If Salvation could be compared to trying to get from Los Angeles to Santa Catalina Island (about 20 miles out in the pacific) and you could not take a plane, helicopter, or take a boat, but you could only try to jump or swim, then Salvation might look like this:
The Typical Protestant View of Salvation: No matter how strong you are, or how well you can make the long jumps, no one can jump 20 miles. Jesus died and made the jump for you so that you do not have to jump in the first place. But, out of love for God, in response to the Holy Spirit, you live in accord with Christ as though you have already been taken to Santa Catalina. When you die, God will immediately beam you to Santa Catalina, because Jesus loves you and gave you the right to be there through his own jump. God loves you and accepts you on that basis.
Catholic and Orthodox View of Salvation: True, no one can jump to Santa Catalina Island. Jesus death built a long bridge so that all you have to do is faithfully walk across the bridge that Jesus built, because you love the Lord and respond to the Holy Spirit. While its possible to do something stupid like jump off half way across and die, no one will really do that. But you at least need to show Jesus your willingness to do something, and walking across the bridge is not too much to ask. But, should you die on the bridge before your walk is over, God will beam you to Santa Catalina, because you were at least on the bridge that Jesus built, and God loves you as you are, where you are.
Watchtower View of Salvation: You are alientated from God, and have no rights with God, and God does not love you because you are not in harmony with his organization. God does not even recognize that you exist. Your faith is dead, in fact was never alive in the first place, and you are in deep shit. Follow us and we will show you how to get across to Santa Catalina. And then maybe God might love you one day, but that probability is your responsibility because God has no obligation to love the likes of you. The GB will stand on the shore and shine a beacon across the water to where you need to go. Jesus died only to give you the right to think that you could try to swim to Santa Catalina. So, now, get into the water and start swimming. Be sure to follow all GB instructions so that you do not cramp up half way out and drown. Be sure to watch out for sharks, and if you get eaten, it was your fault for getting too close to sharks. The GB will also shine its beacon on the sharks so you can see them coming. If you might possibly make it to Santa Catalina, you will have to carefully work your way past barnicle infested rocks and then climb the cliffs for 1,000 years to get to your destination. Should you die before swimming all the way across, and you were faithfully following the Watchtower Beacon, and you did not foolishly get eaten by a shark, then God will resurrect you back on the mainland, because only 144,000 are allowed to go to Santa Catalina in the first place. But failure to try and swim there means that you will not be resurrected back on the mainland. The GB do not have to swim, because they have the work of shinning the beacon for you, and besides when they die they simply get beamed directly to Santa Catalina. We wish you well, and remember that our way is the only true way because the Catholics and Protestants are evil and do not care for the swimming sheep as the GB does.
PS: It is also against Society policy to refer to the Island as Santa Catalina. Santa is the Spanish word for Saint, and Saints are a Catholic Invention. From here on, should you need directions, you must ask for Holy Ones Catalina Island. If you fail to state the WTS approved name for the Island, Jehovah will not recognize your long swim, even if you make it to Holy Ones Catalina.
Jim Whitney