by Vanderhoven7 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
On eternal life
"None of us are in position to earn God’s gifts, least of all to earn the gift of life. But we can show ourselves worthy of the gift of eternal life by … dedicating ourselves to Jehovah and then proving faithful to that dedication.” (The Watchtower, August 15, 1952, p. 485)
1952?
OLD LIGHT
(Unless it still happens to apply, then it's current light).
When the WT says you can't earn salvation, they mean that without the gift of the ransom sacrifice all your works would be useless, but because of that gift, your works now can show that you are worthy of salvation.
So salvation isn't earned; it's a gift.
But that's like saying that your paychecks aren't earned; they're gifts.
Why so?
Because if your boss hadn't given you a job (something he/she was under no obligation to do), he/she wouldn't have to pay you anything no matter how many works you volunteered to do for him/her; therefore, your paychecks are gifts.
Isn't WT logic amazing?On JW dot org, the WT makes the analogy of a rich man offering an expensive gift if you come to a specific place at a specific time to receive it.
Even though you have to do something to get it, it would still be a gift.
But that analogy is false because it's nothing like the WT salvation system.
If the rich man made you come to 3-5 meetings a week and go door to door promoting his literature the rest of your life, that would no longer be a gift.
It would be wages.
@Ding
Right on. According to the the Watchtower August 15, 1972 p.419 entitled, "Working Hard for the Reward of Eternal Life"
"19 Not only a right view of the preaching work is needed, but a right view of the reward. Do not be mistaken, working for the reward can indeed be harmonized with working out of love for God. How is that? It is God who holds out the reward and bids us to strive to gain it."
The Watchtower version of eternal life is the proverbial carrot on a stick. Keep working hard to survive Armageddon and then work for 1000 more years to gain eternal life. You are never sure if you are making yourself worthy of the reward. Such a pathetic gospel.
It's an ancient Christian oxymoron. "Free gift" with lots of strings.
We are told to freely forgive others as we have been forgiven. Am I doing that if I require repentance and conformity to my will from others?
The book of James was written precisely because the author thought he had a solution. Freely forgiven IF you do the right works and have correct beliefs which you would have if you truly appreciated the free gift. Chicken or the egg type of logic.
Or stated another way: I gave my wife a "gift" trip to Paris, she only had to work for the money to buy the tickets which she would do if she really wanted to go.
It was joke-hova that took our immortality away from us in the first place, for trying to obey natural laws instead of being enslaved to that thing. And now it is trying to tell me that it is a "gift"? A gift of returning what that abomination stole?
I think I will stick to the gifts associated with worshiping the sun.
WTC really needs to keep their mouth closed on this subject. They have no freeness of speech when it comes to free gifts and even less where wages are concerned. I would suggest that anyone associating with them wear thick rubber gloves and be grounded properly at all times.
It is presumptuous to say that we could ever be "worthy," no matter how hard we strive. That's why salvation is termed a "gift." Martin Luther called the book of James ("Faith without works is dead.") a "right strawy epistle."
"None of us are in position to earn God’s gifts, least of all to earn the gift of life.
Bible: You cannot 'work' for Salvation. It's a gift if you're a good egg.
But we can show ourselves worthy of the gift of eternal life by … dedicating ourselves to Jehovah and then proving faithful to that dedication.” (The Watchtower, August 15, 1952, p. 485)
Governing Body of JWs: You'll never be good eggs. Work, work, work for Salvation. By this, we mean, give us money and power.
Nothing says you love (cough! Cough!), God, more than giving us cold, hard CA$H!....and...er.....don't worry, we'll put in a good word for you.
Slightly off topic, but when I was in the org. before I started to fade, or even wake up at all, I said to an Elder that I would not WANT to live forever in the J.W idea of paradise, he agreed with me !
Thanks Van for the Thread, the J.W doublespeak, or speaking out of both sides of their mouth is Legendary, and especially notable as a form of telling huge Lies, when their Public statements are deliberately designed to hide and distort the reality of what their Org. is and does.
