Is Belief in Jesus Enough to be Saved? Or Does it Include Believing Jesus?

by Sea Breeze 25 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sea Breeze

  I don't think it is possible to believe in Jesus and then not believe what He said.
  
  The purpose of the Watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible. They do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of Salvation that Jesus offered to ”whosoever”.

  One of the stipulations for salvation is belief that Jesus was raised from the dead:

  if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10: 9

  Jehovah’s Witnesses dutifully repeat the Watchtower opinion that Jesus was not resurrected. They teach his body was “dissolved into gases”. They teach that the person who presented himself as Jesus after the crucifixion was really Michael the Archangel in a body that he somehow fabricated and in-dwelt while he interacted with people before the ascension into heaven.

  Jehovah’s Witnesses also reject the new covenant “for the forgiveness of sins” that Jesus offered to “whosoever” in Mt. 26: 27–28

  “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”.

  In John 10:18 and John 2: 19, Jesus predicts that He will raise Himself from the dead. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe Jesus when he predicted that he would raise himself from the dead, in effect calling the Lord a liar.

  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3: 16
  
  What say you?
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  Touchofgrey

  Your free to believe in what ever you want regardless if it's true or not.

  There is no evidence that a miracle worker called jesus existed.

  And if he did, again their is no way to confirm with any certainty that he said those words. As the gospels were written by unknown authors many decades after the so called events.
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  Anony Mous

  If you believe salvation is only offered to those that follow a certain set of tenets, then you are no better than the WTBTS.

  Even Jesus taught salvation is based on good works, repentance and devotion, the Pauline doctrine of salvation through faith is just one way of doing the things Jesus asked (care for the widows and orphans, …)
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  Rattigan350

  "The purpose of the Watchtower organization is to take as many people to hell as possible. They do this by tricking people into rejecting the bare minimum requirements for the free gift of Salvation that Jesus offered to ”whosoever”"

  Define Watchtower Organaization?

  Watchtower is a corporation and a magazine name. How can it be an organization?
  
  Since hell is simply the state of being dead, by your statement they are trying to kill everyone.

  "free gift of Salvation" - how about defining that.

  As of this time only the 144,000 have been saved by their being resurrected in the first resurrection. Everyone else who has died is still in hell/hades/sheol. They will start being resurrected at Rev 20:13

  As for those alive today, if we are saved, what are we saved from? Death? No, people still die.

  "Jehovah’s Witnesses dutifully repeat the Watchtower opinion that Jesus was not resurrected."

  No, we don't repeat the Watchtower's opinion on that.

  We repeat what Peter said in 1 Peter 3:18 "He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit."
  

  John 20:14 "she [Mary] had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus."
  

  vs 15 "She, supposing him to be the gardener,"

  So, not Jesus was not resurrected in his body. He appeared in many bodies.
  

  John 2:19 does not mean that Jesus raised himself from the dead. If he were able to raise himself, he would not be dead. It's that simple. The dead are dead and can not raise themselves.

  Acts 2:32 "This Jesus hath God raised up". Peter disagrees with you again.
  
  "Jehovah’s Witnesses also reject the new covenant “for the forgiveness of sins” that Jesus offered to “whosoever” in Mt. 26: 27–28"
  
  No, JWs recognize that the New Covenant replaced the old covenant but the parties were the same but were changed from physical to spiritual.

  Israel was changed to spiritual Israel. Human mediator Mose was changed to Jesus being mediator as spirit being.

  Again Peter disagree with you in 1 Peter 2:9 he transfers the old covenant promise to the New Covenant.
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  SydBarrett

  
  
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  Sea Breeze

  @Rattigan350,

  The Watchtower and every JW that I have spoken with denies that Jesus raised himself from the dead.

  Was Jesus lying?
  
  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. - John 10: 18
  
  

  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up .... he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this - John 2: 19-22

  
  
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  Acluetofindtheuser

  The apostle John's records always seem contrary to the three synoptic gospels. The other three gospels never mention Jesus raising the temple (body) himself). They're called synoptic because they report similar accounts.

  Another interesting thing is that the Muslims dislike the gospel of John because it makes Jesus seem like God and because there are glaring contradictions between John and the other three gospels.
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  Sea Breeze

  @ Rattigan,

  No, we don't repeat the Watchtower's opinion.
  We repeat what Peter said in 1 Peter 3:18 "He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit."

  Sure you do. The denial of of Jesus' bodily resurrection is a feature of cults, apostates and anti-Christ's, not Christians. The scripture you cited from the NWT and the WT interpretation of it requires:

  1. Re-defining a resurrection as something other than a reintegration of the soul, body and spirit of a person.

  2. Requiring Jesus to be a liar.

  3. Requiring the early church leaders to be liars.

  4. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised….For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. (1 Cor. 15:13, 16)

  5. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Cor. 15:14)

  6. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. (1 Cor. 15:15)

  7. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1 Cor. 15:17-18)

  Denying the resurrection of Jesus is considered a characteristic of the spirit of Antichrist, as it contradicts the core Christian belief in Christ's divinity and resurrection. This denial aligns with the broader definition of Antichrist as one who opposes or substitutes as a Savior in place of Christ or along side him as Savior, which is exactly what Watchtower claims, "Come to Jehovah's Organization for Salvation".

  There is a simple exegesis of 1 Peter 3: 18 that does not require abandonment of core Christian doctrine.

  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit - 1 Peter 3: 18 NKJV

  This verse is easily translated as "made alive by the Spirit", as shown above.

  This agrees with several verses that claim:
  

  a.) God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2: 24)

  b.) The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8: 11)

  c.) Jesus raised himself from the dead. (John 2: 18-22; John 10: 18)

  This (correct) exegesis confirms Jesus’ statement that His resurrection body was his “flesh and bones”.

  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. - Luke 24:39

  Anytime an exegesis of scripture requires God to be a liar, it should be a red flag that the exegesis is wrong.
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  EisMe

  Sea Breezea day ago
  I don't think it is possible to believe in Jesus and then not believe what He said.

  Why do you say this?

  
  
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  Vanderhoven7

  Muslims believe in Jesus, albeit a different Jesus than the New Testament presents.