[From ws15/09 for Nov 16-22]
“See what sort of love the Father has given us!” – 1 John 3:1
Before we begin our review, let’s do a little experiment. If you have the Watchtower Library on CD-ROM, open it and double-click on “All Publications” in the left panel. Below that, under “Section”, double-click on Bibles. Now double-click on “Bible Navigation” and select 1 John 3:1. Once you have that displayed, select the words of the theme text: “See what sort of love the Father has given us”. Right-click and select “Copy with Caption”, then open your favorite word processor or text editor and paste in the text.
Depending on your preference settings, you should see something like this:
“. . .See what sort of love the Father has given us. . .” (1Jo 3:1)
Do you notice a discrepancy between what you’ve just pasted and what is placed as our theme text?
The ellipsis (…) is a grammatical element used to denote missing text in a quotation. In this case, the first ellipsis indicates I failed to include the “3” of the chapter in my selection. The second ellipsis indicates I failed to include these words: “that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. That is why the world does not know us, because it has not come to know him.”
It is the prerogative of the writer to leave out words from a quotation, but it is not his prerogative to hide that fact from you. Doing so might be simply a matter of sloppy technique and poor editing, or depending on the circumstances, it could actually amount to intellectual dishonestly. It could also be that the writer is unaware of this grammatical element and its use, but such is not the case here. A quick scan of the theme text from last week’s study shows that the writers know how and why the ellipsis is used.
By omitting the ellipsis in this week’s theme text and ending the quote with an exclamation point, the writer is giving us to understand that this is a complete thought—the full contents of 1 John 3:1. Nothing more is said. One might excuse this as something other than a ploy were the entire text reproduced elsewhere in the article, or were we required to read it as part of the Watchtower Study’s mandated “Read” texts. Such is not the case.
Those of us who are still quick to jump to the defence of the Organization might suggest this is merely a typographical error, a simple oversight, or as we are wont to say, “the mistakes of imperfect men.” However, we have been told by these same imperfect men that great care is exercised to ensure the accuracy of everything that goes into our publications and that the study articles in particular are extensively scrutinized. These are reviewed by all members of the Governing Body prior to their approval. Then they are scanned and proofread by dozens of individuals before being released to the translators who number in the hundreds. Additionally, the translators can and do catch errors which are reported back to the writing department. In short, there is virtually no possibility for an oversight like this to go unnoticed. We must therefore conclude it was done intentionally.
So what of it? Is this much ado about nothing? How important can it really be that an ellipsis was omitted?
The Missing Message
Before answering those questions, we need to realize that the whole point of the article is expressed in its title: “How Does Jehovah Show His Love for Us?” Since the theme text supports this titular theme, there can only be one of two reasons for leaving out words from the theme text: 1) They are not relevant to the theme or 2) they would contradict what the writer wants to teach us.
In the first case, there would be no reason to leave out the ellipsis. The writer has nothing to hide and it serves him to demonstrate that by including the ellipsis. This is not the case in the second instance where the writer doesn’t want us to be aware of Bible truths that might contradict his message to us.
Given that we are now aware there is something there, let’s see what John has to say.
“See what sort of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. That is why the world does not know us, because it has not come to know him. 2 Beloved ones, we are now children of God, but it has not yet been made manifest what we will be. We do know that when he is made manifest we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.” (1Jo 3:1, 2)
John’s message is simple; yet at the same time, it is powerful and wonderful. God’s love is expressed to us in that he calls us to be His children. John says that we are now his children. All this indicates that this is a changed state for us. We were once not his children, but he has called us out of the world and now we are. It is this special calling to become God’s children that is in and of itself the answer to John’s challenge: “See what sort of love the Father has given us….”
The Article’s Message
With such a marvelous and encouraging message to transmit, it might seem baffling that the article’s writer should go out of his way to hide it from us. To discern why, we must understand the doctrinal burden he is saddled with.
“Although Jehovah has declared his anointed ones righteous as sons and the other sheep righteous as friends on the basis of Christ’s ransom sacrifice….”
(w12 7/15 p. 28 par. 7 “One Jehovah” Gathers His Family)
Throughout the Christian Scriptures, the unifying message is that Christians become children of God. There is no call for us to be God’s friends. The writer can only work with what is there; and what is there are repeated references to the “children of God”, with not a single one to the “friends of God”. The challenge therefore is how to turn the “other sheep…friends” into sons while continuing to deny them the inheritance that accrues to sons. (Ro 8:14-17)
The writer attempts to meet this challenge by misrepresenting the father/son relationship as it pertains to Christians. Next, to avoid focusing on the outstanding way God’s love is given to us—as John explains—the writer focuses on four lesser ways: 1) By teaching us truth; 2) by counselling us; 3) by disciplining us; 4) by protecting us.
“Yet, your feelings about God’s love for you might be affected by your upbringing and background.” – par. 2
An ironic statement to be sure, since this is precisely what has happened to all of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I know that my upbringing and background as a Witness trained from infancy was that God’s love for me differed from the love he gave to “the anointed.” I accepted that I was a second class citizen. Still loved, yes, but not as a son; only as a friend.
When Is a Son, not a Son?
A bastard is an illegitimate child. Unwanted and rejected by his father, he is a son only in the biological sense. Then there are sons who have been disinherited, thrown out of the family; usually for conduct that disgraces the family name. Adam was such a son. He was disinherited, denied the everlasting life that is the divine right of all God’s children, angelic or human.
The writer of the article would have us overlook this fact and pretend we are still God’s children by the genetic inheritance that comes with having Adam, the only man created directly by God, as our biological father.
“In what ways, then, does Jehovah love us? The answer to that question lies in understanding the basic relationship between Jehovah God and us. Jehovah, of course, is the Creator of all humans. (Read Psalm 100:3-5) That is why the Bible calls Adam a “son of God,” and Jesus taught his followers to address God as “our Father in the heavens.” (Luke 3:38; Matt. 6:9) Being the Life-Giver, Jehovah is our Father; the relationship between him and us is that of a father to his children. Simply put, Jehovah loves us the way a devoted father loves his children. – par. 3
Psalm 100:3-5 is used to prove that “Jehovah, of course, is the Creator of all humans.” That is incorrect. This Psalm refers to the making of the nation of Israel, not humanity. That is plainly evident from its context. The fact is Jehovah created the first man from the dust of the ground. The first woman was developed by using the genetic material of the first man. All other humans have come by means of a process that God created. It is that process, known as procreation, by which you and I came to be. In this we are no different from the animals. To say that I am God’s son like Adam because Jehovah created me, means that Jehovah is continuing to create flawed, sinful humans. All of God’s works are good, but I am not good. Good for nothing, perhaps, but clearly not good. Therefore, God did not create me; I was not born as a son of God.
The argument that we are his children and he is our father based on the fact that he made Adam ignores several significant Bible truths, not least of which is that no human was conceived while Adam and Eve were still God’s children. Only after they were thrown out of the garden, disinherited, and separated from the family of God did the family of humankind come into being.
The writer would have us accept that Jesus’ words at Matthew 6:9 apply to us because God created Adam and we are Adam’s descendants. The writer would have us overlook the fact that everybody on earth is a descendant of Adam. By this logic, Jesus words apply to all humanity. Well then, if we are all his sons, why does Paul speak of being adopted?
“For YOU did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but YOU received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” 16 The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Ro 8:15, 16)
A father doesn’t adopt his own children. That’s just plain silly. He adopts those who are not his children, and through the adoption process, they become his children. As a result, they become his heirs.
Paul continues:
“If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together.” (Ro 8:17)
This is what Jesus meant when he told his followers to pray, “Our Father in the heavens….” This type of Father/son relationship hadn’t existed till then. We do not find King David, or Solomon, or Abraham, Moses, or Daniel addressing Jehovah in prayer as Father. That only comes into being in the time of Christ.
Thus, I too was born as a spiritual orphan, fatherless and alienated from God. Only my faith in Jesus grants me the authority to be called a child of God, and only the holy spirit which comes by being born again has allowed me to be adopted back into God’s family. For me this realization came very late in life, but I’m thankful to the Father of tender mercies and comfort that he called me. This truly is the sort of love that God had given us. (John 1:12; 3:3; Ro 8:15; 2Co 1:3; 1 John 3:1)
Failing to Make the Point
The article stumbles on, going from one piece of bad logic to another. In paragraph 5 it tries to instruct us that Jehovah is a loving Father who provides by using the example of Paul’s discourse to the Athenians. Paul became all things to all men so that he might win some over. (1Co 9:22) In this instance, he was reasoning with pagans and using their own philosophy to bring them around to the Christian concept of being children of God. His message—in contrast to that of Jehovah’s Witnesses—was that his listeners could become adopted children of God. However, by taking Paul’s reasoning to pagan Athenians and applying it to the Christian congregation, the article’s writer is making us equivalent to pagans and non-Christians. The love he shows us is the same love that he shows to all wayward mankind. What then is the difference between Christian and Muslim, of Jew, or Hindu, of even atheist? Putting faith in Christ becomes irrelevant because all humans are already God’s children by virtue of being descendants of Adam. The only way we can still reconcile this with the truths the apostle John expresses at John 1:12 and 1 John 3:1 is to imagine two type or degrees of sonship. To quote Charlie Chan, the writer would have us accept the idea of a “Number 1 Son” and a “Number 2 Son.”[i]
The writer continues in this vein by using Psalm 115:15, 16. Perhaps he is basing his research on a simple word search, grabbing any text that contains the words “Jehovah” and “sons”, thinking this proves his point. Yes, the earth was a loving provision given to Adam and Eve. However, they brought ruin to it, as have we. The writer should have read on in the third chapter of 1 John to verse 10 where it speaks of the children of the Devil. All the sons of men possess the earth, but not all the “sons of men” are sons of God. In fact, the majority will be treated as sons of Satan. (Mt 7:13, 14; Re 20:8, 9)
The earth is truly a wonderful provision from a loving Father. It was given to Adam and will be returned to a state of grace by God’s Kingdom. All those who choose to rejoin God’s family will again enjoy what Adam and Eve threw away. That is easily established by a study of Scripture. However, the Organization seems intent on going beyond what is written. It’s not enough that God has given us this wonderful planet. We have to believe it is unique, one of a kind. Like the Catholics of old, the Organization wants to put the earth at the center of the inhabitable universe.
The scientific support for this conclusion is as follows:
“Scientists have spent vast amounts of money on space explorations to find other earthlike planets. Although hundreds of planets have been identified, scientists are disappointed that not one of those planets has the intricate balance of conditions that makes human life possible, as the earth does. The earth appears to be unique among all of God’s creation.” – par. 6
Scientists have searched nearby star systems and to date have confirmed 1,905 exoplanets. Of course, these are planets large enough to be detected. Comparatively tiny planets like earth are next to impossible to detect. So there very well may be an earth-like planet orbiting one of these systems, but as yet its presence is beyond our ability to detect. Be that as it may, it seems that planetary systems are the norm. Therefore, with 100 billion stars in our galaxy and hundreds of billions of galaxies out there, claiming that current findings appear to indicate the earth is unique is like saying that after exploring the beach outside your bungalow and finding 2,000 seashells, but not one that was blue, it appears there are no blue seashells in all the world. (Not a perfect analogy as there are far more stars in the heavens than there are seashells on all the beaches in all the world.)
Perhaps there is no other inhabitable planet in the cosmos; or perhaps there are thousands, even millions. Perhaps Jehovah only terraformed one planet for intelligent life; or perhaps there are many more. Perhaps we were the first; or perhaps we’re just another one in a long line. It’s all speculation and proves nothing one way or the other regarding Jehovah’s love. So why is the writer wasting our time and insulting our intelligence with fruitless speculation and silly science?
In paragraph 8 we are again dipping our toe into the irony pool with this statement:
“Fathers love their children and want to protect them from being misled or deceived. Many parents, however, are unable to offer their children proper guidance because they themselves have rejected the standards found in God’s Word. The result is often confusion and frustration.”
Would the standards found in God’s Word whose rejection leads to confusion and frustration include the injunction against following commands of men as doctrines? (Mt 15:8)
Next, we are told that Jehovah, on the other hand, is “the God of truth.” (Ps. 31:5) He loves his children and delights in letting his light of truth shine forth to guide them in every aspect of their life, particularly in matters of worship. (Read Psalm 43:3.) What truth has Jehovah revealed, and how does this show that he loves us? – par. 8
This statement is true as long as one divorces it from the context of the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but that is not the writer’s intention. It is his hope that the readers will overlook the fact that the organization, while claiming to be the channel for revealed truth, has misled us time and again about many Scriptural and prophetic matters. If we are to accept what paragraph 8 states as true of God, then Jehovah isn’t such a good father after all. Of course, that simply cannot be. Therefore, we have to acknowledge that he isn’t using this organization to care for his spirit anointed sons.
We cannot have it both ways.
Further evidence of this is provided unwittingly in the next study paragraph.
“He is like a father who is not only strong and wise but also fair and loving, making it easy for his children to have a close personal relationship with him.”
How does Jehovah make it easy for his children to have a close personal relationship with him?
“Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If YOU men had known me, YOU would have known my Father also; from this moment on YOU know him and have seen him.’” (Joh 14:6, 7)
“For ‘who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, so that he may instruct him?’ But we do have the mind of Christ.” (1Co 2:16)
If JW.ORG is the way Jehovah is using to draw us to him as his children, why was the writer not moved by the spirit to make reference in this article to Jesus as the only way to accomplish that relationship? Not a single mention of this is to be found in this entire article. How very telling!
Jehovah Counsels and Disciplines
Paragraphs 12 through 14 make no practical application of the points that are laid out. However, the implication is that the counsel and discipline from God is directed to us through the elders. Therefore, we should listen to them as we would to Jehovah and when disciplined by them, respond as we would to Jehovah’s discipline. The problem with this is that when an individual has stopped sinning and has repented, Jehovah does not wait for a year before deigning to permit the individual back into fellowship. He does not execute sentences of 12, 18, and 24 months on individuals just to be sure they are truly repentant.
The Scriptural points from these three paragraphs are valid, but it is in their practical application within the organization that fall short of God’s love.
Misapplying the Principle of Fatherly Protection
Paragraph 16 gives a misleading example:
“In our day as well, Jehovah’s hand is not short. A headquarters representative who visited a branch in Africa reported that political and religious conflicts had devastated that country. Fighting, looting, raping, and killing plunged the land into chaos and anarchy. Yet, none of our brothers and sisters lost their life in that case, even though many of them lost all their belongings and their livelihood. When asked how they were faring, everyone, with a broad smile, answered: “All is well, thanks to Jehovah!” They felt God’s love for them.”
What will most infer from this? Will they not conclude that Jehovah protects us in such circumstances?
Not long ago a busload of Bethelites was returning to Kenya from a Bethel dedication in a neighboring country. They were in an accident and some died while others were seriously injured. Where was Jehovah’s protection then? On December 1, 2012 in Miami, there was a fatal crash involving a bus carrying Jehovah’s Witnesses to an assembly. Twenty died in another accident in Nigeria. Eleven died and forty five were injured in yet another crash in Honduras. On February 21, 2012, twenty-nine Jehovah’s Witnesses died a bus crash in Quito, Ecuador. There were many who died in the Philippines during the recent typhoon there.
Why were all the brothers in this unnamed branch in Africa worthy of Jehovah’s protection, while these others were not? Is the writer misleading us into thinking we get some type of special protect as Jehovah’s Witnesses? If so, why?
Statements such as this in paragraph 16 do create a false belief in how Jehovah protects his people. The Organization bears some responsibility for the consequences, though it is unwilling to assume any. For example, in Colombia in 1987 thousands died in a mudslide when a volcano erupted.
“Right on schedule, though, Nevado del Ruiz blew its top on the night of November 13, 1985. More than 20,000 people lost their lives in Armero, and there were thousands of victims from Chinchiná and other nearby towns. Among those who died in Armero were 41 of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their associates. Some inadvisably had fled to the Kingdom Hall, which was on lower ground. They were swept away and entombed with it. Happily, other Witnesses were able to flee to higher ground and were saved.” (w87 12/15 p. 24 Ignoring Warnings and Testing God)
Assertions based on anecdotal evidence such as what happened to our brothers in the aforementioned African nation only serve to bolster the belief in divine intervention in times of trouble. It is therefore highly objectionable when the Organization criticizes individuals whose decision was swayed by years of such indoctrination resulting in a tragic choice. To accuse such ones, after the fact, of ignoring warnings and testing God, while being unwilling to shoulder any responsibility whatsoever, is quite reprehensible.
One Final Misapplication
Under the subtitle “A Grand Privilege”, the article closes by again referring to 1 John 3:1, and reprinting its misleading quote as a full sentence, it ignores John’s point altogether and misappropriates the text for its own purposes:
“To comprehend and experience Jehovah’s love for us is one of the grandest privileges and blessings that we can have today. As was the apostle John, we are moved to declare: “See what sort of love the Father has given us!”—1 John 3:1.” – par. 18
Thus the grand privilege is to understand (as explained by the publications) and to experience (within the framework of the Organization) Jehovah’s love. Yet, is it not a far grander privilege to be called by God himself to be one of his children?
It is loving to hide that fact from the reader?
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[i] My apologies to all the Generation Xers and Millennials for this reference, but you guys are all proficient with the internet so I trust you’ll just google it.
Remember Jesus on the NWT bible in Colossians Jesus created all other things maybe the NWT bible meant life on other planets….. Sorry bad pun or Truth Pun…. 🙂
Thanks for the article meleti , just reading your point under the heading misapplying the principle of fatherly protection . As you know what they are doing here is a mystical manipulation technique . One of liftons points on thought control . I saw some of last months broadcast about the devastaton caused in the phillipines . The important thing seemed to be making a video of all the (faith strengthening experiences ) more than anything else .
They make these videos to be sure everyone sees how faithful and righteous everyone in WT is. Matthew 6:1-6: Take good care not to practice YOUR righteousness in front of men in order to be observed by them; otherwise YOU will have no reward with YOUR Father who is in the heavens. 2 Hence when you go making gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, just as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to YOU, They are having their reward in full. 3 But… Read more »
Great post, thanks TRA.
Yeah what these videos do is give the impression that there is a a god given protection and blessing if we are part of the organisation . Therefore imoressing on millions of others that we need to be in it if we want gods protection .
Such a great article Meleti, thank you. It occurred to me as I read through it that if I were to go to the meeting on Sunday and answer up every time there was a contradiction or logical fallacy in the article, quoting only the scriptures and other Watchtower articles, they would soon stop picking my hand. So much for the “glorious freedom of the children of God.” !
And in paragraph 17 we have the usual plug . By means of his word and bible baaed publications from his organisation . We are helped to see the truth ect ect . Where as 2 timothy3 ; 16 and 17 shows we need no such thing but just the scriptures themselves . The brothers regulary miss qoute the verses to prove in the authenticity of the bible but the point paul was making here was telling timothy how to protect himself from being misled .
And too, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows that Bible is all we need, because by it alone we are “completely equipped”. If our equipment is “complete”, what more is needed? But WT says, ‘no, it’s not complete without us’. They love to talk about the Bible being inspired, when it suits them – thus implying that the scriptures are worthy of being trusted – but when it says it is complete, they renege on that, and effectively teach that in fact it can’t be trusted unless they (the Guardians of Doctrine) explain it all to us. Hmm …
I enjoyed this Meleti, thanks for bringing the context into the picture. I remain constantly amazed at how often this occurs, that a lesson is built around a portion of a verse, taken completely out of its context. Simply reading the sentence before and after the “theme” text changes everything. Like you, my realization of being adopted happened only recently. For my entire life when reading the NT, I never felt as though the words were actually speaking to me. I felt like a third party, like an in-law at a family reunion…… like the feeling one has when attending… Read more »
Just an aside … has everyone noticed how much WT dissenters have picked up the phrase “Guardians of Doctrine” from the Australian child abuse hearings? This must really have struck a raw nerve. Just about any web site you go to that critiques WT has pointed this out. Personally, to me, the expression does seem to be the height of audacity and arrogance. Consider the words of Jesus towards the first-century Guardians of Doctrine – the Scribes and Pharisees. It takes little imagination to see how these words apply to the GB today. Matthew 23:1-12: Then Jesus spoke to the… Read more »
Merely following up on WT ellipses can be an interesting exercise in itself. They often use this tactic to misrepresent a variety of sources – scientists, historians, biblical scholars, to the bible itself. All in order to make it look like these sources agree with their thinking, but when you read the original you will find the opposite!
To be fair looking at the article although its outrageous to leave out (that we should be called children of god ) it does draw on the point of the love a father has for is children . So i personally havent got a big problem with the article . However it seems that 99% of the witnesses are not switched on to the fact that even by thier own admission they are not classed as sons and daughters but only the so called anointed are . So how can the theme scripture of 1 john 3 ; 1 really… Read more »
Sorry…but even the ANGELS are called “Sons Of God” in a difference sense than those who “Adopted or called to heaven as Anointed Sons Of God”
Thanks Meleti for uncovering this misapplication of 1 John 3:1, and highlighting father/son relationship. para 1 they make ref to the verse yet again fail to give its true message. Those in the organisation who are anointed, must feel left out to a degree. Rarely do these one get fed, because most of these articles cater to “the other sheep”. This wouldn’t be the case if they taught, the truth as to all Christians being adopted as sons. This would be perfect passage to build the father/son relationship and strengthen this relationship. Anyway, when I’m in the ministry, I always… Read more »
WT puts great stock in the fact that it has “restored” the name “Jehovah” in the NT, as though they were doing a great thing. This, despite the fact that there are over 5,000 existing NT manuscripts available to scholars, and the Tetragrammaton is not present in any of them. If there were really some apostate or pagan influence or textual corruption that slowly infiltrated the NT text, surely there would be some transitional forms where the YHWH letters were a present in a few places at least. Bible texts were rare, very difficult to produce, and thus extremely valuable.… Read more »
Well said, TRA.
They have no right. If one goes back to the original 1934 article, one sees in the closing paragraphs that the whole reason was to create a clergy/laity division. See Going Beyond What Is Written.
What 1934 article are you referring to? Can you provide a link?
I can do better than that. I can provide an analysis. See Going Beyond What Is Written.
I don’t understand. The article you note is about the role of women, and only briefly touches on going beyond what is written. It says nothing about “the 1934 article”. How does this relate? I am confused.
Sorry. I was wondering why you were asking me for a reference when I’d already provided one. I must have clicked on the wrong article when I put that link together. I’ve fixed it now.
The article in question breaks down the points from both articles in the two-part series titled “His Kindness” which was the article that launched the whole “other sheep” fiasco.
A very thought provoking comment, very insightful. One thing that’s always bothered me is why Jehovah didn’t preserve his name in the Greek scriptures if it was that important – why it doesn’t exist in any of the oldest extant fragments. Clearly if it was that important Jehovah would have made sure that it survived, that we would have some proof, some evidence of this, beyond doubt. Unless it wasn’t there to begin with!
Your unease about this matter is quite understandable. The difficulties go even further. Consider the model prayer, where Jesus asks his Father that His name be sanctified. Here we have the sinless, righteous son of God praying that his own Father’s name be sanctified. What possible reason could God have to NOT listen to His son about this matter, one that seemingly is near and dear to God’s heart? And yet, there are no surviving manuscripts that carry that very name of his Father. This implies that God refused to listen to His only-begotten son in prayer. The very thought… Read more »
I will say this once and not defend or explain my post: Jah’s Name is very much a part of the Greek Scriptures, it occurs in EVERY NT manuscript. The problem is the Christian churches have failed to teach their members that the name “Jesus” is in fact “Joshua” which means Jah Saves. Thus- Let your Name be sanctified or be made holy- refers back to Jah’s saving grace through His Son. The Watchtower is wrong to insert God’s Name where it does not occur. It is also wrong to say God’s Name is missing from the manuscripts, it is… Read more »
That’s a fair point Deborah, and another example is the word hallelujah, which contains at least part of the divine name. But that is also why I have felt conflicted over this issue. Those derivations of the divine have survived in the Greek scriptures, but the divine name itself hasn’t. And yet, it has been preserved in the much older Hebrew Scriptures, in Tetragrammaton form at least. It also seems unlikely to me that Jesus would not use that name when quoting from the Hebrew scritpures. That said though, I wonder if it is really all that important to Jehovah… Read more »
Guardians of Doctrines………… somebody must have watched Guardians of the Galaxy, I love that the watchtower goes all X-Files in Paragraph 6….Amazing.
Love to all from Bustrt
Great as always my Brother, of course they won’t use John 14:6, that is the scripture they don’t approve of ( i say in my own opinion) , I love that they love using Matthew 28:19, but on the baptism talk at the Assemblies they don’t drop it one, and we all know the Questions since the Mid 80’s, changed to more legalism, sorry getting off subject, keep doing great work. 🙂
Thank you for doing all of these articles. I know they take time. Sometimes I think the JWs do a great job on the articles and you pull the slant out. Thank you because I would never have been able to pick these inconsistencies out. Thank you so much for taking your time to do this each week.
Thank you Christopher. It is work, but enjoyable and rewarding work.
Nice article, Meleti.
“Perhaps Jehovah only terraformed one planet for intelligent life; or perhaps there are many more. Perhaps we were the first; or perhaps we’re just another one in a long line.”
I would think the earth is the only planet where God created intelligent life, sons and daughters. Otherwise His Son would have had to give up his life many times.
Thank you Deborah. You make a valid point. Of course, there is also the possibility that others planets have intelligent life, but ours is the only one that fell into sin.
In that case, Jehovah allows Satan to go about here and there attempting to cause multiple intelligent creations, on various planets, to fall without the finality of the woman’s seed crushing his head?
It makes the prophecy ineffective.
That doesn’t necessarily follow. All I’m suggesting is that we cannot rule out other civilizations because of what happened here. A sinless angel decides to go bad. Whether there is only one earth or a million, he has to start somewhere and wherever he starts is where he ends. Of course, this is all hypothetical. My point is that we lack the data to make a categorical ruling on whether there is more intelligent life out there. Yet the Watchtower has no problem in using its own brand of logic based on faulty scientific reasoning to make a statement which… Read more »
Well, I’m coming from the belief that Adam and Eve would fall. Free will always misses the test, it is what it is. We mess up, we learn.
Perhaps a discussion for another day.
Thanks for the reply.
Deb, Meleti, To add another possibility to the mix……. might other “earths” be in various stages of development around the universe? Could it be that our earth is the original prototype of “breathing” beings? This is purely supposition, but if that were the case, because Jehovah created man with the ability to procreate (angelic life can not) only one original would need to be created. All “humanlike” creation would be related and traceable to the DNA of that one and only original. As each earthlike planet became comfortably filled with human beings, the next planet would be ready to sustain… Read more »
An intriguing thought. We don’t want to miss out on all that our Father has prepared for us. (1Co 2:9)
I’m of the view that if the fall of man and plan of redemption were something Jehovah foresaw in advance, I’m close to believing that things are destined. I then have to take the position that Jehovah knew that the Word would not sin when he became human. Oh how that changes everything for me. If you “can’t lose” where’s the risk? Then it’s just 33 earth years, with the last day being physically painful, then it’s over. How long is one earth day in the context of a thousand billion earth years? Not even a blink. Would Jesus not… Read more »
Sopater, God knows the end because He has the ability to Cause all things, maneuver all events, in order that the desired End is accomplished. He predicts because He can make it so. He adjusts according to the changes that occur with men. The repentance of Nineveh being an example of God allowing free will, self-determination, a turning around, becoming, by God’s allowance, the winner over His own condemnation (a lesson which escapes the Watchtower). They were not predestined to repent, no. But then neither were they predestined for eternal death. God does not work that way. As for Christ,… Read more »
Deb, What helps me make sense of this is the “manufacturer” analogy. Imperfect men and their imperfect man made devices produce defective parts, there is no escaping that fact. They can not predict which part(s) will not pass inspection, or, might pass inspection then later fail. They just know that a certain percentage of what they produce is defective. At times the defect doesn’t become manifest until parts begin failing in the field (auto recalls). Though that part may have passed the manufacturer’s initial inspection, it was still defective, either a design flaw, or otherwise. In that Jehovah and the… Read more »
A few weeks ago it was emphasised how the GC are friends, this week it’s we should look at Jehovah as a Father, and as we are his children, they only quoted the first part of 1John1 John 3:1Revised Standard Version (RSV) 3 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Why does the GB do this, they believe that scripture only applies to the anointed, that is why they left it… Read more »
I know many have discussed the issue and possibility of predestination, and I am not likely to be smarter than all those that preceded me. But here’s my two cents. It does seem that if God knew ahead of time that Satan and humans would sin, and bring so much resulting harm and suffering into existence, He could be viewed as being responsible for it. It would amount to blaming God for evil, and thus attributing evil itself to God, something the Bible says is not possible, since He is righteous and perfect. God also clearly has moral qualities, and… Read more »
TRA,
God did not necessarily know the angel we know as Satan would fall. But He did know that free will, the gift of self-determination, would naturally result in bad choices, rebellion.
It is an inescapable truth with history proving it so.
A coin flip. Just because there is a chance you land tails and did, doesn’t mean you intended it, with history to prove. Flipping the coin merely means you recognize the possibility of the outcome. Nothing more. God did neither predestine sin, nor intended sin.
Exactly.
This is the “seed” planet from which at some point in the future Jehovah will allow, and help, mankind to bring to fruition the Garden of Eden wherever they can even in the outer reaches. Of course, there are no outer reaches in a universe that has no end…
Our great God and Father has no bounds in his love and his gifts to his children in both the heavens and the physical world.
Possibly, but again, we cannot know, so we should not make strong assertions.
You mean, “we should NOT make strong assertions”. So embarrassing when we forget that pesky little “not” at the most inconvenient of times :-))
Thanks for catching that, TRA. I’ve fixed it.
>>Possibly, but again, we cannot know, so we should not make strong assertions.
I make “strong assertions”, you make “thought experiments”.
I say potato, you say…
You say potato, I say apple. Yeah, right. Exactly the same thing.
Good try, but no gold ring. 🙂
>>Free will always misses the test
Not always… (Hebrews 4:15)
Nick O. Yes, it was inevitable that Adam and Eve would fall. Not planned, but inevitable…one was deceived something that cannot happen among the angels; the other KNOWINGLY disobeyed as some of the angels also did. It was inevitable that among the throngs of spirit sons there would be at least one who would fall. The STATE of being free to self-determine our path will inevitably result in some making BAD CHOICES. Heaven has not been all sweetness and light. Brother angels taking sides, loyal spirit sons of their Father created with the capacity to love, as we have been,… Read more »
>>Yes, it was inevitable that Adam and Eve would fall.
You probably didn’t intend it to come out this way, but this statement brings reproach on God’s name and character. If it was inevitable that Adam and Eve would fall, then God’s statement that all was good was incorrect as they were predestined to fall.
You left off the first part of the next sentence. Here it is:
“Yes, it was inevitable that Adam and Eve would fall. Not planned, but inevitable…”
Not planned thus not predestined.
I see, so God didn’t plan it this way but knew it was inevitable. Yes, it is clear now that those two terms bear no relationship whatsoever to each other. God created two beings who would not be able to avoid sin, and he declared them good.
Come on. You continue to bring reproach on God’s good name. Time to repent.
Meleti, you wrote: “I see, so God didn’t plan it this way but knew it was inevitable. Yes, it is clear now that those two terms bear no relationship whatsoever to each other. God created two beings who would not be able to avoid sin, and he declared them good.” Yes, Meleti, God can create something Good while also knowing it will not remain so. The Serpent drew to himself spirit sons in heaven. To succeed with lowly flesh is, by comparison, the proverbial piece of cake, a no-brainer, no problem, easy peasy. You also wrote: “Come on. You continue… Read more »
Deborah, Please explain to me why you feel that Adam and Eve’s fall was inevitable. Of course free will allows for these things to happen, but inevitable? What about each individual angel? We know that some angels followed Satan’s course, yet the majority remain faithful. Could not either of those two possibilities have taken place for the human Adam (who would be considered made “a little lower than angels”)? You suggest that it was Christ’s unique nature that kept him from being able to fall. Yet would we not agree that as God’s only begotten son, Christ’s nature is something… Read more »
The biggest problem about intelligent physical life elsewhere relates to the resolution of God’s sovereignty over the universe. Since our world fell into sin because of Adam and Eve, earth is a lawless, renegade world. A tremendous amount of effort and trouble has been expended by God and Christ to arrange the ransom sacrifice and help get us out of this mess. Suppose other people were created on other worlds while the issue of God’s sovereignty and Satan’s defiance remain as yet unresolved. It could create a legal paradox. Consider the case of Adam and Eve after they sinned. The… Read more »
I no longer agree with the JW view that there is any issue involving the resolution of God’s sovereignty. I do not believe it was ever in question. Have a look at Vindicating Jehovah’s Sovereignty for a detailed discussion.
Whether we wish to view the issue as a question of “sovereignty” or simply the temporary tolerance of sin and lawlessness, there is a “problem” with mankind’s relationship with God, which needs to be resolved here, first, so that chaos does not rule over the universe. Surely God would not allow the craziness of this world to exist and flourish on other worlds. That’s all I am trying to say.
I agree with everything except the “first”. If he created 10 worlds with intelligent life, and this one was the 10th and here is where the sin started, then it can be resolved here for the benefit of all.
It’s all speculation, of course, so my theory is as good as your theory and vice versa, but I do feel that God could have foreseen that things had the potential to turn out badly for his human creation, and because of that potential problem, he would not deliberately set himself up to have to deal with 10 “problem worlds”, as if ‘fighting a war on 10 fronts’ all at once. Suppose He created human life on two worlds, and they both fell into sin. What does He do now? On the other hand, if God created life on other… Read more »
The only way I can see your logic working is if we assume God planned for man to sin. I cannot accept that premise based on what the bible teaches us as 1 John 4:8.
No, I don’t believe God “planned” for man to sin in the sense of knowing, foreseeing or expecting ahead of time that man would definitely sin. But surely a God as wise and knowledgeable as He is could foresee the possibility that such a contingency could occur. Consider the advice in Proverbs 22:3: “Shrewd is the one that has seen [or, FORESEEN] the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty.” Now, this verse isn’t an exact match to the principle under discussion here. Still, surely the One that inspired this… Read more »
I agree. If God had created multiple “earths” with the same pattern of placing a test before each first intelligent couple, God would have known that His Son was being exposed to being tortured and dying for each planet that fell. That does not sound like Jehovah who is a God of Order and Wisdom. Satan, though, would have looked forward to the prospect of putting God’s firstborn Son to multiple tests and tortures. No, it makes total sense that earth, this planet, is the only home of physical intelligent life. The only planet to experience what separation from God… Read more »
God did not plan for man to sin, neither did He plan for angels to fall. It has nothing to do with “planning” but recognizing that self-determination will result in a measure of rebellion.
Hi The Real Anonymous, This is a thought experiment admittedly. I’m not trying to prove that other worlds exist. Taking your example of 10 worlds, you have myriads of angels who have existed since the start of time. However, they measure time, in our universe they’ve been around since the beginning. No one has sinned. Then God creates intelligent physical life. Let’s call our planet earth 10. So on earth 1 he creates life. The procreate. Thousands of years go by. No sin. Then he moves to earth 2. The process continues down through earth 3, 4, to 9. Finally,… Read more »
I do not believe that any of them MUST become problem worlds. The issue is, what if more than one DID? How would God resolve it? We can certainly say that since God has wisdom far beyond us, He surely could come up with something. In the case of our earth, from a human standpoint, when Adam and Eve sinned, we ourselves (were it possible for us today to be independent observers of the events in Eden) might have concluded that all was lost, that man’s future was hopeless, that it was “game over” so to speak. Yet God stepped… Read more »
I believe the problem arises due to a faulty premise, that being that the children of God on the other pre-existing 9 worlds would need to be redeemed. I believe that the redemption for humans is a unique case. Why do the angels who sinned not get a redeemer? Simply put, because there is no basis for redemption. They were God’s work and his work is good. They make themselves imperfect by conscious choice, the willing exercise of their free will. So why would the inhabitants of the other 9 worlds deserve a redeemer? Answer: They wouldn’t anymore than the… Read more »
Meleti, I will give you a little leeway, but just a little. Let’s go back to the 10 worlds scenario. For lack of a better explanation, let’s call our earth Earth One, and let’s assume the existence of an Earth Two. Earth One has Adam and Eve. Earth Two has “Adam Two” and “Eve Two”. Assume both Adams and both Eves sin. If a universal issue needs a legal resolution, the resolution doesn’t need to be re-established everywhere. If so, Adam One and Eve One are allowed to live and bear children, but Adam Two and Eve Two are immediately… Read more »
Ah, but you didn’t go back to my 10 worlds scenario. You created a different one, one in which God simultaneously creates two earths with two Adams and two Eves. My scenario provided for a sequential roll-out of intelligent physical life. So there would only ever be one instance where God’s purpose to appear to be foiled by causing the parents of all unborn creatures to sin.
I was just trying to keep the explanation simple. Of course, if life existed on multiple worlds, we have no way of knowing the ordering of it, whether done at the same time or in a serial fashion. If there were a “sequential roll out” of life, where did Adam and Eve fit on the roll-out schedule, if not first? I don’t believe asserting a sequential roll-out solves the underlying problem, which is determining what to do if there is an overlap of time in which human life exists on more than one world, and the possibility exists of sin… Read more »
Our differing points of view stem from your premise that that all human civilizations can be redeemed if sin breaks out, while I believe not human who is not born in sin can be redeemed. The angels who rebelled are not being redeemed, so why should Adam be redeemed, or million perfect sinless individuals on Earth 2.0 be redeemed when countless angels fell, because demons and have no option for redemption. Our situation–yours and mine–is special in that we were never prefect and sinless, but were born in sin. We never had the option to choose. Nevertheless, we to deserve… Read more »
Interesting Meleti. If your “thought experiment” was true then I pity those other worlds who missed out on experiencing for themselves the depths of God’s LOVE which was expressed in God’s own personal sacrifice when He sent His Son to die for us. They have also missed out on seeing the Son of God and the Glory of God triumphing over evil. What beauty in Christ when he delivered his misled and spiritually hungry disciples, when he gave his life for them, when he accepted them with all their faults and loved them. I am happy to be a daughter… Read more »
Freedom to obey or not obey results in the inevitable: attempts at disobedience. I do not believe it possible for an entire race of intelligent sons to be absent ANY attempt by some individuals to sooner or later,, at the very least, test disobedience. Logic and experience prove this true.
The Bible proves this true.
Actually, what the Bible proves to be true is that intelligent beings can live in their millions or billions for billions of years before one of them sins. This is the case with Jehovah’s spirit sons. Why would it be different with his physical sons who were made only a little lower than the angels. Thus, it is quite possible that countless physical civilizations were created before the spirit son who became Satan, who was apparently the first of his kind to sin, took advantage of his assigned place in Eden to tempt the first humans. As a consequence, all… Read more »
If Satan had countless physical civilizations to tempt he would have succeeded in causing some individuals in each of those civilizations to rebel. The enticement to being like God is powerful. Surely God knew there would be spirit sons who would choose to rebel, sad to say, when it comes to free will, the roll of the dice makes it so. We disagree on the possibility of other worlds remaining free from error. I do not believe Satan would have it so since it appears that God has allowed him to do his dirty work for good reason. Differentiation. The… Read more »
>>If Satan had countless physical civilizations to tempt he would have succeeded in causing some individuals in each of those civilizations to rebel. The enticement to being like God is powerful. That assumes that a loving father would have permitted him access to these other civilizations. There are just too many variables for us to make a determination one way or the other. >>Surely God knew there would be spirit sons who would choose to rebel, sad to say, when it comes to free will, the roll of the dice makes it so. God’s work is perfect. It tooks billions… Read more »
“God’s work is perfect.” Brother, “perfect” and self-determination do not neatly align one with the other. How do you define “perfect” with respect to God’s intelligent creation? The Genesis creation account called God’s creations Good not perfect. What is perfect? Who is Perfect? Is it not Only God? Mat 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” meaning complete. We will never be Perfect in its purest form as God is Perfect. “It tooks billions of years before the first spirit son rebelled. Are we to assume less of his physical works?” Yes, because we… Read more »
You’re getting off topic and continuing to make unfounded assertions. I believe further discussion will prove unfruitful, so I’ll be discontinuing, with all due respect.
Yes, Meleti, there are some things I feel Jehovah will just not permit. I think angels materializing and marrying women, according to our Bible study a couple of weeks ago, would have been one of them. Every scripture in Genesis 6 and 7 shows God’s power maintaing his authority over men and angels. Jesus never mentions cohabiting and even says angels do not marry. Just a side thought.
A rebellion against God’s Right to Rule, the Right to Require Obedience, occurred in heaven. God’s Supreme Power was never in question but the gift of being sons lovingly given self-determination was abused in the extreme. They put themselves first before even their God and Creator and they fell. I agree, it was not sovereignty that was the true issue. God is not a human king from whom sovereignty can be grasped. Obedience was the issue- would the angelic armies created with self-determination obey their God in ALL things or would some choose their own path leading toward separation from… Read more »