Take a look at this heresy:
"Righteousness is the state of being right with God by complying with his standards of good and bad."
- The Watchtower—Study Edition | July 15, 2001 | Blessings Are For The Righteous One
Wow! My bible says in several places that "there is no one righteous, no not one". In the NT, Paul goes to great lengths to explain how righteousness is imputed BY FAITH.
"Abraham BELIEVED GOD and it was credited to him as righteousness."
The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 is about the FAITH of OT believers.... not their obedience. Many of them were very disobedient at times. This is very good news, because while I can't always be obedient, I can always believe! Praise God a righteous standing is not based on performance.
"by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified"
WT further makes this amazing statement:
"The one who is pure and righteous at heart gives ample evidence of his righteousness. His speech is kind and upbuilding, his actions positive and generous....How this differs from the name of the wicked ones, which becomes something sickening and putrid"!
Wow!! The very names of people who are not JW's are PUTRID according to the WT.
What happened to the "kind" and "upbuilding" "speech" that they were just talking about? Calling people's names "PUTRID" is not kind, is it?
If you walked up to a person and said, "unless you become a JW" your very name will be putrid to me.
Would that be kind? Of course not. After you get slapped in the face you would know for sure, just in case there was any doubt.
Righteousness According To Watchtower
by Sea Breeze 4 Replies latest watchtower bible
-
Sea Breeze
-
FedUpJW
The one who is pure and righteous at heart gives ample evidence of his righteousness. His speech is kind and upbuilding, his actions positive and generous. . .
Well that certainly disqualifies 99.9% of JW's!
-
road to nowhere
Contrast ( self,) righteous and good. A CO I think gave a talk on it. I, my dad, brothers never have been righteous but all were and are good.
Complying with Gods standards is not bad; but they really mean .org standards.
-
Sea Breeze
Road to Nowhere:
Complying with Gods standards is not bad; but they really mean .org standards.
I agree. The WT standards go far beyond the OT standards. If the OT standards were burdensome, the WT standards are like a millstone around your neck. The NT makes it clear that Christians are set free from the consequences of failure to meet the Standards of God.
It's like the only thing God is asking is to not go out of your way to sin and get busy serving others one way or another. In other words, show a little respect for the freedom that was won for you on the cross. Other than that, the whole sin thing has already been dealt with and is a thing of the past.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
"he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him".
Imagine hearing something like this at the KH.... Heads would explode! -
Ding
In a works-oriented salvation system such as the Watchtower's, it's all about keeping the rules.
So what do we need Jesus for?
Come to think of it, the GB places far more emphasis on "the faithful and discreet slave" (i.e. themselves) than it does on Jesus.