Undeserved Kindness vs Grace - Watchtower flaw in a NUTSHELL

by sabastious 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  sabastious

  Romans 1:7

  New International Version

  "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

  Romans 1:7

  New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

  "to all those who are in Rome as God’s beloved ones, called to be holy ones:

  May YOU have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ"

  This spells out why JWs tend to be guilt-ridden messes. Constantly looking to do more than they are currently doing.

  This gives insight into the control the Governing Body has on the members. The stranglehold lies within this very concept.

  The message is almost subliminal and ingrained into the doctrine expertly.

  Think of it this way:

  You are in hard financial times and a good friend bales you out with a sizable check. You are very grateful. The watchtower's "Undeserved Kindness" dwells on the part of the fact that the friend DIDN'T have to give you that check, and reminds you of it whenever he can. Most other Christians apply the doctrine of "Grace" which focuses on the loving aspect of the gift, which requires no payback and never a word of it again. Grace is still underserved, but deserving is a moot point when discussing the application.

  If that friend incessantly reminded you that he bailed you out and everything you ever do is a result of his undeserved gift, most humans would end up stop being that persons friend and likely find a way to pay him back so he would stop holding it over your head.

  On the other hand, if the friend never says a thing about the gift again, the relationship can flourish and be strengthened by a true bond of love.

  If you are not out of the Watchtower and are reading this, I invite you to take a good look at the "friendship" you have had with the Society's Jesus. Does the Society's Jesus sound like a good friend? A friend that gives because of love and asks nothing in return? Or does their Jesus hold his grusome tragic death over your head constantly and keep dwelling on the fact that you never deserved that kind of sacrifice?

  Food for thought.

  -Sab
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  Diest

  I really liked this line of thinking. I was amazed that it only had the original post.
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  carla

  In my opinion jw's simply cannot comprehend 'grace'.

  Who would ever say such a thing as this? "May YOU have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ" -- it doesn't even read well much less spoken.

  You liken grace to a gift and I would agree, however, jw's first of all do not understand their own sinful nature (not just what they consider original sin from Adam, I mean they sin like everybody else everyday) and some would even go so far as to say they are not sinners in need of grace to begin with. They claim they are not 'intentional' sinners like the rest of us evil slobs. Secondly, they are not allowed a relationship with God or Jesus without going through the org so they cannot comprehend the relationship aspect. Thirdly, 'may you have undeserved kindness' ?! what the heck? who really DESERVES kindness? what must I do to deserve it? it sounds as if one could earn this so called kindness and then you get back to the gift part of grace. I have had this conversation with my jw many times and it just goes in circles because we are speaking two different languages.

  Lastly, from all that I read about jw's and their (lack of) gift giving it does not surprise me that they can't even accept a free gift from God/Jesus even if Jesus Himself dropped in a kh to tell them Himself. They do not get the definition of 'gift'. They often think gifts in the outside world always have ulterior or bad motives and it spills over into their ....hmmm, I would say spiritual life but I cannot bring myself to consider the jw life a truly spiritual one. Hope you get my meaning.
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  wobble

  A JW cannot understand the concept of "Grace" as plainly presented in scripture for the reasons above, it has been hidden from them by Freddie Franz's god-awful "translation" and it is denied them by the concept of having to go "through" the FDS/GB to get anything from God at all.

  Grace (Gk. Charis) as given by God and by Jesus (see Sabs quotes above) means that if you are given it, you are clothed with the beauty and joy that Jesus had when on earth.

  Sadly, JW's are denied this beauty and joy by the doctrines they support and believe in. People even children, were drawn to Jesus because of the grace he had, the ineffectiveness of JW's evangelising shows they do not have "Grace", which is sad, the vast majority of them are good kind people who deserve it, but their leaders make sure it cannot get to them. The GB "shuts up the way to the kingdom of heaven".
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  Ding

  Regarding the phrase "undeserved kindness," it seems to me that the WTS focuses heavily on UNDESERVED. I think this gives JWs an image of Jehovah as a never-satisfied, fed-up God who has to restrain himself every day from destroying you. As a JW, you are never completely forgiven. In Watchtowerland, everything is a loyalty-and-endurance test, and you are failing miserably. You can never do enough. Even those who have been pioneering for decades could have done more. If they slack off, all their previous efforts count for nothing. The JW is left feeling constantly guilty and fearful that he will fail the ultimate test.

  By contrast, the doctrine of grace begins with the concept that all human beings are lost sinners who cannot make themselves righteous no matter how many theocratic works they do. Therefore, God has provided Christ as the way. When a person repents of his sin, gives up completely on himself or any human organization, and puts his faith solely in Christ to save him by grace, he is at that moment completely forgiven of all his sins, is reborn spiritually, and is fully accepted by God. God then works inside him over time to transform him into being a person with Christlike character. Good works follow -- not as a loyalty test or as a way of proving one's worthiness to Jehovah -- but as the natural fruit of the Holy Spirit working through the person to live the kind of life God desires.

  I would invite anyone to read through Romans and Galatians and decide which of these accurately reflect New Testament Christianity.
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  dontplaceliterature

  Great post Sab.
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  PSacramento

  Grace is THE doctrine of love and salvation.

  There is NOTHING that we can do to deserve salvation, no act, not series of actions, no keeping of laws and rules and such because the moment we do those things, no matter how righteous they are, with the motive of salvation then we have ultieor motives and as such, those actions are no longer righteous because it is the INTENT that makes them so.

  Since there is nothing we can do, God does it for us in his gift of Grace.

  Think of grace like love: there is nothing we can do to get someone to love us but if they choose to love us for who and what we are, then that love is true and everlasting.

  Like Grace.
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  tenyearsafter

  It is interesting...this topic was one of the first things my non-JW wife noticed in discussing JW beliefs. It struck her as a complete disregard for the "gift of Grace" from God. To use the term of undeserved kindness "cheapens" the concept of Grace and makes it something that must be continually earned to keep...thus the emphasis of works for salvation in the JW life. Good topic!
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  palmtree67

  Very nice thoughts.

  Palm
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  PSacramento

  I have asked why the "works" needed for salvation ( door-to-door preaching, bibel studies, attending of meetings, etc) and I was told that those are NOT done for salvation, because that is an "underserved gift" from Jehovah, but that they are done so that they follow Christs call to "preach the gospel to the world".

  Fair enough.

  So I sked that IF there was a better method to preaching than door-to-door, if they would do it and they said "yes, of course".

  So I said that TV reaches far more people than door-to-door preaching, why don't they do that?

  They said that door-to-door was the way the apostles did it and that is the way Jehova wants them to do it, it is more personal.

  Fair enough, though I did mention that the apostles preached NOT door-to-door but in the synagouges and market places and centres of public speaking and in the "home churchs" of established believers ( to which we got in a minor debate untill I showed them that in the NT we find examples of all those things I mentioned but we don't find any examples of "door-to-door" preaching at all).