In our last video, we studied how our salvation depends on our willingness not only to repent of our sins but also on our readiness to forgive others who repent of the wrongs they have committed against us. In this video, we are going to learn about one additional requirement for salvation. Let’s return to the parable we considered in the last video but with a focus on the part that mercy plays in our salvation. We will start at Matthew 18:23 from the English Standard Version.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:23-35 ESV)
Notice the reason the king gives for not forgiving his servant: As the GOD’S WORD Translation puts it: ”Shouldn’t you have treated the other servant as mercifully as I treated you?’
Isn’t it true that when we think of mercy, we will think of a judicial situation, a court case, with a judge passing sentence on some prisoner who was found to be guilty of some crime? We think of that prisoner pleading for mercy from the judge. And perhaps, if the judge is a kind man, he will be lenient in handing down a sentence.
But we are not supposed to judge one another, are we? So how does mercy come into play between us?
To answer that, we need to determine what the word “mercy” means within a Biblical context, not how we might be using it nowadays in everyday speech.
Hebrew is an interesting language in that it handles the expression of abstract ideas or intangibles by using concrete nouns. For example, the human head is a tangible thing, meaning it can be touched. We would call a noun that refers to a tangible thing, like the human skull, a concrete noun. Concrete because it exists in the physical, touchable form. Sometimes I wonder if some people’s skulls aren’t actually filled with concrete, but that’s a discussion for another day. In any case, our brain (concrete noun) can come up with a thought. A thought is not tangible. It cannot be touched, and yet it exists. In our language, there is often no connection between a concrete noun and an abstract noun, between something that is tangible and something else which is intangible. Not so in Hebrew. Would it surprise you to learn that a liver is linked in Hebrew to the abstract concept of being heavy, and further, to the idea of being glorious?
The liver is the largest internal organ of the body, hence the heaviest. So, to express the abstract concept of heaviness, the Hebrew language derives a word from the root word for liver. Then, to express the idea of “glory”, it derives a new word from the root for “heavy”.
In the same way, the Hebrew word racham which is used to express the abstract concept of pity and of mercy is derived from a root word referring to the inner parts, the womb, intestines, bowels.
“Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? Are they restrained?” (Isaiah 63:15 KJV)
That’s an example of Hebrew parallelism, a poetic device in which two parallel ideas, similar concepts, are rendered together — “the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies.” It shows the relationship between the two.
It’s not really that strange. When we see scenes of human suffering, we will refer to them as “gut-wrenching,” because we feel them in our gut. The Greek word splanchnizomai which is used to express having or feeling pity is drawn from splagkhnon which literally means “intestines or inward parts”. So the word for pity has to do with “feeling the bowels yearn.” In the parable, it was “out of pity” that the master was moved to forgive the debt. So first there is the response to the suffering of another, the emotion of compassion, but that is next to useless if not followed up by some positive action, an act of mercy. So pity is how we feel, but mercy is the action prompted by pity.
You might recall in our last video that we learned that there is no law against the fruit of the spirit, meaning that there is no limit to how much we can have of each of those nine qualities. However, mercy is not a fruit of the spirit. In the parable, the King’s mercy was limited by the mercy that his servant showed to his fellow slaves. When he failed to show mercy to alleviate the suffering of another, the King did the same.
Who do you think the King in that parable represents? It becomes obvious when you consider the debt the slave owes the king: Ten thousand talents. In ancient money, that works out to sixty million denarii. A denarius was a coin used to pay a farm laborer for a 12-hour day of work. One denarius for a day’s work. Sixty million denarii would buy you sixty million days of work, which works out to about two hundred thousand years of labor. Given that men have only been on the earth for about 7,000 years, it is a ridiculous sum of money. No king would ever lend a mere slave such an astronomical sum. Jesus is using hyperbole to drive home a fundamental truth. What you and I owe the king—that is, we owe God—more than we can ever hope to pay, even if we lived for two hundred thousand years. The only way we can ever get rid of the debt is to have it forgiven.
Our debt is our inherited Adamic sin, and we cannot earn our way free of that-- we have to be forgiven. But why would God forgive us our sin? The parable indicates that we have to be merciful.
James 2:13 answers the question. He says:
“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” That’s from the English Standard Version. The New Living Translation reads, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.”
To illustrate how this works, Jesus uses a term that has to do with accounting.
"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. 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. But you, when making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, that your gifts of mercy may be in secret; then your Father who is looking on in secret will repay you. (Matthew 6:1-4 New World Translation)
In the time of Jesus, a rich man might hire trumpeters to walk in front of him as he carried his gift offering to the temple. People would hear the sound and come out of their homes to see what was going on, to see him strolling by, and they would think what a wonderful and generous man he is. Jesus said that such ones were paid in full. That would mean that nothing more was owed to them. He warns us against seeking such payment for our gifts of mercy.
When we see someone in need and feel their suffering, and are then moved to act on their behalf, we are performing an act of mercy. If we do this to get glory for ourselves, then those who praise us for our humanitarianism will be paying us. However, if we do it secretly, not seeking glory from men, but out of love for our fellow human, then God who looks on in secret will take notice. It is as if there is a ledger in heaven, and God is making accounting entries into it. Eventually, on our judgment day, that debt will come due. Our heavenly Father will owe us payment. God will repay us for our acts of mercy by extending mercy to us. That is why James says that “mercy triumphs over judgment”. Yes, we are guilty of sin, and yes, we deserve to die, but God will forgive our debt of sixty million denarii (10,000 talents) and free us from death.
Understanding this will help us to understand the controversial parable of the sheep and the goats. Jehovah’s Witnesses get the application of that parable all wrong. In a recent video, Governing Body member Kenneth Cook Jr. explained that the reason people will die at Armageddon is because they did not treat the anointed members of Jehovah’s Witnesses mercifully. There are about 20,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses who claim to be anointed, so that means that eight billion people will die at Armageddon because they failed to locate one of these 20,000 and do something nice for them. Are we really to believe that some 13-year-old child bride in Asia will die eternally because she never even met a Jehovah’s Witness, let alone one claiming to be anointed? As stupid interpretations go, this ranks up there with the very silly overlapping generation doctrine.
Think about this for a moment: At John 16:13, Jesus says to his disciples that the holy spirit would “guide them into all the truth”. He also says at Matthew 12:43-45 that when the spirit is not in a man, his house is empty and soon seven wicked spirits will take it over and his situation will be worse than before. Then the apostle Paul tells us at 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 that there will be ministers who pretend to be righteous but are really guided by the spirit of Satan.
So which spirit do you think is guiding the Governing Body? Is it the holy spirit guiding them to “all the truth”, or is it another spirit, a wicked spirit, that makes them come up with really foolish and short-sighted interpretations?
The Governing Body is obsessed with the timing of the parable of the sheep and goats. This is because they depend on last days Adventist theology to maintain a sense of urgency within the flock which makes them malleable and easier to control. But if we are to understand its value to us individually, we have to stop worrying about when it will apply and start to worry about how and to whom it will apply.
In the parable of the Sheep and Goats, why do the sheep get everlasting life, and why do the goats go off into eternal destruction? It is all about mercy! One group acts mercifully, and the other group withholds mercy. In the parable, Jesus lists six acts of mercy.
- Food for the hungry,
- Water for the thirsty,
- Hospitality for the stranger,
- Clothing for the naked,
- Care for the sick,
- Support for the prisoner.
In each case, the sheep were moved by the suffering of another and did something to reduce that suffering. However, the goats did nothing to help, and showed no mercy. They were unmoved by the suffering of others. Perhaps they judged others. Why are you hungry and thirsty? Did you not provide for yourself? Why are you without clothing and housing? Did you make bad life decisions that got you into that mess? Why are you sick? Did you not care for yourself, or is God punishing you? Why are you in prison? You must be getting what you deserved.
You see, judgment is involved after all. Do you remember the time the blind men called out to Jesus to be healed? Why did the crowd tell them to shut up?
“And, look! two blind men sitting beside the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying: "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" But the crowd sternly told them to keep silent; yet they cried all the louder, saying: "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" So Jesus stopped, called them and said: "What do YOU want me to do for YOU?" They said to him: "Lord, let our eyes be opened." Moved with pity, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they received sight, and they followed him.” (Matthew 20:30-34 NWT)
Why were the blind men calling out for mercy? Because they understood the meaning of mercy, and wanted their suffering to end. And why did the crowd tell them to be quiet? Because the crowd had judged them as unworthy. The crowd felt no pity for them. And the reason they felt no pity was because they had been taught that if you were blind, or lame, or deaf, you had sinned and God was punishing you. They were judging them as unworthy and withholding natural human compassion, fellow-feeling, and therefore had no motivation to act mercifully. Jesus, on the other hand, felt pity for them and that pity moved him to an act of mercy. However, he could do an act of mercy because he had the power of God to do it, so they recovered their sight.
When Jehovah’s Witnesses shun someone for leaving their organization, they are doing the same thing the Jews did to those blind men. They are judging them as unworthy of any compassion, of being guilty of sin and condemned by God. Therefore, when someone in that situation needs help, like a child abuse victim seeking justice, Jehovah’s Witnesses withhold it. They cannot act mercifully. They cannot alleviate the suffering of another, because they have been taught to judge and condemn.
The problem is that we do not know who are Jesus’ brothers. Who will Jehovah God judge as worthy of adoption as one of his children? We simply cannot know. That was the point of the parable. When the sheep are granted everlasting life, and the goats are condemned to everlasting destruction, both groups ask, “But Lord when did we ever see you thirsty, hungry, homeless, naked, sick, or imprisoned?”
Those who showed mercy did so out of love, not because they were expecting to gain something. They did not know that their actions were equivalent to showing mercy to Jesus Christ himself. And those who withheld a merciful act when it was within their power to do something good, did not know they were withholding a loving act from Jesus Christ himself.
If you are still worried about the timing of the parable of the sheep and goats, look at it from a personal point of view. When is your judgment day? Is it not now? If you were to die tomorrow, what would your account look like in God’s ledger? Will you be a sheep with a large account owing, or will your ledger read, “Paid in full”. Nothing owing.
Think about it.
Before we close, it’s very important that we understand what it means that mercy is not a fruit of the Spirit. There is no limit imposed on any of the nine fruits of the spirit, but mercy isn’t listed there. So there are limits to the exercise of mercy. Like forgiveness, mercy is something that has to be measured. There are four principal qualities of God which we all possess being made in his image. Those qualities are love, justice, wisdom, and power. It is the balance of those four qualities that produces an act of mercy.
Let me illustrate it this way. Here’s a color image like you would see in any magazine. All the colors of this image are the result of a blending of four different coloured inks. There is yellow, cyan magenta, and black. Properly blended, they can display virtually any color the human eye can detect.
Similarly, an act of mercy is the proportional blending of the four cardinal qualities of God in each of us. For example, any act of mercy requires that we exercise our power. Our power, whether it be financial, physical, or intellectual, allows us to provide the means to alleviate or eliminate the suffering of another.
But having the power to act is meaningless, if we do nothing. What motivates us to use our power? Love. Love of God and love of our fellow human.
And love always seeks the best interests of another. For example, if we know someone is an alcoholic, or a drug addict, giving them money might seem like an act of mercy until we realize they have only used our gift to perpetuate a destructive addiction. It would be wrong to support sin, so the quality of justice, of knowing right from wrong, now comes into play.
But then how can we help someone in a way that improves their situation rather than making it worse. That is where wisdom come into play. Any act of mercy is a manifestation of our power, motivated by love, ruled by justice, and guided by wisdom.
We all want to be saved. We all yearn for salvation and freedom from the suffering that is part and parcel of life in this wicked system. We will all face judgment, but we can gain victory over adverse judgment if we build up an account in heaven of merciful acts.
To conclude, we will read Paul’s words, he tells us:
“Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap” and then he adds, “So, then, as long as we have the opportunity, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to us in the faith.” (Galatians 6:7, 10 NWT)
Thank you for your time and for your support.
Archived Comments
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Comment by Fani on 2021-05-04 02:52:57
Dans Mathieu 18 : 3 Christ dit : "Vraiment, je vous le dis : Si vous ne vous retournez pas et ne devenez pas comme des petits enfants, vous n’entrerez en aucune manière dans le royaume des cieux. 4 Celui-là donc qui s’humiliera comme ce petit enfant, c’est lui qui est le plus grand dans le royaume des cieux ; 5 et qui reçoit un petit enfant comme celui-ci à cause de mon nom, me reçoit [moi aussi]. "
Christ met l'accent sur l'humilité pour rentrer dans le Royaume des cieux :
1- faire du bien au plus humble
2 - être soi-même le plus humble
Ce sont les conditions que Christ a établies pour être dignes de faire partie de son Royaume.
Faire du bien à "un petit" et se considérer soi même comme "un petit" est accessible à tout le monde alors que dénicher "un soi disant oint" pour lui faire du bien est impossible pour la majorité des humains. (surtout que la plupart de ces "oints" n'ont rien de l'apparence d'un petit...)
Merci beaucoup pour ce sujet sur la miséricorde.
Bonne journée à tous.
Nicole
Comment by Jennifer Clark on 2021-05-04 09:57:57
1 Cor 10:24 tells us "No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." NIV. The Bible tells us that Jehovah God is the Alpha and Omega, who has existed beyond our human comprehension of time Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13. God does not require humans to have mercy for Him, but serve each other with mercy, as humans suffering under the earthly rule of Satan 1 John 5:19.
The very last JW convention I attended over a decade ago showed a video of some circumstance in which (I don't recall precisely) I think a hurricane of other natural disaster had wiped out families - they lost their homes and their family members, but the messaging from the JW was how "happy" these individuals were as part of the JW organization with a hope for the future. While it is true, that according to the bible, we have a hope for the dead for resurrection, and hope we will see them again, John 5:28, 29, the dismissive nature of most JWs who have no natural nor educated skills of sympathy nor empathy, does the grieving person more harm, through lack of validation of their incredible pain and loss and trauma. When you force people to portray a false self, that is narcissism at it's core. This organization is known for exactly what it technically teaches against, having a "form of godly devotion, but proving false to its power" 2 Timothy 3:5. Blaming the victim, blame shifting is the opposite of mercy.
Christ Jesus is the kind shepherd who pitied the crowds because “they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” Matt 9:36. May we learn to emulate Christ Jesus in showing true mercy to one another.
Comment by wide awake shepherd on 2021-04-30 11:59:50
Eric, i too was troubled by Kenneth Cook’s talk about the Sheep and the Goats. It did not reflect the kind of heart felt love and mercy the Jesus displayed time and time again. And Jesus is the perfect reflection of his father Jehovah. So Jehovah is just as disposed toward love and mercy.
If being a baptized Jehovah’s Witness is the only requirement to survive Armageddon, then why does Jesus need to come and judge all mankind? There would be no need to judge.
I think if you were on the Governing Body, there would be a lot more Jehovah’s Witnesses than there currently are. It would be a “kinder gentler” and more merciful Truth.
Comment by Ad_Lang on 2021-04-30 19:47:04
Encouraging material, this is! I find it quite in contrast with the video discussed in last week's midweek meeting: "Choose Your Friends Wisely". I find that a significant proportion of the Org's material is fear-based: encouraging to be cautious everywhere, because this or that may happen. Sure, there is time and space for a word of warning, but positive action removes or inhibits the incentive for negative action (i.e. sin).
There is one thing to point out: we do know who Jesus brothers are, because Jesus told us.
Before I refer to it, there is one observation to make: if we exercise mercy as a way of life, if we are used to making the choice of mercy whenever we have the opportunity, then we don't actually need to know, because we'll automatically exercise mercy, even to the smallest of Jesus' brothers and sisters.
So, who are they? When people expected Jesus to prioritise his biological family, he replied (Mar. 3:34,35 NWT):
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then he looked at those sitting around him in a circle and said: "See, my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother and sister and mother".
In other words, whether we show mercy or not to whomever "does the will of God", this is taken personally by Jesus himself and on this basis he will render judgement. Again, we see a similar statement elsewhere, in John 13:34,35 (NWT):
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples - if you have love among yourselves".
Why do we have to show such love to one another? Because, doing God's will, to the best of our ability that is, makes us Jesus' brothers, as says Matthew 7:21-23 (NWT):
Not everyone saying to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name? And then I will declare to them: 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!"
Now we know that God's will is to do as Jesus directed (Mat. 17:5). This links then back to the previous video, where the question was posed: does everyone deserve forgiveness? No. However, those who do God's will are deserving of God's forgiveness, extended through Jesus, and therefore are also deserving of our forgiveness. Same holds true, then, for mercy. Both come and go together.
Of course, we must also express these things to others. Personally, I tend to look for the intention to "do good", or "do what is right". Sometimes, that means we can see such good intention even if people are doing the wrong things because they have been misled. But note one thing: the love Jesus referred to in John 13 goes above and beyond. That is not expected from us when we're dealing with those who are not doing God's will, regardless of their intention.
As Jehovah's Witness, I again see failure among us to do these things, and it makes me sad to see well-intentioned people do the opposite of what a Christian should be doing. I used to call our co-ordinator of the Body of Elders a good friend, because that is what he intended and appeared to be. At the moment, he's isolating me (a Zoom host can put someone alone in a special breakout room, I suppose). Not very kind, is it? I'm sad to think what might happen to him in the end, unless he stops doing such things. The only chance I think I have to help him change his mind, is by staying, for the time being. Taking opportunities to do such is the only reason I'm making some effort not to leave.
Jesus was persecuted by his brothers for speaking truth, his disciples will have the same happen. If we do this while part of the congregation, albeit cautiously, we are most likely to face expulsion at some point. Once that happens, remember that this happened to Jesus in the most extreme form: death on a torture stake (which was a sign of being cursed).Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2021-05-01 09:18:39
I take your point about knowing who the children of God are. You are quite right, however, that works collectively, not individually. Is that Catholic man across the street who believes in the Trinity and hellfire a child of God? I really don't know, but that shouldn't stop me from extending mercy to him when he needs it. Saul of Tarsus would have not been anyone's first choice as a child of God, but Jesus saw something in his heart that no one else could see. Of course, none of that negates anything you said. The identifying marks that Jesus gave us are still valid. My atheist friend has done more to help me in life than pretty much anyone else I can think of. I do not know what motivates them to do so much for me.
But that makes me you wonder about the fulfillment of these words:
“. . .“He that receives YOU receives me also, and he that receives me receives him also that sent me forth. He that receives a prophet because he is a prophet will get a prophet’s reward, and he that receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will get a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink because he is a disciple, I tell YOU truly, he will by no means lose his reward.”” (Matthew 10:40-42)
Sorry to hear what the elders are putting you through, though I guess we should feel most sorry for them.
Comment by James Mansoor on 2021-04-30 20:08:10
Good morning Eric and wide-awake Shepherd
You are both right Kenneth Cook should truly read the Bible account in the book of Genesis chapter 18 where the angels came down to destroy Sodom & Gomora….Vs 26 Then Jehovah said: “If I find in Sodʹom 50 righteous men in the city, I will pardon the whole place for their sake.”
28 I will not destroy it if I find there 45.
29 I will not do it for the sake of the 40
Finally versed 32: I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.
I am a little bit puzzled does that mean that there is not going to be not even 10 righteous people in the whole wide earth when Jehovah brings in Armageddon?
You are right Eric when you said fear is the thing that controls Jehovah’s Witnesses.
During the Vietnam war all Americans were not in favour of it, only the government was in favour of it. And when the Americans won the war does that mean that the soldiers went throughout the entire cities and annihilated every man woman and child?
My personal thoughts are: There will be a great number of people maybe hundreds of millions if not billions of people who will not be in favour of what the kings of the earth will be doing against Jehovah God and his son, and that’s the reason why we will be having antichrist not anti-Jehovah.
At the time of destruction it will be clear the difference between the weeds and the weeds the sheep and the goats, for Christ or against Christ.
like you said Eric nobody knows who Christ brothers are if they did the question will not be asked when did we see you hungry thirsty sick naked in prison and so forth?
All the above pointed to one thing preaching is not done from house-to-house but it is seen via caring for the poor the sick the naked and so forth. Sermon has to be seen and not just heard.
Please let me know what you think.Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2021-05-01 09:05:32
I couldn't agree more. Except for the part about the Americans winning the Vietnam war. That makes two wars they lost including the one with Canada in 1812, though I think we could call the one a draw. But your point about soldiers on the winning side not going in and killing everyone and destroying everything.
Comment by PierrotSud on 2021-05-01 10:52:03
Thank you for this excellent topic on mercy.
I did not know the subtlety of the Hebrew to designate something abstract and concrete. It is true that in the Bible we express feelings or qualities linked to organs (the heart for intentions for example.
As for the parable of the Sheep and the Goats,
I agree with your explanation in relation to the anointed remnant, that the Governing Body insists that the goats are those who do not support the anointed.
This is a thought that I have often had in my mind, for how could people who have never heard of the Bible, in some lands, be wicked? Is God that unfair? In fact he would be like the first slave, for he would have no mercy, even towards the least of these.
In my upbringing, I did not dwell on those in need, even if i was in a JW family.
I learned to judge by appearance.
But since I am a family man and I can express my feelings,
I like to give to those who are in need. It brings joy to my heart to see the joy of the one I helped.
Thank you
Pierre
Comment by marielle on 2021-05-02 13:18:21
Merci pour ce sujet apaisant.
À force de vouloir interpréter techniquement les textes à leur avantage, le GB finit par fermer le cœur des chrétiens.
Jéhovah ne peut pas les éclairer progressivement au moyen d’erreurs successives (1881-1923-1995-2012-2015) sur ce sujet.
Oui, il est en tous points question de miséricorde lorsqu’il s’agit de faire du bien aux frères du Christ. Pour la raison que tu cites, Éric, les nations ne savent même pas ce qu’est un oint, ou une onction divine, comment dès lors, pourraient-elles leur faire du bien ? Car il s’agit des nations que Jésus sépare.
Le GB conscient de ce hic, n’avait pas d’autre choix, pour rester en accord avec ses assertions, de parler de la prédication comme aide, même s’ils l’avouent, le texte n’en parle pas.
Pourquoi ne réécrivent-ils pas la Bible pour se donner raison, ce serait plus simple !
Ils ont une vision autocentrée des paroles de Jésus, et comme toujours accentuer l’obéissance que les frères leur doivent, plutôt qu’à Christ.