I had a similar experience. When I was 23 I experienced a supernatural move of God in my life. I had been praying a lot asking God to make me hate sin. According to the Watchtower, sin is rooted in our will power, not our very nature as the bible states. So, as a consequence I thought I was simply weak.
Anyway, God answered my prayer and I was changed in many ways almost overnight. Since the JW's was all I knew, I became active for the next 8 years. I knew that something had happened to me, but I couldn't exactly describe what. I now know that I experienced an action of the HOLY SPIRIT.
John 16:8 (KJV) And when he is come , he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
I remember a teenager weeping for his sin in the men's room right before we were all going to get baptized. God is more than willing to reveal sin in anyone's life irregardless of what church they go to if they ask for it enough.
However, there is a BIG difference between simply being aware and sorry for sin and actually being pardoned for it and living a life of victory.
The Watchtower has on rare
occasions acknowledged the unsaved condition of their members before God.
Whom To Believe?
1.
Watchtower Says:
The ...“other sheep”, [non 144,000] are in a different
condition. …They are still human
creatures, not even
justified, - Wt. 38 p.104, 105
·
Bible Says:
Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:... Much more
then, being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. - Rom. 5:1, 9
(KJV)
2.
Watchtower Says:
“he is not yet giving the ‘other
sheep’ the standing of sons….
they address him prospectively as ‘Our Father’.” Wt. 8/15/45 p. 253
·
Bible Says:
You are all, in fact, sons of God through YOUR faith in Christ Jesus. - Gal. 3: 26-28 (NWT)
3.
Watchtower Says:
…in a “strict Biblical sense Jesus is
the ‘mediator’ only for anointed
Christians.” [The 144,000] -
Wt.4/1/79 p. 31
“Christ does not act as Mediator of
the new covenant toward them,.” - Wt. 2/15/91 pgs. 15-20 par.11
·
Bible Says
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a
man, Christ Jesus - 1 Tim. 2: 5 (NWT)
Many,
JW’s have left the Watchtower organization just by learning that officially
according to the Watchtower, Jesus is not their Mediator. Again, the Watchtower
has no biblical, New Testament answer for how the rest of mankind gets their
sins forgiven.
Great White Throne Judgment
While
the bible teaches that all men are judged after they die
(Heb. 9:27); they are not all judged for the same purpose. This was one of the
most fascinating things I learned about as a new born again believer. The Great
White Throne judgment of Rev. 20:11 thru 21:8, says that “all liars” are cast into the Lake of Fire. No one who ends up at
this judgment gets a pass since all have lied. This is the Judgment that
Christ’s blood saves us from.
The reason why we need a personal Savior, is because God intends to implement a personal judgment.
Judgment Seat of Christ (The Bema Seat - Romans 14:10 & 2 Cor. 5: 10)
This is the believer’s judgment, reserved
for those with faith in Christ Alone:
If any man's work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss: but he himself shall
be saved; yet so as by fire. - 1 Cor. 3:15
At
this judgment, salvation is not the issue. Things that were done FOR CHRIST are
rewarded (or not rewarded), as
opposed to the GWT judgment where those not found in the Book of LIFE perish. At the believer’s
judgment, even if all your works are found to be not useful to God, you
yourself “shall be saved”.
For
the New Covenant member, with Jesus as their Mediator, the Salvation issue was settled up on Calvary Hill when
Christ brought to nothing both the power and the penalty of sin for “whosoever”
that would accept his offer. When he made that payment on our behalf, He cried
out, “It is finished”! Praise God.
This guy looks pretty close
