What scriptural evidence is there in the Bible that WT teachings are essential for salvation!
Watchtower Says Their Writings Are Part of the Bible and Are Essential For Salvation
by Sea Breeze 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Disillusioned JW
Sea Breeze, I am saying that that which became part of the Bible as Christian teachings is the entire NT. Before there were any Christians the Bible (the Holy Scriptures) consisted solely of the OT (the Hebrew Scriptures and translations of it, such as the Greek Septuagint). Nothing in your quote of the WT indicates the WT was talking about writings composed after the last apostle died. Many modern day English speaking Jews literally call their holy scriptures book "the Bible", even though it does it contain the NT. They believe that the word "Bible" does not exclusively mean the Christian Bible (NT with the OT). I know that because I have personally meant some such non-Christian Jews who when talking to me call their Holy Scriptures book "the Bible" and one of them is a current friend of mine. I also have seen a Jewish translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (the OT) which on the title page (and/or cover) says the word "Bible"! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_English_Bible_translations which says in part the following.
"Hebrew Bible English translations are English translations of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) according to the Masoretic Text,[1] in the traditional division and order of Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. Most Jewish translations appear in bilingual editions (Hebrew–English)."
Note that the page also says there is a Jewish non-Christian book called the "Jewish Family Bible" and that there is a also a translation of the Hebrew Bible, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Old-Testament-canon-texts-and-versions uses the term "Hebrew Bible" in referring to only the OT when it says the following. "The Hebrew Bible is often known among Jews as TaNaKh, an acronym derived from the names of its three divisions: Torah (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), Neviʾim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)."
An ecumenical study Bible (intended for use by Jews of Judaism, Protestant Christians, Catholic Christians, and Orthodox Christians) called The New Oxford Annotated Bible: Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha (at least in their Augmented Third Edition) on the bottom of its scriptures pages for the OT say "HEBREW BIBLE" and on the bottom of their NT pages say "NEW TESTAMENT". "The Editors' Preface" of that book says the following. "We have referred to the first portion of the text as "the Hebrew Bible," since it is the collection preserved by the Jewish community and that is how Jews regard it ...."
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Sea Breeze
@DJW - You are wrong again. As I already pointed out and you ignored - "The Truth" is interpreted by any JW as the modern organization of JW's. & their writings since 1876. It is a code phrase known by all JW's to mean the WT and their interpretations.
An outsider may interpret this sentence as you state, but not JW's.... and that is by design. It is just another example of the mental assault on the word of God that the WT conducts. Active members, living on a steady diet of the koolaide, are generally not astute enough to catch it. -
Disillusioned JW
Sea Breeze, while the WT and many JWs do indeed call their JW religion "the truth", the WT in their words which you quoted explicitly defined their use of 'the truth" (as used in the paragraph you quoted form) as meaning exactly what I said it meant. I endeavor to avoid reading any additional meaning into their words than what the WT's words say, just as I endeavor to avoid reading any additional meaning into the words of the Bible than what the words of the Bible say. [Furthermore, the WT article you quoted from quotes from the 2nd and 3rd letters John (a part of the Christian Bible, in the NT), where those letters (at least in the NWT) use the phrase "the truth".]
If the WT meant to convey that all of the WT's literature (not just the their NWT) is part of the Bible, then they would have explicitly said so, to make that meaning very clearly understood.
You are thus the one who is wrong, again - not I.
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BluesBrother
No...That quote was saying nothing of the kind . The article discussed the letters of John . And the article meant that we need all the Christian teaching of the Bible.
Now I do know that they say that we should follow all that they have written to please God , but they do not say that their writings are part of the Bible.
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Sea Breeze
And the article meant that we need all the Christian teaching of the Bible.
Oh please. This includes the teachings "unique to JW's", right? And, the main "unique" teaching is that the WT is the modern mouth of God, right?
This is nothing new. The WT has always taught that their writings were to be regarded as the word of God."It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the "slave" as we would to the voice of God, because it is His provision." Watchtower 1957 Jun 15 p.370
a composite body, made up of many members … were commissioned to serve as the mouthpiece and active agent of Jehovah - (The Nations Shall Know THAT I AM JEHOVAH — How?, 1971, pp. 56, 58-59, 66)
"Today, Jehovah provides instruction by means of "the faithful steward." Pay Attention to Yourself and to All The Flock p.13The reason that they are to be regarded as the word of God is because they teach that the REAL Word of God doesn't even apply to those who are not WT leaders :
Watchtower 1974 June 15 p.376
"Also, it is to the spirit-anointed Christians who will rule in that kingdom that most of the Christian Greek Scriptures is directed, including the promises of everlasting life."The phrase in question is only slightly ambiguous, but THE MESSAGE is perfectly clear to JW's: WE ARE THE BIBLE AS FAR AS YOU ARE CONCERNED.
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TonusOH
They treated Russell's Studies in the Scriptures books as a replacement for the Bible, claiming that if one only read the Bible, they would 'fall into darkness' and be confused. But if they read SitS, they would understand the Bible and have a clarity that was not possible with just Bible reading alone.
To interpret the Bible is to find meaning in its words and to build ideas and concepts that are not clear upon a normal reading. This is why there are so many different denominations of Christianity (an issue that is not limited to that faith; pretty much every other religion has offshoots that disagree on the tenets as they understand them). JW leadership makes it clear that they interpret the Bible for the rank and file, and that it is dangerous for anyone but the GB to offer an interpretation, since they are getting their guidance from god, and you are not.
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Vanderhoven7
QUESTIONING JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ABOUT HOW THE BIBLE IS VIEWED.
How important is truth to you?
If you didn't have the truth, would you want to know it?
1. How much faith do you have in the Bible? (complete?)
2. Do you view the scriptures the same way the apostles did? (II Tim.3:15, 16)
3. Do you believe your religion is clearly biblical?
4. Could someone studying the Bible alone come up with exactly what you believe?
5. Do you believe that someone who only has the Bible can read it and be saved?
6. What role does the Bible actually play in determining your religious beliefs?
7. Would you say that your faith is primarily in the Bible or is it primarily in your religious leaders (i.e.; those taking the lead) and their interpretations of the Bible?
8. Could there be a discrepancy between what your religion teaches and what the Bible teaches? Has there ever been?
9. Does new light or doctrinal modifications made by your religious leaders act as a corrective to change what you believe the Bible teaches?
10. Could the Bible ever act as a corrective to change your beliefs contrary to what your religions leaders teach?
11. If a person puts his complete trust in a Bible scholar, with an “if he says it, I believe it” attitude, would his faith ultimately be in the Bible or the scholar?
12. If you somehow lost faith in your religion's primary leadership, would you lose your faith in God and the Bible?
What do you think about the following quotations dealing with the relative value of the bible vs the publications?
“... not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the SCRIPTURE STUDIES aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years - if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had merely read the SCRIPTURE STUDIES with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of the two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures.” Watchtower: September 15, 1910, page 298
arrogant to value ones own books above Bible – no?
Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do,” (Watchtower, Dec. 1, 1981, p. 27).
WT values the organization input over the Bible's
WT 10/1/1967: "Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind."
WT 1/15/1983: "Would we know the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without the direction of God's organization? No, we cannot!"