In part 1 which traced the historical development of the Watchtower society’s interpretation of texts referring to the calling of Christians to be the children of God it was seen that this resulted in creating a false dilemma of distinguishing between some Christians that are considered anointed and others that are not. Since 1935 the society has been faced with explaining just what is different about so-called anointed Christians. How do they know they are anointed while others are not?
In an article appearing in the January 2020 study edition of the Watchtower, the following statement is made:
“Let us also consider what happens when a person is anointed by holy spirit. Some who are anointed may at first find it hard to accept that Jehovah has chosen them. They may wonder, ‘Why did God choose me?’ Others may not have that reaction. Whatever the case, the apostle Paul explains what happens to all who are anointed: “After you believed, you were sealed by means of him with the promised holy spirit, which is a token in advance of our inheritance.” (Eph. 1:13, 14; ftn.) So Jehovah uses his holy spirit to make it absolutely clear to these Christians that he has chosen them. In this way, the holy spirit is “a token [a pledge or promise]” given to assure them that in the future they will live forever in heaven and not on earth.—Read 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22. (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition pg. 21 par. 5)
But does Paul say the holy spirit assures only a special group of Christians will live forever in heaven?
But you also hoped in him after you heard the word of truth, the good news about your salvation. After you believed, you were sealed by means of him with the promised holy spirit, which is a token in advance of our inheritance, for the purpose of releasing God’s own possession by a ransom, to his glorious praise. Ephesians 1:13, 14
“But the one who guarantees that you and we belong to Christ and the one who anointed us is God. He has also put his seal on us and has given us the token of what is to come, that is, the spirit, in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22
No. he simply says the holy spirit is a token of what is to come. Unless it can be shown scripturally that there are two types of Christians anyone saying so is going beyond the things that have been written. (1 Cor. 4:6)
As for the token, the impression the Watchtower wants to convey is that the holy spirit provides some special revelation to those of an elite group of Christians that they are chosen from among other Christians to rule with Christ in heaven. Nowhere does Paul define the token in that way. The word in Greek is arrabon and is defined as an earnest, part payment in advance for security, a first installment. It occurs three times in the Bible. (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14) In each case there is never described a separate group that does not receive the token.
But the Watchtower consistently maintains that although there is no miraculous, visible manifestation there is some special private revelation that is provided by the holy spirit to convince certain Christians that they have the heavenly hope. For example note how this is explained in a morning worship talk given by governing body member Stephen Lett:
Referencing this same scripture, paragraph 7 of the January 2020 Watchtower article asks:
HOW DOES SOMEONE KNOW IF HE IS ANOINTED?
“But how does a person know that he or she has the heavenly calling? The answer is clearly seen in Paul’s words to those in Rome who were “called to be holy ones.” He told them: “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!’ The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 1:7; 8:15, 16) So by means of his holy spirit, God makes it clear to anointed ones that they have this heavenly calling.—1 Thess. 2:12.
But does the spirit provide a special revelation?
What does a careful consideration of the context of Romans chapter 8 reveal?
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit, on the things of the spirit. For setting the mind on the flesh means death, but setting the mind on the spirit means life and peace; because setting the mind on the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not in subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be. So those who are in harmony with the flesh cannot please God. However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in union with you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. If, now, the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his spirit that resides in you. So, then, brothers, we are under obligation, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh; for if you live according to the flesh, you are sure to die; but if you put the practices of the body to death by the spirit, you will live. For all who are led by God’s spirit are indeed God’s sons. 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!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs—heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ—provided we suffer together so that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:5-17
It should be obvious that the distinction Paul here is making is between true Christians and false Christians, not between true Christians with an earthly hope and true Christians with a heavenly one. One knows that he is a child of God if he continues to manifest the fruit of God’s spirit in his life, not from any personal revelation that he has been granted something that other Christians do not have. God does not die, so to be a son of God would mean having eternal life. But since humans are sinful and sin results in death, how is this possible for imperfect humans? Only by God’s gracious kindness does he view those that, to the best of their ability live in harmony with the spirit as presently having eternal life. However, since they have to maintain integrity in order to actually receive it as an inheritance, for the present they live as though they have already have received it even though technically the complete realization is yet future.
Both Stephen Lett and paragraph 8 of the Watchtower cite 1 John 2:20,27:
“Jehovah leaves no doubt whatsoever in the minds and hearts of those who receive his invitation to go to heaven. (Read 1 John 2:20, 27.) Of course, anointed Christians need to be taught by Jehovah through the congregation just like everyone else. But they do not need anyone to confirm that they are anointed. Jehovah has used the most powerful force in the universe, his holy spirit, to make it absolutely clear to them that they are anointed!
“And you have an anointing from the holy one, and all of you have knowledge. 1 John 2:20
“And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to be teaching you; but the anointing from him is teaching you about all things and is true and is no lie. Just as it has taught you, remain in union with him. 1 John 2:27
The Watchtower society would like to make this passage say Christians do not need anyone to confirm that they are anointed. If that is true, one wonders how it is possible that the society in print can discourage persons from claiming to be anointed.
Any who in comparatively recent times dedicated themselves and were baptized and who consider themselves to be “born again” would do well to reflect seriously on the following questions: What reasons have you for feeling that Jehovah God has planted this hope in you? Could it be that your emotional feeling is a holdover from the mistaken belief you previously held while in Babylon the Great that heaven is the destiny of all good people? Or could it be that you feel this way because you had great inward disturbances, that you at first fought against the idea but it gradually won out? But did it win out because you wanted it that way, perhaps even unconsciously? Such struggles do not of themselves prove that you were “born again.”
18 Or do you feel that you have been chosen by God to be one of the 144,000 anointed ones because of your keen appreciation of spiritual things, because of your fondness for deep spiritual truths? Then note that ever so many who do not profess to be “born again” are ‘spiritual men’ in the fullest sense of the word. (1 Corinthians 2:14, 15) And there is no question about the spiritual strength of those men and women of faith listed in Hebrews chapter 11. None of those were “born again.” All of them looked forward to “a better resurrection [to life under God’s kingdom]” right here on this earth.—Hebrews 11:35.
19 Or might it be that you feel the way you do because of your displaying more zeal than some of your fellow Christians? But that of itself could not be the determining factor, for the apostle Paul time and again found it necessary to counsel anointed Christians in regard to taking their spiritual obligations seriously. (1 Corinthians 11:20-22; Galatians 4:9-11) Or could it be that your profession to be of the anointed is due to a lack of modesty? (The Watchtower February 1, 1982 pgs. 28,29 pars. 17-19)
12 “Jehovah knows those who belong to him.” (2 Tim. 2:19) Unlike Jehovah, the brothers who count the number of those partaking at the Memorial do not know who truly is anointed. So the number includes those who think that they are anointed but are not. For example, some who used to partake later stopped. Others may have mental or emotional problems that make them believe that they will rule with Christ in heaven. Clearly, we do not know exactly how many anointed ones are left on earth. (The Watchtower January 2020 pgs 29-30 par. 12)
If the most powerful force in the universe has confirmed for a person that he/she is chosen by God, what right does anyone have to plant doubts in his/her mind or accuse them of having mental or emotional problems?
This statement is amazing considering what is said in paragraph 5 of the same article that says: “Some who are anointed may at first find it hard to accept that Jehovah has chosen them.” Such contradictory reasoning makes one wonder what is really going on in the minds of Watchtower writers.
But John does not use the word confirm. It seems quite clear that John’s point is about teaching, since the context is a warning about false teachers (vss. 21-23) They have an anointing from God by means of the spirit and it teaches them about, not just their anointing, but “all things”.
Regarding 1 John 2:20-27 the NICNT comments:
In Old Testament usage anointing was symbolical of the reception of the Spirit (1Sa.16:13; Isa 61:1), and when Jesus is said to have been anointed, it is his reception of the Spirit at his baptism which is meant (Acts 10:38; cf. Luk 4:18). It is, therefore, not surprising that the majority of commentators think that the anointing here is the Spirit who comes to teach believers and to guide them into all truth. R. Schnackenburg has observed how what is said here in 1 John about the anointing is paralleled by what is said in Joh 14:17; Joh 15:26; Joh 16:13 about the activity of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit.[1] In the same way Paul describes the work of God in the believer: “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2Co 1:21 f).
A different understanding of the metaphor was introduced to English readers by C. H. Dodd.[2] He argued that the anointing oil refers to the Word of God which teaches the truth to believers and which is objective in its testimony to the truth. Because they have received the Word of God, the true believers have come to know the truth, and therefore they have the antidote to false teaching. There is much to be said for this interpretation. Thus it has been observed that in the two passages 2Co 1:21 f and Eph 1:13 there is a parallelism in thought between the ideas of being sealed with the Spirit and given the earnest of the Spirit; it is, therefore, tempting to conclude that the thought of being anointed in the former passage is equivalent to that of hearing and believing the Word of God in the latter. Further, the thought of teaching by the “anointing” (1Jn 2:27) fits in nicely with the identification of the anointing as the Word of God. Finally, John says that the anointing remains in his readers in the same way as he speaks about the Word of God or the truth remaining in them (1Jn 2:14; 2 Jn. 2). [3]All this adds up to a strong case that the anointing is to be identified with the Word of God. Above all, when understood in this way, John’s statement is free from the danger of subjectivism. The false teachers could lay claim to spiritual illumination: how, then, could John’s readers know for sure that their spiritual experience was of superior quality? If it is simply a matter of comparing claims to spiritual illumination, one person’s claim may be as good as another’s. But if John rests his case on his readers’ possession of the objective testimony of the Word of God, as handed down in the church, then clearly his case rests on a solid foundation. [4] -The New International Commentary on the New Testament
Paragraph 9 of the Watchtower states:
THEY ARE “BORN AGAIN” “Most of God’s servants today may find it difficult to understand what happens to someone when God anoints him. This is normal because they themselves have not been anointed. God created humans to live forever on earth, not in heaven. (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 37:29) But Jehovah has chosen some to live in heaven. So when he anoints them, he changes their hope and way of thinking drastically, so that they look forward to life in heaven.—Read Ephesians 1:18. (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition)
However, does Ephesians 1:18 support the point being made in the article?
That is why I also, since I have heard of the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus and the love that you demonstrate toward all the holy ones, never stop giving thanks for you. I continue mentioning you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the accurate knowledge of him. He has enlightened the eyes of your heart, so that you may know to what hope he called you, what glorious riches he holds as an inheritance for the holy ones, Ephesians 1:15-18
As can be seen, the verse does not say all that is assumed in the paragraph. Nowhere does it mention changing their hope and way of thinking drastically from earthly to heavenly. So all we have is an assumption that such is the case. Furthermore, notice that Paul, writing to baptized Christians who had already received the spirit, prays that God may give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation. Why would he say this if that is what is meant by token or guarantee in verses 13 and 14? By saying “He has enlightened the eyes of your heart” [past tense] the New World Translation rendering makes it appear as though Paul’s next words are referring back to this anointing. That this enlightening took place at their baptism. However, note how this is rendered in other translations:
I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people. (Eph 1:17-18 CEV)
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (Eph 1:17-18 ESV)
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Eph 1:17-18 KJV)
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (Eph 1:17-18 NASB)
As can be seen it is quite possible that Paul’s prayer is either for their hearts to be enlightened, or that they should receive further revelation beyond their hearts having been enlightened. Either way, if the token that they received in verse 14 made them absolutely certain of their heavenly calling there would be no need for Paul to pray for them to receive further enlightenment. Compare what Paul says here with what he says later in his letter:
I pray that he may grant you through the abundance of his glory to be made mighty in the man you are inside, with power through his spirit, and that through your faith you may have the Christ dwell in your hearts with love. May you be rooted and established on the foundation, in order that with all the holy ones you may be thoroughly able to comprehend fully what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of the Christ, which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness that God gives. Ephesians 3:16-19
Rather than the holy spirit providing a personal revelation to the disciples at their baptism, it teaches by means of Paul and other inspired writers and recalls to their minds what Jesus taught and what has been revealed in the Hebrew scriptures. The society even argues similarly when it suits their purpose.
“Some who preferred to be independent of any congregation may have argued that one can gain accurate knowledge through communion with God and through his spirit, and therefore a teaching congregation or organization was not necessary. They may have referred to Ephesians 1:17, 18 or 3:16-19, where Paul writes concerning God as giving believers wisdom and accurate knowledge and says that Christ would dwell in them and they could grasp these things mentally, or 1 John 2:26, 27, where John writes: “You do not need anyone to be teaching you; . . . the anointing from him is teaching you about all things.” But note, these expressions are found in letters of instruction that the apostles Paul and John sent to the congregations and that would be used further to teach those in the congregation. If the spirit would have done all teaching direct with all spirit-begotten individuals, there would have been no need for these letters to be written to the congregations.—1 John 1:3, 4. (The Watchtower March 1, 1961 pg. 142 par. 18)
This Watchtower article is attempting to convince the reader that it is impossible for one, on his own, to have a personal relationship with God solely by prayer, reading the Bible and with the help of holy spirit. No, it is claimed that the Watchtower organization is needed. But how does it accomplish that? By telling you that this instruction in the first century was not provided individually but made available by means of inspired writings that were distributed and read aloud in the congregations. So the argument appears to be that such knowledge could only be gained by attendance at congregation meetings. So Christians cannot be taught today unless they attend a kingdom hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
However, is the kingdom hall the only place one can gain access to the Bible? Would they put what is published in the society’s literature on the same level as the inspired writings? How can they when they admit that the governing body is “neither inspired nor infallible”? (The Watchtower February 2017 pg. 26 par. 12)
For I want you to know, brothers, that the good news I declared to you is not of human origin; for neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it was through a revelation by Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11, 12
Since Christians today have access to the same inspired writings that were available to those living in the first century it should follow that neither do they need anyone by means of additional uninspired material teaching them. In fact, in the same letter the apostle John warned Christians that they should test even teachings that claimed to be inspired.
Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired statement, but test the inspired statements to see whether they originate with God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
We also must remember the statement in the previous article that admitted God anointed individual Christians during the centuries following the death of the apostles:
“Jehovah began choosing anointed ones after Jesus was resurrected. It seems that in the first century, all true Christians were anointed. In the centuries that followed, most of those who claimed that they were Christians did not really follow Christ. Even so, during those years, Jehovah anointed the few who were true Christians. They were like the wheat that Jesus said would grow among the weeds. (Matt. 13:24-30) (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition page 30 paragraph 14)
How could this be possible if God did not help them personally apart from an apostate Christian church organization?
The Watchtower society has even gone so far as to say that there has been no Faithful and Discreet Slave to give scriptural instruction during the 1900 years prior to 1919:
Furthermore, anointing by holy spirit need not necessarily be understood to mean direct revelation from God. The Bible says that overseers are appointed by holy spirit. Notice how the society explains this:
“How are elders and ministerial servants appointed in each congregation?
▪ In the first century C.E., the apostle Paul told the elders who served in the congregation in Ephesus: “Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son.” (Acts 20:28) What role does holy spirit play in the appointment of elders and ministerial servants today?
First, holy spirit moved the Bible writers to record the qualifications for elders and ministerial servants. Sixteen different requirements of elders are listed at 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Further qualifications are found in such scriptures as Titus 1:5-9 and James 3:17, 18. Qualifications for ministerial servants are outlined at 1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12, 13. (The Watchtower November 15, 2014 pg. 28 Questions From Readers)
Paragraph 10 in the article states:
“When Christians are anointed by holy spirit, they are “born again,” or “born from above.” Jesus also indicated that it is impossible to explain exactly to someone who has not been anointed how it feels to be “born again,” or to be “born from the spirit.”—John 3:3-8; ftn. (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition)
The society would have us understand that this discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus demonstrates the impossibility of a Christian with an earthly hope being able to grasp what it feels like to have the heavenly hope. But is that what Jesus was conveying? First of all, Nicodemus was not a Christian. Secondly, in response to Jesus statement “unless anyone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”, he was not asking Jesus how it feels to be born again. Such is a rewording of the scriptures, twisting them. It amounts to going beyond the things that have been written. Nicodemus asked: “How can a man be born when he is old?” In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says nothing about going to heaven. On the contrary he asks in verse 12:
If I have told you earthly things and you still do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? John 3:12
So Jesus was not trying to explain heavenly life at all to Nicodemus.
Paragraph 12 states:
“Someone who has been anointed may feel unworthy of this precious privilege. But he does not for one minute doubt that Jehovah has chosen him. His heart bursts with joy and appreciation when he thinks of his future prospects.—Read 1 Peter 1:3, 4. (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition)
Is that so? Let’s read what Peter says:
Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for you, 1 Peter 1:3, 4
If the expression “reserved in the heavens” has to do with going to live in heaven it would be the hope for all Christians not just a chosen few.
While the Christians’ adversaries might destroy all they have in this world, there is a reward that no force on earth can touch. This inheritance should give them hope in the darkest times. While this does not prove that the inheritance is life in the heavens, stronger scriptural support for that is found in the next paragraph when it is discussed that, according to 2 Cor. 5:4; 1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 John 3:2,3 and Rev. 20:6, part of the inheritance involves gaining immortality.
Paragraph 14 asks:
HAS JEHOVAH ANOINTED YOU?
“Perhaps you are wondering if you have been anointed by holy spirit. If so, think about these important questions: Do you have a burning desire to do Jehovah’s will? Do you feel that you are especially zealous in the preaching work? Are you a keen student of God’s Word who loves to learn about “the deep things of God”? (1 Cor. 2:10) Do you feel that Jehovah has given you wonderful results in the preaching work? Do you have a deep inner feeling of responsibility to help others spiritually? Have you seen proof that Jehovah has helped you in many specific ways in your life? If you answer these questions with a resounding yes, does this prove that you now have the heavenly calling? No, it does not. Why not? Because all of God’s servants can feel this way, whether they are anointed or not. And by means of his holy spirit, Jehovah can give the same power to any of his servants, no matter what their hope is. In fact, if you are wondering whether you have been anointed by holy spirit, such doubt in itself would mean that you have not been. Those called by Jehovah do not wonder whether they have been anointed or not! They know! (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition)
So, according to this paragraph the only way one can know he has been anointed by God is through a personal revelation from him. That being the case we would have to say that anointed ones are inspired. That they have received information beyond what the inspired scriptures supply. This would be a modern day miracle. Since such a claim is not falsifiable when a Christian makes such a claim we could do nothing but accept their word for it. But such a claim cannot be proven scripturally.
Paragraph 15 states:
“Throughout the Bible, there are many examples of men of faith who received holy spirit; yet, they did not have the hope of living in heaven. David was guided by holy spirit. (1 Sam. 16:13) Holy spirit helped him to understand the deep things about Jehovah and also directed him to write parts of the Bible. (Mark 12:36) Even so, the apostle Peter said that David “did not ascend to the heavens.” (Acts 2:34) John the Baptist was “filled with holy spirit.” (Luke 1:13-16) Jesus said that there was no man greater than John, but then he said that John would not be included in the heavenly Kingdom. (Matt. 11:10, 11) Jehovah used his holy spirit to give these men the power to do amazing things, but he did not use that spirit to choose them to live in heaven. Does this mean that they were less faithful than those chosen to rule in heaven? No. It simply means that Jehovah will bring them back to life in Paradise on earth.—John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15. (The Watchtower January 2020 study edition)
While it is true that God can use his holy spirit to accomplish a variety of things, that really is beside the point. What really is required is scriptural proof of what he uses his spirit to accomplish at any given time, that he uses his spirit to change the way humans think and the hope that they cherish, and to assure them that in the future they will live forever in heaven and not on earth. Uninspired men cannot tell us these things.
About 2 years ago I offered a sincere prayer to God asking him to make clear to me if indeed I was chosen by him to become one of his children, a son of the kingdom. Please believe me when I say that I poured my heart out for the holy spirit to come into my heart and mind, speaking reassuringly that he wanted me to partake in the upward call. I thought of what that might mean and was prepared to follow the lamb no matter where he goes. Afterward, I just sat there waiting. I felt that it would be presumptuous to ask that a sign or vision would be given me at that very moment, so I was going to busy myself with something else and give it some time. Just before going out, however, a thought occurred that I should read Jesus discussion with Nicodemus in John chapter 3.While reading, I thought to myself how much like Nicodemus I was, struggling with this question of being born again and not understanding it all. And just like him, as an elder in my congregation, I am a teacher among God’s people. And then I read Jesus words in verse 16:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)
Since God lives forever, to have everlasting life is to be a child of God. We know that God’s original purpose was for the earth to be filled with humans working together, cooperating together to make the entire earth like the garden planted by Jehovah in Eden. Adam was created to live forever and was called a son of God. (Luke 3:38) This purpose was derailed by the rebellion. But that does not mean Jehovah has abandoned it. He will get it back on track and all things will end up as he originally intended. The means for accomplishing this is for some from among mankind to be chosen to share with his son in the kingdom of the heavens, the kingdom of the world meaning that it will rule until all Christ’s enemies including death will be placed under his feet. (Rev.11:15) Afterwards all will be returned to God who will then be all things to everyone. (1 Cor. 15:28)
This world is looking forward with anticipation to the fulfillment of that purpose. They eagerly await the blessing that comes from Abraham’s offspring. (Gen 22:18; Gal 3:26-29)
They are the creation that is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19-21)
I would love to be called as a son of God now. I read very carefully Paul’s words earlier on in this chapter:
However, you are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in you. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)
I became afraid at the last sentence in the verse: “But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this person does not belong to him.” It sounded to me like unless one has been called by the spirit to become a son of the kingdom, God does not want him. That there is no chance for him to be a part of God’s family. But then I noticed what Paul said in verse 21:
that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)
That thought comforted me. It told me that God wants all of his intelligent creation to be in his family. To gather together the things in the heavens and the things on earth. In order to bring that about, some from among this world become sons now in order to help many become sons later. How does one know whether for him it is now or later? That’s a good question. I think the best answer we have is what has been told us in the scriptures by Jesus and the first century disciples.
However, to all who did receive him, he gave authority to become God’s children, because they were exercising faith in his name. And they were born, not from blood or from a fleshly will or from man’s will, but from God. John 1:12, 13
“‘And I will become a father to you, and you will become sons and daughters to me,’ says Jehovah, the Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18
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. 1 John 3:1
Where does the Bible say that this gathering of children of God was to cease?
And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” Matthew 28:19, 20
If the good news was that God was gathering children to give them an inheritance of ruling with his Son, then it would only cease at the end of the system of things. If it were to cease at any time prior to that, such as in 1935, that would mean the good news would have to be altered to that of gathering persons to live forever on earth. But we have no authorization from God to alter the message.
However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him 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. Galatians 1:8, 9
However, the Bible does directly tell us that something would cease.
Love never fails. But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 1 Corinthians 13:8
Hence, it seems it was unnecessary for me to ask for a special dispensation of spirit in order to convince me of what was readily available in the scriptures all along. On the other hand this highlights the need for all of us to be aware to make a test of any that claim to be inspired.
Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired statement, but test the inspired statements to see whether they originate with God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
I did have in mind responding to the follow up Watchtower article to this one entitled: “We Will Go With You” but I don’t think I could do a better job than Beroeans Creed.
[1] [Schnackenburg, 151-154; Heise, 138-140.]
[2] [Dodd, 58-64. The interpretation goes back to R. Reitzenstein, Die hellenistischen Mysterienreligionen, Leipzig, 19273, 396f.; Die Vorgeschichte der christlichen Taufe, Leipzig, 1929, 184.]
[3] [De la Potterie, art. cit., 101-108.]
[4] [“The appeal to the indwelling Spirit easily declines into an appeal to the individual experience of ‘inspiration’. If such experience is made the criterion, persons with little grasp of the central truths of the Gospel may mistake their own ‘inspirations’ (or bright ideas) for the truth of God, and so the corporate, historical tradition of Christianity is imperilled. Our writer found that this was actually happening within his sphere of influence (see 1Jn_4:1-6). If, on the other hand, we are referred to the Gospel itself, which is a recital of what God did for us in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—to the Gospel not as merely heard, believed and remembered, but as livingly apprehended and retained as a power in our lives—then there is an objective standard by which the faith of the Church is kept true to what is distinctive in the Christian revelation. The interior testimony of the Holy Spirit is confirmation of the datum in the Gospel (see 1Jn_4:13)” (Dodd, 63f.).]
[5] [For the construction εἰδέναι … τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλπίς, cf. Eph_3:9 (φωτίσαι τίς ἡ οἰκονομία), Eph_3:18 (καταλαβέσθαι … τί τὸ πλάτος).]