nPeace
Veteran Member
(2 Corinthians 7:1) Therefore, since we have these promises, beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.No I'm not a Catholic but was brought up as a Catholic.
Yes all Christians know that smoking is not good for you and that we should stop. It is not a law of God however and it has been made into one by the GB. It is a cleansing of the outside of the vessel however and is not a sin that should stop someone from having eternal life. That is what my brother in law was essentially told, stop smoking or you will not have eternal life because you can't become a JW.
I could move on to transfusions. I don't know if it is a serious sin in the WT to eat blood in any other way, only transfusions are mentioned.
When I look at this in Acts 15 I see Jewish Christians, zealous for the law and wanting to made Gentile Christians obey the law for their salvation. This had to be dealt with in a way where the Gospel was not compromised and brought back to obeying law, but also in a way where the Jewish Christians could have fellowship with the Gentile Christians and not feel as if they were being made unclean to be near them. This was accomplished by basically saying that the Gentiles should follow the Noahide law, which it seems is what Gentiles did if they wanted to become Jewish converts.
This decision was made for the purpose of peace and fellowship in the Church at the time and it was not part of any law that Christians needed to follow in order to have salvation.
What does the GB do? It makes it into a law which you have to obey in order to have salvation (be in the WT) and extends it to the life saving blood transfusions, thus putting the lives of JWs at risk. Not even Jews refuse transfusions.
BUT can you see that the GB has lacked spiritual discernment and has turned the passage on it's head,,,,,,,,,,,,making a law out of something that was meant to stop the Legalistic Jewish Christians from making the law essential for salvation.
If that is mot a law or rule, then maybe I don't know what a law is.
Overcome completely their sins? What does that mean? Who can overcome completely their sins?I see the Ethiopian being baptised on hearing the Gospel. I see the house of Cornelius being baptised on hearing the gospel. I see 3000 people at Pentecost being baptised in the Holy Spirit on hearing about Jesus and believing. These people repented but that does not mean that they knew everything the Lord would eventually want them to relinquish or that they had overcome completely their sins.
You are talking rubbish.
Maybe you don't know what rubbish is Brian. Look at your post again. You wrote it, didn't you.
I got baptized before I knew everything the Lord wanted me to relinquish.
Why not get educated about JWs before continuously repeating things you know nothing about.
You seem to think it is okay to hide what the Bible says - what God requires from persons, so that they can get baptized. Is that what you are saying?
So don't tell them God wants us to hate the bad... leave that for later. Is that what you are saying?
If that's not it, what's the problem you are having?
Of what we repented of?It is a life time's work for God to change us and with our cooperation, rid us of what we repented of. That does not happen before we are baptised even if it is good that new comers know what they are in for. They should consider what it will mean to be a disciple.
Okay, so you agree we must repent, right?
So you have a pack of cigars in your pocket, and you tell me "I repent. I repent.". ....and I am to say "Yes you repent."
You have not shown that up to now. All I am hearing are complaints from a man who wants to make his own rules on Christian life.What you are saying is like a woman who spends the whole day cleaning her house because she does not want the cleaner to see it untidy.
What the GB makes new converts do is the rules of men and not those of God.
A Christian is a follower of Christ, and his teachings. Do you understand that Brian? His teachings.
The GB - the faithful and discrete slave, are given the responsibility of dispensing those teachings.
Do you deny that? Read Matthew 24:45. You will find it there.
Are you the faithful and discrete slave? No? Then what is the problem you are having?
I believe you would have joined those Paul had problems with in the congregation.
(2 Corinthians 10:10-12) 10 For they say: “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his presence in person is weak and his speech contemptible.” 11 Let such a man consider that what we say by letters when absent, this we will also do when present. 12 For we do not dare to class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.
I could see you now, as one of the Israelites in Moses' day.
That's the spirit.
Moses thinks HE can tell us what HE wants us to do. What a rebellious spirit.
Brian. Can we learn anything from that? Can you.
Moses was appointed leader... by Jehovah.
It didn't matter what anyone else thought.
Jehovah has spoken.
Like Moses, the appointed men - the overseers in the congregations - gave instruction. They were responsible for keeping the congregation clean, and protect the brothers from spiritual harm.
Imagine that someone offered to pay you to keep their property clean, and left you in charge for a few weeks.
When they return, and find all manner of filth on their property - dog mess, cow mess, horse mess, you name it, would they pat you on the back, and say, "Well done. Here is your money."?
No. They would escort you off their property so fast, you would think you were on SheiKra.
Jesus expects the slave to take care of his domestics.
Why are you finding fault with every little thing we do?No I don't do that. I don't go out and spend a certain number of hours preaching each week and have it recorded in church records. Maybe I should. You JWs are so fantastic in what you do,,,,,,,,,,,,what the GB forces you to do,,,,,,,,,,You must be the correct religion and all you doctrines must be right. We know the GB is right because it is the faithful servant and the doctrines and rules they set are not contrary to the Bible or you would disagree with them,,,,,,,,,,,,,as long as you do that for a short time only and don't disagree too strongly,,,,,,,,,,,that is ground for dismissal from eternal life in as a JW it seems.
You are not suggesting that we only make rules that are written in the Bible are you? So for example, we should not say, "Clean the windows of the Kingdom Hall. Keep them tidy." "Dress as ministers representing God." "Respect people's privacy and don't look into windows when you are calling on the neighbors."
As my brother says, "Grief." You are a complainer.
(Exodus 15:24) . . .So the people began to murmur against Moses, saying. . .
(Exodus 17:2) . . .So the people began quarreling with Moses and saying. . .
(Exodus 17:3) . . .and they kept murmuring against Moses and saying. . .
(Numbers 11:1) . . .Now the people began to complain bitterly before Jehovah. . . .
(Numbers 14:2) . . .All the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly spoke against them, saying. . .
(Numbers 16:41) . . .On the very next day, the whole assembly of the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron, saying. . .
(Numbers 20:3) . . .The people were quarreling with Moses, saying. . .
Some people never learn, do they.
(1 Corinthians 10:10, 11) 10 Neither be murmurers, as some of them murmured, only to perish by the destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have come.
Boy am I glad you are not one of JWs.
I hope though that you do come to a realization before Jehovah does speak again.
We've been here. We're done with that.But seriously I have already said that the work of preaching is a good thing and needs to be done and that the JWs have a zeal for it. There are no points to be gained from going on about it.
You have been taught well by the hate literature you are fed.
Thanks for that but it is what I see in the Bible and what I am taught in Church.
I don't really need you to tell me that. But thanks. Actually I have seen some of these dead works in the list of rules. Celebrating birthdays and joining Government and growing a beard (probably not in the list) smoking, saluting the flag, having oral sex, disagreeing with the teachings of the GB,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,all the disgusting things that the WT wants to say disqualify you from eternal life,,,,,,,,,,,,,,because they say so and the have the power,,,,,,,,,,,according to them.
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