144,000 Born Again JW's

[KiwiChristian]

The difference between salvation by faith and works is that, with faith, God does it, but with works, we try to do it ourselves. JWs often give ‘lip service’ to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. In reality, they believe in works for the Watchtower for salvation. They urge readers to ‘come to Jehovah’s organisation for salvation.’ (WT,15 Nov.1981, p.21).

Watchtower magazine of 15 Aug 1972, p.491 asks JWs to ‘work hard for the reward of eternal life.’ Eternal life is a gift (Romans 6:23), never a reward to be earned.
JWs cannot know for sure if they have salvation during this life.

The WT tells JWs that if they fail to serve God ‘properly’ in the millennium, they will be annihilated.

 

• They believe that eternal life becomes theirs, only by serving God till the end of the 1000 years. JWs believe that Jesus’ death only wiped out the sin inherited from Adam.
• They claim that Christ’s atonement allows men to work their way to salvation.
• They claim that the ‘gift’ of Christ’s ransom sacrifice is free to all, only to give us a chance to work for our salvation.
• JWs claim that being born again is only for the 144,000 anointed class.
• JWs claim the ‘other sheep’ don’t need to be born again, but hope to live forever on paradise earth.
• JWs falsely claim six steps to being born again:

i) Take in accurate knowledge of God. This is a mistranslation of John 17:3 where they change ‘that they may know (verb) thee (KJV)’ to ‘their taking in knowledge (noun) of you’. The unbeliever may have knowledge about God, but only the saved person knows God personally. Jesus will say to unbelievers ‘I never knew you: depart from me.’Matt7:23
ii) Exercise faith, which they define as belief plus works. (See Eph.2:9 ‘not of works lest.’).
iii) Repentance from bad works.
iv) Conversion, which they define as doing works fitting repentance.
v) Dedication to Jehovah, which they define as dedication to the Watchtower Organisation.
vi) Baptism, as an outward sign of their dedication (Watchtower, Feb 1, 1982, p.25-29)

For a JW, the above does not ever guarantee them to be born again; it just puts them in line.

They think that only 144,000 are born again. Since the 144,000 places were supposedly filled in 1935, most JWs believe they can never be born again.

JWs believe that three classes of people will be saved by good works:

a) The 144,000 to heaven;
b) The ‘other sheep’ to earth; and
c) Non-JWs who have lived good enough lives to earn salvation.

The Pharisees (like the JWs) believed in study and obedience to the Law, but Jesus said that was not enough. They had to come to Jesus as the giver of eternal life. Only by the indwelling Christ can believers do good works. JWs live in fear of dying at Armageddon.

JWs twist five main Scriptures regarding salvation:

1. John 3:3,5,7 - Being Born again ‘Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, Verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Ye must be born again.’ (John 3:3,7)

Watchtower Teaching: JWs do not believe that they must be born again. If you ask a JW if he has been born again, he will say: ‘That doesn’t apply to me. It’s only for the 144,000 anointed ones. I belong to the “great crowd” who will live on the earth under Kingdom rule.’

The WT organisation has taught them that: ‘The ‘other sheep’ do not need any such rebirth, for their goal is life everlasting in the restored earthly paradise.’ (WT, 15 Feb 1986, p.14).

Our Biblical Response:

Question 1: When Jesus said, ‘Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3 NWT), did He allow for any exceptions? (No!).
Question 2: In I John 5:1 (NWT) ‘Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God’, does the expression ‘everyone believing’ leave any believer out? (No)
Question 3: In Galatians 4:5,6 (NWT) didn’t Christ come so ‘that we . . . might receive the adoption as sons. Now because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, and it cries out “Abba, Father”.?’ Ask: Have you been adopted as a son of God, by receiving the Spirit of Christ into your heart, as shown here? (No)

Question 4: In Romans 8:9 ‘Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.’ Remind the JW that he has admitted that he has not received Christ’s Spirit to dwell in his heart by being born again.

In the light of Romans 8:8,9 can you reach any other conclusion than that you cannot please God (v.8) and that you do not belong to Christ? Re-read Romans 8:8,9,14-16.

Bible Teaching:

Scripture is clear that the opportunity to become born again is not limited to 144,000 people in the so-called anointed class, but is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ as follows.

a) I John 5:1 - ‘Whosoever (everyone) believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.’ There are no exceptions. Anybody and everybody who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born again.
b) John 3:16 ‘that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’
c) I John 4:7 - ‘everyone that loveth is born of God.’ Key: Notice here that God never mentions that the number to be born again is restricted to
144,000 but is unlimited to ‘whosoever believeth’. Note: Jesus did not need to be born again because He never sinned (Hebrews 5:15). Only sinners being dead spiritually need to be born again. ‘Ye’ in John 3:7 means ‘everybody’ plural. Being born again of the Spirit means that we who were born physically with a dead spirit inherited from Adam, experience a spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit giving us new spiritual life. Everyone must be born again.

Paul did not divide believers into two classes, but said:

a) ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto ALL them also that love his appearing.’ (II Timothy 4:8)
b) The new birth is not limited to 144,000, but is available to ‘any man’: ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature . . .’ (II Corinthians 5:17)
c) Never do we read of a limited number being placed on those who are born again. ‘Being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the word of God.’I Peter 1:23 ‘everyone that doeth righteousness is born of him.’ (I John 2:29) ‘whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God ...’ (I John 5:1)

Question: What about you? Have you been born again? You must be born again!

2. Present tense salvation: Matthew 24:13 ‘But he that shall endure unto the end (of the 7 year Tribulation), the same shall be saved (from the Antichrist’s persecutions).’

The Watchtower Society has convinced JWs that they are unsaved and that they cannot be saved in this present life. They do not believe that they will have to answer for their sins. The JW book ‘Make Sure of all Things’ on page 332 states: ‘Salvation to life involves time and is not completed when one becomes a Christian.’ They believe that nobody can be sure of salvation until they have continued their good works up to the end of the 1000 years. Their idea is completely false as seen from these scriptures, showing that we now possess a present tense salvation:

1) I John 5:12 ‘He that has the Son, has life.’
2) I John 5:13 ‘that ye may know that ye have eternal life’.
3) John 3:36 ‘He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life.’
4) I John 3:2 ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God . . .’
5) I Corinthians 1:18 ‘but unto us which are saved . . .’
6) II Corinthians 2:15 ‘in them that are saved . . .’
7) Ephesians 2:5,8 ‘by grace ye are saved;’

8) I Thessalonians 1:10 ‘ Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.’

9) II Timothy 1:9 ‘Who has saved us . . .’
10) Titus 3:5 ‘according to his mercy he saved us.’
11) I John 2:12 ‘I write unto you because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.’
12) Romans 8:16 ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.’

Think: If all the people converted in the apostles’ time up to 100 AD were totalled, they would have taken up the 144,000 places even before the JWs came on the scene!

 

reprinted with permission from Pastor Keith Piper. https://www.libertybaptistchurch.org.au/
 

[OneLight]

You will find others outside of the JW that believe they can be, or will be, one of the 144,000, while not being from the bloodline of the 12 tribes.  This false doctrine expounds beyond the JW doctrine and into the church today.

[Jaydog1976]

So my thought is this, we know that the JWs doctrine is not right and is not scriptural. What do we as believers do about it? Do we bait then with questions to trap them and the feel like we won the argument or do we present the gospel when that opportunity arises by maybe engaging them in dialogue and building a relationship that will allow itself for them to open up to the gospel? 

I only ask this question to find what different methods are used. I know what my method is but I also know,that one method doesn't fit all situations.