Saved by grace or by works?

by rootofallevil 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  rootofallevil

  Hello all,

  According to the WTS if we do not produce acts of good work (feild service, attending 5 meetings weekly, circuit and district assemblies etc), we are not worthy of salvation.

  According to the Bible, we attain salvation through God's undeserved grace ( or kindness in JW lingo).

  What I am looking for is scriptural proof that will shoot down the first and support the latter.

  Personally it doesn't make a difference. I beleive in the "grace" theory. However, I need the "scriptural evidence" for my friends whom I am trying to help see the lies they have been served all these years!

  Thanks for any help
• 

  serendipity

  Read the book of James. It's pretty short. Then come to your conclusion.
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  greendawn

  Ultimately everyone is saved by grace and not by works so that no one will be able to boast. Paul said that.
  
  It was the Jews that relied on salvation by works and the JWs are very influenced by them because they manifest that same mindset. Day after day they must be stressed out to earn salvation. And if they score one serious failure they are back to square one.
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  Shazard

  Ephez 2:8-9, Rom 11:6, Rom 4:1-6... See grace and works are exluding things. If by grace then not by works. And if by works, then it is not grace and gift, but wage. Letter of James uses same illustration of Abraham. Jamse speaks about faith in front of men. Men can not see hearts, that's why men judges by works. And faith produces works. But not only faith produces works. Greed, lust, arrogance... all these things can produce visible works and men can be decieved. But God sees the heart and he does not need works! Christians do works because they are saved not to be saved! Like fig tree produces figs not to become fig tree but because it is fig tree. Saved you are by grace through faith not by works. Works are result of your salvation! JW does not believe that God can be better then men, and so much love, that gives everlasting life for free just because of his love. Men tries to work out their salvation, but Jesus allready did it for them! People just need to recieve this gift by faith!
• 

  Shazard

  p.s. problem with this gift is that you are changed by Holy Spirit... changed in image of Jesus Christ, so your natural "Me" dies. So for people who loves their current state more then Jesus, they are left with dieing nature of fleshy men
• 

  rootofallevil

  So, works are the result of the grace that has been bestowed upon us.

  These works obviously come naturally once an individual is granted grace. They are the result, not the requirement to gain God's grace (fig tree).

  These works are in the form of good deeds, and a deep appreciation for God and all that he does for us. They are not limited to that but do they also include the preaching, meeting and assembly attendance requirements etc? I think not.

  I beleive these are mechanisms the WTS uses to keep us feeling unworthy and to strive even harder to peddle their literature. After all, isn't that the Great Scheme. Selling the publications of the great printing corporation by the name of WTS?
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  Elsewhere

  Click Below to read more about "working for your salvation".

  The Watchtower, August 15, 1972, p. 491

  “Working Hard for the Reward of Eternal Life”
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  Narkissos

  According to the Bible, we attain salvation through God's undeserved grace ( or kindness in JW lingo).

  According to the Bible or according to Paul?
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  Woodsman

  I don;t think the scriptures related to this subject, say we are saved by works alone, or by faith alone, or by grace alone. I also think every Christian would have varying measure of these. Even grace because God does have his favorites.

  But if you believe the 27 books of the NT are from God and the writers were inspired and you were looking at these books for an answer and you wanted to have an answer that works with all scriptures I think that God applies grace to whom he chooses, Christians are those who have faith in Christ and a viable faith is accompanied by good deeds.
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  just2sheep

  woodsman,

  i think you have the right idea...jehova rewards who he rewards and punishes who he punishes...my faith is that whichever i recieve will be deserved...you can never work hard enough to deserve undeserved kindness...you can never be poor enough to recieve undeserved riches.