Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-03-10 WT Study (AUGUST 15, 2010, pages 8-12)(MAGNIFIES)
Review comments will be in red or headed by COMMENTS
WT material from today's WT will be in black
Quotes from other sources will headed by QUOTES
w = Watchtower
g = Awake
jv = Proclaimers book
Bible translations www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible
WT publications www.strictlygenteel.co.uk
WT child abuse www.silentlambs.org
Blood issue www.ajwrb.org
United Nations http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm
Also posted on
http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com
http://www.jwsupportforum.com/index.php
http://www.jehovahswitnessrecovery.com/
Excellent overall website : www.jwfacts.com
HOW JESUS MAGNIFIES GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
"God set [Christ] forth as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness."-ROM. 3:25.
Food for Thought
Did Adam and Eve know it was a "wicked" angel talking to Eve, to be later named Satan?
Why did Eve think a serpent could talk...hadn't Adam taught her what he knew?
The word sovereignty is not in the bible.
Where does Jesus say that sovereignty is more important than ransoming humans from death?
Check number of times “clear” is used. (3)
How many times sovereignty is used?
START OF ARTICLE
1, 2. (a) What does the Bible teach us about mankind's condition? (b) What questions will this article consider?
THE Biblical account about rebellion in the garden of Eden is well-known. All of
us feel the effects of Adam's sin as explained in these words: "Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because
they had all sinned." (Rom. 5:12) No matter how hard we try to do what is right, we make mistakes, for which we need God's forgiveness. Even the apostle Paul lamented: "The good that I wish I do not do, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. Miserable man that I am!"-Rom. 7:19, 24.
COMMENTS
How many people in the world have no “Christian” background 75%…well-known?
Do we feel the effects of just Adam’s sin and not Eve’s?
Remember the WTS excuses all their mistakes and the elders because they are imperfect. Does that mean they did not know what they were doing was harmful and dangerous to others?
Do they feel they need forgiveness or do they always blame the rank and file for “running ahead”?
2 Our sinful nature gives rise to these important questions: How was it possible for
Jesus of Nazareth to be born free from inherited sin, and why was he baptized?
How did Jesus' life course magnify Jehovah's righteousness? Most important, what did
Christ's death accomplish?
COMMENTS
Genetically how was it possible for Jesus to be perfect since Mary was imperfect? If Jesus shared no genetic material with Mary, how could he be human?
God's Righteousness Challenged
3. How did Satan deceive Eve?
3 Our first parents, Adam and Eve, foolishly rejected God's sovereignty in favor of being
ruled by "the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan." (Rev.12:9) Consider
how this happened. Satan questioned the righteousness of Jehovah God's way of ruling. He did so by asking Eve: "Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?" Eve repeated God's clear command that one specific tree was not to be touched, on pain of death. Satan then accused God of lying. "You positively will not die," said the Devil. He went on to deceive Eve into believing that God was withholding something good and that by eating the fruit, she would become like God, having moral independence.-Gen. 3:1-5.
COMMENTS
Sovereignty—first mention in this article, a word that is not in the New World Translation.
Did Eve know it was a wicked spirit named Satan? Did Job even many years later?
“clear” command
Moral independence
Has the WTS indicated moral independence from God?
In 1972, the WTS declared that a mate’s practicing homosexuality or bestiality was not ground for adultery.
***w72 1/1 p. 32 Questions From Readers***
While both homosexuality and bestiality are disgusting perversions, in the case of neither one is the marriage tie broken. It is broken only by acts that make an individual “one flesh” with a person of the opposite sex other than his or her legal marriage mate.
But in 1974
***w74 3/1 p. 160 Questions From Readers ***
For example, adultery, homosexuality and bestiality (different forms of por·nei′a) were capital offenses under the Law and therefore paved the way for the surviving mate to remarry. (Lev. 20:10, 13, 15, 16)
4. How did mankind come under Satan's rival sovereignty?
4 Basically, Satan implied that mankind would be happier following a path of independence from God. Instead of upholding the righteousness of God's sovereignty, Adam listened to his wife and joined her in eating the forbidden fruit. Thus Adam forfeited his perfect standing with Jehovah and brought us under the cruel yoke of sin and death. At the same time, mankind came under the rival sovereignty of Satan, "the god of this world."-2 Cor. 4:4, King James Version; Rom. 7:14.
Doesn't it matter than Eve "forfeited" her "perfect standing" with God?
What would have happened if Adam had not sinned...would his children by Eve have been perfect? What if Eve and not sinned, would her children by Adam have been perfect?
Did half of Jesus’ genetic material have the imperfection of his mother....how did he remain perfect?
http://www.bibleanswerstand.org/QA_DNA.htm
Eve was married to Joseph because according to Jewish custom engagement was the same.
She had a child by God who was not her husband.
How was that not adultery?
If this was artificial insemination, than a married woman could be inseminated with the sperm from someone other than her husband and not have committed adultery.
5. (a) How did Jehovah prove true to his word? (b) What hope did God give Adam and Eve's descendants?
5 True to his infallible word, Jehovah passed the sentence of death on Adam and
Eve. (Gen. 3:16-19) But that did not mean God's purpose had failed. Far from it! When
sentencing Adam and Eve, Jehovah gave their future descendants a bright ray of
hope. He did so by announcing his purpose to raise up a "seed" whom Satan would
bruise in the heel. That promised Seed, however, would recover from the heel wound
and would "bruise [Satan] in the head." (Gen. 3:15) The Bible elaborates on this
theme by stating the following respecting Jesus Christ: "For this purpose the Son of
God was made manifest, namely, to break up the works of the Devil." (1 John 3:8) But
how did Jesus' conduct and death magnify God's righteousness?
COMMENTS
Infallible--definition--incapable of failure or error
Adding to the bible with brackets WTS style, Genesis 3:15 [Satan]. Even Moses who wrote the first 5 books, did not know this was Satan.
The Meaning of Jesus' Baptism
6. How do we know that Jesus did not inherit sin from Adam?
6 As a full-grown man, Jesus was to be the exact equivalent of the once perfect Adam.
(Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:45) This means that Jesus had to be born perfect. How was that
possible? The angel Gabriel gave this clear explanation to Jesus' mother, Mary: "Holy
spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that
reason also what is born will be called holy, God's Son." (Luke 1:35) Early in Jesus' life,
Mary apparently disclosed to Jesus certain facts about his birth. Thus, on one occasion
when Mary and Jesus' adoptive father, Joseph, found Jesus in God's temple, the
young child asked: "Did you not know that I must be in the house of my Father?" (Luke 2: 49) Evidently from an early age, Jesus knew that he was God's Son. Magnifying God's righteousness was therefore of great importance to him.
COMMENTS
How did Jesus escape human imperfection since Mary was imperfect?
Apparently
Evidently
But didn't all Jews view God as their Father?
Genetically, does the WTS teach that Jesus had Mary's genes...or does the WTS teach that the life comes through the sperm? “Evidently…no doubt…likely”
***g99 8/8 p. 30 From Our Readers ***
“Jesus—What Did He Really Look Like? What Is He Now?” (December 8, 1998)
On page 8, you stated that “God transferred the life of Jesus to the womb of a Jewish virgin.” Since Jesus was perfect, does this mean that no trace of Adam’s genes was in him?
Prior to Jesus’ conception, the angel Gabriel told Mary: “Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son.” ( Luke 1:35 ) Evidently, God’s holy spirit caused an ovum in Mary’s womb to become fertile, transferring the life of God’s firstborn Son from the spirit realm to earth. The holy spirit no doubtsaw to it that this Son’s perfect male life force canceled out any Adamic imperfection in Mary’s ovum, while retaining certain genetic traits . Likely , Jesus resembled Mary.—ED.
7. Jesus had what precious possessions?
7 Jesus showed his keen interest in spiritual things by regularly attending meetings
for worship. With his perfect mind, he must have absorbed everything he heard
and read in the Hebrew Scriptures. (Luke 4:16) He also had another
precious possession-a perfect human body that could be sacrificed
in behalf of mankind. When he was baptized, Jesus was praying
and may have been thinking about the prophetic words of
Psalm 40:6-8.-Luke 3:21; read Hebrews 10:5-10.
COMMENTS
So what meetings did Jesus' attend? Not until the Jews went to Babylon, were there synagogues and people did not have set times to meet except for the 3 annual festivals.
He must have--reading more than the bible says
Another rewritten bible passage--may have been thinking (so the WTS can read Christ's mind)
8. Why did John the Baptizer try to prevent Jesus from getting baptized?
8 John the Baptizer initially wanted to prevent Jesus from getting baptized. Why? Because John was immersing Jews in symbol of their repentance over sin against the Law. As a close relative, John must have known that Jesus was righteous and therefore in no need of repentance. Jesus assured John that it was fitting for Him to be baptized. "In that way," Jesus explained, "it is suitable for us to carry out all that is righteous."-Matt. 3:15.
* The apostle Paul here quotes from Psalm 40:6-8 according to the Greek Septuagint translation, which includes the words "you prepared a body for me." This phrase is not found in available manuscripts of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures.
COMMENTS
“must have known”
close relative--in the past the WTS says John the Baptizer (or is it Baptist) was a cousin.
So if it is found in a later translation, is it more likely to be accurate, and why bring up this point? The NWT puts this in their footnotes.
When is it appropriate per the WTS to capitalize pronouns referring to Jesus—Him?
Although Jesus was in no need of repentance, did his family have sacrifices done for sin including Jesus? For example, on Atonement Day.
PICTURE : Do you know what was symbolized by Jesus' baptism? (did you know that until 1968, Jesus was not depicted with a beard in WTS publications?)
9. What did Jesus' baptism symbolize?
9 As a perfect human, Jesus could have concluded that he, like Adam, had the potential
for fathering a perfect race. However, Jesus never desired such a future because it
was not Jehovah's will for him. God had sent Jesus to the earth to fulfill the role of
the promised Seed, or Messiah. This included Jesus' sacrificing his perfect human life.
(Read Isaiah 53:5, 6, 12.) Of course, Jesus' baptism did not have the same meaning as
ours does. It did not involve dedication to Jehovah, since Jesus was already part of
God's dedicated nation of Israel. Rather, Jesus' baptism symbolized the presentation of
himself to do God's will as outlined in the Scriptures for the Messiah.
COMMENTS
Jesus "could have concluded" means this is not in the bible.
How could Jesus have fathered a perfect race if his wife had to be an imperfect woman with only imperfect genes to contribute?
*** w67 5/15 p. 319 Questions From Readers ***
How can it be said that Jesus could have produced perfect children from an imperfect wife? Would not the children, according to the laws of genetics, have inherited imperfection from their mother?—F. S., England.
The basis for offering this as a possibility is the example of what occurred in the case of Jesus’ own birth. He was born perfect even though he had an imperfect mother, Mary.
In saying this, we do not deny the scientifically demonstrated fact that the union of a human sperm and a human egg cell or ovum, both of which contain chromosomes and genes, results eventually in a new organism with hereditary characteristics of both parents. This process has been observed and can now hardly be called a theory.
In Jesus’ own case it appears that Jehovah used one of the ova in the womb of the virgin, but imperfect, woman Mary. (Rom. 3:23) Had he not done so, Jesus, from a physical standpoint, would not have been a real descendant of Abraham and King David, as had been foretold. (Gen. 22:18; Isa. 11:1, 2; Luke 3:23-38) Thus we believe that Jesus looked like a Jew, that he had human characteristics that were observable in his mother.
The question may now arise, Would not Jesus have inherited some imperfection from Mary? No, the Bible plainly shows that Jesus was born perfect. (1 Pet. 2:22; John 8:46) In this way he was the equivalent of perfect Adam and could serve as the ransom to take away sins. (Heb. 7:26; 9:26; Rom. 5:18) We should keep in mind that we are not dealing just with genetic laws of dominant and recessive characteristics. No, perfection and imperfection are also involved. We have no experience with the results of uniting perfection with imperfection.Scientists cannot measure human perfection or imperfection resulting from sin. Nor can they predict the powerful effect a perfect male sperm would have on an imperfect ovum. But it is evident from what occurred in Jesus’ case that the perfect male part of the reproduction dominated the imperfection inherent in Mary. Jesus’ perfect Father transferred the perfect life of his Son to the womb of Mary and the result was a wholly perfect offspring, Jesus.—Gal. 4:4.
Accepting what the inspired Scriptures say took place as to Jesus’ conception and birth, we can conclude that by reason of Jesus’ being entirely perfect he could have fathered perfect children even with an imperfect wife. Of course, that was not God’s will for Jesus. (Heb. 10:5-10; Matt. 26:39) Nonetheless, that potential was apparently there.
10. What did the doing of God's will as the Messiah include, and how did Jesus feel about this?
10 Jehovah's will for Jesus involved preaching the good news of God's Kingdom,
making disciples, and preparing them for future disciple-making work. Jesus' presentation of himself also included his willingness to endure persecution and a cruel
death in support of Jehovah God's righteous sovereignty. Because Jesus truly loved
his heavenly Father, he was delighted to do God's will and found it deeply satisfying to
present his body as a sacrifice. (John 14:31) It also pleased him to know that the value of his perfect life could be offered to God as a ransom to buy us back from slavery to sin
and death. Did God approve of Jesus' presentation of himself to shoulder these great
responsibilities? He did indeed!
COMMENTS
Where is Jesus' desire to present a ransom?
Did Jesus preach “door to door” as the WTS teaches?
According to former Governing Body member, Raymond Franz, when his uncle, Frederick Franz, was asked at one Governing Body meeting about whether the phrase 'from house to house' as found in Acts 5:42 & Acts 20:20 actually means going from door to door , that is from one door to the next door", he responded, in all seriousness, "Yes-I believe it can include that". He then went on to say, "For example, on going to a home Paul might have entered in the front door and, after his discussion, he might have gone out the back door, and so he would be going from door to door."
Where did Paul teach and make converts according to all the accounts ?
- At Pentecost in a Public Place (Acts 2:1-41)
- In the Synagogue (Acts 13:44-48, 17:1-4)
- At a River (Acts 16:13)
- In a Jail (Acts 16:23-40)
- The Market Place (Acts 17-16-34)
11. How did Jehovah show his acceptance of Jesus as the promised Messiah, or Christ?
11 All four Gospel writers testify to Jehovah God's clear expression of approval as Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan River. "I viewed the spirit coming down as a dove out of heaven," testified John the Baptizer, "and it remained upon [Jesus] . . . And I have seen it, and I have borne witness that this one is the Son of God." (John 1:32-34) Moreover, on that occasion Jehovah declared: "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved."-Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22.
COMMENTS
“clear” expression
***w68 5/1 p. 288 Questions From Readers***
Nevertheless, as already shown, it is apparent that Jesus did wear a beard, and so artistic representations of him in future Watch Tower publications will harmonize with the Scriptural evidence to that effect.
Faithful Till Death
12. What did Jesus do for three and a half years after his baptism?
12 For the next three and a half years, Jesus poured himself out in teaching people
about his Father and the righteousness of God's sovereignty. Journeying the
length and breadth of the Promised Land on foot tired him out, but nothing could stop
him from bearing thorough witness to the truth. (John 4:6, 34; 18:37) Jesus
taught others about God's Kingdom. By miraculously healing the sick, feeding
the hungry crowds, and even raising the dead, he demonstrated what
the Kingdom would accomplish for mankind.-Matt.11:4, 5.
COMMENTS
Sovereignty (how many times?)
So how many jws would walk the length and breadth from their house to KH?
When do jws feed the hungry and help the sick?
13. What did Jesus teach regarding prayer?
13 Instead of personally taking the credit for his teachings and works of healing, Jesus set an outstanding example by humbly directing all praise to Jehovah. (John 5:19; 11:41-44) Jesus also made known the most important matters about which we should pray. Our prayers should include requests that God's name, Jehovah, "be treated as holy" and that God's righteous sovereignty replace Satan's wicked rule so that His
"will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth." (Matt. 6:9, 10; ftn.) Jesus also urged us to act in harmony with such prayers by "seeking first the kingdom and [God's] righteousness."-Matt. 6:33.
COMMENTS
Do jws direct all praise to God?
sovereignty
[God's]
14. Although Jesus was perfect, why did it require effort for him to fulfill his role in God's purpose?
14 As the time for his sacrificial death drew near, Jesus became increasingly aware of the weighty responsibility he bore. His Father's purpose and reputation depended upon Jesus' enduring an unjust trial and a cruel death. Five days before his death, Jesus
prayed: "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me out of this hour. Nevertheless, this is why I have come to this hour." After expressing these natural human feelings, Jesus unselfishly switched his focus to the matter of greater importance and prayed: "Father, glorify your name." Jehovah immediately responded: "I both glorified it and will glorify it again." (John 12:27,28) Yes, Jesus was willing to go through the greatest test of integrity any human has ever had to face. But hearing those words of his heavenly Father undoubtedly gave Jesus strong confidence that he would succeed in magnifying and vindicating Jehovah's sovereignty. And succeed he did!
COMMENTS
Where in the NT does Jesus use God's name? Doesn’t he address him with the intimate, “Father”?
Job's test seemed pretty great and he did not know why it was happening as Jesus did.
Sovereignty
Did you know that the WTS used this phrase for many years?
***w95 5/15 p. 25 par. 17 Part 2—Flashes of Light—Great and Small***
Similarly, for a long time , Witnesses spoke of the vindication of Jehovah’s name. But had Satan called Jehovah’s name into question? For that matter, had any of Satan’s agents done so, as if Jehovah did not have a right to that name? No, not at all. It was not the name of Jehovah that was challenged and that needed to be vindicated. That is why the Watch Tower Society’s recent publications do not speak of Jehovah’s name as being vindicated. They speak of Jehovah’s sovereignty as being vindicated and of his name as being sanctified. This is in keeping with what Jesus told us to pray: “Let your name be sanctified.” (Matthew 6:9)
What Jesus' Death Accomplished
15. Just before he died, why did Jesus say: "It has been accomplished"?
15 As Jesus hung on the torture stake about to take his last agonizing breath, he said:
"It has been accomplished!" (John 19:30) What great things Jesus was able to accomplish with God's help during the three and a half years from his baptism until his
death! When Jesus died, there was a violent earthquake, and the Roman army officer in
charge of the execution was moved to say: "Certainly this was God's Son." (Matt. 27:54)
The officer had apparently seen Jesus being mocked for claiming to be God's Son.
Despite everything that he suffered, Jesus maintained his integrity and proved Satan
to be a monstrous liar. Regarding all who support God's sovereignty, Satan had made
this challenge: "A person will give up everything he has to save his life." (Job 2:4, Complete Jewish Bible) By his faithfulness, Jesus showed that Adam and Eve could have proved faithful under their much easier test. Most important of all, Jesus' life and death upheld and magnified the righteousness of Jehovah's sovereignty. (Read Proverbs 27: 11.) Has Jesus' death accomplished anything more? Indeed it has!
COMMENTS
Jesus only lived 33 1/2 years and his ministry lasted only 3 1/2 years. The WTS has taught that today's jw sees 131 years behind them and how many years ahead of them. Jesus knew when his would end.
Sovereignty
Apparently
much easier test--Adam and Eve did not know Satan was their enemy, Jesus did.
16, 17. (a) Why was it possible for pre-Christian witnesses of Jehovah to have a righteous standing with him? (b) How did Jehovah reward the faithfulness of his Son, and what does the Lord Jesus Christ continue to do?
16 Many servants of Jehovah lived before Jesus came to the earth. They enjoyed a righteous standing with God and were given the hope of a resurrection. (Isa. 25:8; Dan.
12:13) But on what legal basis could the holy God, Jehovah, bless sinful humans in
such a wonderful way? The Bible explains: "God set [Jesus Christ] forth as an offering
for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness, because he was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past while God was exercising forbearance; so as to exhibit his own righteousness in this present season, that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man that has faith in Jesus."-Rom. 3:25, 26.
COMMENTS
legal basis--is that what is all about, legalities? Is that why Legal runs the WTS?
Was Jesus concerned just about law, leper, woman with blood flow?
[Jesus Christ] why brackets...can't people understand what is meant without them?
17 Jehovah rewarded Jesus with a resurrection to a position superior to the one he had
before coming to the earth. Jesus now enjoys immortality as a glorious spirit creature.
(Heb. 1:3) As High Priest and King, the Lord Jesus Christ continues to help his followers
to magnify God's righteousness. And how thankful we are that our heavenly Father,
Jehovah, is the Rewarder of all who do this and loyally serve him in imitation of his Son!
-Read Psalm34:3; Hebrews 11:6.
See "Questions From Readers" on pages 6 and 7. (PDF version does not have this)
COMMENTS
Only God, Jesus, and the 144,000 in heaven have immortality per the WTS...does that make them better?
The angels and humans on earth will never be immortal per the WTS...
Can God destroy immortal creatures per the WTS?
*** w56 4/1 p. 219 Questions From Readers ***
An answer in the November 15, 1955, Watchtower said Jehovah could, if he wished, destroy even an immortal creature. The booklet What Do the Scriptures Say About “Survival After Death”? says that if the demons had originally been created immortal they could not be destroyed from the universe. Which is correct?—J. L., United States.
The statement in the booklet about survival after death refers to immortality according to its basic meaning of deathlessness, indestructibleness. The other statement about God’s ability to destroy even an immortal creature rested upon the view that he is absolutely almighty without any limitation upon his own power by even himself. So this latter statement presented what seems in accord with this view. However, it enters into the realm of speculation, because it is in fact based on a speculative question.
Hence we are letting the statement in the booklet stand, in accord with the meaning of absolute immortality as conveyed in the Holy Scriptures. A fuller discussion on this may be expected in time in the columns of TheWatchtower.
*** w5511/15p.703QuestionsFromReaders***
Reasoning in the same way, there will be no danger of any of the heavenly class who have gained immortality later choosing to sin, and thus awkwardly having in the universe immortal rebels. But here again, even if such a thing did happen, we need not think that Jehovah would be powerless. Jehovah could destroy even an immortal creature. Immortality means to have the power of life within oneself. In other words, such a creature is not dependent on any outside source or environment to replenish energy or for the continuance of the life processes. Human creatures must eat, and spirit creatures apparently draw upon an outside source for continued existence, but immortal ones would not have to do this. They cannot die from a lack in their environment, but have life complete in themselves. Nevertheless, the all-powerful Jehovah could terminate their existence if he decided to do so
18. What will be the focus of the next study article?
18 Faithful humans all the way back to Abel enjoyed a close relationship with Jehovah
because they exercised faith and had confidence in the promised Seed. Jehovah
knew that his Son would be an integrity keeper and that his death would provide a
perfect covering for "the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Jesus' death also benefits people
living today. (Rom. 3:26) So, what blessings can Christ's ransom bring you? That will be
the subject of the next study article.
COMMENTS
God knew--predestination?
Christ's or God's ransom?
How Would You Answer?
· How was God's righteousness challenged?
· What did Jesus' baptism symbolize?
· What did Jesus' death accomplish?
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Next week, “How the Ransom Saves Us.”
Note on page 14, paragraph 10, the WTS uses 1 Timothy 2:5,6. I wonder how many jws will think that Jesus is their mediator, mediating the ransom?
Love, Blondie