Matthew 7 and Jehovah's Witnesses!

by TimothyT 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • TimothyT
    TimothyT

    I am writing another letter to a JW friend who still feels that she can convince me to come back to the organisation. In the letter I realised that I was quoting a lot from Matthew 7, and I decided it may be beneficial to just make some notes about some of the verses in the chapter with regards to the organisation and how it compares. Enjoy reading them:

    1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

    The organisation is VERY judgemental of others, their beliefs and their actions both on a personal level and a grouped level. Straight away they have disregarded one of Jesus primary pieces of advice. Jesus himself states that they will be judged for this.

    3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

    The organisation clearly is imperfect and is full of imperfect men who make mistakes and figuratively have planks in their own eyes. Jesus says it is therefore incorrect for them to tell someone else that what they are doing is wrong. He calls such ones hypocrites. They have no right whatsoever to judge others.

    15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

    False prophets are recognised by the fruits of their actions and words. Perhaps here the organisation should consider where it stands. Are they producing good fruit or is it rotten fruit? There is a lot of goodness in this world and many are teaching the truth from the bible – the truth about Jesus and the goodness of his teachings. However are Jehovah’s Witnesses doing the same or are they teaching unchristian things? As Jesus said false prophets can be recognised by their fruits.

    21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

    Those who do the will of the father in heaven will enter into the kingdom of heaven. What is his will? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses doing it? Just because they may preach worldwide and do many so called powerful works in his name, it does not automatically grant them access to the kingdom. This scripture is hardly ever applied to them but perhaps it is time that they ask themselves this question honestly: are they doing the will of God? As an organisation I do not feel they are. I feel they have diverted from his will.

  • truth_b_known
    truth_b_known

    Many Witnesses justify the judging of their fellow man by pointing out what the Bible says. If they can point to a scripture and say, "See. It says right here that it wrong," then they feel they you have been judged by Jehovah, not them. This is not justification. It is only an excuse and semantics.

    Do not judge or you will be judged. There's no two way about that. Jesus condemned people judging other people. Do judge a fellow man is to encroach on the authority of Jesus.

  • darth frosty
    darth frosty

    tt good post i love to break down jesus words outside of the lens of jw dogma.

    a good read on this is a little book called the way to love by anthony de mello

  • Disillusioned Lost-Lamb
    Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

    JWs like to glean things from the bible; this is one of their biggest flaws that most overlook. If all scripture is inspired and beneficial … for the man of God (2 Timothy 3:16 & 17) than how can they pick and choose application and meaning?

    The fact is no witness has an explanation for why the scriptures are used the way they are in the organization, well except for that's what watchtower told them. Real meaning and application are irrelevant to the entire group; if you try to turn any of their favorite "go to" scriptures on them they say, "that's the sayings of an apostate" and wipe their hands clean (Hmm sounds a bit like Pilot washing his hands clean of another miscreant God fellow, what was his name? Oh yeah, Jesus!).

    If you don't believe me just try it, pick something so obvious and easy that even the most pious devout JW could see blind folded and asleep, you'll get quite a show, heck you may even get real evidence of spontaneous combustion. Tehehe

  • Pleasuredome
    Pleasuredome
    ...it may be beneficial to just make some notes about some of the verses in the chapter with regards to the organisation and how it compares. Enjoy reading them:
    1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

    The true sense of what this verse means in no way justifies any attempt to use it to judge another's behaviour in comparison. The verse only ever speaks to the reader because that is the one who is being addressed.

    If one compare's Matt 7:1 with Mark 12:31...

    "The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

    ... to love God is to love your neighbour, to love your neighbour is to love God, and to love God is to love yourself. Therefore to judge your neighbour is to judge God and yourself. What is the solution to judgement?....

    "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

    When you remove judgement from your own mind, you'll see clearly how judgement was removed from your brother's. There are neither a JW's nor appostates, for we are all ONE in Christ (Galatians 3:28)

    Alternatively, " if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out" Matt 5:29

  • darth frosty
    darth frosty

    Here is a PDF of How to love

    Enjoy

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