Are you saved?

@galveston75 said
Will be out of town until Thursday so will be back here at that time........

The unanswered questions about your beliefs will still be here waiting for you.

@galveston75 said
Will be out of town until Thursday so will be back here at that time........

Ok, safe trip.

Simple honest question, asking for the fourth time:

Will a person be precluded from eternal life if they are not a member of the Jehovah’s Witness church?

@fmf said
Fair enough. But you'll remember the big debate we had where quotes from Watchtower were presented. Those quotes indicated that your organization's stance was: no one can be saved unless they are Jehovah's Witnesses.

I think it is very common for every Church to make it sound like it is this way -- and rightfully so -- but also have doctrine which talks about how salvation does extend beyond the single Church organization.

But these are not good things to concentrate on.

It's like saying that you can make it through life with lots of success without graduating high school. It is objectively true that you can do that, but you face a lot more problems and generally shouldn't do that.

I have no idea about the ins and outs of JW doctrine on the issue so I will not true.

But, Galveston has made it clear what he believes, and I accept that.

@philokalia said
I have no idea about the ins and outs of JW doctrine on the issue so I will not true.

This is pertinent.

@philokalia said
I have no idea about the ins and outs of JW doctrine on the issue so I will not true.

This may not be the thread you are looking for...

@philokalia said
But, Galveston has made it clear what he believes, and I accept that.

Yes we all accept that Galveston75 believes what he believes.

@philokalia said
I think it is very common for every Church to make it sound like it is this way -- and rightfully so -- but also have doctrine which talks about how salvation does extend beyond the single Church organization.

But these are not good things to concentrate on.

Why on Earth not?

@divegeester said
Yes we all accept that Galveston75 believes what he believes.

Don't we all believe what we believe?

@fmf said
Don't we all believe what we believe?

But do we each accept that we all believe what we believe to the same extent that Philokalia accepts the Galveston75 believes what he believes?

@galveston75 said
So you don't agree with Romans 6:23 or just don't understand it?
And yes we believe in Jesus. Where do you get that we don't and that we don't understand he is our savior?

Romans 6:23
the wages sin pays: Or “the wages of sin.” The Greek word o·psoʹni·on literally means “pay; wages.” At Lu 3:14 (see study note), it is used as a military term, referring to a soldier’ ...[text shortened]... ld never live again were it not for Jesus’ ransom sacrifice and God’s purpose to resurrect the dead.

This is ridiculous. This is classic JW twisting of scripture, or in this case, taking it too literally.

"The wages of sin is death." The death mentioned here is the second death. Everyone dies, the wicked and the just. To say that if you sin, you will die, it's kind of a no-brainer, since we ALL die. If you sin and do not repent, yes, you will die, but this death will be the death of the soul, after Judgement, after physical death. THIS is the death that is earned by those with unrepentant sin. Not physical death, since EVERYone dies, even those who are sinless.

By saying that physical death cleanses your soul, you are thumbing your nose at Jesus' death on the cross, you're saying that we do not need Jesus, because everyone dies, so everyone is cleansed. Physical death cleanses nothing. Grace through the substitutionary death of Jesus is what cleanses us of sin.

@galveston75 said
No JW's are saved. Your salvation is between you and Jehovah just as it is with every human on the planet. No man or church or organization can save you.

Is there any afterlife benefit associated with being a Jehovah’s Witness which absolutely cannot be obtained by being a member of another Christian group?

@philokalia said
I think it is very common for every Church to make it sound like it is this way -- and rightfully so -- but also have doctrine which talks about how salvation does extend beyond the single Church organization.

But these are not good things to concentrate on.

It's like saying that [i]you can make it through life with lots of success without graduating high sch ...[text shortened]... issue so I will not true.

But, Galveston has made it clear what he believes, and I accept that.

Why do you (and a few others to be fair) frequently disappear from the forums when you are in the middle of a exchange? You are on the site and moving in your games, so what’s the problem?