by leaving_quietly 40 Replies latest watchtower bible
w13 3/15 p. 28 par. 17:
"First, we must proclaim that name to others, recognizing that only those who 'call on the name of Jehovah will be saved.' (Rom. 10:13)"
(Emphasis mine)
Rom 10:13 says: "For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”" (Emphasis mine)
There's a big difference between "only" and "everyone".
Adverb
And no one or nothing more besides; solely or exclusively: "there are only a limited number of tickets available".
Pronoun
Every person.
I see what you are saying, but in this case, the word "who" gives both statements its limits.
It's like offering a free gift by phone for everyone who calls, but the people receiving the gift are still the only ones who called.
Funny how JW's look for ways to show exclusivity, thereby emphasizing their own importance, rather than to looking forward to salvation for all.
They do love their little flocks and groups.
I see what you're saying Christ Alone, but it's not neccesarily true.
For example I could say: Everyone who is a politician lies.
But that doesn't mean that everyone who is NOT a politician does not lie.
Or "everyone who uses Lore's Patented Sunscreen will be saved from sunburn. "
Some people who don't use my sunscreen may also be sunburn free, but everyone who uses it will DEFINITELY not get sunburn.
The scripture also goes on and states a condition . One must be faithful and true . You don't just up and shout jehovah and presto you get a free pass to paradise . YOu have to face the trials and persecution in connection with jesus christ and prove, just as he did, that you are worthy . certainly the 2 commandments that jesus itterated come into play , love jehovah your GOD with all you have and your neighbor as yourself .
Good point, leaving quietly! The Organization thinks it has a monopoly on salvation but that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, some believe, including myself, that the WT org. is the "great mountain" that gets hurled into the sea (Revelation 8:8; Jeremiah 51:25, 26).
The bigger issue with this isnt the wording, but the fact that this passage is not referring to Jehovah but Jesus. This is in harmony with Acts 4:12. The insertion of Jehovah in ROmans 10 is a dishonest mistranslation as the word Jehovah does not appear anywhere in the NT. The context clearly shows that it should read that everyone calling on the name of JESUS will be saved!
penelope- That is what the WTBTS believes of itself from what I recall in the revelation book . The sea representing the turbulent political climate , the instability of governments that rule on earth . The mountain is the mountain of jehovah mentioned in Isaiah. come and let's go up the mountain of jehovah and learn his ways . something like that and all people from the different nations take refuge there.
Following on from BU2B's post:
Rom. 10:9-13 (NIV)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
It's like offering a free gift by phone for everyone who calls, but the people receiving the gift are still the only ones who called.
I agree with this, which is why Christ repeatedly said "come to me". Salvation is a free gift, but only available to those who come to Christ to get it.
My point here was to point out the wording to show "exclusivity". I won't argue whether Romans 10:13 should read "Jehovah" or "Jesus". There's plenty of discussion on the interwebs supporting both views. I'm not going to get into that discussion. However, the wording in the article leads the typical JW to believe that ONLY they will be saved because ONLY they call upon Jehovah's name (that's the idea WT wants to get across). Nevermind that the name isn't pronounced right (which they admit earlier in the article) and nevermind that many others call upon the Father by other names (e.g. Yahweh, Jahveh, YHWN, Elohim, Adonai, etc.) Paul said "everyone" who does so, not just JWs.
