March 1, 2009

Free Will Ministries, Continued.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 KJV "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (emphasis mine)

Galatians 1:6 KJV I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (emphasis mine)

The above picture is another Jesus, a spirit being, thought by the Jehovah Witnesses to be Michael the Archangel. Michael came to earth from heaven to be Jesus Christ. He died and another spirit being came to take his place. Michael lived on to do battle with Satan and his angels, according to JW. The spirit being ascended to heaven where he assumed the title King or ruler of the earth realized in 1914, according to JW. The JW now await the beginning of the 1000 year reign with Jesus as King destroying the enemies of God and establishing a Edenic like life for humble men on the earth.

This Jesus, contrary to the Bible achieved independent status on earth, not as Jehovah but as his son, subordinate to Jehovah. He is a 'god.' He is a representative providing ambassadorial
assistance from Jehovah through the faithful servants, the 144,000 heavenly class of people.
The 1000 year reign must begin soon since there are few remaining men left on earth of the heavenly class. They are the ones who provide spiritual food in the form of watchtower literature to the faithful on earth who strive to attain earthly status and reign with Christ.

The JW believe strongly in free will and that Adam forfeited his status in the garden by abuse of free will. Men are under the influence of sin as a result of Adam's sin yet they can exercise faith by showing obedience toward Christ as Lord and savior. God is waiting to see if men will follow the ways of evil or if they will follow him. The focus of this waiting is on religious leaders who have allowed the dictates of Babylon to influence their ministries.

The difference between the Jesus of Trinitarian Christians and the JW Unitarian Jesus is in his assertions that He does not act independently of the Father. In spite of the statements of Christ contrary they insist he acts independently on his own. To state otherwise would be to affirm his equality with the Father, something which Christ affirmed Himself. The New World translation says: " In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god." John 1:1 (emphasis mine) A god was with the God. This being did not come from God as a son from a father but was a created being of Jehovah. So when the JW says Jesus came from the Father they do not mean a son with equality to his father but a creation subordinate to the Father. This created being was Michael the archangel.

Now the point of all this is how did they come up with this ideal? It did not originate with Charles T. Russel but perhaps with Ellen G White's Adventist views. It was a nineteenth century religious view of anti-orthodox reactions resulting in Unitarianism. Ironically much of this reaction was against Calvinism. The other Christ and gospel is the result of free will running a course contrary to Trinitarianism. The tenets of free grace are rooted in a Biblical Trinitarian view. Any time that Christian free will is postulated as a major theme then it will run a course opposed to orthodoxy. It ends in Unitarianism.

Many of you who come across my blog think me to be a fool spouting folly and desirous of kicking a dead man. This is not so and many of you will continue to disbelieve me. I love the Word of God more than life itself and believe in a sovereign God who saves sinners, including me.

I will not be alive to see the outcome of Adrian Rogers beliefs but you can rest assured that as sure as the Mormons, JW, T D Jakes, Kenneth Copeland etc. etc. are aberrant theologies of other Christ and gospels that Dr. Rogers' gospel will run it's course in the same manner. 20-40 years from now the SBC Baptist Faith and Mission will arrive at a form of Unitarianian anti-orthodoxy. The mantra will be "come to Jesus," worship will be eclectic, doctrine will be non-existent, Christ will be God without the Father and the Holy Spirit. The SBC will be the major Christian denomination in America, embraced by the ruling powers. All this contingent on the fact that the Lord has not come in His glory. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!

No comments: