strength and circumstances permit them to do more need not discontinue their activity just because others cannot stay out longer” (Ibid., p. 51). Literature distribution is tracked by the Society through a detailed monthly time report submitted by each Witness. These reports are so important to the Society that even notices of expiring magazine subscriptions are submitted to the leaders of local congregations for immediate action (Ibid., p. 61).

Watchman Fellowship also says, “the Watchtower Society has made door-to-door magazine and book distribution (in exchange for donations to the Society) a requirement for salvation for over three and a half million people.”

I would like to ask a Jehovah’s Witness if their literature and publications are available at local bookstores or if the Watchtower is the only distributor of their material.  This is not a situation where we, as Christians, purchase Bibles from various publishers and bookstores across the nation to give away as we attempt to reach the unsaved world.  My curiosity only grows when I see Wikipedia report that, “In 2001 the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York was listed among the top forty revenue-generating companies in New York City, reporting an annual revenue of about 951 million US dollars.” ⁴

Keep in mind that, in all this talk of salvation and the afterlife, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in an eternal hell or punishment, but rather hell is simply a term for the grave and being “thrown into the lake of fire,” as Revelation 20:15 says, is simply an end of existence for those who meet this fate.⁵

So how do we respond biblically to these beliefs?

Everlasting life is a free gift from God if we choose to accept it.  I see no place where Scripture says that we can earn our way to heaven.  None of us could ever gain enough merit to deserve heaven.  We are sinful, and God’s standard is perfection.  Isn’t it rather arrogant to assume we could meet God’s standard on our own, and in contrast, aren’t we commanded to pattern ourselves after the humility of Jesus, denying arrogance and self-sufficiency?  Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).  He added, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48).  Who then can go to heaven and who can be saved by his or her own efforts? 

The New Testament is overflowing with verses that declare salvation is by faith alone, without mention of works.  These scriptures will help the JW to see that: 

Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

2 Tim. 1:9,10 says, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

John 5:24 says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:24-26 says, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

See also Titus 2:11; 1 John 1:7; 1 John 5:13; Matthew 5:20; John 3:15; John 11:25; John 12:46; John 14:6; John 3:3, 16-20; Acts 4:12; and 1 John 1:7-10 (Note: Almost 200 times in the NT alone, it says that salvation is by faith alone, with no works in sight.)

 The Bible is also clear that everyone will exist eternally, either in a place known as heaven or in a place of eternal torment.

John 14:1-3 says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Revelation 6:9 says, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:”

Matthew 23:33 says, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

Matthew 25:41 says, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Let’s pray for clarity for our Jehovah’s Witness friends–that they might have “ears to hear and eyes that see” (Proverbs 20:12) as we share this truth of salvation by faith alone with them.

End Notes:

1.  You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, p.27.

2.  The Watchtower, December 1, 1981 p. 27.

3.  The Watchtower, February 15, 1983, p. 12.

4.  http://www.watchtowernews.org/Top40NYCcorps.htm

5.  http://www.watchman.org/jw/jwafterl.htm

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Part Three

This is Part Three in a series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe.  These findings are based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

Part Three will continue the series of JW “Doctrinal Discrepancies,” discussing today the doctrine of the Trinity.  Click here to read Part One or Part Two.

Doctrinal Discrepancies:  Trinity

As seen in previous blogs, Watchman Fellowship is a ministry I respect very much.  They have this to say about Jehovah’s Witnesses rejection of the Trinity:

Joseph Rutherford made it quite clear that the Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. He stated, “The origin of the Trinity doctrine is traced back to the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians and other ancient mythologists. It will not be disputed by Jews and Christians that these ancient peoples worshiped demon gods and that God’s typical nation of Israel was warned not to mingle with them because of this. It follows, then, that God was not the author of this doctrine. The obvious conclusion is, therefore, that Satan is the originator of the Trinity doctrine.”

Nevertheless, sincere persons who want to know the true God and serve him find it a bit difficult to love and worship a complicated, freakish-looking, three-headed God. The clergy who inject such ideas will contradict themselves in the very next breath by stating that God made man in his own image; for certainly no one has ever seen a three-headed human creature.” ¹

As we’ve mentioned earlier, JW’s use the Trinity as one of their prime examples of an unreasonable doctrine.  One of the WTBTS pamphlet entitled, “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” states, “contending that since the Trinity is such a confusing mystery, it must have come from divine revelation creates another major problem.  Why?  Because divine revelation itself does not allow for such a view of God: ‘God is not a God of confusion.’ (1 Corinthians 14:33 RSV)” ²   Not only have they taken this verse out of context (read the whole of chapter 14), they have completely dismissed the fact that God and His ways are unfathomable to us, in many ways, because of our finite minds.  Isaiah 55:8,9 in the KJV says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Ask the JW, “Do you fully understand omnipotence, omniscience, or omnipresence?” or “Do you understand how God wrote the Bible through 40 different authors over a 1500-year period?”  We may not understand any of these things, so we take them by faith.  We are not given the luxury of dismissing a doctrine simply because it is unreasonable to us in our limited understanding.

Dr. Walter Martin says,

No man can fully explain the Trinity, though in every age scholars have propounded theories and advanced hypotheses to explore this mysterious Biblical teaching. But despite the worthy efforts of these scholars, the Trinity is still largely incomprehensible to the mind of man.

Perhaps the chief reason for this is that the Trinity is a-logical, or beyond logic. It, therefore, cannot be made subject to human reason or logic. Because of this, opponents of the doctrine argue that the idea of the Trinity must be rejected as untenable. Such thinking, however, makes man’s corrupted human reason the sole criterion for determining the truth of divine revelation.³

In addition, the JW will also claim that the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, and they are correct on this point.  While the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, the concept and doctrine of the Trinity is, most definitely, a biblical one (found throughout the Bible).  For that matter, the words “theocracy”, the name “Jehovah” itself, the word “Bible”, and many other examples, are not in the Bible.   Does that rule out the possibility that they are biblical concepts?  Absolutely not!   

It is well worth pointing out that in the “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” pamphlet mentioned above, not only is the language very confusing in and of itself (intentional or not, I will not judge), but their sources supporting their theories are not only inaccurate, but not credible.  The “evidence” they provide is from secular sources and Catholic literature.  Without stepping on toes, much of the Catholic doctrine does not adhere to the Scriptures, and in addition, we should be understandably leery of secular sources that speak on biblical issues.  Simply from the way the Trinity is misrepresented over and over again in this pamphlet, I am not surprised at the confusion over this doctrine.

Ask the JW to put away extraneous sources and simply listen to what the Bible has to say about the doctrine of the Trinity–no WTBTS sources, no secular sources, no pamphlets that distort, just the KJV of the Bible. 

Here are some scriptures to share with them:

Isaiah 44:6-8 says, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”

 Isaiah 45:5-6 says, “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.”

Ok so this tells us that there is only ONE God . . . let’s continue.

2 Corinthians 1:2 says, “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 2:11 says, “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Ok, so we see that the Father is God.

John 8:58 says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” 

John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 

Titus 2:13-14 says, ”Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Hebrews 1:8 says, “But unto the Son he saith, ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.’”

Ok, so we see that the Son is God as well.   I think I see where this is going.

Acts 5:3-4 says, “But Peter said, Ananias, ‘why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

Alright, so the Holy Ghost is God as well?  Seems rather clear–God in three persons of the Trinity, clearly in the Bible.

End Notes:

1.  Let God Be True, 2nd ed., pp. 101-102

2.  Should You Believe in the Trinity?, Brooklyn, New York:  WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC., 1989.

3.  Walter Martin, Essential Christianity, Vision House, Santa Anna, 1975, p. 21

 

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