Review of the June 15, 2011 Watchtower Study Edition

You can download this issue of the Watchtower HERE

The most noteworthy quotations are found on p. 15,

19 The fact that the God of love counted Abraham as righteous should be heartening for true Christians today. Jehovah did not declare him righteous in the sense that he does those whom he anoints with spirit to be “joint heirs with Christ.” The limited number of that group are “called to be holy ones” and are accepted as “God’s sons.” (Rom. 1:7; 8:14, 17, 33) In contrast, Abraham came to be “Jehovah’s friend”—and that before the ransom sacrifice was offered. (Jas. 2: 23; Isa. 41:8) What, then, about true Christians who hope to live in the restored earthly Paradise?

20 These have not received “the free gift of righteousness” with heavenly life in view “through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24; 5:15, 17) Nevertheless, they exercise deep faith in God and his provisions, and they manifest their faith by good works. One such work is that of “preaching the kingdom of God . . . and teaching the things concerning the Lord Je- sus Christ.” (Acts 28:31) Thus, Jehovah can view these as righteous in the sense that he did Abraham. The gift such ones receive —friendship with God—differs from “the free gift” the anointed receive. Yet, it certainly is a gift that they accept with deep gratitude.

Jehovah's Witnesses: Declared righteous by faith and works?

"Giving an answer with gentleness and respect" to a Mormon

If you want to know what a profitable, respectful dialogue looks like between two completely contrasting worldviews, this is a perfect example:

Works of faith and works of law

In a RECENT POST, I addressed an objection using 2 Timothy 1:8-10 in establishing that being declared righteous (a.k.a. justification) can only happen apart from works of any kind. The objection could be phrased something like this;

"Justification certainly happens by faith, but not just faith alone. Works are needed in order to achieve this end. However, the texts which speak of "faith apart from works of the law" is only within the context of the Mosaic Law. That is, it isn't including other types of works, such as works of faith. Therefore, we are still justified by faith and works."

Such objections, though advocated by many, are contradicted by explicit statements in Scripture. And as I came across Titus 3:5 today, I was reminded how the biblical gospel truly thwarts the religions of men; that is, religion that brings works into the salvation equation:

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
(Titus 3:5–7)

The apostle Paul is writing these words as a justified believer (Romans 5:1). And in doing so, he claims that his salvation was not on the basis of righteous deeds, but according to mercy. Is there any room in this text for importing "Mosaic law" to the exclusion of "works of faith?"

δικαιοσύνη, “righteousness,” refers either to a Pharisaic obedience to the law (Guthrie, 204; Quinn, 216) or to “upright moral conduct in general” (Kelly, 251, citing 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22; 3:16). The former seems out of context (Knight, Faithful Sayings, 93). It will be balanced by v 7, which summarizes vv 4—6 by saying δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι, “having been justified by his grace,” a totally Pauline thought. Hanson’s ([1983] 191) comment that “Paul would never use dikaiosune in this way” misses the point if Paul is quoting a source, and it is unreasonable to insist that a person cannot quote a source where a word is used differently from the way the person normally uses it. In addition, the thrust of the phrase is fully Pauline, emphasizing the futility of human effort in contrast to the true righteousness from God by faith (v 7; cf. Phil 3:9).

-William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles (WBC 46; Accordance/Thomas Nelson electronic ed. Waco: Word Books, 2000), 448.

Here, Mounce is careful to distinguish between "Mosaic works" and "upright moral conduct in general." However, in doing so, he emphasizes how Paul has the latter in view. That is, there is a principle at work here: salvation is not, in any way, based upon works of any kind. If it were, there would be no reason to bring mercy into the equation. The reason being, as soon as one adds works to salvation, merit becomes part of the basis. But Paul would have none of this. Instead, God will be glorified through His work of "washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit...being justified by His grace."

It truly amazes me how men want to strip God from His glory in having full control of the salvation process. This gift of being justified apart from our good works is such an incredible gift that it boggles my mind as to how men want to add their good works to it. I can only hope and pray that all who read this and hold to a false gospel of works salvation will repent and embrace the pure and unadulterated gospel of mercy and grace.

Salvation apart from works...of the law?

Is salvation accomplish by faith in Christ alone, or by additional added works? The following Scripture would support the former:

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
(Romans 3:28 NASB)

However, many would object in suggesting that texts like these are specifically referring to "works of the law." So, they say, we may not be justified by the Mosaic law, but we can be justified by "works of faith" or something along those lines. But does this argument hold water? Consider the following:

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”
(2 Timothy 1:8–10 NASB)

Interestingly, "works" are not qualified by "law" in this passage. Instead, we have a principle to consider: salvation is not dependent on what we do but on what God does. Whether it be "works of the law" or some other kind of work, salvation is not based upon works of any kind. Also, there is something else that is important to note, and that is the meaning of ἔργα ("works"). BDAG defines it as,

"That which displays itself in activity of any kind, deed, action...of the deeds of humans, exhibiting a consistent moral character, referred to collectively as...κατὰ τὰ ἔργα in accordance w. the deeds (Ps 27:4; 61:13; Pr 24:12; En 100:7; PsSol 2:16) Mt 23:3; Ro 2:6; 2 Ti 1:9; 4:14; Rv 2:23; 20:12f.

-William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 390.

As can be seen, "exhibiting a consistent moral character" is cited with 2 Timothy 1:9, which would provide an interesting paraphrase of ἔργα:

"who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to [exhibiting a consistent moral character], but according to His own purpose and grace."

Certainly, this sheds some interesting light on this text, as well as offering a powerful refutation against any salvation system which adds your works to your justification before God. So, the next time someone objects to your interpretation of Romans 3:28 by expanding justification by faith to include good works, cite 2 Timothy 1:9 and ask them if the works mentioned are strictly works of the Mosaic law.

Its all up to you...good luck!

It never ceases to surprise and amaze me how the religions of men can pervert the gospel message. Page 16 of the August 15, 2010 Watchtower Study Edition does just that:

18 The theme text of this article, John 3:36, shows that exercising faith in the Lord Jesus Christ includes being obedient to him. Appreciation for the ransom should move us to live in harmony with Jesus’ teachings, including what he taught about morals. (Mark 7:21-23) “The wrath of God is coming” upon all who unrepentantly engage in such practices as fornication, obscene jesting, and “uncleanness of every sort,” which would encompass the persistent viewing of pornography.—Eph. 5:3-6.

19 Our appreciation for the ransom should keep us busy with “deeds of godly devotion.” (2 Pet. 3:11) Let us set aside ample time for regular and earnest prayer, personal Bible study, meeting attendance, family worship, and zealous Kingdom-preaching activity. And may we “not forget the doing of good and the sharing of things with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” —Heb. 13:15, 16.

20 When Jehovah’s wrath breaks out upon this wicked system of things, how happy we will be that we have exercised faith in the ransom and have shown an ongoing appreciation for it! And in God’s promised new world, we will be eternally grateful for this wonderful provision that saved us from God’s wrath.—Read John 3:16; Revelation 7: 9, 10, 13, 14.

Yes, its all about you and what you did, isn't it? Upon judgment day, you will stand before an infinitely holy and righteous God, telling Him what you did? Sure, you will mention the "ransom." But that's not enough. Apparently, the Watchtower's doctrine of the atonement isn't powerful enough to save. Instead, it requires your obedience. And you better be obedient. Why? Because the moment your salvation depends on you, the Bible has this to say:

"But to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due." (Romans 4:4)

If you want to add works to the equation, then I wish you the best of luck. Pile up your good deeds as high as you possibly can. But I assure you the bar is set higher than you could ever imagine. However, this is the standard by which you are going to have to follow if you believe what the Watchtower tells you. Your good works will only give you exactly what you deserve; that is, what is due.

But why go for "what is due" when you can do the following:

"But the text collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'" (Luke 18:13)

Can you imagine how this parable would have turned out if the tax collector were boasting of his accomplishments and good works? Our boast should be in one thing and one thing only: Christ and what He has done for us.

What a sad misfortune it is to be "the other sheep."

To me, one of the saddest realities that a Jehovah's Witness must face is that they are missing out on some of the most amazing promises of Scripture. For instance,

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son." (Colossians 1:13)

What a profound reality for those who are in Christ. As I read this verse in my devotional today, I reflected upon my former ways of living in the "domain of darkness." I was not free no matter how much I told myself I was. Instead, I was a slave to sin. As Paul will go on to say, "you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds." (1:21) But not anymore! Following v. 13, it is explained that we "have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

But who is this a reality for? The Watchtower explains,

*** pe chap. 16 p. 136 par. 7 God’s Government Begins Its Rule ***

Yes, Jesus then began to rule over his congregation of followers who, in time, were to join him in the heavens. Thus the Bible speaks of them, while they are on earth, as being taken into “the kingdom of the Son of [God’s] love.” (Colossians 1:13) But this rule, or “kingdom,” over Christians with the hope of heavenly life is not the Kingdom government for which Jesus taught his followers to pray. It is a kingdom over only the 144,000 persons who will rule with him in heaven. Down through the centuries they have been its only subjects. Thus this rule, or ‘kingdom of the Son of God’s love,’ will end when the last one of these subjects with a heavenly hope dies and joins Christ in heaven. No longer will they be Christ’s subjects, but they will then be kings with him in God’s long-promised Kingdom government.

How incredibly sad it must be for a Jehovah's Witness to read these passages and not be able to apply it! While there is a time and a place for discussions on Christology and hell, we can't neglect the realities presented to those who are in Christ. The reason being, it gives us an opportunity to present to JW's the utterly hopeless state they are in. That is, the text presents us with two realities:

1) Those subject to the domain of darkness

2) Those subject to the kingdom of Christ

You are either subject to one or the other. That is, if you haven't been "transferred to the kingdom of [Christ]," then you are still in the "domain of darkness." Thus, it is no surprise that Jehovah's Witnesses follow a works-salvation system:

*** w51 9/15 p. 557 par. 11 What to Do in the Face of the End ***

So there is good reason for the time allowance which God has granted since 1914. It is not just to let human suffering take place on a scale greater than ever before or more flagrant wickedness to be carried on. Not that! But it is in order to discharge God’s responsibility to serve final notice and in order to send his chosen witnesses with a final warning in this “time of the end”. So this is a period of God’s undeserved kindness, allowing people of good will who are in danger to take advantage of God’s patience and mercy. They are thus given a fair opportunity to act and work for their own salvation by God’s means, and not by human means. They should never presume upon God’s patience and think he is slow and they may linger a little longer with the world and enjoy more of it before making a last-minute break for safety under God’s organization. There is now no time to lose, and we should all take the viewpoint that Peter said to take: “Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.” (2 Pet. 3:15, NW; Rev. 12:13-17) So work for salvation.

There is nothing here about Christ obtaining eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12); nothing about imputed righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and nothing about salvation apart from works (Romans 4:6). Instead, its all about what you can do. Its an impossible gospel and contrary to what Christ taught:

““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””
(Matthew 11:28–30)

Does this sound like Watchtower-theology to you? Or does this sound like a salvation system whereby Christ is at the center; He is the one who accomplishes salvation, not us. How is this relevant to Colossians 1:13? By denying these realities to the millions of Jehovah's Witnesses who have lived and not shared in a "heavenly hope," a works-salvation system is the only possible option for them. They are living in the dark. And those who live in the dark believe that they are the ones in charge. They are the ones who have to prove themselves. Its all man based. And it is one of the saddest realities for Jehovah's Witnesses who are trapped in this hopeless system.

So the next time you hear a knock on your door, think twice before you engage in a spiritual boxing match over definite and indefinite articles (again, not saying this is always wrong; there's a time and a place), consider sharing with them a message of hope. They already feel condemned. How do I know? Because anyone who works for their salvation knows that they are missing the mark by an infinite long-shot! Don't believe me? Ask them, "When you stand in judgment before an infinitely holy God, will he allow you to enter into paradise? And on what basis?" The answer will almost always surprise you.