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

Answering an email: searching for salvation in the wrong place

I usually don't publish my email conversations here, but this one is so common that I feel obligated to share it. Many Jehovah's Witnesses are confused about salvation and where it is to be found. I do not deny that the concept of church is extremely important to any professing Christian. And I would never suggest that it is not important to find a good, solid church to be a part of. This does not mean that one should just attend. Any believer should be integrated in ministry where they can use their gifts to serve the church as well as to be under the authority of the local elders. But these issues are only secondary to the main issue: am I going to be condemned because I wasn't a part of the right church? This is a crucial issue for us to understand, especially if you are to encounter Jehovah's Witnesses. You can be sure that they will ask you something along the lines of, "Do you believe that God has a true organization on earth today that He is using to dispense His truth to mankind?" I hope my response to this email will provide you with some direction in how to answer this question with the truth of the gospel.

The questioner asks:

Could you comment on one bible V's that has stumped me
at Mathew 7:20-23;

how do i identify the one.... when there are so Manny professing Christianity... just among baptist for example there are over 400
divisions. how can i make sure I'm not one of those working lawlessness. i would hate to miss the new heavenly rewards just because i could not find the one.

thank you.

My response:

Thank you for your question!

Let me start by making a correction. By saying "I'm going to get judged by God because I didn't find the right church" is to miss the entirety of the gospel message. That is, if the Bible says, "In order to have eternal life, you must have X," but you say, "In order to have eternal life, you must have Y," then you already have it wrong by framing the question in the way that you have.

Nowhere in the Christian Scriptures does it say that one must find the right church in order to have eternal life. And as long as you hold to the view that salvation is found in a church or organization, even if you found the most biblically based church, you still won't find eternal life. The reason being: you are placing your faith, hope and trust in an organization. To put it more bluntly; you are trusting in men.

The biblical message is this: salvation and eternal life is found in a person, not in an organization. Consider a very well-known passage of Scripture to Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe that salvation is found only in being associated with their organization:

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).

According to this verse, where is eternal life found? Is Jesus pointing us to an organization? Or is He pointing to a person(s) for salvation? And furthermore, what is He saying one must do to have this eternal life? Just taking in knowledge (as the New World Translation would wrongly put it) about Christ and the Father (which even the demons would have!)? Or having a personal and intimate relationship with them?

Consider further, only a few chapters previous:

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).

If Jehovah's Witnesses are correct, the "way, the truth, and the life" is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, or more specifically, the governing body. And if Christ were going to point one to an organization as the way to salvation, it should have been here. But He doesn't. Instead, what or who does Christ point us to for both truth and salvation? A person or an organization?

Until you have understood this, it is jumping the gun to get caught up in which church to attend. Again, even if I could point you to the most perfect church on planet earth, you would still be searching for the truth in the wrong place.

So, let's get this issue down and then i'd be happy to discuss the issue of finding a good, solid, bible-based church.

I hope this answers your question. Feel free to write me back with any follow ups, or any other issue that you'd like to get my feedback on. Also, feel free to call me at the number below if you'd like to speak to me directly.

Blessings,

Mike

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.

Who is the author of your faith?

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising public shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB)

One thing that I have reformed in my theology is my soteriology (the study of salvation). That is, it has drastically turned from a man-centered soteriology to a God-centered soteriology. This may seem confusing to some, so let me explain with a question: who do you give credit to for your salvation? If you are a Christian, you will probably say "God" and rightly so. But since so many of us, myself included, are unintentionally entangled in man's traditions, we may not have as much of a God-centered soteriology as we might think.

When we think about our salvation, it is easy and convenient to think of it in terms of God making the offer and we having the option of responding. That is, God has provided the necessary means to achieve forgiveness of sins through Christ's atoning work as well as justification through imputation of righteousness (see 2 Cor. 5:19, Romans 4:5, etc.), and it us up to us to generate the type of faith necessary to receive these things. But do you ever take a step back and wonder where your faith comes from? Furthermore, have you ever wondered how and why Christians, like the apostle Paul, were able to endure to the end? Is it because Paul was able to muster up enough faith to make it from start to finish? Quite the contrary.

If you read Hebrews 12:1-2, you will notice a very Christ-centered soteriology. Yes, we do the "running" as well as the "enduring," but notice who the source is. Think of it like a car. Do cars do work? Of course they do. But you provide the fuel, to which it would be useless without it. And under no circumstances would a car be able to run without the fuel. You are the source. And as long as you provide the fuel (and repairs), it will run as long as you need it to.

Though no analogy is perfect in illustrating this, I feel that it is sufficient in comparing our dependence on Christ for salvation as well as our endurance. If Christ is the source (or the author) for our faith, then what does this say about us? For me, it certainly puts a damper on the possibility that I was the one who generated what was needed to respond to God's offer of salvation. In addition, it puts a damper on the possibility that I am the one who provides the necessary faith to endure till the end.

This leads me to two conclusions.

1. Christ begins our faith as well as finishes it. The question is, does Christ provide faith that isn't able to endure? If you are the "author and perfecter" of a book, wouldn't it be reasonable to conclude that you have accomplished what you were set out to do? Similarly, if Christ is able to provide my faith, isn't he also able to perfect it all the way to the end?

2. Some people have faith in Christ and many do not. Does Christ provide faith for everyone? If so, then why isn't Christ able to continue to perfect what he set out to accomplish? In light of Hebrews 12:2, Christ can't be the "author" of faith in all cases but only the "perfecter" in some. Its either all or nothing. That is, all of those faiths that Christ "authors" he will also "perfect." This leads to the inevitable conclusion that God has chosen to redeem some rather than all.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the timing of salvation (video)