Hi Pegg,
Blessings to you through Messiah Yahushua, My YAHWEH and My ELOHIM!
Shabbat Shalom!
You wrote:
"Jehovahs witnesses have been teaching the idea of the Ransom since the late 1800's. It has remained a core belief based on the scriptures and without it, there could be no salvation of anyone."
Are you familiar with a man named N.H. Barbour? How about J.H. Paton? How do you know that C.T. Russell was right and they were wrong?
yes of course im familiar with them. Nelson Barbour did not believe in the atoning sacrifice of Christs blood...that is why Russell stopped associating with him. At that time, brother Russell was an editor of the magazine that Barbour produced. It wasnt the Watchtower, nor was Barbour a Bible Student or a Jehovahs Witness. So this was not a person who was part of the Watchtower Society...which was not established until several years later.
Paul taught this about the true Gospel:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Messiah died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The true Gospel about salvation must go out to the whole world. How can anyone judge whether or not the true Gospel is being taught or preached by any particular group at any given time? JW'S believe that Messiah died in their stead to pay their penalty for their sin. Is this belief according to the Scriptures, Pegg?
Thanking you in advance should you be moved to reply, I am,
Sincerely, Latuwr
I am going to give you the current JW teaching on the Ransom directly from our 'What Does The Bible Really Teach' booklet. This is the booklet we use to conduct our free home bible study course with...so it is being used world-wide and is printed in hundreds of different languages.
[QUOTE='What Does The Bible Really Teach' Chp 5]
WHAT IS THE RANSOM?
3 Put simply, the ransom is Jehovahs means to deliver, or save, humankind from sin and death. (Ephesians 1:7) To grasp the meaning of this Bible teaching, we need to think back to what happened in the garden of Eden. Only if we understand what Adam lost when he sinned can we appreciate why the ransom is such a valuable gift to us.
4 When he created Adam, Jehovah gave him something truly preciousperfect human life. Consider what that meant for Adam. Made with a perfect body and mind, he would never get sick, grow old, or die. As a perfect human, he had a special relationship with Jehovah. The Bible says that Adam was a son of God. (Luke 3:38) So Adam enjoyed a close relationship with Jehovah God, like that of a son with a loving father. Jehovah communicated with his earthly son, giving Adam satisfying assignments of work and letting him know what was expected of him.Genesis 1:28-30; 2:16,*17.
5 Adam was made in Gods image. (Genesis 1:27) That did not mean that Adam resembled God in appearance. As we learned in Chapter*1 of this book, Jehovah is an invisible spirit. (John 4:24) So Jehovah does not have a body of flesh and blood. Being made in Gods image meant that Adam was created with qualities like those of God, including love, wisdom, justice, and power. Adam was like his Father in another important way in that he possessed free will. Hence, Adam was not like a machine that can perform only what it is designed or programmed to do. Instead, he could make personal decisions, choosing between right and wrong. If he had chosen to obey God, he would have lived forever in Paradise on earth.
6 Clearly, then, when Adam disobeyed God and was condemned to death, he paid a very high price. His sin cost him his perfect human life with all its blessings. (Genesis 3:17-19) Sadly, Adam lost this precious life not only for himself but also for his future offspring. Gods Word says: Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned. (Romans 5:12) Yes, all of us have inherited sin from Adam. Hence, the Bible says that he sold himself and his offspring into slavery to sin and death. (Romans 7:14) There was no hope for Adam or Eve because they willfully chose to disobey God. But what about their offspring, including us?
7 Jehovah came to mankinds rescue by means of the ransom. What is a ransom? The idea of a ransom basically involves two things. First, a ransom is the price paid to bring about a release or to buy something back. It might be compared to the price paid for the release of a prisoner of war. Second, a ransom is the price that covers, or pays, the cost of something. It is similar to the price paid to cover the damages caused by an injury. For example, if a person causes an accident, he would have to pay an amount that fully corresponds to, or equals, the value of what was damaged.
8 How would it be possible to cover the enormous loss that Adam inflicted on all of us and to release us from slavery to sin and death? Let us consider the ransom that Jehovah provided and what this can mean for you.
HOW JEHOVAH PROVIDED THE RANSOM
9 Since a perfect human life was lost, no imperfect human life could ever buy it back. (Psalm 49:7,*8) What was needed was a ransom equal in value to what was lost. This is in harmony with the principle of perfect justice found in Gods Word, which says: Soul will be for soul. (Deuteronomy 19:21) So, what would cover the value of the perfect human soul, or life, that Adam lost? Another perfect human life was the corresponding ransom that was required.1*Timothy 2:6.
10 How did Jehovah provide the ransom? He sent one of his perfect spirit sons to the earth. But Jehovah did not send just any spirit creature. He sent the one most precious to him, his only-begotten Son. (1*John 4:9,*10) Willingly, this Son left his heavenly home. (Philippians 2:7) As we learned in the preceding chapter of this book, Jehovah performed a miracle when he transferred the life of this Son to the womb of Mary. By means of Gods holy spirit, Jesus was born as a perfect human and was not under the penalty of sin.Luke 1:35.
11 How could one man serve as a ransom for many, in fact, millions of humans? Well, how did humans numbering into the millions come to be sinners in the first place? Recall that by sinning, Adam lost the precious possession of perfect human life. Hence, he could not pass it on to his offspring. Instead, he could pass on only sin and death. Jesus, whom the Bible calls the last Adam, had a perfect human life, and he never sinned. (1*Corinthians 15:45) In a sense, Jesus stepped into Adams place in order to save us. By sacrificing, or giving up, his perfect life in flawless obedience to God, Jesus paid the price for Adams sin. Jesus thus brought hope to Adams offspring.Romans 5:19; 1*Corinthians 15:21,*22.
12 The Bible describes in detail the suffering that Jesus endured before his death. He experienced harsh whipping, cruel impalement, and an agonizing death on a torture stake. (John 19:1, 16-18,*30; Appendix, pages*204-6) Why was it necessary for Jesus to suffer so much? In a later chapter of this book, we will see that Satan has questioned whether Jehovah has any human servants who would remain faithful under trial. By enduring faithfully in spite of great suffering, Jesus gave the best possible answer to Satans challenge. Jesus proved that a perfect man possessing free will could keep perfect integrity to God no matter what the Devil did. Jehovah must have rejoiced greatly over the faithfulness of his dear Son!Proverbs 27:11.
13 How was the ransom paid? On the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan in 33*C.E., God allowed his perfect and sinless Son to be executed. Jesus thus sacrificed his perfect human life once for all time. (Hebrews 10:10) On the third day after Jesus died, Jehovah raised him back to spirit life. In heaven, Jesus presented to God the value of his perfect human life sacrificed as a ransom in exchange for Adams offspring. (Hebrews 9:24) Jehovah accepted the value of Jesus sacrifice as the ransom needed to deliver mankind from slavery to sin and death.Romans 3:23,*24.
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