THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
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THE ECONOMY OF GOD
Message One
Three Layers in the Divine Revelation of the Bible
1 Tim. 2:4 Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.
2 Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
In the Bible Having Three Layers to the Divine Revelation
In the Bible there are three layers to the divine revelation.…the kind of person we are determines what we receive when we read the Bible. The level at which we are determines the level of revelation we will find in the Bible.
The First Layer—the Gospel and Salvation of God
In the Bible the first layer of the divine revelation is the gospel and salvation of God. When Adam fell, God came to preach the gospel to him, saying, “Her [the woman’s] seed..shall bruise thy [Satan’s] head” (Gen. 3:15).…The seed of the woman, Christ, who would be born of a virgin, would bruise the head of the serpent, Satan. At the fullness of time, Christ Himself took on a body of flesh and blood to destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14)..…The redemption Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection is not only for man, the chief object among all God’s creation, but also for the entire creation. This is the reason the Lord charged the disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all the creation” (Mark 16:15) because our Savior God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4)
The Second Layer—the Blessing and Prosperity of God
The second layer of the divine revelation in the Bible is the blessing and prosperity of God. God is a God of blessing. He continually blesses His people.…Numbers 6:24-26 says, “Jehovah bless you and keep you; Jehovah make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; Jehovah lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” Here we have the threefold blessing of the Divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.…This blessing of the Divine Trinity is not related mainly to material things; it is related mainly to the Triune God being gracious to us, appearing to us, and being seen by us. When we come to the New Testament, we see another threefold blessing of the Divine Trinity given by God to the believers. Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
The Third Layer—the Economy and Dispensing of God
The third layer of the divine revelation in the Bible is the economy and dispensing of God.…After we believe in the Lord, we may experience blessing and peace initially. But gradually, the situation will change.…We must turn from God’s blessing and prosperity to God Himself. We are not here for blessing and prosperity, but for God Himself and for His economy and dispensing. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to the purpose.”…The “good” here, according to the context, does not refer to physical people, events, or things. Rather, it refers to the increase of Christ within us, with the result that we experience a metabolic change and are conformed, ultimately, to the image of the firstborn Son of God, which is the entrance into the full sonship.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Economy and Dispensing of God,” msg. 1
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Message Two
The Economy of God
Eph. 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him.
Eph. 3:9 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.
The Word Economy Meaning “Household Law”
and It Denoting “A Household Management,”
“A Household Administration,”
There are over three hundred passages in the Bible referring to the economy of God either directly or indirectly.…Ephesians 1:10 says, “Unto the economy of the fullness of the times”; Ephesians 3:9 says, “And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.” First Timothy 1:4 says, “God’s economy, which is in faith.” The Greek word for economy in these three passages is oikonomia, which means “household law”; it denotes “a household management,” “a household administration,” and derivatively, “a dispensation,” “a plan,” or “an economy for administration.”
The Greek word oikonomia is made up of two words: oikos, denoting a “house” or “household,” and nomos, denoting a “law” or “principle.” The meaning of these two words combined is “household administration.” This house is the house of God, including all the saved ones in the whole human race, all those who were chosen by God and have received God as their life (Eph. 2:19)
The Purpose of God in His Economy
Being to Work Himself, in His Divine Trinity,
into His Chosen Ones
The purpose of God in His economy is to work Himself, in His Divine Trinity, into His chosen ones. This God who has a plan, an economy, wants to do only one thing, that is, to work Himself into His chosen ones through all the processes and procedures which He went through in His Divine Trinity.
In order to work Himself into His chosen ones, God must be the Spirit. Moreover, the ultimate consummation and manifestation of the Triune God must also be the Spirit. The Divine Trinity has been processed. God the Father is the source of the Divine Trinity (John 13:3; 1 Cor. 6:19). God the Son is the embodiment of the processed Triune God (Col. 2:9); He passed through the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and eventually became the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) as the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God. All that the Divine Trinity has is consummated in the Spirit—the processed, compounded, all-inclusive, life-giving, indwelling, sevenfold intensified, and ultimately consummated Spirit.
This is the way God works Himself into us. In His Divine Trinity, in His ultimate consummation, God reaches us and comes into us as the Spirit. Not only the Spirit comes, but the Son and the Father also come.……He comes into our spirit, which is the innermost part, the center, the most sincere part of our being, to be joined with us. Eventually, these two spirits are joined and mingled as one. Hence, 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” This is the primary matter in God’s economy. At this point, God has wrought Himself into His chosen ones in His Divine Trinity.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1986, vol. 3, “The Revelation and Vision of God,” msg. 5
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Message Three
The Divine Dispensing
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.
John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
God’s Dispensing Being to Dispense the Divine Trinity into Us
God’s dispensing is to dispense the Divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—into us. He is not dispensing to us blessings such as a good house, a good car, or a good daughter-in-law. Paul considered all such things as refuse (Phil. 3:8). They are not God’s dispensing. God’s dispensing is simply to dispense Himself in His three persons into us.
Our God is rich in His three persons. He is rich in the person of the Father, He is rich in the person of the Son, and He is rich in the person of the Spirit. The Divine Trinity is God’s unsearchable riches. It is true that God is rich in light, power, life, love, holiness, righteousness, and thousands of other items. But in totality, God is rich in His Divine Trinity.
Our Spirit Being the Opening for God’s Dispensing
But God is not dispensing Himself into lifeless vessels. In England they call a drugstore a dispensary. In the dispensary, drugs are dispensed into lifeless bottles, and because they are lifeless, their cooperation is not required. God, however, is dispensing Himself into us, the living vessels, who already have our own taste, choice, preference, feeling, thinking, mentality, will, etc. If we do not exercise our spirit strongly to cooperate with the Lord, God cannot dispense Himself into us. Our spirit is not only the receiving organ, the retaining organ, but also the opening for God’s dispensing. When our spirit opens wide, our whole being opens. Then God has a way to impart Himself into us. God’s dispensing depends upon our coordination, and our coordination is the exercise of our spirit.
Praying in the Spirit in Order to Meet God,
Then the Divine Dispensing
Immediately Flows into Our Spirit
This is why we have to pray. Just as walking exercises our feet and legs, only prayer exercises our spirit. When we pray, we should not be concerned so much for material things and for our personal affairs as the goal. We should pray in the spirit in order to touch God, to contact God, and to worship God. This kind of prayer exercises our spirit and opens our spirit, and in our spirit we meet God. Then the divine dispensing immediately flows into our spirit. Today our Christian life is a life of godliness, which comes out of God’s dispensing of Himself into us. This depends upon our spirit being fully exercised.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Economy and Dispensing of God,” msg. 7; CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” lsn. 18
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Message Four
The Mingling of Divinity and Humanity
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us…, full of grace and reality.
Lev. 2:4 And when you present an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened cakes mingled with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
The Mingling of the Holy Spirit
with the Human Nature in Leviticus 2:4
Being the Mingling of God with Man
This mystery, which is revealed to us throughout the entire Bible, is the mingling of God with man. Among Christians today the term mingling, particularly as it relates to the mingling of God with man, is rarely used. This term was adopted by us from Leviticus 2:4, which says, “And when you present an offering of a meal offering baked in the oven, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened cakes mingled with oil or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.” In the Scriptures oil signifies the Holy Spirit of God, and fine flour signifies the human nature—particularly that of Christ. Hence, in Leviticus 2:4 we see the mingling of the Holy Spirit with the human nature. This is the mingling of God with man.
The Beginning of the Mingling
of Divinity and Humanity within Us
Marking at the Time of Regeneration
The addition of the divine element to our being at the time of regeneration marks the beginning of the mingling of divinity and humanity within us. Regeneration, therefore, is simply the beginning of the mingling. When tea is added to water, both the tea and the water work to produce one entity, one drink.…we would point out that it is impossible for water to become tea without the element of tea added to the water. There is only one way for water to become tea, and that is to put tea into water. When the element of tea is added to water, this element will constitute the water into tea. Once water has become tea, it has two elements: tea and water. Anyone who drinks this tea will receive these two elements. He takes only one kind of drink into him, but he receives two kinds of elements. He enjoys the water to quench his thirst and the tea to give him a certain taste.
Divinity and Humanity Continuing to Exist Distinctly
but Not Separately When They Are Mingled
We need to be very clear, however, that the mingling of tea and water does not produce a third substance, a substance which is neither tea nor water. To say that the element of tea is mingled with water does not mean that the two original substances, the tea and the water, are nullified and no longer exist. On the contrary, the water is still water, and the tea is still tea. The difference is that once the tea and the water have been mingled, they are no longer separate. They are distinct, but they are not separate, for they have been mingled together and constituted into one entity, one drink. In the same principle, when divinity is mingled with humanity, both divinity and humanity continue to exist. It would not be true to say that this mingling produces a third substance, something which is neither divine nor human.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 1, “The Practical Way to Live in the Mingling of God with Man,” ch. 3; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 38
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Message Five
The Triune God Saturating the Tripartite Man
Rom. 8:10 if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
6 the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.
God Being Triune
Look at Romans 8:9, and you will see the reference to the Triune God. “But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any one has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him.” Notice that God, Christ, and the Spirit are all mentioned here. Yet this verse is not making a doctrinal statement; it is dealing with our experience.… The Trinity is not a doctrine for us to subscribe to.…We need God to be triune in order that we may experience Him. God, Christ, and the Spirit are all in our experience.…The term triune means three in one. From one side there are three; but from the other side they are one, because they cannot be separated.
Being Created with Spirit, Soul, and Body
So That the Two Spirits,
His and Ours, Could Be Joined Together
Not only is God triune; man is tripartite. We human beings are spirit, soul, and body. We were created in this way, so that we could be organically grafted to God, and so that the two spirits, His and ours, could be joined together.
In Romans 8:10 it says, “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is life because of righteousness.” When the Triune God enters into you, His divine life is dispensed into you and makes your spirit life. Your spirit is life. Here is a reference to your spirit. Then verse 6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” The mind is the main part of the soul. Thus the mind is sometimes used in the Bible to represent the soul. In verse 10 we saw that the spirit is life. Here in verse 6 the mind, representing the soul, is also life. When we set the mind on the spirit, the life and the spirit will be infused into our mind, making it also life. Verse 11 mentions our mortal bodies. “But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from among the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ Jesus from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you.” In just these few verses, then, we have the tripartite man—spirit, soul, and body—and the Triune God.
Our Whole Being Needing to Be Saturates By The Divine Life
For Him to become our life, He first enters our spirit, making it life. Then our soul is made life by the mind being set on the spirit. Lastly, our mortal bodies are made life. The divine life thus saturates our whole being. Our relationship with God should reach to this extent. Our whole being must be saturated with Him.
When every part of us is saturated with this all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, we are in the union that God wants.…Here is what God wants: the Spirit saturating our whole being until every part is Christ. Morality and ethics cannot compare with this. When man lives himself, even the best of his living is only copper. When we live Christ, our living is gold, shining bright.
Further Reading: (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, vol. 2,” ch. 60)
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
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THE ECONOMY OF GOD
Message Six
The Ultimate Goal of God’s Economy
John 1:13 Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is.
God’s Intention Being to Make the Believers God
in Life and in Nature but Not in the Godhead
God’s intention to make the believers God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead. Athanasius referred to deification when at the council of Nicea in A.D. 325 he said, “He [Christ] was made man that we might be made God.” Although the term deification is familiar to many theologians and Christian teachers, during the past sixteen centuries only a small number have dared to teach regarding the deification of the believers in Christ.
I have not been influenced by any teaching about deification, but I have learned from my study of the Bible that God does intend to make the believers God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead. For instance, 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is.” This verse clearly reveals that we will be like God.
God Making Us like Him
by Imparting His Life and Nature into Us
God makes us like Him by imparting His life and nature into us. Second Peter 1:4 says that we have become “partakers of the divine nature.” John 1:12-13 says that we were born, regenerated, by God with His life. As God’s children we are “baby gods,” having God’s life and nature but not His Godhead. The Godhead is unique; He is the only One who should be worshipped.
We have been born of God and today, having God’s life and nature, we are partially like Him. One day, when He comes, we will be wholly and entirely like Him.
It was wonderful for David to be a man according to God’s heart, but it was not sufficient. God wants those who can say, “I am not just a person according to God’s heart. I am God in life and in nature but not in His Godhead.” On the one hand, the New Testament reveals that the Godhead is unique and that only God, who alone has the Godhead, should be worshipped. On the other hand, the New Testament reveals that we, the believers in Christ, have God’s life and nature and that we are becoming God in life and in nature but will never have His Godhead.
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msg. 25
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Message Seven
The Ministry of the Age
Eph. 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.
In Every Age the Lord
Having Special Things That He Wants to Accomplish,
Which Is the Ministry of That Age
What is the ministry? Most people lack the proper understanding of the ministry. I often heard you pray in the meeting, saying, “We need to follow the ministry,” or “We need to be one with the ministry.” I doubt that you have a true understanding concerning the ministry. In the Bible, there are these two words—ministry and minister. These two are not the same. “Ministry” refers to the work of the Lord’s move on the earth, whereas “minister” refers to one who bears responsibility in the Lord’s work. We have spoken concerning this point quite thoroughly among us for many years.
In every age the Lord has special things that He wants to accomplish. He has His own recoveries and His own works to do. The particular recovery and work that He does in one age is the ministry of that age.
The Ministry in Noah’s Age
Throughout the generations there has been the work of the Lord’s move. In the Old Testament, during Noah’s age, the Lord’s move was the building of the ark. This work of building the ark was the ministry in Noah’s age. Noah was the chief minister in that ministry. However, just by Noah alone, there was no way to build the ark. At that time, there must have been some who built the ark together with Noah. The work of building the ark was the ministry in that age.
The Ministry in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus came and He said, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). The first one who participated in the ministry of building the church was the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s ministry was to build up the Body of Christ. For this, He chose twelve apostles and brought them into the ministry of building the church. Afterward, He also brought in other apostles, among whom the most prominent was Paul.
Entering into the Lord’s Ministry in This Age
as Long as We Are Christians
Now we have already seen clearly that the ministry spoken of in the Bible does not refer to a person, but to God’s building work. Moreover, in God’s building ministry, there are those who take the lead in that ministry in every age. May the Lord open our eyes to see that as long as we are human beings, we should be Christians; as long as we are Christians, we should enter into the Lord’s ministry in this age.
It is God’s mercy that a person can see and come into contact with the ministry of that age. We are all in this up-to-date, all-inheriting vision. we should closely follow after it.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1987, vol. 2, “Words of Training for the New Way,” msg. 2; CWWN, vol. 57, “The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” msg. 25
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Message Eight
Knowing the Heresies
2 Pet. 2:1 But there arose also false prophets among the people, as also among you there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
“Heresies” Meaning “Self-Chosen Doctrines, Alien from the Truth”
Which Cause Division and Produce Sects
2 Pet. 2:1 says, “…there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…”. The Greek word “heresies” means choices of opinion (of doctrine) different from that usually accepted, “self-chosen doctrines, alien from the truth”. Such doctrines cause division and produce sects…2 John. 1:10 says, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not say to him, Rejoice!” The word “he” refers to a heretic, an antichrist, a false prophet. Such a one we must reject, not receiving him into our house nor greeting him. It is not easy for young believers to discern these heresies. We should learn to not touch heresies. We should flee from them and reject them.
Standard Rules to Identify Heresies
Heresy is a strong word, and we must not condemn anyone as a heretic lightly. Now let us examine the ten things that determine a heresy.
The first kind of heresy relates to the authority of the Bible.… “All Scripture is God-breathed.” Christian faith and conduct are based absolutely on the Bible.…Hence, anything that deviates from the Bible or elevates itself to a position of authority is a heresy.
The second kind of heresy has to do with the person of Christ.…The Bible shows us (1) that the Lord Jesus is God, (2) that He is the Son of God, (3) that He is the Christ appointed by God, (4) that He is a perfect man, and (5) that after His resurrection He is both God and man in heaven. At that time, God made Him both Lord and Christ.…Many heresies have concentrated their attack on one or more aspects of the Lord Jesus’ person.…But to deny any one aspect of His person is enough to constitute a teaching as a heresy.
Some heresies try to deny the matter of sin altogether. The Bible clearly tells us that man has sinned.…Saying that man has not sinned annuls the work of redemption and the need of a Savior. Saying this is the same as saying that the gospel we preach is a lie. All those who deny the fact of man’s sinfulness are heretics.
Men try to overturn the work of the Lord. Some try to overturn it by overturning the reality of sin. They deny the fact of man’s inherent sin. This nullifies the need of Christ’s redemption. Others try to overturn the blood. They do not recognize the redemptive nature of Christ’s blood. This also nullifies the work of Christ’s redemption. Second Peter 2:1 speaks of those who deny the Master who bought them. This is surely heresy.
Further Reading: Holy Bible Recovery Version, 2 Pet. 2:1, footnote 3; Holy Bible Recovery Version, 2 John 1:10, footnote 2; CWWN, vol. 60, “Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (2),” msg.30
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THE ECONOMY OF GOD
Message Nine
Mormonism
2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not say to him, Rejoice!
The Full Name Being
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Mormonism, the full name of which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a new religion founded by an American, Joseph Smith, in 1830 in the Eastern United States. It was ostracized for its peculiar doctrines and polygamy and later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the headquarter was established.
This religion has four main texts: The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Bible. Joseph Smith claimed that the first three books were the visions which he received from one angel. Mormonism is therefore a hybrid new religion, very different from orthodox Christianity.
Since Mormons does not believe that the Bible is the complete revelation, they place great emphasis on the contents of the other three books. Therefore, although Mormons claim that they also read the Bible, they actually do not take the Bible as the unique standard of faith. Therefore, many errors and heresies are issued. Some examples are as follows:
Denying the Authority of the Bible
and Altering It
The eighth point of their creed states: “…we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” This is contrary to John’s charge to the believers in Revelation: “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this scroll” (22:18)
Considering Christ to Be a Creature Only
Mormons consider Christ to be a creature: “The birth of the Savior, as natural as the birth of our children, is the result of a natural act. He was born of His father to partake of flesh and blood, as we are of our Father…” This is also heretical. Not only does the Bible speak of Christ as a man, partaking of created flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14), but He is also God, the Creator. He possesses both complete divinity and perfect humanity.
The Believers Needing
to Beware, Recognize, and Reject Them
From their view concerning the Triune God, Christ, salvation, Adam-God, etc., recorded in their scriptures and writings, it is clear that the Mormon view goes beyond the realm of the Bible. This religion uses the same or similar terms in its writings and materials as in the Bible, and its activities resemble Christians’ meetings or gospel preaching, thus making it similar to a Christian group. However, it is a clear heresy, and even paganism. The believers should learn to beware, recognize, and reject them.
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Message Ten
Jehovah’s Witnesses
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses is a group founded by an American, Charles T. Russell, in Pennsylvania in 1870. In Taiwan, it made a big splash because of refusing military service. In the U.S., it is called “the most dangerous religious sect” for refusing blood transfusions. This group has many unscriptural doctrines and practices. Here are several errors concerning the Triune God, Christ, and salvation.
The Erroneous View concerning the Triune God
Jehovah’s Witnesses argue strongly that God is always superior to Jesus. They cite many examples in the Bible, such as Jesus’ prayer to the Father, to prove that Jesus showed that the Father is superior to Him and that Jesus is inferior to the Father. Therefore, He was not the eternal God equal to the Father and had no eternal divinity. Moreover, they believe that the Holy Spirit is not God but merely God’s active force.
The Reappearing of the Arianism
In their writings, the strong belief that the son is inferior to the father inevitably associates them as a modern version of the heresy of Arianism in the fourth century. This thought was condemned as heresy by the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325.
Not Believing in the Salvation of Eternal Life
In addition, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to follow the teachings of the Bible, but they do not believe John 3:16: “That every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life.” They believe that it is possible to be saved only by becoming its members, observing all the doctrines enacted by its headquarter (The Watch Tower Society), and performing various kinds of good deeds. This is very different from justification by faith revealed in the Bible.
Refusing Heresies to Be Kept in Salvation and Life
Jehovah’s Witnesses is an obvious heresy for their denial of the divinity of Christ. Since they deny the Godhead of Christ, they cannot receive God in salvation and life. The apostle John clearly teaches us concerning this: “Everyone who goes beyond and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not say to him, Rejoice! For he who says to him, Rejoice, shares in his evil works” (2 John 9-11). We should learn to discern and reject heresies that we may be kept to participate and enjoy God in salvation and life.