[this article is contributed by Alex Rover]
How does one come to be of the anointed?
What is it like to be anointed?
How can one be sure he or she is of the anointed?
Perhaps you have read blogs online where Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged to partake of the memorial bread and wine, but you don’t feel anointed. Then you might wonder:
Should we partake even if we are not sure if we are anointed?
What about children or unbaptized Bible Students?
These are very deep questions for sure!
Every story, book or explanation has a beginning. This article is about beginnings, hence “Initiation”. As for “Sacraments” – the word loosely means ‘visible testimony. When you start partaking of Christ, this signals to others the beginning of something new in your life.
To understand the process of becoming anointed, this article will take you through history by examining the Sacraments of Initiation.
Catholic Version
Catholics have several sacraments, but there are three that are called the sacraments of initiation. A quick dictionary lookup clarifies: “the action of admitting someone into a group”. Undoubtedly the Catholic sacraments of initiation result in one being admitted into the Catholic organization, and the same can be said of the equivalent process for Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and pretty much any religious organization.
But the sacraments of initiation are about more than joining a religious organization. They have a spiritual significance. So let’s take a look at the Catholic version:
- Baptism: Become baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Confirmation: sealed with the Holy Spirit. This parallels the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
- Holy Communion: sometimes called the Eucharist or the Holy Communion, partaking of Christ. This separates the partaker from sin.
They must always occur in the proper order: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. There is also a time period between each of these steps, differently so than in the eastern Catholic and Orthodox Church, where all three steps occur in proper order on the same day.
How do Catholics explain the need for a time period in between baptism and confirmation?
St. Thomas Aquinas explains the fact that Confirmation is distinguished from Baptism and comes after: "The sacrament of Confirmation is, as it were, the final completion of the sacrament of Baptism, in the sense that by Baptism (according to St. Paul) the Christian is built up into a spiritual dwelling (cf. 1 Cor 3:9), and is written like a spiritual letter (cf. 2 Cor 3:2-3); whereas by the sacrament of Confirmation, like a house already built, he is consecrated as a temple of the Holy Spirit, and as a letter already written, is signed with the sign of the cross" (Summa Theol., III, q. 72, a. 11). – Vatican.va
That question was quite interesting to me, since I personally know another religion very well that doesn’t practice Holy Communion on the same day as water baptism.
Modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Jehovah’s Witness Sacraments of Initiation are as follows:
- Baptism: first you must be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You receive a measure of Holy Spirit and you become part of the household of faith, a domestic.
- Adoption: a limited number proceed and are confirmed or sealed with the Holy Spirit as anointed, adopted sons of God. The Holy Spirit testifies with your spirit that this is so, confirming with certainty that you have reached this level.
- Partaking: you may now partake of the memorial emblems.
For the vast majority of modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Sacraments look more like this:
- Announcement that you are now part of the theocratic ministry school
- Announcement that you are now a publisher
- Baptism
They are taught that in their case, their initiation is complete as someone with the hope to live on earth forever. Baptism is the end of the initiation, not the beginning! We know that was not always the case.
Let’s go back in time to understand what changed.
Bible Students (prior to 1934)
In the 1921 book ‘The Harp of God’, chapter 8, subtitle ‘Body Members Selected’ the following steps are outlined for those who might become a member of the body of Christ:
- Understanding and appreciation of the truths of repentance.
- Consecration: dedication to do God’s will, baptism in Christ’s death
- Justification: baptism into water in symbol of the true baptism of consecration
- Spirit-Begetting: adoption upon baptism in Christ’s death. It is listed after justification but it is later argued that spirit-begetting is related to consecration.
- Sanctification: the process that begins with consecration and ends with birth as spirit, the process of becoming holy.
Judge Rutherford did not include any reference to the memorial or partaking in this book, so where did it have its place in the list? Studies in the Scriptures volume 6 ‘A New Creation’, study 11, and subtitle ‘Who May Celebrate?’ states on page 473 that Elders can require these conditions for partaking:
- Faith in the blood
- Consecration to the Lord and his service, even unto death
In practice, consecration would be unknown to these Elders unless so symbolized by baptism, so we may certainly place partaking after the third step of justification. Notice the Catholics see The Sacrament of Confirmation as the outward proof of consecration, because a baby who is baptized in water cannot possibly have dedicated his body as a temple to God. So also for Catholics, partaking requires faith in the blood and consecration.
A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace.
Thus partaking as an outward sign finds it’s proper after water baptism as outward sign of consecration to demonstrate one’s receiving the Spirit Witness of his anointing. To partake before baptism would outwardly signal that you are worthy to receive anointing without having consecrated yourself first.
Next, “Understanding and appreciation of the truths of repentance” are inward and not outward. The same for the dedication prayer. They are proper steps, but not sacraments.
And while sanctification, the process of becoming holy may be observed outwardly in the believer, it is ultimately a process of perfection over time. It’s not an initiation.
The Bible Students Sacraments of Initiation were thus as follows:
- Justification: Baptism in Water in symbol of consecration – baptism in Christ’s death
- Spirit-Begetting: by reason of coming into the body of Christ through consecration. Receiving the spirit of holiness may be observed outwardly in the believer and is the beginning of sanctification. It becomes apparent as the Holy Spirit makes changes in the life of the consecrated one.
- Partaking as a visible declaration of believers’ union with Christ and spirit-begetting.
Is it Appropriate for Unbaptized Children to Partake?
Consider 1 Co 11:26:
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Notice that partaking is a proclamation. It is a sacrament. I have been reading on the internet some who encourage making the memorial like a family thanksgiving meal, even the children are encouraged to partake. In light of the material in this article, my conscience wouldn’t allow that.
The same logic applies to the Catholic who baptize young babes. I must ask, what is it a symbol of? Certainly the babe has not consecrated him or herself to the Lord! Further, is it necessary? Does the Catholic baptism of babes or the partaking of unbaptized young ones of the memorial symbols somehow benefit them?
For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. – 1 Co 7:14
Catholic parents, your children do not become holy on account of an empty sacrament of water baptism. And our own unbaptized children don’t become holy on account of an empty sacrament of partaking.
If we truly care for them, then we must be believers, for on that account they are already holy.
By our conduct we set an example. We wouldn’t let our children get baptized when we know they are not truly dedicated, so why would we encourage them to partake before they have taken the steps to accept Christ? Signs are a noise-making cymbal if it’s not out of love. (1 Co 13:1)
This conclusion would reflect my understanding on the matter as it reflects my personal conscience. We must each follow our conviction.
But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. – Romans 14:23 NLT
Spirit Begetting: When?
Studies in the Scriptures volume 6, study 10, and subtitle ‘Baptism into Christ’s Death’ states on page 436 that one is baptized into Christ’s death the moment of his consecration.
So that spirit-begetting or anointing comes after our dedication or consecration makes perfect sense to me.
When compiling the ‘Bible Students Sacraments of Initiation’, I placed spirit-begetting after water baptism. Why not before? I kept going back and forth on this. If someone who has dedicated himself dies before he can symbolize his dedication, wouldn’t it be possible he received the witness of the spirit of his calling? That’s not an unreasonable position. Isn’t the dedication what truly matters most?
As ‘the altar’ is greater than the ‘gift’, we acknowledge that our consecration is greater than the baptism:
You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? – Mat 23:19
This is the perfect opportunity to clarify that sacraments can’t save a person. Faith – not works, but sacraments are works produced by faith. Catholics and Orthodox believe a babe is saved by works.
An old story goes like this: A baby was about to die and the priest made it just in time to the home to baptize the child. As the baby gave her last breath, someone thanked God the priest was wearing his running shoes that day, or he would arrived too late to save the baby.
Would a loving God truly allow the type of shoes determine someone’s salvation? Of course not!
In the case of Jesus Christ and the Apostles, they were baptized in water before receiving their respective anointing. And in my personal case, it took many years after my water baptism until I received my anointing. I know for a fact that I was not anointed at that time because I did not have the spirit bearing witness.
From this I concluded that spirit-begetting doesn’t have to be instant at water baptism or at one’s dedication. It might be, but doesn’t have to be.
Afterward I kept thinking about the words of the eunuch:
“Look, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized?” – Acts 8:36
If one has come to an understanding and appreciation of the truths of repentance, and with his entire heart and mind and soul consecrates himself to the Lord, wouldn’t he scream out: “What doth hinder me to be baptized”? Would he wait weeks, months, or years?
“Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” – Luke 6:45
I believe such one would look for the nearest opportunity to show outwardly what is abundant in his heart. With a heartfelt consecration, there would not expire any wasted time until baptism in water in symbol thereof.
The Father declared the Son after his water baptism. When we publically declare our baptism in Christ’s death we are also acknowledging Christ before men. So Christ promises to consequently acknowledge us before the Father who is in heaven. (Mat 10:32) The Father who has drawn us to Christ from the beginning (John 6:44), now receives confirmation from his Son and is ready to send his spirit to assure us and declare us as his child.
In case water baptism is not possible for practical reasons, then that person would in the meantime declare publically that he has dedicated himself and desires to be baptized at the first opportunity. If he died before he could be baptized, then that counted as his public declaration or sacrament.
Spirit Begetting or adoption occurs when Jehovah confirms your calling in you. If you have not yet received the witness of the spirit, have you fully immersed yourself in Christ’s death, dedicated yourself completed to the Father’s will for you in your life, and are you allowing his holy spirit to direct you in the path he has set out for you? Are you already making public acknowledgment of this so that the father may acknowledge you as well?
We shouldn’t tell others to partake if they admit they are not anointed, just like we shouldn’t tell a person to be baptized right there and then if we know they have not dedicated themselves. All people should be baptized, and all Christians are under the command to partake, but there is a proper order in which things take place (illustrated by Catholics since Dedication can occur years after Baptism, also in the case of many Witnesses who have not surrendered their life to death in Christ even though they are baptized). The bread and wine are not some talisman which causes a person to become anointed and neither does it grant eternal life. Partaking is merely a symbol, a sacrament of initiation or visible testament of one’s anointing and in itself does not save.
So if someone tells us they are not anointed, we should help them by sharing our hope (1 Pe 3:15) and knowledge from the Scripture so they also get to the stage where they consecrate themselves to sacrifice in union with Christ.
Partaking is an expression of what lives inside of you. It’s a very meaningful expression. No anointed can be told they are not allowed to partake. They would rather suffer ridicule, tribulation and death than refuse the symbols.
Receiving the Witness of the Spirit
How can someone know that he’s anointed?
First the Father calls us. We learn the truth about Christ and his saving grace, and grow in appreciation thereof. The spirit moves us to repentance and grows the desire in our hearts to do Jehovah’s will in our lives.
For some time, our natural person resists this and wants to hold on to its carnal will and desire. We may resist the spirit or even grieve the spirit in this manner, but our heavenly Father does not give up on you.
Sooner or later you surrender yourself to the will of the Father, and the words “Let thy will be done” take on a personal significance. You immerse yourself fully into his will. This immersion is your baptism into Christ’s death. It is the moment you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, and by this great victory of faith God now declares you righteous by the blood of his Son.
Receiving this seal of righteousness, the abundance of your heart now impels you to make a public declaration of God’s love on your behalf.
As you immerse yourself in a body of water, the thought goes through your mind that the old person has died. As you rise up, and open your eyes with water dripping off you realize that this symbolizes the start of a new life, justified to a deeper relationship with the Father thanks to Christ as your mediator.
Now the spirit proceeding from the Father becomes active in a process of bringing you from righteousness to holiness.
Though justified, you continue to dwell in an imperfect body and face tribulation in the flesh. Once more our flesh continues to resist the spirit. We may come to feel these words apply to us:
O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. – Ro 7:24-25
For some time, we may resist the workings of the spirit in our lives. We may even grieve it by unrepentantly practicing what is wrong! Those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom. The key is that we must live up to our dedication and truly learn to hate what is evil and love what is good. We must put on the personality of Christ.
Another way the workings of the spirit might be resisted is when we are being misled in captivity to men. Jesus condemned the Pharisees of shutting the door of the kingdom of heaven from people (Mat 23:13).
When the spirit testifies to us that we are indeed God’s children, then any doubt is removed about our hope (Romans 8). It is another seal impressed upon us, a milestone in our process toward holiness.
All along the spirit was teaching us everything about our anointing and leading us up to this moment when our conviction becomes unshakable (1 John 2:27) that we are truly accepted.
How the spirit makes this conviction sure in you personally can vary from person to person. In my case my conscience started accusing me for having rejected Christ’s sacrifice at a memorial of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When I continued to resist the workings of the spirit, my conscience caused me to have recurring dreams of the memorial and each time I rejected it made me sadder to the point I woke up in the night crying like a child. From then forward I resolved to stop resisting and learn about my anointing.
The learning process leads up to conviction. And even once you start to receive the testimony of the spirit, it is still possible to resist it. Now the Devil uses his most time honored tool: fear of men. Our conviction is not complete if we are under bondage or fear of men.
This is the true significance of partaking. It is signaling that out of the abundance of your conviction, your heart impels you to make a public declaration that the Father through his spirit has given you undeniable proof that you are accepted by him.
For further meditation on this topic, compare the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13).
A Calling to Sainthood
That anointing is a calling, is clear from Scripture:
“To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” – Ro 1:7 ESV
“For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” – He 9:14 NASB
“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” – 1 Co 1:2 KJV
Not many noble or wise, but the humble out of this world are called (Compare 1 Pe 5:5-6).
“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to use wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’.” – 1 Co 1:26-31 NASB
There is only one calling, and a time when you are called:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called” – Eph 4:4 NIV
All those who are called have one hope. The word Christian is derived from the word Christ, which means “anointed one”. Anointed consequently and rightfully call themselves Christian. For this reason you will sometimes read on this blog that there is only one hope for Christians.
How can you know for sure that you have become anointed?
It is time to do away with the urban legends. Some Jehovah’s Witnesses think they cannot be anointed because Jehovah doesn’t call. Others think that because they haven’t got some dream, vision or voice or overwhelming emotion, they aren’t called. Still others think they cannot be called because they are undeserving, foolish or weak. The very opposite is true!
Scripture is full of treasure waiting to be found. When we find treasure with great meaning to us personally, it stays with us for the rest of our lives. Revelation 3:20 took on such a personal meaning for me.
Where are you Christ?
“Here I am!”
I’m not sure, how can I know for sure?
“I stand at the door and knock”
I hear your call, what must I do?
“If [you hear] my voice, [open] the door”
What if I accept your call?
“I will come in and eat with [you]”
Are you waiting to hear a voice from heaven that says: “you are my son, I love you”? How can we “hear his voice” and hear him “knocking”? If we don’t know the answer to this question, perhaps we might wait all our lives. The answer lies in faith, a fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22 KJV).
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” – Galatians 3:26 NIV
Fruits take time to grow, so also with faith. Under the subheading “Receiving the Witness of the Spirit”, I gave examples of how we might be resisting the workings of the spirit.
“For those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God” – Ro 8:1
If we resist the spirit, then the spirit cannot produce the fruit of faith. Fruits of the spirit can be cultivated, and faith is the very thing that assures us of our hope.
“For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” – Gal 5:5 HCSB
Cultivation is the word. Notice the wording in the WT of January 15, 1952, pp. 62-64:
“Now God deals with you and he must by his dealings with you and his revelations of truth to you cultivate in you some hope. If he cultivates in you the hope of going to heaven, that becomes a firm confidence of yours, and you are just swallowed up in that hope, so that you are talking as one who has the hope of going to heaven, you are counting on that, you are thinking that, you offer prayers to God in expression of that hope. You are setting that as your goal. It permeates your whole being. You cannot get it out of your system. It is the hope that engrosses you. Then it must be that God has aroused that hope and caused it to come to life in you, for it is not a natural hope for earthly man to entertain.”
When we become anointed, some of us may experience feelings of intense joy or ecstasy. We can be happy for each other when this is the case. Jesus Christ, upon his anointing was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. In his first experiences after becoming anointed, he was subjected to temptation, had to resist the doubts the Devil tested him with. So instead of joy, we may also experience persecution and face doubts upon becoming anointed. Let’s also rejoice for each other when this is the case, because their experience is very much like that of Christ.
The transition to modern JW doctrine
The October 1st Watchtower of 1934 points out in the article ‘Purpose of Gathering the Saints’ that “not everyone who makes a covenant by sacrifice proves faithful” and “only the faithful ones are the saints [..] those who are in the covenant by sacrifice of Jesus Christ”.
Then later in the article its stated that in Christendom, many are misled as prisoners under the influence of clergy and they haven’t fully lived up to their requirement. Psalm 79:11 and 102:19-20 is quoted to support the idea that Jehovah may yet show mercy on these:
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die. – Ps 79:11
As irony would have it, Jehovah’s Witnesses today have their own clergy and prison. In 2014, Gerrit Losh of the Governing Body made a deposition when he was requested to testify in a pedophilia Lawsuit against a former brother and stated as a matter of written, legal record who holds the highest authority over our faith. Not Christ, not Scripture, but the Governing body:
Today Jehovah’s Witnesses gather nearly 20 million attendees to their yearly memorial. Only about 14,000 partake from the symbols at this event. They have been told by the clergy class of Jehovah’s Witnesses that they are not baptized into Christ’s death. They have been kept prisoner to the truth by this clergy class because just they were forbidden to understand the Bible for what it teaches them when they read it independently. They were even told the Bible does not belong to them, but to the Organization.
Watchtower Oct 1st 1967 p. 587
They have been baptized in water, but not as symbol of their death in Christ. If not a sacrament of consecration to sacrifice, then of what a sacrament?
Since 1985, the baptismal vows have been unchanged [1]:
(1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
(2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?
Studies in the Scriptures Volume 6 study 3 from page 124 onward taught that a consecration to follow righteousness was the sacrament of the Great Crowd, the antitypical Levites, and this was a different consecration from the Levite Priests who additionally made a consecration to sacrifice. The consecration to follow righteousness and water baptism are thus symbolized by the “white robes” the Levites wore.
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses accept Jesus sacrifice cleans their sins, but they don't make sacrifice with their own body, something that is required of the anointed. So the anointed among JW are a group within a group, just like the Priests were a group among the Levites. It seems common in Christianity as well: Professing dedication but not willing to sacrifice themselves to Christ and give up their lives for it.
Russell saw the ‘consecration to sacrifice’ as a process, which began with the ‘consecration to follow righteousness’ in love out of a pure heart (1 Tim 1:5). It was a race toward the heavenly price.
The partaking of the symbols was then a sacrament or testimony to being in that race.
What would you say if you spectated a team sport match where only a few players tried to win and the rest stood still after reaching half-time? Or if only one racer was running with the prize in sight and the other runners were happy just to stay in the race until someone else won?
By changing the prize, the Organization has made the Witnesses run for another prize. They have in fact entered a different race all together! In this race, they are told that they can preserve their lives instead of sacrificing it. They are told to set their heart on future treasures on earth instead of in heaven.
The second baptismal vow indicates subjection to the rules of the organizers of this race.
The first baptismal vow however, holds out hope. It’s all about Jehovah and doing his will. If that was your dedication, then your baptism was in symbol of that dedication and valid.
You vowed to do God’s will. The second point was not a vow. It was an understanding. That’s what you understood at that time as God’s will for you.
A new Hope
The transition to modern JW doctrine has two key components:
- Changing the hope of the Great Crowd from heavenly to earthly.
- Changing that not all Christians should strive to achieve the ‘better’ reward because the ‘Gathering of the Saints’ had drawn to a close or near-close.
A new hope emerged in the Watchtower of May 1st 2007, where the Questions from Readers section answered that the calling for the heavenly race has not ceased. It further stated these comforting words that are arguably the most significant glimmer of light from the presses of the Watchtower presses in nearly 80 years:
How should a person be viewed who has determined in his heart that he is now anointed and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He should not be judged. The matter is between him and Jehovah. (Romans 14:12)
With this the holy spirit has caused an earthquake and set our brothers and sisters free from imprisonment, like what happened for Paul and Silas:
Suddenly there was such a massive earthquake that the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! – Acts 16:26
Our own “prayer for the prisoners” in Psalm 79:11 has been answered! Now imagine the organization as our jailer, as thousands more and hopefully tens of thousands start partaking. In Acts 16:27 the jailer consequently drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul cried with a loud voice:
Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.
When the doors opened we could have left immediately, but we are all still here because love hopes all things. Read what happened to the jailer in verses 30 and 31.
This is our testimony.
[1] See WT June 1st 1985, p. 30
Archived Comments
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Comment by donotforgetus on 2014-12-17 13:02:36
Alex Rover,
I liked the outline you gave of the sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church it was very informative.
In 2007 the jail was opened but I hope those of us who endured suffering while jailed prior to 2007 are not forgotten.
We suffered much and gave up much to publicly acknowledge our anointing.
I was very happy when Jehovah caused the Governing Body to make that change and my hope is that the future will hold even more good things for us. Times are difficult but then when have times been easy for the anointed?
I would never have thought that I would read an article online written by a fellow anointed partaking at the Memorial, thank you.
Please, do not forget us.Reply by Alex Rover on 2014-12-17 17:33:01
I'm sure Christ has not forgotten about your sacrifice and faithful obedience.
During darkness, even the faintest light shines bright as a star for all to observe. Don't underestimate how valuable your example has been for the 1935-2007 generation of anointed. You are a true encouragement. Thank you!Reply by donotforgetus on 2014-12-18 08:02:37
Alex Rover,
Such loving words, thank you very much.
Reply by InNeedOfGrace on 2014-12-18 13:25:59
You are among friends here. Many others like Alex have accepted the invitation of Jesus and invited him in their proverbial home.
Comment by imacountrygirl2 on 2014-12-17 18:30:12
donotforgetus, you write that you were very happy when "Jehovah caused the governing body to make that change".
I am curious as to what proof anyone has that Jehovah is controlling the governing body? Or controlling any group of people on earth, for that matter?
Surely if the Creator of the universe were controlling the governing body, how could He make/allow the governing body to tell so many lies, mislead so many people, destroy so many peoples lives, and have so much blood guilt on their hands?
I want you to know that you are not forgotten. Many of us are well aware of the suffering and misery that results when you publicly acknowledge anything contrary to what the governing body says. My heart goes out to you for your faith and your courage.
Just because the governing body claims to be God's visible organization on earth does not make it so. They have proven over and over that they do not have God's backing.
We could spend the rest of our lives sifting through every word that has ever been published by the Watchtower, but to what end? Trying to sort out the truth from a lie? Or, we can save ourselves a lot of precious time and go straight to God's own word and learn His Truth for ourselves.
I have searched my heart and tried to find the benefit, but I fail to see how researching the copious words of the Watchtower brings us into a closer relationship with our savior Jesus or helps us imitate his example of faith and love.Reply by Alex Rover on 2014-12-17 19:03:21
Why wouldn't Jehovah and Jesus act on behalf of their sheep? They can move kings and powers for the sake of their purpose, why not the Governing Body?
Whether Jehovah personally is behind the change in 2007 is of course something we can't know until we can ask him in the Kingdom, but the fact remains that for the body of Christ this was a true blessing.
Thanking Jehovah for such blessings is entirely appropriate and I think that's all that donotforgetus intended with his comment.
Comment by on 2014-12-17 18:53:09
Enjoyed the article alex . Especially pointers on how we can know we have been anointed . Also never thought of the fact that jesus went into the wilderness and was severely tempted and tested after his anointing . One thing about my own case is that what i have found over the last few years is that its like a light has been turned on when i read the bible . And my understanding seems to have increased dramaticaly . The bible itself for the most part seems like an open book to me .I think this could be evidence of my entering into the new covenant . Of jerimiah 31 v33 and 34 the spirit itself by means of the bible is bearing witness with my own spirit that i need to partake of the christ by the bread and wine .. the problem was as a JW i did not believe that the GB were gods spokesman as my new found knowledge proved to me . And when challenged i just had to say what i had learned as we are to worship with spirit and truth . You can imagine what that lead to . The point you made about jesus being under great trial in the wilderness after his anointing has helped me .perhaps to see where i am . It feels like that for me . Thats just part of what i thinkabout this subject ive got much more to say in a later post . Thanks again alex kev c
Reply by Alex Rover on 2014-12-17 20:10:45
Thank you kev. I always enjoy your comments. Looking forward to your other thoughts as well.
This article took a few weeks of research, 3 rewrites and about 30 revisions. My previous article was actually a spin-off from 'extra material' of this article. When I became anointed, I did so much research and reading on it so it's a topic close to my heart.
Thanks also to Meleti, he gives me a lot of valuable feedback. It takes time to edit, and he already writes so many articles.
Comment by yobec on 2014-12-17 19:15:02
Thanks, Alex for a very intelligent and well written article. I can relate to your experience as far as the anointing goes. You mentioned that it was not until several years after your baptism that your anointing took place. It was the same for me and interestingly it occurred while deep in prayer and surrendering myself to do God's will after failing miserably in all of my other life's affairs. ( I was trying to make myself right with God)
I must admit however that I respectfully disagree with your view of " dedication".
I will not address it here since it would detract from your otherwise fine writings.
I will therefore start a discussion on the topic of "dedication" on the "discuss the truth " forum hopefully within the next few days.
Again, thanks and keep those articles coming.Reply by Alex Rover on 2014-12-17 19:59:15
Thanks yobec, and feel free to open a thread on discussthetruth.com about your views on dedication. We learn from each other.
Comment by Aletheia on 2014-12-18 12:50:33
I really enjoyed your article overall, some very nice points were made.
The one issue I do have, however, is somehow likening the change that was made in 2007 to some grand release from spiritual imprisonment. The organization continues to teach that only 144k are anointed, and that 99.99% or more of all Christians on earth today are not worth to call themselves God's sons, Christ's brothers, or anointed Christians. Anyone who partakes of the emblems today would still be scrutinized and draw much ire, and they do so at great risk to their standing in the community of JWs.
The only reason the change was made was starting in 2003 the number of partakers began to rise year over year. Thus their teaching that the calling ended in 1935 and thus the numbers would continue to dwindle until the end was in jeopardy, and a change was needed. Whether they teach the calling is still open to less than .01% of all humans on earth or not is completely irrelevant, it is still closed to the other 99.99% If Jehovah had moved the Governing Body to make a change, it would have been to discard the two hope doctrine and openly invite all those would accept to become Son's of God.
As a young man, if I were to attend this next Memorial and partake, I would likely draw inquiry about my motives. If I were to honestly explain that Christ is mediator of the new covenant for all faithful Christians, I would be labeled an Apostate and disfellowshipped. I do not see any possible way anyone could honestly look at the sad state of things and then conclude that "the holy spirit has caused an earthquake and set our brothers and sisters free from imprisonment." All Witnesses are still shackled by the teaching that they do not belong in the New Covenant, and the organization has long ago thrown away the key.
Perhaps a better application of that scripture would be that the holy spirit is causing an earthquake in the organization, pushing the Governing Body and their teachings further and further into arrogance and darkness. As a result, many of us have awakened from our spiritual slumber and began earnestly seeking God's Word for truth. This has set all of us, brothers and sisters, free from the imprisonment of the false teachings and doctrines that robbed of us of our true relationship with Christ and our heavenly Father for so many years.Reply by Alex Rover on 2014-12-18 13:48:22
Hi Aletheia and thank you for your comment.
If you partook prior to 2007, the official teaching was that 'the doors were closed'. Even though it was between you and Jehovah, it should not be possible except if you were a replacement for an anointed who was unfaithful in the end.
That teaching, that the "doors were closed" was reversed in that infamous 2007 questions from readers, where it said that the 1935 position was no longer valid in light of the facts. In this context, the doors were opened.
Another way to see the analogy, is that Jesus spoke of the Pharisees who 'shut the doors'. And also in this context, the doors may not be completely open yet, but they are not closed either.
Finally in the subheading The transition to Modern JW doctrine, I mentioned the Oct 1, 1934 article:
"in the article its stated that in Christendom, many are misled as prisoners under the influence of clergy and they haven’t fully lived up to their requirement."
Using their own words of prisoners, this is a final reason for the analogy. Of course I'm not claiming a prophecy is fulfilled in 2007, I'm just making analogies.
As for yourself, if you are following the Spirit's call, you can freely partake at the memorial and simply state its between you and Jehovah. Nobody can disfellowship you for that.
In the sense that many of us never thought we would see the day that the teaching would change, it is like an earthquake struck bethel. We can reason why they changed it, but the fact remains that they continue to teach the literal 144000. IF the reason was a problem with rising amount of anointed, then they would have changed it from literal to figurative before saying that the doors are not closed (in my opinion this makes more sense).
As for partaking itself and peer pressure. It has never been easy. But even as a young man you can take a stand. I know of a 16 year old girl who is a partaker and her congregation accepts it.Reply by Aletheia on 2014-12-18 14:41:14
I should clarify: I am not afraid of partaking, and I don't fear what any man would do to me for partaking. I may not attend a JW memorial this year, but that is because I see no purpose to go take part in what I consider a mockery of what Jesus originally intended.
The change from a literal to a figurative 144k WOULD have been quite the earthquake. That would have been a much more dramatic and difficult change to make. A small change forced upon them by mere statistics, that still keeps the door FIRMLY CLOSED for nearly every current Christian is not an earthquake. It is not even a tremor.
If I open your cell door in prison, but tell you that if you step through it you will be shot, is the door truly open? Likewise, the organization teaches that very few should have the heavenly hope, and to partake if you aren't one of the 144k is a grave sin. Also if you partake on any basis other than their doctrine, you would be disfellowshipped (I'm aware you could freeze them out and not give them an undeserved answer, but we are talking about the brothers and sisters still in, not you or I).
If the very foundations of the organization have been shook with this great quake and loosed so many from their bondage, let's see if the numbers back this up? In 2013, the publisher count peaked at about 8 million. The amount who partook of the emblems was 13,204. So .0016505% of our brothers and sisters have been set free from spiritual prison. And you call this a great quake? I call it a self-serving tweak in doctrine that was necessary to save face, and which had no demonstrable effect on their members. To them, they see a door that is technically open but that they are not allowed to step through. There has been no change in that regard.
Like I said, I enjoyed your discussion of our views on Baptism and partaking, and I believe it's one worth having. But I can't help but take serious exception to anyone crediting the organization swapping one lie for another to the holy spirit and to Jehovah. Jehovah and his son certainly care about more than .0016505% of Witnesses, and if they decided to step in and guide the teachings of the Governing Body then we would certainly notice. As for the change in 2007, the saying "a dead clock is right twice a day" comes to mind.Reply by on 2014-12-18 15:24:56
Aletheia point taken . But i think theres much more to it than that .I think the reason why many JWs do not partake is because they have placed thier salvation in the hands of other men . For various reasons . We can blame the watchtower all we want but at the end of the day we are all responsible for our own salvation . Yes many have been decieved but why ???? All of us have access to the bible . We just have to take bible study seriously and pray about it and then turn to christ and the veil will be lifted . 2 corinthians 3 v 12 to 18 . The whole situation to my mind is no different than in first century judaism . See 2 timothy 3 v 14 through to chapter 4 v 5 kev c
Reply by Aletheia on 2014-12-18 19:32:06
I fully agree with you, there is a reason why the one thing that God has preserved for us throughout the centuries is the Bible. Like you said, If we pray for his spirit and resolve to follow Christ then the simple and beautiful truths of God's Word will be made plain to us.
I considerate it possible that such honest-hearted but misled ones might be likened to the slaves that Jesus mentioned in his parable at Luke 12:47-48, that did not know his will:
47"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Certainly we count it a blessing that we have been awakened and made aware of our masters will. Unfortunately, millions today have chosen men as their master, and look to them for instructions rather than Christ.
Comment by ilovejesus333 on 2014-12-18 19:44:20
Questions from readers
The Bible does not reveal a precise answer to that question. We do know that the anointing of Jesus’ disciples with a view to their heavenly inheritance BEGAN in 33 C.E.
If we think about the above statement then examine the scripture below, Who was Jesus talking to in John 10 with a view to their "heavenly inheritance"?
John 10;16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.--
It was the Jews Jesus was speaking to back then (not the annointed) because according to the above statement they hadn't been annointed yet, (the annointed didn't exist then). That took place later at Pentecost 33 CE with the outpouring of the holy spirit and then the other sheep were introduced into the same fold (the gentiles) and there is no distinction between these sheep, they have one thing in common, they all belong to the one fold "flock" and hear the shepherds voice.
Yet the Jw's still insist on a distinction between two sheep classes, those with a heavenly hope "Spiritual Israelites" and those with an earthly hope "Gentiles" But didn't the above statement refer to 33 CE with a view to a heavenly inheritance for both Jew and Gentile.
This raises the question , Who did Jesus sacrafice his life for? Do we as the "other sheep" only gain the merits of Jesus sacrafice simply by extension in associating with the annointed, I don't think so! jesus gave his life for all his sheep both Jew and gentile.
Now having read the Questions from readers (thanks for providing that link Alex) I have come to the conclusion that the GB are akin to our politicians. They can talk for an hour and say nothing. As illustrated below.
RE. question from readers Quote How should a person be viewed who has determined in his heart that he is now anointed and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He should not be judged. The matter is between him and Jehovah. (Romans 14:12) Then it continues with something that has absolutely no bearing on this most important topic. - However, genuine anointed Christians do not demand special attention blah blah, ignores the topic and continues with the same old rhetoric that sadly glosses over the subject. Ah well!
Come to think of it, Who will survive Armageddon? Answer Only Jehovah knows he is the judge. Oh thank you thank you so I don't have to be a JW ; yeah right!
Apologies if I'm appearing flippant, little touchy on this subject. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this article Alex.Reply by ilovejesus333 on 2014-12-18 21:34:09
Just to add, it now appears that ANOTHER change was made concerning the other sheep according to the ‘new light’ published at the Annual Meeting of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, held on October 6, 2012, It seems Rutherford got it wrong,- again! The great crowd are no longer represented in John 10;16 as the other sheep. The other sheep are now ALL the "domestics" comprising of those annointed along with others having an earthly hope. All of whom are being fed bt the FDS
The plot thickens. I suppose now they no longer need to explain the embarrasing question who the great crowd in Rev are who appear before the throne dressed in white robes..
Comment by peter on 2014-12-18 23:36:43
IS DEDICATION NECESSARY FOR SALVATION?
The Watchtower of August 15, 1997 said: “Studying the Bible, applying what is learned, dedication, and baptism are steps leading to salvation.” —w97 8/15 7 Salvation-What It Really Means.
There are some Bible subjects that evoke strong emotions in their believers. Christendom has its Trinity. To question the Trinity is to question the very identity of God himself and to deny Jesus. To them, accepting the Trinity is necessary for salvation. Is it taught in the Scriptures? We argue that it is not; that neither the word nor the idea is found in the Bible, and that those who teach it are twisting the Scriptures. But we have our own "Trinity."
The apostle Paul asks, "Do you, however, the one teaching someone else, not teach yourself?..." (Rom. 2:21) If we find fault with the Trinity teaching because of its lack of clear scriptural support, then why are we just as zealous about our own teaching on Dedication, when we have even less Scriptures to point to? Look at the following Watchtower quote regarding the purpose of our baptism:
For What Purpose?
Why did Jesus require that his disciples be baptized? Well, it was a fitting symbol of their wholehearted dedication to God. . .
Being dipped under the water showed that those being baptized had died to a life course that had centered on themselves. Their being raised up out of the water symbolized that they were now alive to the doing of God’s will and were putting it first in their lives, as Jesus had done. (Matthew 16:24)
What Will You Do?
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. It is a necessary step toward salvation. —w93 4/1 5-7 Should You Be Baptized? (Italics mine)
How many Scriptures will you find to support the above statement from the 1993 Watchtower? What Scriptures do you use when you teach your bible study as to WHY they must get baptized?
Acts 2:37-38 simply says: "Now when they heard this they were stabbed to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Men, brothers, what shall we do?” Peter [said] to them: “Repent, and let each one of YOU be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of YOUR sins, and YOU will receive the free gift of the holy spirit."
By our "Dedication and the symbolizing of it by baptism" are we not teaching that we must EARN salvation? That is what the following Watchtower articles say:
Dedication and Our Obligation to God
Some baptized Christians need to pray earnestly because they are not living up to the ministerial obligations they assumed when they made a dedication to God. —w99 11/15 19 Are You Fulfilling Your Whole Obligation to God? (Italics mine)
Therefore, regardless of how many years we may eagerly have awaited the end of this wicked, unjust, and violent world, we must zealously live up to our dedication in accord with our circumstances. —w98 6/15 21 Jehovah's Organization Supports Your Ministry.
May we therefore fulfill our dedication to Jehovah and not “shrink back to destruction.” —Hebrews 10:39. —w98 7/15 19 Have You Entered Into God's Rest? (Italics mine)
The articles offer no Scriptures that mention the necessity for any dedication. Neither will you find any at all. Like Christendom with its Trinity, we cite a scripture and then stretch it a bit here and there to make it fit just what we want it to say. And we fully expect faithful servants of Jehovah to accept that. But, just as we tell others, if it is not found in the Bible it is not from God. And somewhere along the line it will conflict with God's Word.
Are we declared righteous due to our Dedication?
Teaching that we gain salvation due to our dedication contradicts what the Bible teaches.
Ephesians 2:4-7,
"4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, 5 made us alive together with the Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses—by undeserved kindness YOU have been saved— 6 and he raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus, 7 that in the coming systems of things there might be demonstrated the surpassing riches of his undeserved kindness in his graciousness toward us in union with Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 2:9,
"but we behold Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that he by God’s undeserved kindness might taste death for every [man]."
Galatians 2:21,
"I do not shove aside the undeserved kindness of God; for if righteousness is through law, (or works of law) Christ actually died for nothing."
Galatians 5:4-5,
"4 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. 5 For our part we by spirit are eagerly waiting for the hoped-for righteousness as a result of faith."
Romans 4:2-5,
"2 If, for instance, Abraham were declared righteous as a result of works, he would have ground for boasting; but not with God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham exercised faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the man that works the pay is counted, not as an undeserved kindness, but as a debt. 5 On the other hand, to the man that does not work but puts faith in him who declares the ungodly one righteous, his faith is counted as righteousness."
Are we not "parted from Christ. . . fallen away from his undeserved kindness," by our insistence that we can receive everlasting life only through works by living up to our dedication? Are we not also robbing Jehovah by emphasizing our dedication rather than his undeserved kindness? Does Jehovah owe us anything? Must we earn everlasting life? As Paul clearly explains, if we were to be "declared righteous as a result of works," then we would have ground for boasting, because we had earned it as payment of a debt, and not as a result of God's undeserved kindness. By teaching that we must "live up to our ministerial obligations" that we assumed when we made a dedication to God, we have placed a heavy burden on all who want to please God. And, of course, those in responsible positions are free to define, by means of their many publications, what living up to our dedication involves. (Matt. 11:30; 23:4) Note how they boast about doing this:
Each year, printing plants of the Watch Tower Society and similar legal bodies supply Jehovah’s Witnesses with millions of Bibles, books, brochures, and magazines for use in their worldwide preaching activity. These legal entities are therefore invaluable in helping dedicated servants of God to live up to their dedication to him. —w98 3/15 18 Living Up to Christian Dedication in Freedom.
If they agree that the unbaptized publisher has a reasonable understanding of Bible teachings and qualifies in other ways, they will tell him that he may be baptized. As a result of his dedication and baptism, he becomes ‘marked’ for salvation.—Ezekiel 9:4-6. —w96 1/15 17 Jehovah's Sheep Need Tender Care. (Italics mine)
Interestingly, the Daily Text for Thursday, January 14, 2010, noted the following in contrast to the above quotes: "Sinful humans cannot earn everlasting life by their imperfect efforts to do what is right. (Isa. 64:6) Gaining everlasting life is possible only by putting faith in God’s loving provision of salvation through Jesus Christ. Let us do all that we can to show our appreciation for that undeserved kindness of God! —w08 6/15 2:2, 3".
Why the contradiction? If we cannot "earn everlasting life by [our] imperfect efforts to do what is right," and that our salvation is due to the "undeserved kindness of God," then why the insistence on living up to our dedication? We may not be confused about the identity of Jesus and GOD, but when it comes to the ransom and salvation we ARE confused, and for the same reason that Christendom is about their Trinity; we have broken "the rule" about not going beyond what is written. (1Cor. 4:6; Deut. 12:32) Whereas Christendom's Trinity deflects honor from Jehovah and bestows it upon his Son, our "Dedication" deflects the honor from Jehovah and his Son and bestows it upon ourselves.
Proverbs 30:5,6 also says, "Every saying of God is refined . . . Add nothing to his words, that he may not reprove you, and that you may not have to be proved a liar."
Teaching that we gain salvation due to our “dedication to God” is tantamount to denying the ransom. (Galatians 2:21)
The time is fast approaching when Jehovah will clear up any false teaching among his people about our salvation, for "the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him." (John 4:23,24) No, we cannot earn salvation due to works by means of our unreserved dedication. But rather, we will gain everlasting life by exercising faith in the ransom provision, Jesus' shed blood. This will include all who will come back in the resurrection. But the Watchtower insists that they too must earn their future salvation by means of their dedication:
All these resurrected ones must do something in order for their resurrection to turn out to be one of life and not one of adverse judgment. They must come to the earthly courtyards of Jehovah’s temple and bow down in dedication to God through Jesus Christ. Any resurrected ones who refuse to do this will suffer the same scourge that befalls the present-day nations. (Zechariah 14:18). —w96 7/1 22-3 The Triumph of True Worship Draws Near. (Italics mine)
Our trinity of dedication, baptism, and salvation has caused a great deal of suffering. It is the means by which we are judged by our brothers, and we judge them. (Matt. 7:1,2; Rom. 14:4) We measure and compare each other's spirituality by it, seeing how well everyone is living up to their dedication; publishers within the congregations, congregations within their circuit, and the circuits with the national average. And yet, it is not from God, for it is nowhere taught in the Scriptures. What is taught though, is that we must NOT judge, measure, or compare. (Rom. 14:10; Gal. 5:26; 6:4) And so we have made God's Word invalid by our traditions. Now that is something to worry about! (Matt. 15:6-9)
CAN WE DEDICATE TO GOD WHAT ALREADY BELONGS TO HIM?
We do not belong to ourselves. We belong to God because he purchased us with a price. See how the Society makes that point (Italics added):
Part of this repenting and turning around includes what Jesus called ‘disowning ourselves.’ (Matthew 16:24) That is, we no longer live according to just our own selfish desires with no concern for God’s will and purposes. Instead, we recognize that Jehovah God actually has full claim on our lives as our Creator and our Purchaser through his Son’s ransom sacrifice. As the Bible expresses it, we ‘do not belong to ourselves, for we were bought with a price.’ (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) —tp 179-80 16 The Choice Assuring Life in True Peace and Security.
Since it is acknowledged that we already belong to God, "for we were bought with a price," and he has "full claim on our lives," how can we then go ahead and dedicate to God what no longer belongs to us but already belongs to him anyways? I am emphasizing this point because the Watchtower seems to have beclouded the issue by the teaching on Dedication. Some examples (Italics mine):
Due to our having made a dedication to Jehovah God we belong to him, being either his adopted sons or prospective grandsons. Jehovah God and we have mutual interests, chief of which is the vindication of Jehovah’s name, and, secondary, our own salvation. We are concerned with God’s vindication and he with our salvation. —w63 2/15 113 Talking with God.
From all the foregoing it can be seen that the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses has been very careful to have all baptismal candidates understand that they were being immersed in water only because they had previously, whether shortly before or a long time before, decided to belong to Jehovah God and accordingly had deliberately and intelligently dedicated themselves to God through faith in Jesus Christ. —w64 2/15 126 Did You Make an Acceptable Dedication to God?
However, you must do more than privately tell Jehovah that you want to belong to him. You need to show before others that you have made a dedication to serve God. How do you do this? By getting baptized in water. Such water baptism is a public demonstration that a person has dedicated his life to Jehovah and is presenting himself to do His will. —pe 251-2 30 What You Must Do to Live Forever.
The above quotes (and there are many more) teach that we belong to God because of our dedication. But are we not dedicating to God what already belongs to him, if indeed we were bought with a price? Even more reprehensible: Are we not at the same time denying the value of Jesus' sacrifice, if we teach that it is on account of our dedication that we belong to God? Another important point: We are robbing Jehovah by minimizing what HE has done—bought us with a price; in favor of what WE are doing—dedicating ourselves. Are we not emphasizing OUR own love for God, rather than HIS love for us? (Mal. 3:8,9) How different this attitude is from that expressed by the apostle John: "By this the love of God was made manifest in our case, because God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent forth his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins."―1 John 4:9,10.
Comment by peter on 2014-12-18 23:48:48
"WE DO NOT FIND THE WORD DEDICATION IN THE GREEK SCRIPTURES"
The concept of dedication, or consecration, to the Divine is not unique to Jehovah's witnesses. This is what the Catholic Encyclopedia, under "Consecration" writes:
"Consecration, in general, is an act by which a thing is separated from a common and profane to a sacred use, or by which a person or thing is dedicated to the service and worship of God by prayers, rites, and ceremonies. The custom of consecrating persons to the Divine service and things to serve in the worship of God may be traced to the remotest times. We find rites of consecration mentioned in the early cult of the Egyptians and other pagan nations. Among the Semitic tribes it consisted in the threefold act of separating, sanctifying, or purifying, and devoting or offering to the Deity." (bold mine)
The Encyclopedia claims that Moses designated the nation of Israel as the People of God "by a solemn act of consecration." Concerning Aaron's priesthood and that of the Levites it says:
"Later on we read of the consecration of the priests -- Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29) -- who had been previously elected (Exodus 28). Here we have the act of consecration consisting of purifying, investing, and anointing (Leviticus 8) as a preparation for their offering public sacrifice. . . . Distinct from the priestly consecration is that of the Levites (Numbers 3:6) who represent the first-born of all the tribes. The rite of their consecration is described in Numbers, viii..."
Concerning the pagan Romans the Encyclopedia goes on to say:
"Among the Romans whatever was devoted to the worship of their gods (fields, animals, etc.) was said to be consecrated, and the objects which pertained intimately to their worship (temples, altars, etc.) were said to be dedicated. These words were, however, often used indiscriminately, and in both cases it was understood that the object once consecrated or dedicated remained sacred in perpetuum."
Based on their own teaching of dedication and consecration, the Catholic Church has adopted a variety of customs in connection with it.
"The Church distinguishes consecration from blessing, both in regard to persons and to things. Hence the Roman Pontifical treats of the consecration of a bishop and of the blessing of an abbot, of the blessing of a corner-stone and the consecration of a church or altar. In both, the persons or things pass from a common, or profane, order to a new state, and become the subjects or the instruments of Divine protection. At a consecration the ceremonies are more solemn and elaborate than at a blessing. The ordinary minister of a consecration is a bishop, whilst the ordinary minister of a blessing is a priest. At every consecration the holy oils are used; at a blessing customarily on holy water. The new state to which consecration elevates persons or things is permanent, and the rite can never be repeated, which is not the case at a blessing; the graces attached to consecration are more numerous and efficacious than those attached to a blessing; the profanation of a consecrated person or thing carries with it a new species of sin, namely sacrilege, which the profanation of a blessed person or thing does not always do.
"Of consecration proper the Roman Pontifical contains one of persons, that is of a bishop, and four of things, that is, of a fixed altar, of an altar-stone, of a church, and of a chalice and paten. The consecration of a church is also called its dedication (q.v.) in accordance with the distinction between consecration and dedication among the ancient Romans pointed out above."
Charles Taze Russell also held to the idea that we must be consecrated to God. This is what the Watchtower of January 15, 1989, page 18, wrote under the heading, "How Baptism Can Save Us":
In 1914, C. T. Russell (then president of the Watch Tower Society) received a letter in which a fellow Christian asked if his 12-year-old son should be urged to make a dedication to God. “If I were you,” Russell responded, “I would not press consecration [dedication] upon him, but I would hold it up before his mind as the only proper course for all intelligent people who have come to a knowledge of God and his gracious purposes . . . Without consecration none will ever gain everlasting life . . . Your son cannot be injured by consecration, but may be greatly helped. . . . Who shall say that a child of ten may not very fully and completely come to an appreciation of full consecration in thought and word and act? Looking back I can see that my whole consecration was first made at a little advance—beyond twelve years of age.” (Italics mine)
In 1952 the Watchtower Society re-examined the matter of consecration and more fully defined what it involved. This is how it was explained:
What this water baptism symbolized has always been clearly understood and explained by Jehovah’s witnesses, although there has been a change in terminology. In times past what we now call “dedication” used to be called “consecration.” It was called consecration, for instance, in the book by Charles Taze Russell entitled “The New Creation,” in which book the meaning of water baptism is explained, particularly with reference to those who make up the symbolic body of Christ, those who have the hope of heavenly life. In due time, however, in The Watchtower of May 15, 1952, two articles appeared on this subject. The leading article was entitled “Dedication to God and Consecration,” and the subsidiary article was entitled “Dedication for Life in the New World.” These articles showed that what was once called “consecration” was more properly termed “dedication.” Since that time the term “dedication” has been used. —w64 2/15 p. 122, Did You Make an Acceptable Dedication to God?
It is interesting to note that in the past the Watchtower has acknowledged that the word "dedication" in connection with giving of oneself exclusively to God is not found in the Scriptures. And that it is neither tied in with baptism nor becoming a disciple of Christ. The Watchtower, May 15, 1952, page 315, under the study article "Dedication for Life in the New World" says (Italics mine):
Searching through the Christian Greek Scriptures we do not find either the word dedication or the word consecration used to designate this step of giving oneself exclusively to God through Jesus Christ. When reading of the early adopters of Christianity we merely find it said that they believed or exercised faith. The formula that those used who urged people to adopt Christianity was, “Repent and be converted,” or, “Repent and turn around.” Also, “Repent and be baptized.”
On the day of Pentecost, when the perplexed people asked Christ’s apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter answered: "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit. . . . Get saved from this crooked generation." Some days later at the temple Peter said to another crowd: "Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the person of Jehovah and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for you, Jesus." (Acts 2:37-40; 3:19, 20, NW) When the conscience-stricken jailer at Philippi, Macedonia, asked Paul and Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to get saved?" they replied: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will get saved, you and your household." Then they "spoke the word of Jehovah to him together with all those in his house", after which "one and all, he and his were baptized without delay". —Acts 16:30-33, NW.
How, then, does the inspired record say they became true Christians and a people for God’s name? By consecrating themselves? No! It was by believing or becoming believers, by exercising faith and resting their faith in God’s revealed purpose and arrangement. Read for yourself: After Pentecost, "all those who became believers were together in having all things in common." "More than that, believers in the Lord kept on being added, multitudes both of men and of women." "To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone putting faith in him gets forgiveness of sins through his name." "Furthermore, the hand of Jehovah was with them, and a great number that became believers turned to the Lord." "When those of the nations heard this, they began to rejoice and to glorify the word of Jehovah, and all those who were rightly disposed for everlasting life became believers." "Thus Paul left their midst, but some men joined themselves to him and became believers." "But Crispus the presiding officer of the synagogue became a believer in the Lord, and so did all his household. And many of the Corinthians that heard began to believe and be baptized." "And many of those who had become believers would come and confess and report their practices openly." So such taking up of belief or faith according to God’s newly revealed purpose and will was what made them Christians, God’s people. —Acts 2:44; 4:4; 5:14; 10:43; 11:21; 13:48; 17:33; 18:8; 19:18, NW.
Although the Watchtower acknowledges that in the Christian Greek Scriptures "we do not find either the word dedication or the word consecration used to designate this step of giving oneself exclusively to God through Jesus Christ," and that which made the early Christians God's people was their "faith according to God's newly revealed purpose and will," and not dedication; and also, "the formula that those used who urged people to adopt Christianity was, “Repent and be converted," or "Repent and be baptized," rather than the need to dedicate themselves to God, nevertheless, the self-appointed "Faithful and Discreet Slave", the Governing Body, has taken it upon themselves to define our dedication to God in any way they have seen fit, no different from what the Catholic Church has done, even going so far as making it a basic requirement for salvation. The article, on page 316, goes on to show how they have used the Scripture at James 2:17, 24 to define this doctrine of dedication:
Where, then, is the dedication of self to God through Jesus? It is included in such belief or exercise of faith. James 2:17, 24 (NW) tells us: “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself. You see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone.” Dedication to God through Christ is one’s putting life into his faith, activating it, making it a producer of works, and leading to the practice of righteousness. As we note from the record above quoted, those who exercised faith or became believers performed works. They submitted to water baptism so as to give a symbolic testimony to their faith, and thus they imitated Jesus. They turned away from the world and turned to him as Jehovah’s Anointed One or Messiah, whom Jehovah had made their heavenly Lord. They joined themselves to Jehovah’s visible organization and kept together as a united congregation. They confessed and reported their past practices openly and showed they had repented or changed their minds about such things and that they had converted or turned around and were now going in God’s way in the footsteps of Jesus. This was how they showed that they were “rightly disposed for everlasting life” in the new world.
The Bible writer James nowhere mentions dedication. That is not what he was discussing. But, the Watchtower has gone beyond James' words to help define all the things that dedication is supposed to entail, teaching us how we can put "life into [our] faith, activating it, making it a producer of works," by our holding to their definition of living up to our dedication, whatever they say that involves, and then claiming that baptism is a symbol of that which is not even taught in the Scriptures. Is this not a matter of going "beyond the things written"? Yes, and what is more, they actually acknowledge it! (1 Cor. 4:6) They would do well to heed James' other words, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment." ―James 3:1.
What in reality is the origin of our practice of dedication since, admittedly, it is not mentioned in the Scriptures? Consider the similarity of our dedication and that of others:
When we prayerfully, either silently or audibly to ourselves, dedicate ourselves to him to do his will from then on and forever in whatever realm of life God may choose for us, does God in the high heavens really hear us or pay attention? His Word assures us that he does, and we must exercise faith that he does, so as to hold us to our decision. . .
11 So after dedicating yourself in faith to God hold your word sacred, inviolable, untouchable by any change. Your vow to be his and do his will is forever binding. —The Watchtower, May 15, 1952, page 317, "Dedication for Life in the New World."
How similar to the Roman practice of dedication where "it was understood that the object once consecrated or dedicated remained sacred in perpetuum." And that of the Catholic Church: ". . . the persons or things pass from a common, or profane, order to a new state, and become the subjects or the instruments of Divine protection. . . The new state to which consecration elevates persons or things is permanent, and the rite can never be repeated."
Please remember, it was Jehovah who chose and anointed ("consecrated" according to the Catholic Encyclopedia) Aaron and his sons as priests, and likewise the Levites. No one could "consecrate" themselves to God. (Heb. 5:4) The custom of consecrating or dedicating persons to the Divine service and things to serve in the worship of God may be traced to the remotest times, to "the early cult of the Egyptians and other pagan nations," including the Romans.Reply by kev c on 2014-12-19 03:23:15
Thanks peter that was interesting i think you are right on this issue of the supposed connection of baptism and dedication .I may be wrong here but i seem to remember the brothers connecting hebrews 10 v7 with the baptism . ( look i have come to do your will ) yet the scripture in itself and the context reveal its not so much the act of baptism being discussed but the sacrificial death of jesus .As for works v the free gift . I think salvation is a free gift . .but it doesnt excuse the fact that we have to then live our lives in way that pleases god .and that would be the idea behind repentance .2 corinthians 5 v 15 .The problem it seems for the organisation is thats not enough for they want workers .like any company and have created ( jobs for the boys ) where in reality gods will is a much simpler thing it basically revolves around cultivating faith in christ and love for others and avoiding the works of the flesh ( ie the world ) 1 john 3 v 23 james 1 v 27 thanks again peter . Kev .
Comment by ¿Wheresenoch? on 2014-12-19 03:52:29
Nice job Alex. A few points of interest deserve consideration. It has been touched on here on this site as well as others, that once we find out the 'truths' we held dear 4 so long arent entirely accurate we may tend 2 run as fast/far as possible in the opposite direction! Sometimes only a slight tweak is needed. I believe being Christian IS being anointed. Also partaking of emblems is a Christian requirement.john 6:53.56 However partaking is not a 'get into heaven free' card. Judas taught us that in luke 22:21. Jesus only said 2 do it as remembrance- 1 cor 11:25,26 luke 22:19. It seems he asks this of us no matter what realm we end up in. Theres something about the 'heavenly obsession' that seems eerily familiar.(luke 22:24-27 matt 18:1&10:35-37) All thru history we have been trying 2 live in heaven while angels have been trying 2 live on earth.Simply wanting 2 be someplace (earth or heaven) passionately does not give us access. Bottom line Jah can put individuals where ever he wants. For instance, if he chose 2 have a literal 144k rule from earth, or if in the future he made it possible 4 ALL faithful ones 2 travel back & forth between spirit/fleshly realms who of us would be disappointed ?? (Matt 20:1-16) but what do i know?
Comment by on 2014-12-21 16:36:04
You are right, Imacountrygirl.
You said, “We could spend the rest of our lives sifting through every word that has ever been published by the Watchtower, but to what end?” It’s that word, “sifting” – like sand falling quietly through the narrow hole in an hourglass. You then said, “Or, we can save ourselves a lot of precious time and go straight to God’s own word and learn His Truth for ourselves.”
It IS the precious time we must consider.
Matt 7:26,27 - Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!”
Eph 4:14 - So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.
Whether it is shifting sands or heavy waves, who would want to be near either one?
Dear Brother Alex,
The true blessing we receive from Christ includes recognizing that we don’t let one man or a group of men come to the conclusion that our individual spirituality must be determined in any manner they may chose; in this case a new understanding by the GB. Our relationship is personal; and with the blessing of Holy Spirit we glorify only our God and Christ and we allow no man to come between us. 1 Thess 2:4; 2 Thess 2:14; Eccles 8:9
1 Thess 1:5 - because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.
We either extol pure light or pure darkness. There is not a sharing of both. 1 Thess 5:4,5; Mar 12:30
Can we wholeheartedly say that by remaining within the organization we are truly relying on this command in Mark 12:30?
Does the organization radiate pure light?
With Christian love,
peely
Comment by WT Study: Elders, How Do You Feel About Training Others? | Beroean Pickets on 2015-06-08 04:01:08
[…] Paragraph 3 encourages the elders to ask the learner, “How has your dedication to Jehovah changed the way you use your life?” Notice that no mention is made of baptism. It is dedication that we focus on in the Organization. Yet, nowhere in the Bible are Christians told to dedicate their lives to Jehovah. Nowhere are those contemplating baptism encouraged to first make a dedication to God in prayer as Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. Grab your WT Library program and do a search on “dedication”. Then another on “dedicat*”. There are only a few hits in the Christian Scriptures and all relate to Judaism. (For a discussion of “dedication” vs. “baptism”, see “The Sacraments of Initiation”.) […]
Comment by Kyp on 2018-02-06 12:39:04
Sad to see, that no "new hope movement" has taken place these years after this article. I think you have to search outside the organisation to find Christians with a living hope and faith.