| A Conversation with a Jehovah's Witness | ||
| Date: Tue, 20
May 1997 21:28:47 -0400 (EDT) From: Rolaant McKenzie To: Steve Subject: Re: question On Tue, 20 May 1997, Steve wrote: > Did you consider that your beliefs are what is not right? As for JW's, > I agree with their philosophies. Of course, that's part of honest investigation. But there comes a point where one has to decide what is consistent with the Bible and what is not. The Holy Spirit helps believers in this area. > > > Seeking to bring ones in is in fulfillment of Jesus's command to go and > > > make disciples and that would include teaching them. Financial? That > > > is up to you. > > > Organizations don't need income. Only physical things and expenses need > income. Jehovah's Witnesses don't need income to support the > organization except for the printing and building. But organizations make use of physical things to accomplish its goals, therefore it needs and receives income. > If one is not in harmony with the bible, then one should change to be in > harmony with the bible. That is why I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we > have the proper view of Jesus, and man and the human condition. > Paranoid view of the world? Is that bad? We don't coerce and have > spiritual abuse. One does not have to be a Jehovah's Witness in order to live in harmony with Biblical teaching, because one's denominational affiliation doesn't save. Only faith in Jesus Christ saves. > > I would see the alternative as not relying on an organization for > > fulfillment in life, especially in spiritual matters. If Jesus is the > > way, the truth, the life, He looks like the person one should be focused on. > > What do you mean by "relying on an organization for fulfillment in > life"? Do you mean for friends and association? People need friends > and association. So you have to rely on the congregation. Why can't > you focus on Jesus and the congregation? Because no one is saved by focusing on Jesus plus something else. People are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. > > Actually, Paul and the other apostles encouraged believers to remain > > faithful to Christ and the gospel they had delivered to them once for all. > > Then why did he write a letter to the congregatoin of Epheses, Corinth, > Hebrews, James and Peter wrote letters too? He told them to remain > unitied as a congregation while remaining faithful to Christ. It is not > an either or choice. One can do both. But the purpose of the letters to those congregations was to encourage them to remain faithful to the gospel. Congregations can be united in error. The apostles wrote to ensure that they remained united in the truth. > > Paul told one church that if anyone who taught a different gospel from > > the one he delivered to them before was to be accursed. The apostles did > > not teach, however, that believers were to remain with those who taught a > > false gospel, or false doctrine, or remain with false prophets. Rather, > > they strictly told believers to beware of them. > > Right, but after the after the apostles there came an apostacy just as > Jesus fortold. But Jesus also fortold that there would be a restoration > to true worship at the last days. WE are in that restoration now. I see no Biblical support for your conclusions. Also, in my study of early church history I see no group that believed as Jehovah's Witnesses (and the Watchtower Society) believe today. So I do not see them as a restoration of what they believed. > > > We should seek to live a life pleasing to God, but why do it > > > individually? > > > Because individually, we are responsible to Christ for the way we live > > our life. > > And alone we tend to not remain strong enough. It does not work like > that. Relying on a congregation doesn't save either. Jesus doesn't call people to rely on an organization for salvation, but on Himself. > >We each will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give > > an account for the way we lived our lives. > > Not quite that way. He already knows that our lives are lives of sin. But that is what Romans 14:10-12 says. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of ourselves. > > Many people mistakenly believe that they will be saved because they belong > > to a particular church or organization. They place their faith in a > > man-made structure rather in Christ. > > Again, why it is an "rather" situation? Why not both? How about people > are following Christ and the whole group froms the saved church. Because salvation does not come through a man-made organization, but through faith in Christ alone. > > No organization, however, no matter what it claims for itself, can save > > anyone. Only Jesus saves those who put their trust in Him. Those who > > believe the gospel and accept Him as Lord and Savior by faith. > > Right that the organization does not save. But when there are 5.4 > million people following Christ, and the rest are not, those 5.4 million > form an organization of saved people. Those not with them are not > following Christ. How can you be certain the rest are not? Do you believe only those associated with Jehovah's Witness and the Watchtower Society are saved? If so, then I submit that you have faith in an organization for salvation rather than Christ alone. And this is contrary to Biblical teaching. |
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