May you have peace!
In another thread, you said:
I have had the priviledge of bringing 17 people into the truth in my years of service. I am very joyous to have helped in saving their lives.If you will permit me to respond, actually, dear Mav... while you may have led them to their 'death' (spiritually speaking), you most CERTAINLY did not bring them 'into the truth'. For the WTBTS is not... never has been... nor ever WILL be... the 'truth':
John 14:6
John 8:32
John 14:6
John 8:36
John 6:51, 53, 55, 56
Matthew 23:2, 3, 10
John 10:1-15, 27
Revelation 3:17, 18
Did you know that my Lord actually sought OUT the disfellowshipped (expelled)? That unlike the self-righteous Pharisees, who were 'clean' on the OUTSIDE, but INSIDE were full of dead men's bones, who trusted in THEMSELVES that they were 'righteous', he, my Lord... ate with sinners and tax collectors? Fraternized with extortioners (Zacchaeus) and prostitutes (Mary the Magdalene)? And turned himself away from NO ONE... including those considered 'unclean' under the Law Covenant?
You cannot please God by works of Law, MavMan, which is why my Lord FULFILLED the Law... and moved it OUT OF THE WAY. It was, with HIM... NAILED TO THE TREE on which HE was NAILED. It died, dear one, WITH him. The people you are wanting to be accepted by, however, have attempted for DECADES to put you, me and millions of others BACK 'under law'... a law that was 'done away with' by means of Christ... the One who FULFILLED it. The Law was a 'contract', dear one, that Israel could NOT fulfill. So my Lord fulfilled it FOR us. And once a contract is fulfilled, it is no longer in effect, yes? Once you pay off your car note, the contract... is 'retired'. Yes?
You cannot please God by works of Law, dear Mav. Noah was drunkard; Moses killed a man; David committed murder and adultery. Saul, too, took part in murder, 'delivering up brother'. Rahab was a prostitute. Yet all of these were approved by God, some of them AFTER such conduct, yes? Why? Due to works, dear one... of FAITH. Noah 'heard'... and BUILT the ark. Moses 'heard'... and went to Pharaoah and LED Israel. David 'heard'... and even though he lost his first child by Bathsheba (an adulteress, yes?), his second by her, Solomon... was made king over all of Israel... although he had other sons by his 'lawful' wives and concubines (excluding Michal). Yes?
Saul even helped with the murder of Stephen; yet, he 'heard'... and went to the nations to tell them the 'good news' about the Christ. Rahab wasn't even an Israelite... and yet, by hiding the two spies due to her FAITH in the GOD of Israel... saved both herself AND her household.
Works of law will not save a man, dear Mav, and yet, the WTBTS is constantly trying to compel you to live by law. They consistently overstep the commandments of God, which is to LOVE not only your neighbor but your ENEMY as well. They overstep it by teaching hatred... for both their 'brothers'... AND their 'enemies'. But you did not find the Christ to be so. His brothers did not accept him intially, did they? Yet, when did he 'hate' them?
The Law Covenant was not established to allow you, me, or any of Israel to judge his/her brother. In TRUTH, dear one, it was established to MAKE SIN MANIFEST. How so? So that I would KNOW when I 'transgressed' against YOU... and therefore know when I NEEDED to ask you for forgiveness... and so that YOU... would know that I had 'transgressed' against you... and FORGIVE ME. And vice versa.
How do I know that this was the purpose of the Law? Because my Lord FULFILLED it: HE never transgressed it himself, yet he asked the Father to pardon his 'error'... and he judged and condemned NONE, including those who transgressed law, as well as even those who pierced him, asking forgiveness for even those ones. The ONLY ones he condemned were the HYPOCRITES... who 'shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men, for they THEMSELVES were not going in."
And the WTBTS fulfills this in that those who consider themselves to be of the 'great crowd' and by connection NOT 'going to heaven' (entering the kingdom), try to tell and prevent OTHERS... from entering.
But my Lord did NOTHING against his brother... and forgave EVERYTHING his brother did against him... and invited ALL to "Come!" to him. Why? Because he LOVED. And love, dear one... IS the Law's 'fulfillment'. Just as it says: "Do NOT judge, and you will by no means BE judged. Go RELEASING... and you will BE released."
I bid you peace... and hope that you have ears... to 'hear'.
Your servant and a slave of Christ,
SJ