Axiomatically, this is symbolic like saying “God is my throne”.
@Fisherman: No, it is not.
AXIOM: A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.
Is it self-evident that inanimate objects do not inhabit other people, yes. It is NOT SELF-EVIDENT at all that the spirit of God is the same as a chair and cannot inhabit people. To compare the two and claim that it is self-evident is evidence of a reprobate mind in my opinion. In other words, it's retarded.
Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates - 2 Cor. 13: 5
@Smiles :
If Jesus dwells inside of people, why is he apparently not present where only ONE has gathered in his name?
As previously mentioned by another poster, "one" cannot gather. Furthermore, when Jesus said this, it was before Pentecost and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Before Pentecost, Jesus was in the midst of any gathering in his name. (Omnipresence is a Characteristic of God, not angels btw) After Pentecost his spirit inhabited the believer.
The problem is that the bible and the WT say opposite things about this topic. The bible says Jesus gives us understanding. But the WT says that they do!
Compare This:
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true—His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5: 20
But the WT says understanding comes from them alone:
With This:
Even with all the aids that are available no one can understand the Bible unless he engages in private study...He must also associate with others of God’s organization - w57 6/1 pp. 325-328
“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 that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.” (The Watchtower, October 1, 1967, page 587)
“Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his “faithful and discreet slave,” made up of spirit anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. 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.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1981, page 27)
“We have the opportunity to show love for our brothers who take the lead in the congregation or in connection with Jehovah’s visible organization worldwide. This includes being loyal to “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matthew 24:45-47) Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own.” (The Watchtower, December 1, 1990, page 19)
“All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.” (The Watchtower, October 1, 1994, page 8)
Just like in the Garden of Eden, we have a choice to make regarding whom to believe. This is why we are declared righteous by faith and not by works. Belief, precedes sin. It is a matter of our volition, not deeds. A moment before Eve sinned, she chose not to believe God, but another voice.
Whom we believe is the root of the problem, not sin.
