Do JW's ever read Ephesians4:6?

by anti-absolutism 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  anti-absolutism

  You know the scripture that the dubs use to "prove that there is only one true religion and that they, of course have it"? One Lord, one faith, one baptism..... has anyone ever had any experiences trying to point out that verse 6 tends to shed a different light on it? It says, (in their own Bible): One God and Father of all [persons], who is over all, and through all, and in all.

  To avoid swaying opinion, I will avoid giving my own experiences until I get a few responses.

  Thanks for your consideration, Brad
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  anti-absolutism

  OK... no responses yet, so I'll give my view.. hope to get SOME response....lol

  If God is over all and through all and IN all, is not the JW viewpoint of Him being a big guy sitting in a chair in heaven a little silly? Wasn't the comment made by Paul simply that WE ourselves possess the ability to have the GOOD qualities always ascribed to GOD? If he is in us is he not a part of us and therefore we a part of him? As I wrote that I had a silly little shiver going down my back. (Heaven forbid any lowly HUMAN pretend to be close to God). That's for the Governing Body to say.

  How can they not realize their COMPLETE hypocrisy?
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  plmkrzy

  I'm thinking
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  plmkrzy

  What I noticed over the years is a kind of mentality that has been taught to all JWs who are receptive to it. Basically the same thing taught to most sales reps. When ever a "prospect" begins to carry the subject matter in a direction that is cloudy when compared to the main point, it's time to "take control" of the conversation and get it back on track by using words such as: "one step at a time" and "we'll come back to that later when you are ready to understand it"

  I do not believe JWs are doing anything out in field service other then harvest sheep. In the process, IMO, they have allowed themselves to be misguided. The heart is in the right place.

  One Lord, one faith, one baptism.....

  To "me" this means a "spiritual" baptisim that can only be achieved with ones personal relationship with God and Christ and has absolutely NOTHING to do with jumping in a tub of water.

  If you do not have the luxury of "water" that does not mean to cannot become baptized "in the holy spirit" without it.

  That would be ridiculous. edited for easier reading,lol

  Edited by - plmkrzy on 8 February 2003 18:17:48
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  Shakita

  Brad,

  This is a critical subject because the way this scripture is believed will determine whether one has an open mind or not. Any religion can claim that they are the 'one faith' mentioned at Ephesians 4:6. Making such a claim does not mean that a particular religion is the so called true religion.

  The question is, what constitutes the true faith? Is it a religion or a way of life? Jesus made an interesting comment at John 4:21-24. He said: "Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ( The Samaritans worshipped their God on Mount Gerizim and the Jews worshipped their God on Mount Zion. Jesus's statement was very telling since he said that God would not be worshipped on either mountain. That is significant since the Jews believed that they had the true religion.)"You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews (notice Jesus said salvation is from the Jews, he didn't say the Jews were the true religion) "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."

  Again Jesus made it plain that the Father was seeking worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. There is no indication from these words that being of a particular religion would result in finding favor with God. However, an individual could make the effort to worship the Father as the Father would want to be worshipped.

  At John 14:6 Jesus said: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Where does Jesus mention a particular religion as being the only way for salvation? It is obvious that the true faith is a way of life that a Christian models after the life and example of Jesus Christ. No church, religion, Governing Body, priest or other religious leader can get in the way of that way of life.

  So, the one true faith is our faith in Jesus Christ as the one sent by God to pay for our sins. Whenever a religion claims to be the only way to salvation they are standing in the way of and actually replacing Jesus as our only hope for salavation. They are actually putting themselves in the place of the Messiah and are making a claim that only God and his Son can make.

  Mr. Shakita
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  anti-absolutism

  Shakita,

  Thank you for the response. I have a new post waiting that may be interesting to you, but I didn't know that you could only post 2 in a day. In brief though, it suggests that to accept Jesus as the Messiah, do we not have to accept the Old Testament as being from God as well? 'Cause when I look at all the atrocities in the Old Testament it doesn't seem very God-like.

  No offence to any Christians but I tend to lean toward the fact that Jesus was a GREAT teacher, and he gave people the open-mindedness to realize that NO religion is necessary. The God that religious people search for is inside their own minds to bring out.
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  Sangdigger

  Since when did the New Testament ever apply to JW's anyway? The way i see it, they think only the good council and maybe a few scriptures about the great crowd apply to them. The rest is only for the 144.