Can the "Annoited JW" lose their position if their kids are DF'd or Reprove

by booker-t 3 Replies latest jw friends

  • booker-t
    booker-t

    I remember a sister that held book study in her house and she was very devout as a JW. She claimed to be of the Annoited class and would partake of the wine and unleaven bread. I looked up to her as some sort of saint. Of course I was only 8 years old when we went to her house for bookstudy in the year 1974 so I did not know any better. Now 30 years later I ran into this same sister at the supermarket and was suprised she remembered me after all of these years. She still looks good and has not aged much at all. She moved away many years ago from the neighborhood and was only back visiting her kids some of who I went to school with. Many of her kids were constantly in trouble with the elders. Her oldest son was Disfellowshipped years ago and has never come back, one of her daughters was disfellowshipped for having an abortion, the other daughter ran off with a "worldly man" one son joined a gang and was shot 4 times. Her oldest daughter married a circuit overseer and moved away. This daughter had a stepson that was disfellowshipped for drugs. So out of all her 5 children only one is still a active JW. She told me that she no longer partake of the emblem. I did not ask any questions but was shocked. I asked some JW friends of mine that still talk to me since I am DA'ed, why doesn't this sister partake anymore. They told me that if a person family is falling at the wasteside then alot of times The elders look at the annoited person with suspect. I have never heard of this before but I am not suprised. I think that the elders feel that only men are supposed to be of the annoited and not women. There is a chavunist attitude within the WTS and women are treated as second class citizens.

  • blondie
    blondie

    The only way they can lose their position is to be DF'd. Even then, if they reinstated, they would come back in as one of the anointed not as one of the great crowd.

    The man in 1 Corinithians that was DF'd (per WTS doctrine) was reinstated as one of the anointed (of course according to the WTS doctrine there was no GC).

    ***

    w76 3/1 pp. 158-159 Questions from Readers

    ? Can an anointed Christian who is disfellowshiped later be reinstated and still have the heavenly hope?

    Yes, that is possible. Of course, in each case Jehovah God is the one to determine whether he will extend forgiveness.

    The fact that this is possible is borne out by what we read in the apostle Paul?s letters to the Corinthian congregation. He wrote to Christians who had been anointed by holy spirit and given the hope of heavenly life. Paul addressed them as "you who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones."?1 Cor. 1:2; 15:49.

    One of these anointed Christians began to practice fornication. When he evidently did not repent and stop his immorality, Paul directed the congregation to disfellowship him. (1 Cor. 5:1-5, 9-13) However, it seems that this disfellowshiped person thereafter did sincerely repent. He is understood to be the person whom Paul was referring to in his second letter when he advised the Corinthians to forgive and accept back the former sinner.?2 Cor. 2:6-11; 7:8-13.

    When that man was reinstated into the congregation, what was his hope? Had he lost the heavenly calling, and had his hope now been changed to everlasting life on earth? No, for the earthly hope is not, as it were, a second-chance prospect. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and multitudes of other persons of outstanding faith had the hope of eternal life on earth, but this was not because they failed to measure up to the heavenly calling. They simply did not live in the time when the heavenly calling was in process according to Jehovah?s will. (Heb. 10:19, 20) Comparable faith and integrity are required of all who will gain everlasting life, whether in heaven or on a paradise earth. A Christian who is anointed with holy spirit and made a joint heir with Christ must prove faithful to that calling if he is to receive eternal life at all.?Rev. 2:10, 11; Phil. 3:8-14; Rom. 8:14-17.

    This, though, does not mean that while they are on earth anointed Christians never sin. In the flesh, they are still imperfect and consequently they sin, as do all humans, and may even commit gross sin. The Christian disciple and Bible writer James, certainly an anointed Christian, wrote: "For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man." (Jas. 3:2; 2:5) It appears that such unintentional sin resulting from imperfection is what the apostle John meant by "sin that does not incur death." (1 John 5:16) God can forgive such sins. John said: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."?1 John 1:9.

    But repentance is necessary. If an anointed Christian today practiced gross sin and did not manifest repentance, the congregation, out of obedience to God?s counsel, would have to disfellowship him. If he subsequently repented, though, he could be forgiven and reinstated, as was the man in Corinth.

    God does not, however, forgive all sin. According to what Jesus said in Mark 3:28, 29, those who willfully and knowingly blaspheme God?s spirit can never be forgiven. And Paul wrote: "If we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment." (Heb. 10:26, 27) Such unforgivable sin is evidently what John referred to as "sin that does incur death."?1 John 5:16.

    If an anointed Christian sinned against the spirit, practicing willful sin without repentance and ?impaling the Son of God afresh,? God would completely and forever reject him. (Heb. 6:4-6) Not being repentant, he would not be reinstated. Jehovah would have to select and anoint another Christian as a replacement so that the full number of 144,000 would be kept complete. It might be compared to heaven?s choice of Matthias to replace unfaithful Judas Iscariot so that there would be twelve faithful apostles of Jesus on which to build the Christian congregation.?Acts 1:23-26; Eph. 2:20.

    Is this to say that if an anointed Christian is disfellowshiped, Jehovah then and there selects a replacement? No human can say that, for we cannot know if the disfellowshiped individual has committed the unforgivable sin. Jehovah knows, and so the matter can be left in his hands. Just how and when he chooses to select a replacement is for him to decide. He did not give a detailed discussion of the matter in the Bible. So rather than speculate on what He will do or try to guess whether a disfellowshiped person is beyond the possibility of repentance, we can leave the matter up to Jehovah, the righteous Judge.?Heb. 12:23.

    If a congregation has had to disfellowship a person but he later repents and is reinstated, we can rejoice over Jehovah?s mercy and forgiveness. (Luke 15:7) That is so whether the person professed the heavenly hope and continues to do so or had and continues to have hope of everlasting life on earth. All of us should take to heart the lessons learned from this?our own need to fight constantly against imperfection and sin, the importance of seeking forgiveness when we do sin and the necessity of enduring to the end so as to be saved.?Matt. 10:22.

  • CaptainSchmideo
    CaptainSchmideo

    You know, this whole "heavenly hope" thing breaks down so easily if you just hit it with simple questions. Then the absolute surety of it isn't so sure.

    Reminds of the "Simpsons" episode where the kids are in Sunday School, and the teacher is talking about heaven:

    Girl: "Is my cat Sparky in Heaven?"

    Teacher: "I'm sorry, no. Only people can go to heaven."

    Milhouse: Will there be cavemen in heaven?
    Sunday School Teacher: Certainly not!
    Bart: Uh, ma'am? What if you're a really good person, but
    you get into a really, really bad fight and your leg gets
    gangrene and it has to be amputated. Will it be waiting for
    you in heaven?
    Sunday School Teacher: For the last time, Bart, yes!

    (Cuts to the main hall, then back to the class)

    Sunday School Teacher: [very tired] The ventriloquist goes to heaven,
    but the dummy doesn't.
    Bart: [raises his hand] Ooh-ooh-ooh! Me!
    Sunday School Teacher: Bart?
    Bart: What about a robot with a human brain?
    Sunday School Teacher:
    [at the breaking point] I don't know! All these questions!
    Is a little blind faith too much to ask!?!

    (The service has ended. In the car on the way home..)


    Marge: Lisa, Bart, what did you two learn in Sunday School today?
    Lisa: The answers to deep theological questions.
    Bart: Yeah, among other things, apes can't get into heaven.
    Homer: What? Those cute little monkeys? That's terrible.
    Who told you that?
    Bart: Our teacher.
    Homer: I can understand how they wouldn't let in those wild jungle apes, but
    what about those really smart ones who live among us?
    Who roller-skate and smoke cigars?

    Keep asking questions! It doesn't take much before the answers stop and the frustrations begin!

  • Navigator
    Navigator

    I surely hope not. My wife is one of the "annointed" .Four of my six kids are DF'd and one is DA'd. I was counting on her to get me in. LOL.

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