No one comes to the Father but through Me

by JH 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  JH

  Can anyone explain to me what "No one comes to the Father but through Me" means ?

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  I told my mom, who is getting baptized tomorrow in the Baptist Faith, that we have to pray to the Father, not Jesus like they do. She told me that they pray to Jesus because Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father but through me", so they pray to Jesus directly, and then he relays the prayer to the Father.

  I told her that I pray to the Father through Jesus, which is NOT the same as praying TO Jesus, so that he will deliver the prayer to his Father afterwards.

  For a moment, I understood her logic, and thought to myself, that can't be hey???
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  JH

  Oh, she invited me to her baptism, and I'm sure she would love if I followed her example and went to her church. I will not go to any other religion, especially those that believe in the Trinity and pray to the son.
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  Maddie

  Baptist's believe that Jesus is God anyway so they don't see a problem with praying to him. I think when Jesus made that statement he was saying that people needed to accept him as the Christ to have salvation.

  Maddie
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  JH

  Baptist's believe that Jesus is God anyway so they don't see a problem with praying to him.

  Well, I tried to show her a few verses such as:

  28 Y OU heard that I said to YOU , I am going away and I am coming [back] to YOU . If YOU loved me, YOU would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.

  and

  17 Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me. For I have not yet ascended to the Father. But be on your way to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and YOUR Father and to my God and YOUR God.’”
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  dawg

  JH, my bro, you're splitting hairs bro... Don't worry about it, if Mom's wrong do you really think she'll burn ot die in the big A for it? Nah!
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  JH

  One verse that seems to be in their favor is...... This is Jesus speaking.

  "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." Therefore, it would seem safe to say that we can pray to Jesus and ask Him to answer our prayers.

  Now in the JW bible, it's not exactly the same.

  14 If YOU ask anything in my name, I will do it.
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  Eliveleth

  JH,

  This is what I believe. I do not think that it offends God (the Father) if we pray to Jesus. Jesus said that he came to earth to glorify His Father and I cannot see him doing anything that would not please Him. He said at John 5:23: "that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." Stephen when he was dying, prayed to Jesus. Acts 7:59: "....Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". Thomas called Jesus, "My Lord and my God." Even though Jesus called His Father his God, does not mean that we cannot pray to Jesus and be heard. Our Father loves Jesus and has put everything into His hands. We don't have to worry about who to pray to. God loves us and hears us.

  Love and hugs,

  Velta
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  prophecor

  If YOU ask anything in my name, I will do it.

  Thats quite a revelation there, JH. I wonder now, whether words may've been removed to support that point of JW Theology? There are even entire verses from the scriptures that have been deleted or removed.
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  JH

  Thanks Eliveleth for your post. What you say sounds good, but from a JW point of view, if you don't adore the true God, you're dead, because the father is a jealous God.

  14 For you must not prostrate yourself to another god, because Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God;
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  JH

  Indeed Prophecor, there are many verses the JW's don't put emphasis on, and that's surely one of them. I was surprised when I read that. I guess I don't know my bible too well.

  Hey, this is so different from my usual "fluff" threads...