(Proverbs 26:5) . . .Answer someone stupid according to his foolishness, that he may not become someone wise in his own eyes.
Isn’t this a great Scripture? It provides such an effective technique in reasoning with someone who is perpetrating a silly notion.
Take the Trinity for instance. Trinitarians believe that Jesus is God, the Father is God, and the holy spirit is God. All three are equal.
So that means you can replace Jesus with God without losing any meaning, for Jesus IS God. So let’s use the principle from Proverbs 26:5 in reading a Bible passage. We will substitute all pronouns referring to Jesus and the Father since they are both God and both co-equal. Let’s try John 17:24 to 26 for this exercise. It reads as follows:
(John 17:24-26) . . .Father, as to what you have given me, I wish that, where I am, they also may be with me, in order to behold my glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the founding of the world. 25 Righteous Father, the world has, indeed, not come to know you; but I have come to know you, and these have come to know that you sent me forth. 26 And I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them.”
Now we’ll try it with the conversion.
(John 17:24-26) . . .God, as to what God has given God, God wishes that, where God is, they also may be with God, in order to behold God’s glory that God has given God, because God loved God before the founding of the world. 25 Righteous God, the world has, indeed, not come to know God; but God has come to know God, and these have come to know that God sent God forth. 26 And God has made God’s name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which God loved God may be in them and God in union with them.”
Pretty silly, huh? “Answer someone stupid according to his foolishness” and this is what can come of it. However, this is not done to mock, but so that the foolish one sees his foolishness for what it is and does not become “wise in his own eyes”.
However, Bible principles are not biased. They apply to all equally. I noticed in the comments on paragraph 18 of this past week’s Watchtower study that the brothers and sisters weren’t getting the point made in the paragraph.
“In fact, that is what he promised to do for the anointed ones in the new covenant: “I will put my law within them, and in their heart I shall write it. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people.” (w13 3/15 p. 12, par. 18)
The brothers and sisters were answering as if this text applies to all of us, missing the point that the paragraph is making in applying it to the anointed. Why would those making comments miss this point? Perhaps because it is a foolish point. Nonsensical on its face. How can this apply to only one small group of Christians? Is Jehovah the God of the anointed only, or of all? Is his law written only in their hearts or in all our hearts? But wouldn’t that mean that all Christians are in the new covenant? Well, weren’t all Jews in the old covenant, or were only the Levites in it?
Here’s another text that we can apply the principle of Pro. 26:5 to:
(1 Peter 1:14-16) . . .As obedient children, quit being fashioned according to the desires YOU formerly had in YOUR ignorance, 15 but, in accord with the Holy One who called YOU, do YOU also become holy yourselves in all [YOUR] conduct, 16 because it is written: “YOU must be holy, because I am holy.”
We claim that only the anointed are referred to as God’s holy ones. So does that free the rest of us from the need to be holy like God is holy? If not, are there two degrees of holiness? Does any of this support a two-tier class system in the Christian congregation?
Try this technique as you read scriptures that refer to the “chosen ones” and the “holy ones” and other scriptures we claim are directed only to the anointed. See if they appear foolish if we try to apply them to only one group of Christians while excluding the majority.
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Comment by smolderingwick1 on 2013-05-13 12:39:25
Of course the brothers and sisters were answering paragraph 18 as though Jeremiah 31:31-34 applies to all of us! No one noticed the asterisk (*) at the end referencing chapter 14 of “God’s Word for Us Through Jeremiah.”
Yes, limiting just a few to the New Covenant creates riddles of reasons beyond anything we dare challenge. Just how does the simple, modest follower of Christ fathom a two tiered religion built on the premise there exists no clergy/laity split? We preach to others that we have no hierarchy yet deep down we know what we know. We just cannot expose it for fear we will be expelled from our synagogues (kingdom halls).
Sorry for my cynicism, Meleti, but you were being too kind. Not to say I shouldn’t be but some of our brothers are so glued to this doctrine that just one doubt raises the same kind of fear I see in the eyes of Biblically stumped trinitarians. Meanwhile, those who understand the conundrum have had to learn to speak cautiously yet innocently through both sides of their mouths (Matthew 10:16).
.Reply by mdnwa on 2013-05-13 22:43:36
Please take what I say to be as respectful as possible but a lot of JW's are happy just to come to meetings, associate/ have friends, think we know more than anyone outside another JW (but actually learn the hard way sometimes some of us just scratch the surface of bible teachings or relay something told to us) so whatever is said just accept and go along with all changes since they hear it but don't HEAR IT UNDERSTAND IT. I say that because I was one of those.
I remember an CO saying we should never have a holier than thou attitude but, and I admit, I was overly judgmental like my father who was a PO, went out in service out of obligation, only wanted to be a servant because elders told me it was the ONLY way to please God. I also only got baptized because another elder said I would die at Armageddon if I didn't, and judged "worldly" people to die all the while just reading or studying the WT but not really understanding scriptures. My "heart" wasn't into it.
As I sit here I FINALLY understand I needed to put more effort into studying and drop the judgmental tone or think I know things that Jehovah laughs at my ignorance. I do not understand as many things in the bible many on here seem to, and that's fine since Jehovah calls the stupid more than the ones the world thinks are smart. The things in the bible Jehovah wants us to live by are 1000% clear and that involves ones heart condition and ways to serve him that he approves. The things that need a little bit more research to explain (i.e trinity, holidays, etc) I'm able to get info from ones more seasoned than I. But then on those things we do not fully understand or the bible really lays out clearly, while it's nice to speculate it as long as we don't state something as fact that has not been revealed to us, it stumbles me GREATLY when we say things are matter of fact "no questions asked or we're apostates" but then change frequently. While the light gets brighter on any subject we study over and over that doesn't always mean Jehovah is lighting the bulb. I can't help but to think about the apostles who kept incorrectly thinking or speaking about Jesus presence as Jesus had to correct them and talked about how it was not up to them. Not everything in the bible needs to be explained at this moment, we're given direct and clear directions and instructions... on those things we need to act, everything else will be revealed at Jehovah's time. Going beyond that is actually saying we are not patiently waiting on Jehovah. Just my two cents...Reply by smolderingwick1 on 2013-05-18 17:18:55
Well spoken, mdnwa.
"Not everything in the bible needs to be explained at this moment, we’re given direct and clear directions and instructions… on those things we need to act, everything else will be revealed at Jehovah’s time. Going beyond that is actually saying we are not patiently waiting on Jehovah."
While attacking the dogma of others we expose our own.