watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
Sadly they had to be told that Jesus NEVER knew them…. Not even once. In other words, they are deceived.
Imagine wholeheartedly striving to excercise faith in Jesus...but because somebody else deceived you over how Jesus technically became resurrected...you are 'sadly' still going to hell...
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
I believe a person must make a deal with the right Jesus, not one that the enemy has conjured up.
The scripture you posted, "not everyone who calls me Lord....", was not referring to a 'wrong' Jesus.
In fact, once again Christ was referring to the state of the person's heart and attitude towards him.
The demonic spirits Jesus refuted knew exactly who he was, witnessed his death and resurrection and even went so far as to acknowledge that he was Lord when they stated they knew who he was. By your explanation, they shouldn't be in hell and yet they are.
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
Why doesn't Watchtower claim that Lazurus wasn't in his real body when he was resurrected? Why don't they go way out of their way to say his body was turned into gases too? Why only Jesus?
Assuming it did, not sure why it would make a difference. The understanding is still that Jesus died and remained dead for 3 days. I've never been confused about the JW teaching regarding this.
It's a little extreme to claim that anyone who doesn't understand the scholarly way of Romans 10:9 is condemned to hell.
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
It is the heart of the individual that matters
Is this what you think will save you?
Breeze, what part of us accepts that Christ is Lord and was resurrected?
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
A resurrection occurs when just the opposite happens - the soul, body and spirit are reunited into one being.
The WT is adament that Jesus was NOT in his own body after the cross. They can't possibly know this fro sure one way or another. So, why the dogmatism?
It only makes sense if WT is trying to circumvent the simplicity of Christ and take peoplel to hell.
I am following your thinking here. However, what about the millions of people (as apparently JWs) out there that don't comprehend the 'scholarly' definitions due to a lack of education? For people that can't even read, dead is dead.
They don't understand the technicalities you say aren't there. Who would be responsible for them not comprehending the 'real' meaning of death so as to truly understand the real meaning of resurrection...and subsequently go to hell because of it?
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
Romans 10: 9 - If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Pretty simple. So, what does WT do? They say Jehovah is Lord instead of Jesus, and they claim Jesus was not resurrected but his body was turned into gases.
Jesus resurrected - Jesus returned to life; no longer dead
Just about every JW I know has literally declared this with their literal mouth.
Jesus didn't get technical about the word resurrected. Back in the flesh, gases, etc. The point is he was non living, and returned to life. All JWs believe this.
There are no scriptures that indicate a person's sincerity is in any way connected to salvation from judgment. That is little more than self idolatry.
How would you explain how Jesus forgave the criminal hanging next to him on the cross?
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
just be good
it's not complicated
he said love was the important thing
not crackers and wine
That's basically the gist of it from what I can tell...not to say that being good is easy and automatic. But then, that's where Jesus comes in, making us complete where we are incomplete.
It' s a little bit of a contradiction when one says 'believe that Christ died for you is all you need' but then go parsing doctrinal minutae to demonstrate proof.
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
Then they try to confuse the issue by claiming that modern Christians don't need to be part of the New Covenant "for the forgiveness of sins" (See Mt. 26: 27-28)
And this is what it is all about. It is an excuse to reject the NC every Lord's Supper so that JW's CANNOT be saved by virture of Christ's blood.... which is the offer on the table for church-age believers.
If I'm following you correctly, the point of the WT is to prevent witnesses from eating and drinking at the Lord's supper.
Altho this is certainly accomplished in a literal way, sincere jws are still choosing the side of Christ. Meaning, those that truly have faith in the general 'life saving' message.
It doesn't seem plausible that God would punish a person who has chosen correctly in their heart on account of following incorrect directions. That seems to be placing more importance on the ritual than the principal itself.
watchtower plays lots of games with definitions.
once they change a definition then they have a false assumption to build their deception on.
then they repeat the new definition and use its new meaning thousands of times to reinforce it.
Breeze- So, when Jesus presented Himself as a shepherd to Israel, He was claiming to be the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. This means that the sheep are Israelites. So, when Jesus said that he had "other sheep" not of this fold, he is saying that he is going to one-day shepherd non-Israelites as well.
This is the conclusion I eventually also arrived at. And as you said, it just seemed common sense.
The anointed vs great crowd (JWs other sheep) JW teaching seems to be a result from the assertion that there will be a future paradise on Earth. Therefore, someone has to inhabit it. (vs just heaven and hell, two destinations instead of 3)
What I've also come to conclude is that this parsing between interpretations of biblical verses seems a bit overdone. In other words, if you're on the side of Jesus then anything that happens to you afterwards will be good. If not, it will be unpleasant to say the least.
JW states that there is only ONE faith that will take you to the 'promised land'... whatever that is (it will be undoubtedly good). Yet, when I see the sincerity of people in their faith in Christ, it seems that doctrinal details become less important.
Is it less about doctrine technicalities, and more so about just sincerely taking a side?
yuh gotta start somewhere, right?.
big bang theory is not a theory of the creation of the universe, but rather a model of the history and evolution of the universe from its earliest moments.
it wasn't really until the time of st. augustine that the idea of "out of nothing" entered the discussion.. a reading of genesis doesn't force the "out of nothing" into it at all.. in fact, a kind of chaotic "something" was put into form - or - something out of "something", the way adam is formed from red mud and eve from the rib.
Pete -Why is it when discussing a Jewish creation story, taking a sober look at the culture and politics of the Jewish people at the time of writing is neglected in favor of time paradox speculation and invisible entities?
The concept of gods was not an invention by the Jewish people. The very claim that the book of Genesis was written closer to 1BC than not should clarify that the concept of an all powerful god was not a Jewish innovation.
When tasked with solving a jewelry store robbery, the district attorney doesn't hypothesize goblins and time machines. Rather, they pragmatically check surveillance cameras, collect physical evidence and do profiling using the details of the case.
This is logical of course.
It is also logical that the entire universe had to start from something. What was that 'something' before the big bang as Terry asked at the beginning? And how about the thing before that? Where is the evidence for these things?
If there is none, then you could claim we arrived from nothing. But this isn't very logical at all.
