[From ws5/16 p. 13 for July 11-17]
“Keep perceiving what the will of Jehovah is.”—Eph 5:17
Let’s start this study off by correcting the theme text as rendered above from the NWT.[i] There is no sound basis for inserting “Jehovah” when all the ancient manuscripts—and there are over 5,000 of them—do not use the divine name. What Ephesians 5:17 actually says is to ‘keep perceiving what the will of the Lord is.’ Of course, our Lord Jesus does nothing of his own initiative, so his will constitutes the will of his Father, but by using Lord here, we remind the reader that Jesus is our King, and that all authority has been granted to him. (John 5:19; Mt 28:18) Thus the writer of the article does us a disservice when he takes our attention away from Jesus as he does in the first paragraph. He admits that Jesus gave us the command to preach and make disciples by saying “…Jesus Christ, gave his followers this challenging, though thrilling, command…”, then immediately takes it away from Jesus by continuing with, “…our loyal adherence to Jehovah’s commands, including the command to share in the preaching work…”
Why minimize the importance of Christ’s role? The command to preach comes in the next verse after the statement at Matthew 28:18 that ‘all authority has been given Jesus in heaven and on earth’. If all authority has been given to him not only on earth, but even in heaven over the angels, why do we not give him the honor that is his due?
Could it be that by minimizing Jesus’ role, we can enhance the role of men? First Corinthians 11:3 shows that between God and Man stands Jesus. Ephesians 1:22 shows that he is the head of the congregation. Neither Scripture provides an intermediate position to be filled by an elite body of men, such as the Governing Body, who are commissioned to interpret the will of our divinely appointed Lord.
Bait and Switch
Jesus is our Master. He will punish those of his servants who do not do his will.
“. . .Then that slave who understood the will of his master but did not get ready or do what he asked will be beaten with many strokes. 48 But the one who did not understand and yet did things deserving of strokes will be beaten with few. . . .” (Lu 12:47, 48)
It is therefore in our best interests to perceive what the will of the Lord really is. However, as fully equipped Christians, we must guard against those who would have us follow their will in the name of the Lord. (2Ti 3:17) They do this using a technique called “bait and switch”.
For instance, the bait:
“…the Scriptures do not contain detailed rules regarding what kind of clothing is appropriate attire for Christians….Individuals and family heads are therefore free to make decisions regarding these matters. – Par. 2
“For instance, to have God’s approval, we must act in harmony with his law on blood.” – Par. 4
“What should we do in situations that do not involve a direct Bible command? Under such circumstances, it is our personal responsibility to examine the details and make a choice that is guided, not by mere personal preference, but by what Jehovah will approve of and bless.” – Par. 6
“You may wonder, ‘How can we know what Jehovah approves of if his Word provides no specific command on the matter?’ Ephesians 5:17 states: “Keep perceiving what the will of Jehovah is.” In the absence of a direct Bible law, how can we perceive the will of God? By praying to him and accepting his guidance by holy spirit.” – Par 7
“To acquaint ourselves with Jehovah’s thinking, we need to make personal study a priority. When reading or studying God’s Word, we might ask ourselves, ‘What does this material reveal about Jehovah, his righteous ways, and his thinking?’” – par. 11
By this point, the audience will be more than halfway through the study and in full agreement with what has been written. Their minds are prepared to be accepting and compliant with the will of God. This is the bait. Now the switch.
“Another way to become more familiar with Jehovah’s thinking is by paying close attention to Bible-based guidance from his organization….We also benefit greatly by listening carefully at Christian meetings….Meditating on what is being taught will help us to discern more about Jehovah’s thinking and to make his thoughts our own. By making diligent use of Jehovah’s provisions for spiritual feeding, we will progressively become more familiar with his ways.” – Par. 12
Discerning Crafty Reasoning
Most Witnesses will accept this logic because they view the teachings of the Governing Body as coming from Jehovah himself. That is not the case, even in little, seemingly inconsequential things, such as personal grooming and dress.
The quotes cited above from paragraph 2 and 6 state that these matters are left up to the Christian. Yet this is not really the case in the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses, is it?
In the workplace it is most common for women to wear pant suits. Yet, in the Americas, our sisters are prohibited from wearing pant suits out in the preaching work or at meetings. They will be spoken to by the elders if they do not conform to the Organization’s standard of dress. So this is not a matter of personal choice. They are not “free to make decisions regarding these matters”.
In the Americas, a brother with a beard will be considered worldly and not given “privileges” of service in the congregation. Congregation members will view him as being rebellious. One reason for this is because it has become a JW tradition not to grow a beard. From 1930 to around 1990, it was not the custom in the western world to sport a beard. That is no longer the case. Beards are now common. So why are we diverging from acceptable standards in grooming in society and enforcing standards of grooming and dress of our own, imposing them on all members?
In part it is to create an artificial separation from the world. This is not the type of separation Jesus referred to at John 17:15, 16. This goes beyond that.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are teaching one thing, but doing another. While imposing their will to control how we dress may seem minor, this technique is also used to press us into service on behalf of JW.org. Witnesses are made to feel guilty if they have a nice house and a good job, because they should be out pioneering, even though the publishers admit that “there is no Bible command that we pioneer”. (Par. 13) The entire pioneer program with its monthly hour requirement is the invention of men. Yet, we are told in this article that it is the will of God.
It is true that the will of the Lord is that we preach the Good News of the Kingdom. He also tells us that if we go beyond the good news, we will be accursed.
“As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed. [ref. “devoted to destruction”]” (Ga 1:9)
The thing is that if you are a pioneer, you are required to preach a good news that goes beyond the good news that Jesus taught. The Organization freely admits this.
“Note, however, that the message that Jesus said would be proclaimed in our day goes beyond what his followers preached in the first century.” (be p. 279 par. 2 The Message We Must Proclaim)
You are required as a pioneer (or a publisher, for that matter) to proclaim that Christ returned in 1914 and has been reigning ever since. You are also required to preach that the heavenly hope is virtually closed and that there is a new hope, an earthly one. Both these ideas are not supported by Scripture and thus go beyond the message Jesus preached. Thus, if you do this, you are not perceiving the will of the Lord, but the will of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
You will have taken the bait and failed to notice the switch. Or perhaps you did notice it, but failed to take heed. Whether you acted in ignorance or willfully, there is still time to correct your path.
When our Lord returns, we want to be judged as the “faithful steward, the discreet one”, not the one who gets beaten with a few strokes for failing to perceive the will of the Lord, and most certainly not the one who gets beaten with many strokes for perceiving the will of the Lord, but willfully failing to do it.
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[i] New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Archived Comments
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Comment by AndereStimme on 2016-07-11 23:48:38
With regard to Eph 5.17, the context makes it quite clear who the "Lord" in question is. For example, verse 20: "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ".
Comment by iiiiiii on 2016-07-12 13:49:21
The reason why you do not understand the Holy scriptures is plain. You do not have the spirit of God in you. And that is why and how you can believe such things as you do, For instance that the great crowd is the firstfruits to God. You believe things that are not according to scripture in any sense, because your desperation and jealousy alone propels you.. You dont want the truth, because truth has now become your enemy . But before your giving into this sin, it could have been your best friend. In your false and brainwashed belief that you were cursed, you fell into the pit that satan has dug for you. But those that do know God shall be strong and do exploits. Instead, you cannot free yourself from your WT mommy and cling to her apronstrings crying and crying; cursing and complaining. She has left you in the dust, but you cannot leave her. Instead of looking forwards into the future, you cry about what you have now lost and is past and you have condemned yourself by your own weakness and capitulation, in the face of satan's war against your soul. And you now have no place to go. And I fear it is too late for your soul. I hope not. But there is no injustice with God. So now you reject the Son of God, and his word. In short, what I see, is that you have fallen, into the net or designs satan has hidden or laid for you. And you have fulfilled your own false prophesy against yourself. . How horrible! But is there hope for you? Where is it???
Comment by iiiiiii on 2016-07-12 14:08:39
The reason why you do not understand the Holy scriptures is plain. You do not have the spirit of God in you. And that is why and how you can believe such things as you do, For instance that the great crowd is the firstfruits to God. You believe things that are not according to scripture in any sense, because your desperation and jealousy knows no bounds or limits. And you cannot contain it. And it therefore controls you. You gather others unto yourself who like you who cannot live with your belief that you are cursed . You dont want the truth, because truth has now become your enemy . But before your giving into willful sin, it could have been your best friend. In your false and brainwashed belief that you were cursed, you fell into the pit that satan has dug for you. But those that do know God shall be strong and do exploits. Instead, you cannot free yourself from your WT mommy and cling to her apronstrings crying and crying; cursing and complaining. She has left you in the dust, but you cannot leave her. Instead of looking forwards into the future, you cry about what you have now lost and is past and you have condemned yourself by your own weakness and capitulation, in the face of satan's war against your soul. And you now have no place to go. And I fear it is too late for your soul. I hope not. But there is no injustice with God. So now you reject the Son of God, and his word. In short, what I see, is that you have fallen, into the net or designs satan has hidden or laid for you. And you have fulfilled your own false prophesy against yourself. . How horrible! But is there hope for you? Where is it???
Comment by MarthaMartha on 2016-07-12 14:35:13
Thank you Meleti, we noticed the clever tactics. Essentially they say " there isn't a definite rule in the Bible so you must study, pray and make your own conscientious decision.... But while you're here, here's what we think you should do."
??
I thought paragraph 17 had an ironic statement in it.
" The ideas of imperfect humans come and go, but the psalmist fittingly reminds us: "The decision of Jehovah will stand forever; the thoughts of his heart are from generation to generation" Psalm 33:11
Ha!
Doesn't that just blow right out of the water any hint of "new light" , increased light, adjustments in chariot directions and suchlike excuses for getting it wrong?
If Jehovahs God said it, it was right the first time and doesn't need adjusting.
If it was wrong and needed adjusting, you were never speaking for God.
Therefore, you are not what you claim to be.
The consequence of that is, anything you say will be researched, examined against scripture and tested for truth before I accept it unreservedly.
?Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2016-07-12 15:06:58
Now if only 8 million Witnesses reasoned as you do, MarthaMartha. :)
Comment by lazarus on 2016-07-12 16:42:12
Thanks Meleti, paragraph 14, be Modest. In regards to grooming it needs to be in line with watchtower policy, not what We perceive what modest means, that's the Reality. Most corporations have a dress code, which is fine. However within that framework even, ones get unfairly judged and talked to. Over the platform , talks remind ones of this. For example a brothers trousers are to tight or a sisters dress is tight, or to short, these points will be mentioned. I recall a person I was studying with who is baptised brother today. While he was an unbaptised brother apparently his hair at the back was a touch long, so the elders pulled him aside one meeting and had a brotherly chat regarding his length of his hair, we all agreed it was so petty in fact we were dumbfounded! When it comes to dress and grooming your personal decision are monitored. The reality is different to what is printed almost pharasaical in some congregations.
John the Baptist , would have a couple of elders talk to him , interesting what Paul wrote at 1 Cor 4: 11 Down to this very hour we continue to hunger and thirst and to be poorly clothed and to be beaten and to be homeless.
Jehovah sees the heart not the externals.Reply by Deo_ac_veritati on 2016-07-12 22:59:16
Lazarus, your "long hair" story reminded me of a brother (and friend of mine) who became very discouraged by the elders at our congregation. He is a solid brother, who would like to progress to elder, but was held back. I only found out later, after he changed congregations (he moved his residence about a half hour away) that one of the primary reasons he was held back was that our elders had a policy that you could not become an elder if you wore sport coats - no, you had to wear a suit to be an elder. Sport coats were, for reasons unfathomable to me, verboten. At his new congregation, no such rule exists. It really makes one ponder how people come up with silly rules such as these.
Admittedly, I'm old school. It pains me to see people coming out of church in shorts and a t-shirt. But on the other hand, while the Bible only specifically addresses the need for women to dress modestly, the same teaching (1Tim2:9-10) would apply to men in principle. Both men and women should try to bring glory to God in their manner of dress, at least as best they can.
Perhaps, for me anyway, the most telling verse in relation to this is James 2:1-4:
My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
For me, this verse really speaks volumes about having a Christ-like attitude in relation to dress.
Comment by Dajo on 2016-07-12 17:16:59
The study WT for September on dress and grooming has this somewhat ambiguous statement. "....cultures, a neatly trimmed beard may be acceptable and respectable, and it may not detract at all from the Kingdom message. In fact, some appointed brothers have beards. Even so, some brothers might decide not to wear a beard. (1 Cor. 8:9, 13; 10:32) In other cultures or localities, beards are not the custom and are not considered acceptable for Christian ministers. In fact, having one may hinder a brother from bringing glory to God by his dress and grooming and his being irreprehensible.—Rom. 15:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 7. Are beards culturally acceptable in Australia? "some appointed bros have beards?"
are they playing a game?!Reply by Nick_O on 2016-07-13 13:26:47
I'm interested to see what effect the September article you mentioned has on the R&F. Already I have seen on social media a brother who cited the new article and showed a picture of a light beard coming in. I am in the US and he said in the comment that it is "socially acceptable in my area." A few mixed comments came from that one.
Whether or not attempts to grow facial hair among the R&F get squashed, I see quite the controversy either way, since many recognize it is socially acceptable.
While reminders to bring honor to God and Christ even through dress and grooming are good (as even Paul gave reminders to fellow Christians), it is sad that so many are bound to teachings of men who themselves cling to the tradition of men of former times (Mark 7:3)Reply by Dajo on 2016-07-13 16:53:42
Decisions we FACE... oh dear.. yes I'm in Australia, a bro I was talking to is going to grow one.Easy decision. But he's trying to decide whether to start dribbling as well....
Comment by tyhik on 2016-07-13 07:38:24
At the beginning of the article there was a mention of inserting 'Jehovah' into the NT of the NWT. I'd say this has become really irritating to me. When doing preaching work and reading a scripture aloud to the one preached, I have got back: "What? There's no 'Jehovah' in the NT?!? Aaah.. rrright, you guys have your own translation", resulting in a lot of bla-bla around why it might be okay etc. When doing my own reading and study, those divine name instances really need special attention and often opening up interlinear to figure out, what was the real intent of the writer. The problem is not that much those divine names anymore, but rather that I have started to suspect NWT in general. If it would be all garbage then I'd just stop using it. In some places, if checking it against interlinear and other translations, it is one of the best, at other places it just completely distorts the message. So, you never know. My mother tongue is a small language with about 1 million speakers and we have just three kind-of-recent translations available. The NWT is in a sense the easiest to read with its contemporary, fluent, good language. The others are very literal translations with old-sounding, awkward language. Really pity that for some the God's Word is not holy enough, so that they go distort it as they see fit.
Comment by Menrov on 2016-07-13 05:02:35
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
And: Mar 1:6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey
My point: someone clothes or beard has absolutely no impact on the message of the Kingdom and whether people will accept this. It is the attitude, condition of the heart, sincerity is what counts.
Last weekend I was in a restaurant in the Netherlands in front of a church (protestants). It seemed it has a good number of people for the service. Some were more formally dressed but others were far more casually dressed. But, they did carry their bible, in their hands (no hiding). In other words, they felt free to be themselves. Our view of what is appropriate is very based on our western culture, even more American culture. The WBTS shows it is very much based on the American culture, which is very much influenced by the old European styles (women wearing long skirts). In my view, all these dress codes and instructions are setup or defined to show its members are different, better, more honoring God......
Comment by billy on 2016-07-16 20:43:46
Jesus told his disciples to preach the kingdom message and teach people all the things I have commanded you - not much is said about what Jesus commanded his disciples to only the preaching part -
The Good Samaritan message is something Jesus commanded
Even though I disagree with much of christendoms doctrines I still respect them for showing genuine love in helping people physically and emotionally and spiritually - the scriptures teach that knowledge can make people arrogant and that love trumps knowledge
Comment by Truth-Seeker on 2016-08-06 04:52:32
I had a remarkable elder in my congregation with whom I had very little dealings. The moment I started growing a mustache, however, I received his undivided attention! It seemed to me he had made it his personal project to get me to shave off my mustache. At the time, I had many other problems trying to raise a family in truth but he never touched on those issues. It amazed me but his constancy finally induced me to shave it off just to have my peace. After having his 'victory' we hardly ever spoke again. Remarkable!