Truth Magazine

By Donald P. Ames

Years ago, brother Homer Hailey used to say that if you got into a study with a Jehovah’s Witness, just focus in on the plan of salvation  if we could not agree on this, the rest did not matter anyway. While there is certainly a lot to differ with them on (i.e. the deity of Christ, the nature of the soul, the 144,000, the role of government, the eternal nature of hell, the future of this planet, the kingdom of God, blood transfusions, the return of Christ, the inspiration of The Watchtower, etc.), the older I get, the more I see the wisdom in what he had to say. Why study all these complicated subjects if we can not even agree of what one must do to be saved? Also, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have a pre-schooled program and a string of arguments ready to discuss these subjects. However, off their pre-programmed arguments, they’re like a fish out of water  they do not know where to go or how to study from the word of God. A brief examination of their reasoning on baptism is certainly evidence of this.

If you ask a Jehovah’s Witness what one must do to be saved, he can not give you a direct answer. He simple does not know. Somewhere along the line, you just slide over the line from being lost to being saved; and where and how, he cannot explain. When you begin to study such passages as Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-7; 1 Peter 3:21, etc. with him, he will quickly agree with you that baptism is essential to salvation and that is what he believes and teaches. Yet, in the very next breath, he will tell you God is more interested in the incentives of the heart than in the act itself (see Acts 10:1-2; Rom. 10:1-3 to reply to this reasoning). The bottom line is: He does not know what he believes on this subject!

The truth is that their publications teach exactly what the Baptists teach on baptism (Jehovah’s Witnesses denials notwithstanding). They do believe baptism is “essential” for salvation, but not for the remission of sins! To them, it is the same as a faithful Christian attending church or partaking of the Lord’s supper. A Christian must do these things to be saved (and faithful), but the act itself has nothing to do with forgiveness and becoming a Christian. But, a Jehovah’s Witness will openly deny that this is what he believes! He only knows that he does believe baptism is “essential” to be saved  but how is it “essential”? That is the question!

To clarify their real teaching on this subject, let us note a few statements from their own publications. In The Truth That leads to Eternal Life, they state: “When love for God moves you so that you want to do his will, then it is proper that you go to him in prayer. . . . It is appropriate that you tell Jehovah that you want to belong to him and that you want to do his will. . . After you have made your dedication to Jehovah to do his will, he will expect you to keep it. . . . What, then does Christian baptism signify? It is not a washing away of one’s sins, because cleansing from sin comes only through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7). Rather, it is a public demonstration, testifying that one has made a solemn dedication to Jehovah God and is presenting himself to do his will. . . . If you have made up your mind to serve Jehovah and want to be baptized, then make this known to the overseer of the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses with which you are associated. He will gladly assist you without any charge for the baptism” (pp. 182-194, emp. mine  DPA). Again, in New Creation, they state: “The views of the `Disciples,’ otherwise calling themselves “Christians’ … is that baptism (immersion water) is for the remission of sins. We cannot accept this to be a correct view of baptism; to us it is neither scriptural nor reasonable. We cannot believe that the word has made the eternal welfare of our race dependent upon their knowledge of, and obedience to, any such institution” (p. 428, emp. mine  DPA).

Certainly that ought to be adequate to clarify their position, but apparently they are still having problems explaining what they believe on it. In The Watchtower magazine (4-1-93), they carried an article entitled: “Baptize!” they ask: “Why did Jesus require that his disciples be baptized? Well, it was a fitting symbol of their whole-hearted dedication to God …. Are you one who has been associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses for some time? Perhaps you have already made the necessary changes in your life in accordance with Bible principles but have not taken the steps of dedication and baptism. .. . There are many people who have taken in an accurate knowledge of the Bible but have not yet fully availed themselves of God’s provision for salvation by being baptized…. A person who truly has such love and wants a special relationship with Jehovah God would not hold back from freely dedicating his life to him. Baptism is but an outward symbol of that dedication” (pp. 5-7, emp. mine  DPA).

Then, in an attempt to explain baptism away and get around the passages that teach it is essential, they state: “The Scriptures do not support the widely held view that baptism is a sacrament, that is, a religious ceremony imparting meritgrace, holiness, or spiritual benefit  to the one baptized… . Moreover, according to the Scriptures, re-mission of sins comes only through the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine, DPA). This supposedly explains away such passages as Matthew 28:19. They then turn to Jesus and argue that baptism could have nothing to do with the remission of sins, because Jesus himself was baptized, yet he had no sin. Acts 22:16 is explained away with the statement `by `calling upon his name’ in faith – Hebrews 9:22, 1 John 1:7.” I wonder what had moved Saul to such repentance prior to Ananias even coming to him? 1 Peter 3:21 is explained away by stating, Noah “showing full faith in God built the ark for the preservation of his family (Heb. 11:7). Similarly, by exercising faith in Jehovah God… people today can be saved from this present wicked world. They must also act on that faith. By repenting of sins, turning around from a wrong course, and making an unreserved dedication to Jehovah God in prayer, the request is made to God for a good conscience” (all emp. mineDPA). Note how they completely skip over the mention of “water” and talk instead about the ark as the means God used “by faith” to save Noah and his family.

No, a J.W. does not believe baptism has a thing to do with one being saved (i.e.: forgiven of his sins)it is only “essential” as an act of dedication, showing we are already saved and want to do God’s will. But, a J.W. will argue the point with you, and when finally forced to see their own statements in their own publications, will then turn around and argue one can be saved before and without baptism! Again, if we cannot agree on the subject of salvation, what difference do all those other doctrines make? If one is going to be lost for not obeying God’s will to get rid of his sins, the rest doesn’t matter! And if baptism is essential, then The Watchtower and their publications have published falsehood, and if that is so, they are not inspired! This, in turn, makes all the rest of their teachings suspect as well.

Jehovah’s Witnesses need to see these points, then challenged whether they will continue to follow teachers who are not teaching the truth of God’s word on so vital a subject. If they will teach error of one point, can they not also be in error in these others points as well? At least one point has been established though, The Watchtower can no longer be held up as the infallible interpreter of the word of God!

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 15, p. 20-21
August 5, 1993

By Paul Casebolt

The apostle Paul speaks of those who would change the glory of God into an image, the truth into a lie, and the natural use of men and women “into that which is against nature” (Rom. 1:23-27).

In order to place the all-to-common sin of homosexuality between women and men in perspective, maybe we need to notice the practice in the above context. We surely cannot learn the truth from modern societys usage of the term “gay,” and similar efforts to accord a degree of respectability to the vile behavior which affects even the church of the Lord.

Where the King James translation uses the word “change(ed)” in all three of the verses mentioned, the ASV uses “exchanged” (v. 25), or ” changed . . . for” (v. 23). The idea is that we can no more “change” the ways and the truth of God into something else than a leopard can change its spots (Jer. 13:23-25). But, we can exchange, or trade, one doctrine or practice for another. Even the King James text conveys this idea, as expressed perfectly in v. 26.

“God Into An Image”

Man cannot actually change the glory of the uncorruptible God into graven images, but he tries. Really, all he does is exchange “the fountain of living waters” for “broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13).

“Men With Men”

When I said that the practice of homosexuality, including lesbianism, affects the church of the Lord, I did not mean just in the sense that any worldly practice may adversely affect those who have been called out of the world. Like fornication was “named” among Gods people at Corinth, so illicit sexual relations between men and men, and women and women have disrupted the unity of peace of congregations, and families within those congregations.

The claim that homosexual activity is not on the increase, but has just” come out of the closet” will not hold up. While the more liberal attitude of society may encourage some to be more open, even brazen, with such behavior, the church as a whole still does not encourage homosexuals to come out into the open. Still, the church continues to be affected by this ungodly practice which precip8itated the destruction of Sodom an Gomorrah. Some factor, or a combination of factors, is contributing to the unnatural practice of homosexuality.

The Catholic church has suffered much adverse publicity because of homosexual activity between priests, and between priests and male parishioners, including young boys. There is no question but that the unnatural attempt at celibacy, or the “forbidding to may,” contributes to the problem of homosexuality in the Catholic Church.

The natural rule is for male and female to satisfy their sexual needs in the marriage relationship (Gen 2:18; 1 Cor. 7:2-5). If God had intended for men to be homosexuals, he would have given Adam a man instead of a woman. Forbidding to marry is a mark of apostasy, and will contribute to fornication and homosexual conduct (1 Tim. 4:1-6).

Brethren, while I do not profess to be an expert on the subject, I think I can see some customs which may contribute to the unnatural relations of men with men, and women with women.

Some women have tried their best to look, dress, talk, and act like a man. Some flaunt their domineering, independent attitude, and then wonder why men have lost respect for femininity and womanhood. Why should a man desire a woman who has exchanged her female characteristics for those of a male, when he can have a real man, and not some artificial hybrid?

Conversely, if men are going to be effeminate (1 Cor. 6:9), why should a woman settle for a half-breed when she can have the real thing? I can sympathize with young people of today who have to first decide whether a prospective mate is male or female, then decide if they have enough of those qualities peculiar to either sex to make the effort of marriage worthwhile. A woman or man regarded as purely a sex symbol is not conducive to a good marriage relationship, but neither is a man or woman who tries to usurp the role of the other going to accomplish much in the way of meaningful relations. Men and women have sought fulfillment and satisfaction outside of God’s divide order so long that the term “meaningful relation” doesn’t mean a thing.

“Who Did Sin?”

The psychiatrists profess to have an explanation for every facet of man’s conduct, but I believe that there are situations which defy interpretation or solution. The disciples thought that the blind man’s condition could be traced to some definite cause visible to the human eye or mind, but Jesus neutralized their theory (Jn. 9:1-3).

Why some people exchange the truth of God for a lie, the true God for an idol, or the natural use of a man or woman for something else, may not always be a discernible. But the sinfulness of such acts is no less sinful, just because men and women do those things, or “have plea-sure in them that do them” (Rom. 1:32).

Even as the blind man said “one thing I know,” so we can know that “evil communications corrupt good manners (morals, ASV)”; sin begins in lust and ends in death; we are to “abstain from all appearance of evil”; and, when caught up in temptation, we are to find the way of escape and “flee” (1 Cor. 15:33; Jas. 1:13-15; 1 Thess. 5:22; 1 Cor. 10:13, 14).

By following this formula, it may be that we can keep God from giving us up to things which are worthy of death.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 15, p. 21-22
August 5, 1993

By Dan King

In Acts 4, Luke informs us that the Jerusalem leadership was surprised at how unhesitatingly the apostles Peter and John responded to the challenge of their preaching and miraculous works. The little clan of cowardly men who had mostly hidden while Jesus was being tried and crucified had turned into a fearless group of proclaimers of the resurrection:

Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (v. 13).

One is brought to ask, when reading this brief report, what factors there were which had so radically altered the mindset of these ordinary men to make them such powerful proponents of Jesus of Nazareth. Several things come immediately to mind, looking both here and elsewhere in the New Testament for the deeper explanation of their change:

1. They Were Bold Because They Had Been With Jesus. The relationship sustained by them in the Master’s companionship had a lasting effect upon the apostles. Jesus was no ordinary man, though they were quite ordinary men, so he was the one who determined that the disciples needed to change, and would be changed by him. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3,5). Again, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). In every way, their time with Christ was a life-altering experience. This is equally true for us today. We must change in a positive direction on a constant basis: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

2. They Were Bold Because They Had Been With Jesus And He Was Bold. There never walked the earth a man who was more completely fearless than Jesus. Every human being has known the feeling of fear in his heart. This one who walked among men and was God in the flesh had no fear of what man could do to him. He offered the disciples the perfect example of spiritual courage. During the final week of his earthly life he confronted the “powers that be” in the temple and repeatedly called them “hypocrites” (read all of Matthew 23). When events were sweeping him toward death, he bravely told Peter to, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” On. 18:11) And, as he stood before Pontius Pilate, who reminded him of his power over life and death for accused men, Jesus said: “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” On. 19:11). The disciples were bold, because their Master had been bold!

3. They Were Bold Because They Had Been With Jesus And He Had Taught Them Boldness. Jesus taught his disciples about many different things. One of them was spiritual bravery, or boldness. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). Often in his teaching he said to them, “Fear not.” For example, early in their relation-ship with him, Christ showed them a draught of fishes the like of which these fishermen had never seen. They were astonished and afraid of what sort of man this might be, who possessed such power. To this he said, “Fear not”(Lk. 5:10). Undoubtedly the Lord would often say the same thing to us in the different troublesome circumstances of our lives. In fact, he does, through the words of the New Testament.

4. They Were Bold Because They Had Been With Jesus After His Resurrection. Imagine how emboldened the disciples must have been by seeing Jesus after the resurrection. When they saw him alive, they knew that he was possessed of power over death and that nothing could ever hurt them. There was nothing over which he did not ultimately hold sway. He could say, “All power (authority) hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18); and, “Fear not, I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Rev. 1:17,18). They had seen and talked to the risen Christ, no wonder they were bold! All of his claims had been vindicated. God had vindicated him by raising him up from death to reign as the Sovereign of Life (Acts 2:22-24, 31-32)!

5. They Were Bold Because They Had Been With Jesus When He Ascended To Sit At The Right Hand Of God. Their eyes had beheld as Jesus was taken up from them into heavenly glory: “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10, 11). They were emboldened to know that he was now with the Father in heaven, and that he would come again. Not only so, but they also knew that he was seated on the right a hand of God as the Messiah-King of Old Testament promise (Mk. 16:19; cf. Ps. 89:2-3, 35-37).

6. They Were Bold Because Jesus Was Still With Them. Before he left the disciples he promised them: “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Once more, “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you” (Jn. 14:18). At all times when confronted with adversity, they could say with Paul: “The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:17). The Lord is with us yet today in all our earthly sorrows, trials and tragedies.

7. They Were Bold Because Boldness Does Not Grow Out of Knowledge But Out of Faith. These men stood in the presence of the distinguished elite of Jerusalem. They were “unlearned and ignorant men” in comparison to those who accused and judged them. Yet, they were bold. The reason they could be bold, although they were certainly outclassed educationally and intellectually, was that knowledge is not the key to courage. Faith is the key to courage! Today we will often be outclassed academically and in other ways, yet our spiritual courage is not dependent upon our education or mental ability, but upon our faith in Him who died and rose again to fill us with courage! As Paul said, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Cor. 4:13, 14). Boldness does not grow out of knowledge, but out of faith: people who have faith are the people of courage! Let us try to develop this wonderful virtue in our own lives.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 15, p. 18-19
August 5, 1993

By Norman E. Sewell

It continues to amaze me how often we read the Scriptures and fail to see some of the statements found in them. A few years ago I was visiting in another community and worshipped on Lords day morning with the local church and heard the preacher there read from Philippians 2:19-24. Notice part of that with me. Paul wrote: But! trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For! have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel” (vv. 19-23). Somehow I had missed the statement “for all seek their own,” or at least it had failed to register in my mind. Now, having finally seen it! believe there is a powerful lesson taught by Paul in that short statement, especially when combined with other clear statements of Scripture.

 All of us have experienced dealings with people who show that they are very selfish. Selfishness in fact seems to be part of being human unless we train ourselves not to be, and the only reason to so train ourselves is that God wants us, as his children, not to long for pre-eminence, or to think only of ourselves and what we may want, but of what is also good for each other. Earlier in this same chapter Paul told the Philippian brethren: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4). To the Christians Paul wrote: “Let no one seek his own, but each one the others well-being” (1 Cor. 10:24). In fact, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians showing the nature of the love that God commands us to have he wrote that love “does not seek its own” (1 Cor. 13:5). So loving one another as God demands would do away with such selfishness.

 Yet in spite of this Paul was able to write to the Philippians concerning Timothy, For I have no one like- minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things whieh are of Christ Jesus.” Those words will make you stop and take a good look at yourself! What about me? Am I self-willed, always wanting my own way and selfishly pushing my plans and thoughts on others? Is this an indictment of all the other men who worked with Paul from time to time? At least it seems that this statement was in praise of Timothy, and suggests that others needed to grow and mature to be more as he was.

 There are examples in the Scriptures of men who sought their own self and their own way first. The rich young ruler, as he is often called, exhibits this attitude of selfishness and unwillingness to put anything on a higher level of importance that his wealth. Since this young man lived under the Mosaic law Jesus told him to keep the commandments in order to have eternal life. But he seemed to want to know more because he had already kept the commandments from his youth. But Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he ~vent away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matt. 19:21-22). There is no doubt that Jesus did not come first with him, or that he loved his wealth more than he loved God –

 Then there are men like Epaphroditus who was sent by the Philippian brethren to carry support to Paul. Apparently he stayed with Paul for some time as a fellow worker and fellow soldier (Phil. 2:25). When Paul sent him back to the Philippians he asked them to receive him with gladness and hold him in esteem, “because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life to supply what was lacking in your service toward me” (Phil. 2:30). We need not think that one must be a preacher to put the kingdom first as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:33). Toward the end of the Roman letter Paul mentions Priscilla and Aquilla, “my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life” (Rom. 16:3-4) and a great many people who in one way or another labored with Paul for the Lord. Every one of us faces the choice as to whether we will “seek our own” or “the things which are of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:21).

What is involved in being less self-willed, and less selfish with our lives? Truly following after Jesus requires self-denial. Jesus told the disciples in Luke 9, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (v. 23). In fact, in the following verse Jesus went on to say that this might include giving up your life for his sake. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (v.24). No one denies that this is hard, but think of those John saw in the vision recorded in Revelation 12 who “overcame him,” that is Satan, “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (v.11). There was, and there is, something more important than life here on this earth. Recognize that if you are a Christian then you do not own yourself. Paul told the Corinthians “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods” (1 Cor. 6:20). The Macedonians, apparently recognizing this, “first gave themselves to the Lord” (2 Cor. 8:5).

Look into your own heart. Are you more like Timothy and seek the things that are of Christ, or more like the others and seek your own? I’m afraid such an inner look may be painful. It was for me.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 15, p. 23-24
August 5, 1993