It's not very often my mother brings up JW stuff with me cos she knows my opinion on it. Tonight however she mentioned that she had answered up incorrectly at the book study this week and she wanted to know what my take on it was.
The question was can disfellowshipped anointed ones come back into the org and still claim they are of the anointed?
My mum said no and I thought no too, but apparently they can or so the group leader said. Is this a new policy as I'm pretty sure it never used to be the case?
I always thought it was classed as sinning against the spirit, especially if it was for apostasy.
Disfellowshipped anointed
by New Worldly Translation 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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New Worldly Translation
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Legolas
That Jesus’ preaching could not have opened up an opportunity for the "spirits in prison" to repent is made clear in the Scriptures. Hebrews 2:16 states: "He [Jesus] is really not assisting angels at all." Also, the spirit creatures that rebelled had not been created with an inclination to fall short of God’s perfect law. Their practice of sin was a result of deliberate choice. Their situation would therefore be somewhat comparable to that of spirit-anointed Christians who apostatize. Concerning such persons, Hebrews 6:4-6 tells us: "It is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened, and who have tasted the heavenly free gift, and who have become partakers of holy spirit, and who have tasted the fine word of God and powers of the coming system of things, but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance." Now, if it is impossible to aid such apostate ones to repentance even though they are imperfect in the flesh, certainly it is also an impossibility for willfully sinning spirit angels to repent.
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Legolas
Clicked out too soon..lol...You and your mother are right from what I remember!
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Narkissos
Watchtower 3/1 1976:
• Can an anointed Christian who is disfellowshiped later be reinstated and still have the heavenly hope?
Yes, that is possible. Of course, in each case Jehovah God is the one to determine whether he will extend forgiveness.
The fact that this is possible is borne out by what we read in the apostle Paul’s letters to the Corinthian congregation. He wrote to Christians who had been anointed by holy spirit and given the hope of heavenly life. Paul addressed them as "you who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones."—1 Cor. 1:2; 15:49.
One of these anointed Christians began to practice fornication. When he evidently did not repent and stop his immorality, Paul directed the congregation to disfellowship him. (1 Cor. 5:1-5, 9-13) However, it seems that this disfellowshiped person thereafter did sincerely repent. He is understood to be the person whom Paul was referring to in his second letter when he advised the Corinthians to forgive and accept back the former sinner.—2 Cor. 2:6-11; 7:8-13.
When that man was reinstated into the congregation, what was his hope? Had he lost the heavenly calling, and had his hope now been changed to everlasting life on earth? No, for the earthly hope is not, as it were, a second-chance prospect. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and multitudes of other persons of outstanding faith had the hope of eternal life on earth, but this was not because they failed to measure up to the heavenly calling. They simply did not live in the time when the heavenly calling was in process according to Jehovah’s will. (Heb. 10:19, 20) Comparable faith and integrity are required of all who will gain everlasting life, whether in heaven or on a paradise earth. A Christian who is anointed with holy spirit and made a joint heir with Christ must prove faithful to that calling if he is to receive eternal life at all.—Rev. 2:10, 11; Phil. 3:8-14; Rom. 8:14-17.
This, though, does not mean that while they are on earth anointed Christians never sin. In the flesh, they are still imperfect and consequently they sin, as do all humans, and may even commit gross sin. The Christian disciple and Bible writer James, certainly an anointed Christian, wrote: "For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man." (Jas. 3:2; 2:5) It appears that such unintentional sin resulting from imperfection is what the apostle John meant by "sin that does not incur death." (1 John 5:16) God can forgive such sins. John said: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."—1 John 1:9.
But repentance is necessary. If an anointed Christian today practiced gross sin and did not manifest repentance, the congregation, out of obedience to God’s counsel, would have to disfellowship him. If he subsequently repented, though, he could be forgiven and reinstated, as was the man in Corinth.
God does not, however, forgive all sin. According to what Jesus said in Mark 3:28, 29, those who willfully and knowingly blaspheme God’s spirit can never be forgiven. And Paul wrote: "If we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment." (Heb. 10:26, 27) Such unforgivable sin is evidently what John referred to as "sin that does incur death."—1 John 5:16.
If an anointed Christian sinned against the spirit, practicing willful sin without repentance and ‘impaling the Son of God afresh,’ God would completely and forever reject him. (Heb. 6:4-6) Not being repentant, he would not be reinstated. Jehovah would have to select and anoint another Christian as a replacement so that the full number of 144,000 would be kept complete. It might be compared to heaven’s choice of Matthias to replace unfaithful Judas Iscariot so that there would be twelve faithful apostles of Jesus on which to build the Christian congregation.—Acts 1:23-26; Eph. 2:20.
Is this to say that if an anointed Christian is disfellowshiped, Jehovah then and there selects a replacement? No human can say that, for we cannot know if the disfellowshiped individual has committed the unforgivable sin. Jehovah knows, and so the matter can be left in his hands. Just how and when he chooses to select a replacement is for him to decide. He did not give a detailed discussion of the matter in the Bible. So rather than speculate on what He will do or try to guess whether a disfellowshiped person is beyond the possibility of repentance, we can leave the matter up to Jehovah, the righteous Judge.—Heb. 12:23.
If a congregation has had to disfellowship a person but he later repents and is reinstated, we can rejoice over Jehovah’s mercy and forgiveness. (Luke 15:7) That is so whether the person professed the heavenly hope and continues to do so or had and continues to have hope of everlasting life on earth. All of us should take to heart the lessons learned from this—our own need to fight constantly against imperfection and sin, the importance of seeking forgiveness when we do sin and the necessity of enduring to the end so as to be saved.—Matt. 10:22.
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New Worldly Translation
What publication is that quote from Legolas?
Is there now two classes of disfellowshipping for anointed. One for apostasy which means total seclusion and another for adultery etc which is forgivable?
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New Worldly Translation
Ah thanks for that Narkissos. I think that clarifies it.
Surely being disfellowshipped though means willfully practising sin without repentance. Before you are disfellowshipped proper you always have the opportunity to repent and come back and if you don't then surely that constitutes a willful act against the spirit by their own standards?
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Nathan Natas
This is like asking what the effect of Plaid Kryptonite would be on Superman if he was on the Bizzaro world.It's an exercise in FANTASY, for Christ's sake! None of this stuff is half as real as a fart.
It is a great way to kick back and relax - take your mind off of the world's problems and try to guess how many resurrected anointed folk can dance on the head of a pin. "I'll bet an anointed person could place ALL the magazines!"
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Legolas
Woooooow ...that was NOT what I was taught!
But then again the dunce that I studied with said that there was no such things as Dinosaurs either they said it was a scheme of the devil....LMAO!
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New Worldly Translation
This is like asking what the effect of Plaid Kryptonite would be on Superman if he was on the Bizzaro world
Nathan dude, I'm gonna be thinking about that all night now!
Legolas - my grandma doesn't think dinosaurs existed either She reckons scientists make them out of plaster or something and plant them in the ground when no-ones looking and pretend to dig them up.
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gumby
• Can an anointed Christian who is disfellowshiped later be reinstated and still have the heavenly hope?
Yes, that is possible. Of course, in each case Jehovah God is the one to determine whether he will extend forgiveness.
So I guess they just happen to know that "in certain cases" jehovahs might forgive the erring annointed?
Perhaps when brother Greenless and brother Chitty were found out to be homosexual, their old buddy "freddie" made a compensation for them. Freddie just knew they was real sorry.
Actually, to allow the annointed another chance does NOT jive with the scripture they use concerning once one has the gift, and they screw up, it's bye bye. These annointed were supposedly "begotten" to the point that their spirit cried out "abba" to the father and his spirit bore witness with their spirit. Why should they get another chance according to watchtower or scriptural doctrine?
Gumby