Salvation: Having a relationship with God on His Terms

#JW #Jehovah Witness #salvation #Jesus Christ

Recently, I was surprised to get a personal letter in the mail. I did not recognize the name but I was excited nonetheless because I have not seen a handwritten letter in years! 

It was from a Jehovah's Witness who was witnessing! Here is the letter. 

It was nearly illegible. I read it several times and sent a letter back with the gospel clearly outlined and thanked the person for the letter. I was surprised that within a few days they responded with another letter and a Watch Tower brochure!

I responded and shared more clarity. Here is my letter. You may download the letter here and use it for yourself and change it how you like. If they come to the door you can hand this letter to them. 

Please note that JWs do not believe Jesus is God. This is the point of my letter. They only have works-based salvation. They usually cannot articulate the true gospel. 1 Cor 15:1-3

NAME,

Well, I sure was surprised to get your letter! Blessings to you. I am sorry to hear you have Parkinson's. I will pray for you. My point is that your original letter was very hard to read and now I understand why. Your typed letter was very nice. I don't have Parkinson's disease, but my handwriting is not that great. So, typing for me is better. Perhaps consider using the computer for your letters in the future? I appreciated getting it, by the way.

I noticed the WT magazine you gave me makes an apparent distinction between Jehovah the Creator and Christ, His Son. This is problematic for most Christians, as you know. The OT points to Christ, and the Cross causes Christians to look back at our salvation. As I started to read it, the WT mag began where it should with Adam and Eve, but oversimplistic. Adam and Eve sinned, and that sin was projected onto us by our very birth. Adam and Eve started sinlessly. But they chose to sin, which is disobedience to God's will. Thus, the Bible says we are all sinners and therefore need salvation. But here is the problem. Only God is sinless. Christ was sinless. If he was only a man and not 100% God and 100% man, none of us, including Adam, are saved. (a true mystery, but the mystery is unlocked when we see that Eve had the egg and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her thus, Christ could be 100% God and 100% man) Why do I say this? Think through what you have been taught.  We were all born into sin. How are we saved if there is no propitiation for our sin? That is a fancy word for God erasing our sin because of what Christ did: pay the sin debt to God we had. If Christ were only a human man, He would not be sinless, making His sacrifice null and void. We are not saved. Thus, if someone is a JW, they are not saved by not believing in Christ as God.

Here is why I can say this from Scripture: Now remember back at the prophecy that God Himself made to Adam and Eve in Gen 3? That a Seed of Eve would be coming: https://jewsforjesus.org/jewish-resources/messianic-prophecy/the-messiah-would-be-the-seed-of-the-woman/

Most theologians would say that the One Who was speaking in the garden was the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because the Gospel of John says in John 1:1 that He is the Word of God in the Greek:

https://biblestudycompany.com/reader/verse?version=interlinear&book=43&chapter=1&verse=1

Notice that this does not match the NWT, which is altered to say that Christ was "a" God to fit the founders' beliefs. Changing scripture to meet an agenda is not good.

Thus, we must always look at the Greek from which the English are derived. God chose the Greek language for the great flexibility to clarify the spoken word to convey a variety of tenses and expressions. The Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, wanted to reach the gentile world for Christ, which God had abandoned at the tower of Babel to go their way. This was correctly stated in the WT you gave me.

Christ was evident to His disciples that He was God. I had a Jehovah witness say that Christ never said He was God. The problem with this comment is the lack of understanding of what the texts noted in the Gospels. I would encourage you to study verses outside of JW teachings, just as I am doing by reading the watchtower you gave me. One hallmark of becoming indoctrinated is only going to the sources we wish rather than being well-rounded. I made it through secular College stronger in my faith even though secular College tried to brainwash me in one world view of evolution vs. creation. Thus, make sure you get info outside of JW sources as well. Make sure that everything you write is from you after you studied, not from others in the JW org. We need to know why we believe what we believe, not just accept what others teach us. The HS is given to us if we are born again (1John 2:26) so that we are not deceived and that no man needs to teach us.

So back to Christ saying He was God. These verses are essential for our salvation.

Jesus said:

"I and the Father are one." John 10:22- https://www.gotquestions.org/I-and-the-Father-are-one.html

I Am… Christ said many times.  This was the sacred name of God called Jehovah. Was Christ saying He was Jehovah? Yes, He was. Christ clearly said He was: I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life… https://www.gotquestions.org/seven-I-AM-statements.html

"If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." A careful reading of the NT and Paul's writings, especially Paul meeting the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, clearly states Christ is God, and He is the word of God. John 1:1. It is not idolatry, as some JWs claim that God has three attributes, all acting according to His character and will. The Hebrew is plural.

Now to the why of these matters: On page 7 of WT, you gave me, it states in the second paragraph, "Jesus said to please God you must control what we feel…." Matthew 5:28. This is not a correct interpretation. It presumes we are to "learn what pleases God and do it," as the WT continued to say. This is "works-based" salvation. Eph 2 says we are saved by grace alone as a gift of God. The Jews were looking to the Messiah, and Christ was the Messiah. They rejected Christ as God, although He was innocent. Are JWs doing the same thing by rejecting Christ as God? I understand that they want to avoid idolatry; however, Christ is the word of God.

How are we saved? We are to put our faith and trust in His finished work on the Cross. As God, only He could fix Adam's sin, and the Old Testament saints' sins and our sins as well in the future. We trust in the Blood of The Lamb, the pattern of Passover, and salvation from Egypt (blood on the doorposts and sacrifices of the little lambs). If Christ was just a good man, then we do not have salvation or forgiveness of sins. NAME, think of that. And contemplate it.

This Friday evening, we were in Ocala on the square. We were witnessing to people the Good News of Jesus Christ being God and that we are saved by faith in His work on the Cross. We ran into a Muslim who tried to witness to us. But interestingly, he said that: "We worship the Creator…" almost identical to what you said in your letter! What do JWs have in common with Muslims? They do not believe that Jesus is God Almighty. And thus, they need to do "good deeds," as the WT was saying. "Learn what God wants and do it" page 7 second paragraph. This is truly bad news vs. the Gospel which is Good News. If it is about good works, why did God need to die for us? God saved us… we did not save ourselves. And the WT appears to be advocating our works of good deeds rather than faith in Christ. Paul says that these are wages owed to us by God if this was the case, but they are not. Paul said all our works based on trying to gain God's approval to be saved are "filthy rags" to God. But these are religious works from our souls. Who are we? Sinners and we are not God. We need to do what God wants from us, which is to believe in Him... If we are sinners by nature through Adam, how are we to be saved? 1 Cor 15:1-3 says how.

Back to Eve. Remember, God (Christ) gave Adam and Eve a promise. A Seed (singular) was coming. So, Mary was chosen. She had a human egg. The Holy Spirit overshadowed her. The HS is God. And as Creator (Gen 1:2), He created a child with God's sinless nature and had the nature of a man except with no sin. That way, He could offer Himself and do what Adam did not do, which was obeying the will of God (go to the Cross to fix our sin debt, and when Adam broke the law (do not eat of the fruit…), Adam broke fellowship with his Father by not doing God's will. Christ said, "I come to do the will of My Father in Heaven." Why Christ says, "I came to do the will of My Father…" what is Christ saying? That God was His Father! This is another God statement. If He were just a man, he would be like you and me? The text says the Father, Son and Spirit are One. So, Jesus is God. Good thing NAME because if He is not, we are not saved. Disprove me from scripture? But make sure you do it, not other JWs working with you. This letter is solely mine.

So, you can now see the good news of the Gospel. We are sinful. He is not. By faith and trust, we place our sin on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who paid our sin debt for Adam, the OT saints, and us and continues to intercede for us and the future of people who will be saved. Will you?

As Paul went through the Roman world, He preached this same Gospel. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

So NAME, will you accept the forgiveness of your sin and be born again to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord God? John 3. This is a command of the Lord Jesus Christ, so please read that in the NWT.

Thank you for your letters. It was a pleasure to get yours. I will be praying for your Parkinson's and for your heart to be saved. Let me know what you decide.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Father, and the Holy Spirit open our eyes to Him in our hearts. Eph 1. We need to study the Word of God ourselves and not what others teach us. It is ok to question men. We can go to God and start asking Him questions directly. So please do. And the first question is: "Jehovah, is Jesus Christ God? Will you show me? My salvation is at stake. I love You and do not want to miss anything that You have for me".

Or if you are convinced, He is God, and you can pray a sincere prayer based on scripture: "Lord Jesus, I want to please You. I recognize you are God Almighty and that You chose to die as a sinless person knowing You did not sin, but I am a sinner. I place, by faith, all of my sins on You. You were raised from the dead for my promise of eternal life, a free gift, as Eph 2 says. Will You cause me to be born again to eternal life? Please save me in Jesus's Name".

Place your trust, hope, and sin on the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, "all things are made through Him, and He holds all things together." (col) Only God can do that!

NAME, be born again as Christ commanded in John 3, Blessings to you.

Ric and Mary Joyner

4621 SE 33^rd place

Ocala, FL 34480

rj@biblestudycompany.com

#JesusChrist #Jesus #areyouatare #areyoubornagain

By Ric Joyner

We have been talking with people that have been in church all their lives. Most are or were in mainline denominations. However, they "don't connect" with the church anymore, and worse, the Word of God (Bible) they say they can't understand or don't want to. "Church is a business." "God doesn't answer my prayers." "Too many bad things in the world." "Too many hypocrites (like me in the church)." I added the "like me" because we are all broken pottery. I get it. But the problem is that Jesus warned, in a parable Matthew 13:24-30, that..."The wheat sprouted and bore grain; then the tares became evident also. 27 "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' (NASB Matthew 13:24) AN ENEMY. Could people be in church and never know they need to be born again? YES. They are tares! What is born again? Christ told the equivalent of the POPE of Israel in John 3, named Nicodemus; he needed to be born brand new from heaven. Only God can make us born again by His Spirit. If we think being good is good enough or what we do to be good is the answer, we are in trouble. But how are we born again? We must put our faith (in God's word) and trust in Christ to save us from our sin and place our sins upon Him by faith, or we are in danger of carrying them into eternity while thinking we are a good person. Good people, by whose, or WHOSE standard? Ours or God's? I don't care about the denomination, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, or a host of others. We all must be born again. BTW, if you are living a life full of sin and have been in church all of your life, perhaps that is a significant indicator you need to ask the Lord to save you. Here is an excellent link in case this is missing in your life. DON'T BE A TARE (an enemy of God) that does not bear fruit (wheat) for their Master. You can come to Him today and cry out to Him for salvation just by asking Him. Are you struggling to believe in His saving work on the cross? Then share that too with Him, but ask Him to help you believe. Here is the link. https://biblestudycompany.com/blog/article/81

Ever wonder what happens when we die? Dr. Baruch of Loveisrael.org gives a scriptural defense of what happens when we die. Here is the video.

It will either comfort you or cause you alarm. If you are alarmed because you are not sure where you will spend eternality then do this:

Take the 10 commandments Exodus 20 and read them back to the Lord. How do you stack up? Have you lied? Yes. Have you made God into your own image? Have you lusted after anyone? Yes. You committed adultery in your heart Christ said. Have you spoken evil about someone? This is called murdering someone in your heart. You are a sinner like the rest of us. And the wages of sin is death. Eternal death. But we have hope in what Christ did on the cross for us. He took the punishment we should have experienced. So place your sins on Him and turn away from your sin but ask God to help you to change. Here is a video on whether you are good enough to get into heaven. We all think we are good people. But whose standard are we deciding by? 

This prayer is a guide and biblically based. All a person needs to do is cry out to God in their own words. If you are not sure how to pray, please use this as a guide.

To have a relationship with God versus religion, pray this prayer sincerely and in your own words. 

Dear Heavenly Father, (Matt. 6:9) I want a relationship with You...not a religion. I come to You and open my heart. (John 3:16) I will be honest and sincere with You. (John 4) I am running my life and need Your help. (Matt. 6:10) I am made in Your image (Gen 1:26, 27), and I won't be happy until I am in a relationship with you. (Gen. 3) Most of my behavior does not please You. (Romans 3:23) I know I am a sinner, so please forgive my sins because of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who came to die for my sins. (John 3:16) His death on the cross is the punishment I should receive, but You were gracious to die in my place through Christ. By faith, I place all of my past, present, and future sins on Christ. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior, and salvation is a gift! I know I cannot earn my way to heaven by being good through good works. (Eph. 2:8) You did this so I can be in a relationship with You on earth and for all eternity. (Romans 10:9-13) And I will forgive those who have sinned or hurt me because you have forgiven me. Take away any bitterness or resentment I carry toward You or other people. (Matt. 6:13-14) Please show and teach me how to live a praiseworthy life on earth to You starting today. (Matt. 6:33, Acts 9 and 10) I ask you to be in my heart, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:17. I know that You love me, Father, and I want to love You and that you have a purpose and plan for my life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Lord, because You gave me breath in my lungs and Savior, because you paid my sin debt. Please teach me to pray. (Matt. 6:9) Thank You, Jesus, for saving me to Yourself (Ex. 19:1-8) and making me a new person! (2 Cor. 5:17) In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen! 

 Learn to grow at www.biblestudycompany.com,  Grace Bible Church, and Christ Community Church.