From reflecting on what Paul writes in his letters, it is obvious he had NEVER taught anything like the WTS doctrines concerning the little flock (144,000) or the slave class, or any other unique JW gospel concept. Yet he was clear that he was preaching the entire gospel everywhere.
I picked out the following verses (you can find more but these are the most obvious) to show that 1) Paul said his authority for the gospel he preached was given by God; 2) that he preached the gospel fully; and that he condemned any person or angel who preached a different gospel.
Have you ever noticed, then, that though Paul clarified the gospel in all of his letters in a variety of ways, the odd doctrines of the JWs/WTS were never once mentioned by Paul? How is it that Paul could fail to mention such essential points (according to the WTS), or even fail to give even one passing mention of 144,000, "little flock" (or even "sheep"), "slave" or "class"? None of these words (or concept of 'class') are in any of Paul's letters. (Paulused the word 'anointed' once in 2 Cor 1:21 ["Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come"], which was directed to ALL the saints in a large region, not a subset class.)
Paul stated that he has been proclaiming the FULL gospel of Christ--that is, the death and resurrection of Christ which reconciles all men to God and each other, and gives life. If it was full, how is it that he could have overlooked what is supposedly essential truths?
Anyway... tell me what you think.
bebu
Rom 15:19 So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
Acts 15:7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you thatthe Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
Acts 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the wholewill of God.
Rom 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
1CO 15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel [the one Paul was preaching] you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Cor 11:4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Gal 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
GAL 2:1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. ...4 This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
COL 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. [<----] This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
2TI 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. Thisis my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.