April 2008

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence - 1 Peter 3:15

How are JW's Saved?

The problem with communicating the Gospel with the Jehovah's Witnesses is that they, like the Mormons, use Christian terminology but with their own unique definitions. What makes the task even more difficult is that within their writings there can actually be biblically sound doctrine or at least truthful statements.

If you were to mix a glass of medication that would heal your body, but were to mix a teaspoon of arsenic with it what would be the result? The mixture would kill you even if you had all the best intensions in the world!

This likewise pertains to truth. Truth mixed with error is still error.

Without getting too critical, the question itself, "What Must We Do to Be SAVED?" is a fair question to ask. Perhaps most problematic is the meaning of the word "saved".

Since Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe there is a literal hell where people with resurrected bodies will go for all eternity, it might raise another question that we could borrow from R.C. Sproul, "Saved from What?"

Simplified, you might say that witnesses believe they are saved from annihilation. This "saved" also permits them to live forever on a paradise earth rather than in heaven in the presence of God as Christians would believe.

From a seemingly simple question This subject can grow quite large and rather complex.

Asking this question always brings up other fundamental issues as if the original question were like a domino. Once knocked over it knocks over other dominos which in turn do the same.

Even though Jehovah's Witnesses salvation is rather complex, we shouldn't be afraid to attempt to understand what they believe and then be faithful to defend the truth of God's Word.

The screen capture above was taken from the Jehovah's Witnesses official web site.

If we were to isolate this screen capture from everything the witnesses have taught about how someone is saved, and change just a few words, you might consider these paragraphs are a great introduction to a Christian sermon.

Somewhat simplified, the introduction to this witness article states that few are saved in relation to those that are lost. There is a certain amount of diligence and discipline to enter that narrow door. Then in a note of sarcasm, they subtilely criticise those that have intellectually accepted the facts concerning Jesus and the Father but do not obey and follow him.

Last but not least they observe that some people who are told they are saved "seem to have little intention of either following or obeying Jesus." Following this they quote a clergyman who wrote that faith may not necessarily continue in the life of a believer. Interestingly, although they don't document the source, the quote comes from the pen of Zane Hodges in his controversial book, Absolutely Free!, p. 63.

Actually, this entire introduction is a serious problem even within the visible Christian Church. Essentially the controversy is, must we trust in Jesus as Lord of our lives? The answer is of course yes, and witnesses seem to bend towards this position.

However, in our next article we will prove that witnesses go far beyond the essentials of saving faith and repentance which God grants as gifts, but they place huge burdens on all members of the organization that all are required to do to earn salvation.

Ultimately, even if a witness is faithful to the end of his life in all requirements set up by the society, they are taught that they still may fail yet another test of works after the resurrection before they are permitted to live forever on a paradise earth.

Published Monthy

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