jesus will judge who will get life at the appointed time
but in the meantime we don't make distinctions
the rain and sun and love extend to everyone
it doesn't matter if they are "born-again" or pagan or atheistYes, God loves everyone and everyone gets rain and sunshine, and everone has an impartial invitation from God to accept his offer and be born-again to avoid the condemnation they were born into.
Your message sounds like you are reccommending that people just love each other and hope for the best.
Because self-deception is so easily experienced, the bible commands:
"study to show theyself approved""Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates"?
Scripture says that believers should check to see if they really are born again, or if they are just reprobates acting as if they are. For the believer, there is an inner knowing of who they are. The Christian hope is looking forward to the day when their flesh and souls are perfected and made new like their spirit was the day they surrendered to Christ.
For a Christian, hope is not like rolling the dice and then waiting to see if 7 or 11 comes up. I couldn't live a "Christian" life like that. Everyone can be sure is what the bible says:
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Sea Breeze
JoinedPosts by Sea Breeze
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The Greatest Christian Doctrine
by Sea Breeze inthe wt likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the christian faith is the trinity.
they quote some catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda.
it is a great misdirection.
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Sea Breeze
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16
The Greatest Christian Doctrine
by Sea Breeze inthe wt likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the christian faith is the trinity.
they quote some catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda.
it is a great misdirection.
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Sea Breeze
Some are children of God, some are not.
1 John 3: 10 says: In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother.
Romans 3: 22 explains how to "do" righteousness: even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
There is NOW (since Calvary) no difference between Jew and Gentile.I noticed that you are still using the NWT.
In Acts 17; 20-28, the greek word Fred Franz translated as "children" in these NWT verses is genos. It is better translated as "offspring" and not children... since it denotes we are all of the same geno-type or species.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. - KJV
In 1 John 3: 10 I cited above in the 1st paragraph, the greek word for children is teknon. It means a son or daughter, a family member.
None of us start out as a child of God. We are born into a state of condemnation.John 3: 18 - He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This is why in a conversation with Nicodemas, Jesus 3 times says that we must be "born-again".
Family and genotypes are not the same. A person must be grafted in (adopted) to the family of faith (trust, belief) started with Abraham. This is one of the key Christian doctrines the WT seeks to hide and deny to "whosoever".
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The Greatest Christian Doctrine
by Sea Breeze inthe wt likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the christian faith is the trinity.
they quote some catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda.
it is a great misdirection.
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Sea Breeze
Yes, it is great.
But remember: The Jews were the prodical sons because they were in a covenant relationship with God through the Old Covenant mediated by Moses (still in force BTW). For, gentiles like me, my ancestors and I never were in the blood family of Abraham as far as I know. I never was a son. God had no legal responsibility toward me at all.
Speaking to gentiles like me who have no inheritance, or obligation from God, and who are OUTSIDE the family, Paul writes:
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
God went way beyond his obligations to his friend Abraham and extended the opportunity of reconciliation to his enemies as well.
Now, that is very cool and has special meaning for us gentiles.
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The Greatest Christian Doctrine
by Sea Breeze inthe wt likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the christian faith is the trinity.
they quote some catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda.
it is a great misdirection.
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Sea Breeze
Of course, God is the personification of love. Why he would take on the punishment for sin in himself just so someone like me could fellowship with him is beyond my understanding. So, that goes without saying.
But, the doctrine of substitution turned Catholicism on it head and is the basis of the Christian faith for hundreds of millions. Hopefully, may Catholics as well get it.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The gospel message is that God offers us the opprrtunity to trade places with his perfect Son.
That way, for people that don't want to face a trial for their moral crimes against God, they get a free pass.
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I Visited Auschwitz Two Days Ago
by Sea Breeze inauschwitz concentration camp in poland may not seem like a very happy vacation spot to visit.
but, if you have a home, a family and your freedom - you will be far less likely to take these things for granted after visiting.
we made the sobering decision to make the 2.5 hr.
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Sea Breeze
We moved on from Central Europe to Rome. I’m sitting in front of the Coliseum at a cafe’ right now…. And guess who walks by?
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16
The Greatest Christian Doctrine
by Sea Breeze inthe wt likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the christian faith is the trinity.
they quote some catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda.
it is a great misdirection.
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Sea Breeze
The WT likes to quote ad infinitum that the central doctrine of the Christian faith is the Trinity. They quote some Catholic sources, yadda, yadda, yadda. It is a great misdirection. "Look here and not there" sort of thing.
The deity of Christ is really a by-product of historical facts - the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Obviously, if Jesus raised himself from the dead, while he was dead like he predicted that he would do - then that is something ONLY God could do.
But, the real central doctrine of the Christian faith that the Watchtower goes to great lenghts to obscure, confuse, and misdirect is the doctrine of Substitution.
John MacArthur explains in less than 1 1/2 minutes: -
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Nice topic on Linkedin
by Gorb ini think we have to see jw.org like the corporations named in the topic on linkedin:.
jon davids.. 3e+ ceo of influicity | author of .... .
mcdonald's does it.
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Sea Breeze
I agree. The Watchtower religion is the perfect religion for the hardworking unregenerated man:
1. You get to take credit for you good works and contribute towards your personal salvation.
2. Not to worry about a literal conscious existence after death if you got it wrong and didn't do enough.
3. Even if you got it wrong, you'll likely get resurrected for a do-over petting panda bears, cobras, and lions while you move into a big movie star mansion.... since they didn't make it.
4. No need to abandon yourself to Christ, you'll pay your own sin debt when you die.
That of course is the sales pitch, and it is very attractive to many people. It is a "sensible" religion. But, the real thing that the WT profits from is the real estate holdings and the million upon milions of dollars many countries pay them each year based on their membership. Don't forget the millions of dollars that gets willed to the Society at death from many members. Never mind that the descendants get shafted.
Thanks for the reminder and the parallel business models! Great post.
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JE-sus making a comeback at the 2024 Convention
by dropoffyourkeylee inattended the friday sesson of the 2024 summer convention.. july 5, 2024 summer convention crowd photo; they invited quite a lot of empty chairs.. .
the facility usually has 5500-6500. they spun it saying that fewer congregations were assigned.
there were 6 of the smaller, more distant sections blocked off with tarps to lessen cleaning, which i understand.
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Sea Breeze
Good observation blondie.
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JE-sus making a comeback at the 2024 Convention
by dropoffyourkeylee inattended the friday sesson of the 2024 summer convention.. july 5, 2024 summer convention crowd photo; they invited quite a lot of empty chairs.. .
the facility usually has 5500-6500. they spun it saying that fewer congregations were assigned.
there were 6 of the smaller, more distant sections blocked off with tarps to lessen cleaning, which i understand.
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Sea Breeze
Good analysis Wing Commander
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JE-sus making a comeback at the 2024 Convention
by dropoffyourkeylee inattended the friday sesson of the 2024 summer convention.. july 5, 2024 summer convention crowd photo; they invited quite a lot of empty chairs.. .
the facility usually has 5500-6500. they spun it saying that fewer congregations were assigned.
there were 6 of the smaller, more distant sections blocked off with tarps to lessen cleaning, which i understand.
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Sea Breeze
Retracted