What is a True Christian?

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What is actually necessary to be a true Christian?

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- belief in bible inerrancy? What Jesus said was. (Matthew 5:18) "I say to YOU that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for one smallest letter or one particle of a letter to pass away from the Law by any means and not all things take place." Christ clearly believed that the Hebrew scriptures were inspired and accurate, the writers of the Greek scriptures stated that they wrote under the direction of the holy spirit. So "true Christians" would belive in the inerrancy of the bible, that doesn't mean that they would take everything literal since some parts are clearly figurative or told in signs. (Revelation 1:1) "A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place. And he sent forth his angel and presented [it] in signs "
- belief in creationism? True Christians would believe in creation, but not creationism which is a fundamentalist interpretation that is in conflict with the scriptural description of a progressive creation taking place over a great span of time.
- regular Church-going habits? Yes. (Hebrews 10:24-25) "And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, 25 not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together,"
- regular prayer? Yes. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) "Pray incessantly"
- use of the bible as a moral guide? Yes. (Proverbs 6:20-23) "Observe, O my son, the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Tie them upon your heart constantly; bind them upon your throat. When you walk about, it will lead you; when you lie down, it will stand guard over you; and when you have waked up, it itself will make you its concern. For the commandment is a lamp, and a light the law is, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, "
- belief in the core message of Jesus Christ? Yes. (Acts 3:20-23) "Jesus, whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time. In fact, Moses said, 'Jehovah God will raise up for YOU from among YOUR brothers a prophet like me. YOU must listen to him according to all the things he speaks to YOU. Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed"Who gets to decide who is and who isn't, and how relevant is their opinion? In the finial analysis, God has entrusted the judging to his son Jesus Christ, but that is of individuals, we are expected to judge ourselves if we are truly following Christ and whether we are part of a religion that is the true faith or not. (2 Corinthians 13:5) "Keep testing whether YOU are in the faith," The testing is necessary for we are warned at there would be many who would claim to be Christians but would not be true followers of God or Christ. (2 Timothy 3:5-7) "having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away." (1 Timothy 4:1-3) "However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created"Since the Bible warns us about those who would mislead us with a counterfeit Christianity which was predicted to wide spread in the last days, the time in which we live, it raises the question of what are the identifying marks of True Christianity? The first mark would be, (John 13:35) "By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves." which would mean that since Christ followers are to be people of all nations and peoples, they would not be prejudice or fight in wars and would show loving concern for their follow Christians and people in general. They would also have to follow the Bible of course, any doctrinal conflict with scripture would disqualify that religion as being True Christian. They would also have to live by the Bible's moral standards and not just preach them. They would have to be actively preaching the Good News of the Kingdom on a global scale as a united organization since that is what Jesus predicted his followers would be doing in the last days.
More information on the issue of "What Does God Require of Us?" is covered at this link and addresses what is True Christianity and what the Bible has say on a number of basic questions that many people have.
http://www.watchtower.org/library/rq/index.htmWm. Scott Anderson

Dear Willowtree;

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I read a lot of subjective rules that probably originate from your denomination. I cannot find one word of gospel in your post. Where is the good news/gospel ? I bet you cannot even properly define the gospel much less communicate what it means.

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The "subjective rules" are what is stated in the Bible and are not subjective, at least not for those who wish to be true followers of Christ. I did not cover the Good News in my post which was a reply to a number of questions, but if you would have checked the link I included http://www.watchtower.org/library/rq/index.htm you will find the Good News, here is another link as well on the Good News http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/article_04.htmI didn't directly mention the Good News or the gospels since neither was asked about and posting at length would have made for a overly long post so I included the links. I would be happy to discuss the Good News and the Meaning of the Gospels with you. John 3:16Wm. Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;

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Jehvah witness's have changed the Bible to get rid of the Holy Spirit, thereby being guilty of couterfeit Christianity. They don't believe in it. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." You cannot be a witness to Jesus, until you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

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To the best of my knowledge, there are no christian religions that don't believe in the holy spirit, it would be ridiculous for any one to believe in God and yet not believe in the holy spirit. Here is a link to the Official Jehovah's Witnesses site on the web and as you can see, we very much do belive in the holy spirit. http://www.watchtower.org/library/ti/article_07.htm It sounds like you have been mis informed, I would suggest you that you do some searches on that web site and find out what we really believe. I liked the scripture you cited, it is being fulfilled today in the world wide witnessing work being done by the true followers of Christ in this time of the end and is a easy way to identify those who really are following Christ.Wm. Scott Anderson

Dear Willowtree;

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Moses is in your heart not Jesus. Your message is: Jesus saves but after conversion the way to relate to God/Jesus is via conforming to a code of conduct/law keeping. The gospel wasn't on your heart because no matter what you now claim it takes a back seat to surface conformity to Moses law.

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I am not a follower of the law of Moses, the scriptures I cited were all from the NT, not the OT, I wasn't referring to the old law code. Christ ended the law with his sacrificial death, the law of Moses came to an end in eyes of God. (Romans 10:4) "For Christ is the end of the Law," Christians are not under the law of Moses, but are under the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) "the law of the Christ." This change is referred to at (Hebrews 7:12) "For since the priesthood is being changed, there comes to be of necessity a change also of the law." But what is the law of the Christ you may ask? The law of Christ is a set of principles that we must live by if we are to please God, but where as the law of Moses was written on stone tables the law of Christ was to be written on our hearts. (Hebrews 10:15-16) "Moreover, the holy spirit also bears witness to us, for after it has said: "'This is the covenant that I shall covenant toward them after those days,' says Jehovah. 'I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,"" This is the "New Covenant" sealed with Christ's blood. We are indeed saved by faith, but if that faith doesn't move us to live by the commands of Jesus Christ, that faith is dead. (James 2:26) "faith without works is dead." If we claim to be a follower of Jesus and yet willingly practice wicked things, we have disowned the faith. (1 Timothy 5:8) "Certainly if anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith." (Titus 1:16) "They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable and disobedient and not approved for good work of any sort." (Matthew 7:16) "By their fruits YOU will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they?" Clearly even if we claim to be Christians, failure to follow the law of the Christ, the commands given to the christian congregation and guiding principles found in the Bible, would show that we are not true Christians. Though we are saved by faith alone, that faith needs to be a living faith that is the controlling factor in our discission making.I know many people promote "a once saved, always saved" doctrine that once you have accepted Jesus as your personnel savior, you are guaranteed eternal salvation regardless of any future actions. But that doctrine is in complete conflict with scripture. Notice what Jesus himself said on the subject. (Matthew 24:10-13) "Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved." So if one failed to remain faithful and zealous, you would not be saved. Paul warned the Corinthian congregation who of course were baptized spirit anointed Christians who had accepted Christ as their personal savior. (1 Corinthians 9:27-10:13) "but I pummel my body and lead it as a slave, that, after I have preached to others, I myself should not become disapproved somehow. . . . Nevertheless, on most of them God did not express his approval, for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they desired them. Neither become idolaters, as some of them did; just as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to have a good time." Neither let us practice fornication, as some of them committed fornication, only to fall, twenty-three thousand [of them] in one day. Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put [him] to the test, only to perish by the serpents. Neither be murmurers, just as some of them murmured, only to perish by the destroyer. Now these things went on befalling them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have arrived. Consequently let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall." Notice that Paul had to "pummel" (figuratively of course) his body to refrain from in engaging in sinful conduct that would result in his being disapproved by Christ which would mean the loss of eternal life. We are only always saved if we remain always faithful, James warned on this point also. (James 1:19-27) "Know this, my beloved brothers. Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking, slow about wrath; for man's wrath does not work out God's righteousness. Hence put away all filthiness and that superfluous thing, badness, and accept with mildness the implanting of the word which is able to save YOUR souls. However, become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, this one is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, and off he goes and immediately forgets what sort of man he is. But he who peers into the perfect law that belongs to freedom and who persists in [it], this [man], because he has become, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, will be happy in his doing [it]. If any man seems to himself to be a formal worshiper and yet does not bridle his tongue, but goes on deceiving his own heart, this man's form of worship is futile. The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world." See, we must live by the good standards found in the Bible (the law of Christ) and remain without spot from the sinful world, or we will not have Christ's approval.Far from teaching once saved always saved, Paul warned Christians not to fall into the habit of willfully practicing sin which would have dire consequences. (Hebrews 10:26-31) "For 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 and [there is] a fiery jealousy that is going to consume those in opposition. Any man that has disregarded the law of Moses dies without compassion, upon the testimony of two or three. Of how much more severe a punishment, do YOU think, will the man be counted worthy who has trampled upon the Son of God and who has esteemed as of ordinary value the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has outraged the spirit of undeserved kindness with contempt? For we know him that said: "Vengeance is mine; I will recompense"; and again: "Jehovah will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of [the] living God." Paul here was not talking about non Christians, he was talking baptized dedicated members of the Christian congregation. Christians who deliberately sin, would be worse off than those who don't accept God or Christ since they can repent, but as Paul stated those who already know the truth would have no sacrifice left since they have trampled on the gift of Christ's sacrifice.Hope you understand what I have been trying to get across to you, otherwise try asking me specific questions and I will see if I can answer them for you. I will be leaving soon for a trip, so I may not have time to reply until I return.Wm. Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;

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You do not think the Holy Spirit is a person, just an active force. Not part of the trinity. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jehovah witnesses do not believe that the Holy Spirit dwells inside them. Also, if you were to visit my church, and your "elders" found out, you would be expelled from your religion?

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Correct, there is no Trinity, it is not a biblical doctrine. Here is a link to a post I made on it, http://EvC Forum: Jesus/God the same? -->EvC Forum: Jesus/God the same? see post 14. That is the difference between our viewpoints on the holy spirit, the Trinity is a post biblical doctrine which is why it isn't taught or explained in the Bible. The holy spirit is God's power or influence, it is how he does things, so of course it has abilities like a being since God is behind it directing it. On the dwelling of the holy spirit, (1 Corinthians 3:16) "Do YOU not know that YOU people are God's temple, and that the spirit of God dwells in YOU?" so yes we do. No I would not visit your church unless it was to give a talk on something like finding true Christianity. To just simply attend your church would be practicing interfaith, or becoming yoked or forming a connection with your religion which would be wrong since it is in conflict with what the Bible teaches on points such as the Trinity. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17) "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God's temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: "I shall reside among them and walk among [them], and I shall be their God, and they will be my people." "'Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,' says Jehovah, 'and quit touching the unclean thing'"; "'and I will take YOU in.'"" The biblical command is clear in this verse, true Christians can not be joining themselves to religions that claim to be christian but fail to follow the Word of god. As a true Christian it is my endeavor for you to join me in the truth and not for me to join you in your religion.

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Your own doctrine from that link contradicts itself IMO. "The Greek word he used for helper (para'kletos) is in the masculine gender." So its not a person because its masculine?

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No, it is not a contradiction, it is a grammar thing. It is God's spirit and he is referred to in the masculine gender so the spirit is too. Plus many things that are not persons are referred to in genders such as 'she is fine ship and handles the waves well'. The personification of the holy spirit as a person is just done to fill out what would otherwise be the third empty seat in the Trinity doctrine, remove the Trinity and there is no need to see the holy spirit as a person.

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I can tell you from my own personal experience, that the Holy Spirit dwells inside me.

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I find in talking to members of the many conflicting christian religions in existence today, that when you show them that what they belive is in conflict with scripture, they almost always fall back on an emotional response, "I know what I believe is right because I am born a again" or "I felt the power of the holy spirit". While true Christianity is backed by scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." I don't believe anything that can't be logically supported by scriptures, don't make the mistake of supporting your beliefs on a feeling or personal belief. I have seen many make this mistake and it is a big reason why there are so many conflicting religions that claim to be christian.

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do you consider Jesus Christ, Lord?

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Of course.Have to go pack my bags, I'll reply to your next post when I get back.Wm. Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;

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I do believe that the bible teaches us nothing of religion, only Gods word, so how could it tell you in its scriptures about going to someone else's church. If its Christian, its ok. You don't have to like it.

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That is silly, the Bible is all about religion, Christianity specifically in the NT, it is supposed to be our guide book and true Christians make their decisions based on guidance found in it's pages. That is what being true followers of Christ is all about. As to whether all christian religions are acceptable to God, all we need to do to find an answer is to read a few verses that bear on the subject. (Galatians 5:2-9) ". . .See! I, Paul, am telling YOU that if YOU become circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to YOU.' Moreover, I bear witness again to every man getting circumcised that he is under obligation to perform the whole Law. YOU are parted from Christ, whoever YOU are that try to be declared righteous by means of law; YOU have fallen away from his undeserved kindness. For our part we by spirit are eagerly waiting for the hoped-for righteousness as a result of faith. For as regards Christ Jesus neither circumcision is of any value nor is uncircumcision, but faith operating through love [is]. YOU were running well. Who hindered YOU from keeping on obeying the truth? This sort of persuasion is not from the One calling YOU. A little leaven ferments the whole lump." Paul stated here that mixing Judaism with Christianity would be unacceptable to God and that Christ would be of no benefit to them, or in other words, their worship would be in vain. Now if mixing Christianity with Judaism which had God's favor until it was replace by the New convent was enough to lose God's approval, how does God view the churches today that have added pagan doctrines that are not found in ether the OT or the NT?The Bible predicted that there would be a falling away on the part of many and a raising up of false Christians. (2 Peter 2:1-2) "However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct," This is why there are so many Christian religions, any deviation from following God's word is unacceptable to God and results in his rejection. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works."There is much deception, the false leaders love to appear righteous and put on quite a show of being holy, wearing special clothing, using special titles and doing all sorts of things to make themselves look righteous. But as Peter stated, they will be judged by their works and they can readily be spotted for what they are by their works. The sex abuse scandal with the Catholic priests is an example of the works that the Bible is referring to here. (Matthew 24:24) "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones." The false Christs and false prophets would arise in the christian congregation and would draw followers after themselves in a false christianity, they succeed by deception, those following them think they are following Christ.Here John warns that what was warned about had started. (1 John 2:18) "Young children, it is the last hour, and, just as YOU have heard that antichrist is coming, even now there have come to be many antichrists;"The scriptures warn clearly about the dangers of following the antichrist or religious leaders who claim to be followers of Christ but are not. Obviously any true Christian could imperil his relationship with God by attending churches that are unknowingly following the antichrist. (1 Timothy 4:1) "However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons," Not all christian religions are acceptable to God, it is easy enough to recognize True Christianity by using the Bible.

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Thats your interpretation of it. The Holy Spirit was also called a counseler. Sounds more and more like a person.

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The scripture you are probably thinking of is, (John 16:13-14) "However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming. That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will declare it to YOU." notice that the holy spirit doesn't speak of it's own impulse. The holy spirit is like God's hand, your hands can do many intelligent things like type a response to this post, but that doesn't make your hands a person. the holy spirit in the Bible is an extension of God's presence and power. But with your belief in the Trinity, you have to see the holy spirit as a person, your understanding or viewpoint is locked in place. Probably not until after you stop believing in the Trinity will you be able to see the holy spirit correctly. Many times people's belief systems are heavily interconnected and the resulting locks on their thinking has to removed by opening the locks in a specific sequence, to see one point they first have to understand another. John referred to this at, (John 16:12) "I have many things yet to say to YOU, but YOU are not able to bear them at present."

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If my wife would have listened to your teachings, my step child would have never recieved a blood transfusion when he was born, and died. Now he is alive and well, and is in the spirit. A jehovah witness would have rather witnessed his death.

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First off, your logic is in error, there is now way of knowing for sure that your child would have definitely died without a blood transfusion, I know of many cases where blood was refused and the person lived. The thinking that a blood transfusion means life and refusing one means death, is a falsity. I know of at least one case where the person accepted the transfusion and still died. Medicine is not a world of certainty with definite out comes, our knowledge of the human body and how to treat it is limited which means medical opinions are not always correct. The ether or logic is wrong too, there is now a vast medical field of alterative field of blood free medicine that in many cases is better than using blood. Ever wonder why they are always looking for a replacement for blood? It is better to state that there are medical conditions in which refusing a blood transfusion exposes the patient to higher risks.Second; nobody of any religion wants to see their child die. The refusal of blood has a sound scriptural backing, it is a biblical requirement binding on True Christians. (Acts 15:20) "abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood." True Christians can no more accept blood and keep God's favor than they could by engaging in fornication. So if somebody puts a gun to you kid's head and said that you have to convert to Islam, what are you going to do? When you get right down to it, we have to be willing to put our lives and the lives of those we love on the line. Christ set the pattern, he was willing to die, so should we or we are not his disciples. (John 11:25) "Jesus said to her: "I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life;" Christians can expected to be tested, we have to pass the test of faith if we are to receive life.

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Now Jesus is Lord, go back 20 years and see if the Jehovah witnesses thought Jesus was Lord. I know a secret. Your doctrines were changed by a spirit filled christian, so that Jesus could become Lord.

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The 1950 Watchtower of October 15 on page 393 in quoting Romans 10:4, 8-11 (NW): stated " Jesus is Lord," 1950 is as far back as my references go that I have at hand, that Jesus is Lord is a basic belief of all Christians and has always been a part of our beliefs.Wm. Scott Anderson

ear Riverrat

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If I prove to you that Jehovah witnesses have changed the bible, would you drop your religion?

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That would depend on the change now wouldn't it? If you were able to show that Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs were based on a clear distortion of the Biblical text, it would be time to start rethinking what I believe in, but I have had these discussions many times and no one has every come up with anything. Jehovah's Witnesses mold their beliefs to the Bible, not the other way around. It would be totally pointless to have a religion based on a doctored Bible and then send them out to talk to everyone about it, all it would take is for one person to point out the alterations and the bubble would pop, since that hasn't happened, that clearly isn't the case.

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There is also nothing in the bible that requires us to be a jehovah witness or God rejects us. Thats just absurd.

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That depends on what Jehovah's Witnesses really are, if they are the one True Christian religion, then you need to be, but if they are not, then it wouldn't be wise to be one. (Ephesians 4:5) "one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" The gate is narrow and few are the ones finding it, while the broad path leads off into destruction. Scripturally the True followers of Christ are one united group, so there is no way that all the many 'christian' religions we see today are all roads leading to the same place as many claim. It is up to us to use the Bible to keep testing to see if we are still in the faith or in the right faith. I believe Jehovah's Witnesses are the Truth, but that is my belief, you have to make your own decision and come to your own conclusions. A simple study of the Bible will reveal the answer, that is of course why we have it and why Jehovah's Witnesses offer free Bible studies to everyone. Why not ask the next one that calls at your door for a study and find out for yourself.Wm Scott Anderson

ear Riverrat

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If I prove to you that Jehovah witnesses have changed the bible, would you drop your religion?

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That would depend on the change now wouldn't it? If you were able to show that Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs were based on a clear distortion of the Biblical text, it would be time to start rethinking what I believe in, but I have had these discussions many times and no one has every come up with anything. Jehovah's Witnesses mold their beliefs to the Bible, not the other way around. It would be totally pointless to have a religion based on a doctored Bible and then send them out to talk to everyone about it, all it would take is for one person to point out the alterations and the bubble would pop, since that hasn't happened, that clearly isn't the case.

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There is also nothing in the bible that requires us to be a jehovah witness or God rejects us. Thats just absurd.

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That depends on what Jehovah's Witnesses really are, if they are the one True Christian religion, then you need to be, but if they are not, then it wouldn't be wise to be one. (Ephesians 4:5) "one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" The gate is narrow and few are the ones finding it, while the broad path leads off into destruction. Scripturally the True followers of Christ are one united group, so there is no way that all the many 'christian' religions we see today are all roads leading to the same place as many claim. It is up to us to use the Bible to keep testing to see if we are still in the faith or in the right faith. I believe Jehovah's Witnesses are the Truth, but that is my belief, you have to make your own decision and come to your own conclusions. A simple study of the Bible will reveal the answer, that is of course why we have it and why Jehovah's Witnesses offer free Bible studies to everyone. Why not ask the next one that calls at your door for a study and find out for yourself.Wm Scott Anderson

ear Riverrat

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If I prove to you that Jehovah witnesses have changed the bible, would you drop your religion?

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That would depend on the change now wouldn't it? If you were able to show that Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs were based on a clear distortion of the Biblical text, it would be time to start rethinking what I believe in, but I have had these discussions many times and no one has every come up with anything. Jehovah's Witnesses mold their beliefs to the Bible, not the other way around. It would be totally pointless to have a religion based on a doctored Bible and then send them out to talk to everyone about it, all it would take is for one person to point out the alterations and the bubble would pop, since that hasn't happened, that clearly isn't the case.

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There is also nothing in the bible that requires us to be a jehovah witness or God rejects us. Thats just absurd.

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That depends on what Jehovah's Witnesses really are, if they are the one True Christian religion, then you need to be, but if they are not, then it wouldn't be wise to be one. (Ephesians 4:5) "one Lord, one faith, one baptism;" The gate is narrow and few are the ones finding it, while the broad path leads off into destruction. Scripturally the True followers of Christ are one united group, so there is no way that all the many 'christian' religions we see today are all roads leading to the same place as many claim. It is up to us to use the Bible to keep testing to see if we are still in the faith or in the right faith. I believe Jehovah's Witnesses are the Truth, but that is my belief, you have to make your own decision and come to your own conclusions. A simple study of the Bible will reveal the answer, that is of course why we have it and why Jehovah's Witnesses offer free Bible studies to everyone. Why not ask the next one that calls at your door for a study and find out for yourself.Wm Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;Our faith is in Jesus and it is Jesus' desire that his followers be united in one group or religion. (John 17:20-23) " "I make request, not concerning these only, but also concerning those putting faith in me through their word; in order that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in union with you, that they also may be in union with us, in order that the world may believe that you sent me forth. Also, I have given them the glory that you have given me, in order that they may be one just as we are one. I in union with them and you in union with me, in order that they may be perfected into one, that the world may have the knowledge that you sent me forth and that you loved them just as you loved me." The above verses are part of the prayer that Jesus made to his Father Jehovah God on the last night he was with his disciples. Christ was talking about unity, he wanted his followers to be united in one group or religion, he did not want them to be disunited or fractured into splinter groups. The scriptures foretold that many would fall away following false teachers, but those who remain were to remain united. Worshipping God on our own without joining ourselves to the body of Christ's true followers is not what Jesus had in mind. Paul, also wrote; (Hebrews 10:24-25) "And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as YOU behold the day drawing near." and Jesus said. (Matthew 18:20) "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst." (Matthew 16:18) "I will build my congregation, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."The scriptures are clear, True Christians are to be one, and to be one, we must be an active part of True Christianity. If we were to refuse to follow Christ's wishes that his followers be one, could we expect him to be with us? To be a follower of Christ, we have to follow him.No, there is no verse in the Bible that names Jehovah's Witnesses by name as the True followers of Christ, but the identifying marks listed in the Bible do. Christ stated what he wanted his followers to do and believe, only Jehovah's Witnesses match the biblical description of True Christianity.John 3:16 tells us "that everyone exercising faith" would be saved, but do you know what that means? To save us, our faith needs to be an active living faith which means it changes how we think and act, it can't be a mere acknowledgement of fact or acceptance. (James 2:14-17) "Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if a certain one says he has faith but he does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it? If a brother or a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day, yet a certain one of YOU says to them: "Go in peace, keep warm and well fed," but YOU do not give them the necessities for [their] body, of what benefit is it? Thus, too, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself." What James was saying is that a dead faith that doesn't cause us to live by it, can't save us, our faith has to motivate us to follow Christ's example in our lives to be of any benefit. So contrary to what many think, just believing is not enough, we need to 'exercise faith' which would include activity pursuing christian activities including gathering ourselves together into the one body of Christ's True followers.Wm. Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;Yes love is the motivation in sharing Good News and no; Jehovah's Witnesses do not look down on other religions, we disagree with what they may teach but that is no reason to look down on the people who belong to them, most of us came from other religions. This world is like a sinking ship and we are calling to people to come get in the lifeboat with us before this world goes under. There is nothing more humbling than going to total strangers' doors trying to share the Good News with them and getting mostly rejections. OneWitness went to a Man's door in Russia and he attacked her breaking two of her ribs and then he successfully sued her for invasion of his privacy. As a Jehovah's Witness you learn humility real fast in the door to door work, it is only our desire to follow Christ's command to preach the Good News and our concern for our fellow man that keeps us going.While most religions are the creation of man, I believe that one was created by Christ, True Christianity. I view True Christianity as a ideal or perfect concept that all christian religions should be reaching for, none of them can attain it perfectly, for we are all imperfect, but the one religion that comes closest to this goal is the effective Truth. If another religion were to come along and take over the 'lead' then that religion would become the Truth. Right now I would say that Jehovah's Witnesses are the Truth and looking at the biblical standards for it, they have the lead by a very wide margin. On a number of key biblical doctrines and guidelines, only Jehovah's Witnesses "walk the walk" while the rest just talk. But that is my viewpoint, we could talk about what those biblical standards are and how religions measure up to them which is how you identify which religion is actually the Truth.No the Bible translations we have are not perfect, no translation is ever as good as reading in the original language. But they are very good and ancient Hebrew and Greek are not lost languages and are very well understood today which is why modern translations are far better than older ones like the KJV. Any errors left are probably very small and minor, a perfect translation is not a human possibility anyway, God has seen to it that we have what we need so we have no excuse not to listen to God's word.Yes anyone can serve God on their own, but should associate with fellow believers if possible. Having seen God's spirit in action and what it can do when a large group works together, I know that if we were to disintegrate from a group into individuals, we would get much less done and many things we could not do at all. I can think of no more effective way of reducing the impact of Christianity on the world than by telling Christians they can all worship God on their own, which is why I think that idea is a bad one.The rock mass at Matthew 18:20 was Jesus, the chief cornerstone that the builders rejected, but that is a side point, I didn't try to make it look like Jesus was replying to Hebrews I was showing a common thread of thought. I was trying to show that it was Christ's intention that his followers form one united group and not a bunch of people playing doctrinal al a cart. If doctrines didn't matter, the Bible writers wouldn't have warned about being misled by false ones. Most of paul's letters were addressed to congregations, groups of people worshipping together with men appointed to take the lead, and the congregations were governed by the older men in Jerusalem. The Way or the Christians of the first century were a organized religion, that was what Jesus wanted. Christ is our leader, that implies organization. (1 Corinthians 14:40) "But let all things take place decently and by arrangement." (1 Corinthians 14:26-33) "What is to be done, then, brothers? When YOU come together, one has a psalm, another has a teaching, another has a revelation, another has a tongue, another has an interpretation. Let all things take place for upbuilding. And if someone speaks in a tongue, let it be limited to two or three at the most, and in turns; and let someone translate. But if there be no translator, let him keep silent in the congregation and speak to himself and to God. Further, let two or three prophets speak, and let the others discern the meaning. But if there is a revelation to another one while sitting there, let the first one keep silent. For YOU can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all be encouraged. And [gifts of] the spirit of the prophets are to be controlled by the prophets. For God is [a God], not of disorder, but of peace." This kind of peace and order is only possible if Christians work together not separately.Sincerely yours; Wm Scott Anderson

Dear Riverrat;

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As far as one religion being a effective truth, I would have to disagree because religion is made up of men, and we all fall way short of Jesus' plan for us." I wasn't talking about personal conduct or qualities, for I agree that none of us can measure up to Christ, I was talking about doctrines. That the religion who's doctrines matched most closely what was taught in the Bible would be the true religion. They would also have to do their best to live up to those doctrines and not just preach them.

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You quoted some nice scriptures that I am familiar with, you made the application that we are saved by Christ but not through a religion.
[quoted] Ephesians 1 5he[1] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

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The word predestined used here is in reference to Christians as a group and so it doesn't refer to specific individuals or we would be in no danger of falling away if we had in deed been predestined by God. The other scriptures you quoted were all pretty simular, saved by Christ, which is what christianity is all about and is not at issue here.

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We are all different people and need different ways to worship, but no one way is the true way. The only true way is God's way for you. It's a personal thing between you and God.

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Your viewpoint here is in complete conflict with scripture. One of the most important points in the Bible is that we have to worship God in the way he wants, not the way we want. (Proverbs 14:12) "There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward." We are not free to worship God however we chose, Paul wrote the Corinthians.
(1 Corinthians 1:10) "Now I exhort YOU, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that YOU should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among YOU, but that YOU may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought."
Obviously if God didn't approve of the divisions in the congregation, Paul wrote under inspiration of the holy spirit, God doesn't approve of the divisions in christendom. We are told that God is a god of order, not disorder, so he would never of approve of the religious mess we have today. We are also told that the way to salvation is a narrow door and few are the ones finding, which means the majority of christendom must be on the wrong path. Paul said that many would be misled into ways of worship or religions that would not meet with divine approval.
(1 Timothy 4:1-3) "However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created"(Acts 20:29-30) "I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among YOU and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among YOU yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves."Now the people following these false leaders were mislead, they would think they were still serving God acceptably, but they would not be. All they had to do was to check the Bible and see that what they were being taught was in conflict with scripture, and then to get out of such a false religion and find those who were worshipping God in harmony with what the Bible teaches.Now many of the common doctrines taught by most of the religions in christendom are in complete conflict with scripture, those religions are not in god's favor since such doctrines are at 1 Timothy 4:1-3 said to be inspired by demons. We can not be part of a religion with 'demon inspired' doctrines and have God's favor. God wants us to worship him in spirit and truth, not lies and false doctrines.(John 4:22-24) "YOU worship what YOU do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation originates with the Jews. Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth."He was referring to Samaritans who had a form of worship of Jehovah but they had changed a few things from the way they had been taught, now if the worship of the Samaritans he was referring was unacceptible to God, so would be that of the religions today who have done basically the same thing.(Mark 7:7) "It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach as doctrines commands of men."He was referring to Jews who add just merely added things to the way they were supposed to worship Jehovah, now if the worship of the Jews he was referring was in vain, how much more so would be that of the religions today with demon inspired doctrines.So it most certainly is not up to us to find a religion that we like, we have to find the religion God likes.Sincerely Yours; Wm Scott AndersonThis message has been edited by wmscott, 06-22-2004 04:59 PM