John 3:16 Jehovah has never rescinded is promise of everlasting life on earth for the ones that want to follow him and do his will. John 3:16 assures us that by that ransom, that superlative gift, we have that wonderful reward to look forward to.
'want to follow him and do his will' - speaks of their insistance on works righteousness. Faith is a gift from God. It is not something we can grasp on our own. Faith and Life are gifts of God. Doing his will comes from entering a relationship with Jesus and putting your faith in his sacrifice, it is not something we work at to be on a list of prospective hopefuls of eternal life.
Hebrews 5: 9 talks about Jesus’ activities in accomplishing this.
Jesus defeated death. Those who put their faith in Christ have passed over from death to life. The helmet of salvation is a possession we have now, it is not a helmet of hope.
Matthew 20:28 records that he would give his life or soul for whom, us. The ones that want to do his will as he did and is doing his Father’s will.
Speaks of works again. They love this because just as the Pharisees tried to separate themselves from the common people by their works, jw's put down other's faiths because of matters of conscience that they feel other's should be living up to in order to be found 'perfect' by God. They do this to prove to themselves that they are the only true religion. Paul said not to judge others on observances of days. Father's will is all the rules of the jw. They strip away grace. It becomes one of works. They lose sight of the value of Christ's sacrifice. They fail to see their sin as the real issue. They feel they can 'do good' to 'be good' and 'get' life. It's not about what we do, it's about who we are. We're sinners. We're dead in sin. Christ saved us from our condition through faith. Following such love and forgiveness brings good conduct and shows that our heart is sincere, but our works will never earn our salvation or determine it.
Matthew 28: 18-20 He has received all authority and states our responsibility. As we walk in his ways we will show that we are not like Adam, the one that alienated us from our loving Heavenly Father, but wish to do his will forever.
Speaks of works again. They love works. But works is hypocritical and a house of cards. Law shows us our failures. It is meant to lead us to Christ. It shows us our dependance upon Christ. It should tell us that we can't do enough. We need more than works, we need salvation through Christ. We are like Adam. That's why we inherited sin. It shows the human condition and the need for Christ.
As stated at John 5: 28, 29 guarantee of life. Romans 6:23 Where Adam sold us into death, Jesus gives life. Under Jesus’ 1,000 year reign we have opportunity to show our delight and appreciation for all that Jehovah and Jesus have done by continuing to learn. Today our guide book is the Bible lovingly preserved for us by our Father.
That gets me most. They totally feel they will have to work for eternal life. New scrolls will be opened during that time. It's the ultimate self help book! You study the book during the 1000 years and you get perfect! That speaks of earning your salvation. The Bible doesn't say we can earn it. It says it is a gift. Why would you show your delight and appreciation for something you worked your butt off to attain. You earned it through your works of not sinning according to their story. Love comes from being forgiven much. That spurs a heart of gratitude. The fact that Christ died for my sins deepens my delight and appreciation. During and after the 1000 years, jw's will tell you that you can still lose your life. You can always sin at any time. At this, you will age and then die. Immortality is only for those in heaven. Those on the earth always have to work for their eternity. It is not a story of grace. It is a story of a cruel dictator who expects perfection out of dust. jw's never know if they attain God's love. They must wait until Armageddon to see if they see the next day. It feels like a flip of the coin. Did I do all I could have? Did I do more good than bad? What is their salvation based upon? Their works. They do not have their faith in Christ's sacrifice because the Society tells them Jesus died only for 144,000. That Jesus isn't their mediator. That they only benefit by doing what the Watchtower tells them. "if you give a glass of water to one of these you will be blessed.' So, they do what they are told thinking that these are God's last few people and if they do good to them they will be remembered at Armageddon. That is idolatry. They put man in Christ's place. Their salvation is in obedience to the Watchtower and it's elders. Their love is a work to gain life. It does not stem from being loved and being forgiven. It is selfish and hypocritical because it depends upon man and not God. It is self serving and not true.
