I think all of us Ex-J-Dubs have had the --I'll call it a privilege--to exchange views with others who think differently than we do. We encounter "Christians" from mainstream churches.
Our dialogue is sort of...like speaking to Martians.
Sooner or later, an Ex-Dub smacks into a wall. That wall is a subject which is NEVER spoken about or taught by the GB or Watchtower with any candor. It is, however, the number one topic in the majority of Christian Churches. That subject seems weird to both Dubs and Ex's.
GRACE.
The Bible uses words like “forgive,” “believe,” or “hell.” But more often than those words, the word GRACE appears 170 times. Wow!
How did THAT happen?
We "think" we know what it is--but only because the GB redefined it for us as "undeserved kindness." Then, leaves it as merely that.
Grace is THE most important Christian teaching and the least important JW topic.
Why? Being a JW is about behavior.
The "faithful" characters of the Bible are viewed in terms of their behavior. These folks very often aren't very good moral examples, however. Yet--YET God uses them and loves them. Go figure!
Depending on which particular Christian denomination you attend, you will run into mainly 1 of 4 DIFFERENT flavors of GRACE:
Common grace
Free grace
Irresistible grace
Prevenient grace
Why? What the heck is this all about?
I'll boil it down to this. If God wants you--chooses you--to worship Him, HE MAKES IT HAPPEN by granting you that privilege--and YOU CANNOT RESIST!
Crazy? You bet!
The encounter--that personal emotional experience of being "SAVED" is a free gift--IF GOD CHOOSES TO GIVE IT to you.
It isn't the human being making the choice at all--it is God doing the choosing and the granting of Faith and Belief supernaturally.
JW's don't, won't and can't understand this.
Their "faith" is intellectual and artificially contrived.
JW Faith is about obedience to the GB.
Genuine Faith is a free Gift to "certain people" and they do not deserve it by virtue of "believing" on their own or being convinced. GRACE is not egalitarian.
Belief, Faith and Salvation (according to mainstream scripture) is TRIGGERED by hearing the Word of God and ---then the magic happens--or doesn't.
Weird as it sounds. This is why Christianity is so different from Jehovah's Witness theology. JW's try and "earn" salvation by works and acceptance of GB opinions.
For mainstream Christians, it is about a "free" gift because God chose to give it to them.