Is the Watchtower Society God's
Organization?
One of the most prominent features of the Watchtower's
teachings is that a person must be "identified with" and baptized
into their organization in order to receive salvation from God. This doctrine
was promulgated heavily during Joseph Rutherford's tenure as president of the
Society, and continues to this day. Their stand can be demonstrated by many
quotations from Watchtower publications. Here are a few:
"Before one can enter this great multitude
class he must ... connect himself with God's organization ..." - Armageddon the Greatest Battle of all Time, 1937, p. 57
"They must find protection in God's organization,
which shows that they must be immersed, baptized or hidden in that organization."
- Face the Facts,
1938, p. 41
"Always have in mind that there is but
one place of safety, and that is in or under Christ Jesus, who is the head of
Jehovah's capital organization, which organization furnishes protection to those
who flee to the Lord at this time." - The
Watchtower, February 15, 1940 p. 51
"Know that all living at Armageddon will
be baptized, either with fire for destruction with the wicked or with salvation
for life with the theocratic organization." - The
Watchtower, June 1, 1952 p. 350
"Make haste to identify the visible theocratic
organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential
for life." - The Watchtower, October 1, 1967 p. 591
"PUT FAITH in a VICTORIOUS ORGANIZATION"
- The Watchtower,
March 1, 1979 p. 1 (cover)
"Is there any cause for us to lose faith
in Jehovah's visible organization because of mounting difficulties in this world?
Those who believe that Jehovah will never desert his faithful witnesses answer,
"Absolutely not!" In demonstration of such faith, we will keep on
sticking to it and working with it without slacking the hand. Our unwavering
faith will be rewarded with victory and the crown of life!" - The Watchtower,
March 1, 1979 p. 18
"Any person who wants to survive into God's
righteous new order urgently needs to come into a right relationship with Jehovah
and His earthly organization now." - The
Watchtower, November 15, 1981 pp. 16,
17 (emphasis in original)
"... come to Jehovah's organization for
salvation ..." - The Watchtower, November 15, 1981 p. 21
"A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel,
his organization. God has always used
an organization. ... To receive everlasting
life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God
as part of it." - The Watchtower, February 15, 1983 p. 12 (Italics in original, boldface
emphasis mine.)
"identifying themselves with Jehovah's
organization is essential to their salvation." - Our
kingdom Ministry, November. 1990 p.
1
Phrases such as "essential to their salvation"
leave little doubt as to how the Watchtower Society views itself. They consider
themselves to be the only way to salvation. It does Christians no good to tell Witnesses
that Jesus
is the way. The Watchtower has taught them that the only way to Jesus is through
the Society. Witnesses believe that the Watchtower is the only "channel"
that God is using to direct His people on this earth. While they will argue
long and hard that the Society doesn't claim to be inspired, I have yet to hear a
Witness say that as an individual, he doesn't believe the Watchtower is inspired or directed
by God. Witnesses are taught to believe that everything that the Society says
is the Truth, they are the only ones who have the Truth, and so anything we
say to counter the Watchtower cannot be the Truth. According to the Watchtower,
all other organizations and individuals do not have God's "channel"
of Truth, so they must be part of Satan's organization. They consider all the
churches of "Christendom" (all Christian and Christian like sects
other than their own) to be worshiping Satan the Devil.
Witnesses are taught that they are to give unquestioning
obedience to instructions from the Society. They must keep pace with the latest
changes in style or doctrine from the Watchtower headquarters in Brooklyn:
"Some claiming to be fully devoted to Jehovah
find it difficult to learn to be obedient to organization instructions. This
is strong proof that such are not in the temple. It is not for us to judge other
individuals, but each one must judge himself. If you find it difficult to be
in harmony with the organization instructions, that is sufficient reason for
a careful self-examination to see what is your standing before the Lord."
- The Watchtower
December 1, 1933 p. 364
"If we are Jehovah's Witnesses, we should
remember that our life and the lives of others depend upon our obedience. (1
Timothy 4:15, 16) Each Witness needs to keep pace with Jehovah's organization."
- The Watchtower,
March 15, 1991 p. 15
"After many years of service to Jehovah,
one brother said: "If one thing has been most important to me, it has been
the matter of keeping close to Jehovah's visible organization. My early experience
taught me how unsound it is to rely on human reasoning. Once my mind had been
resolved on that point, I determined to stay by the faithful organization. How
else can one get Jehovah's favor and blessing?" Do you similarly cherish
your privilege of serving Jehovah with his joyful people? (Psalm 100:2) If so,
you will let nothing draw you away from God's organization or destroy your relationship
with the One whose arm saves all who love him." - The
Watchtower, October 1, 1991 p. 10
Volumes could be written (and have been) about
the Watchtower's view of itself. We will try to limit this treatise to one statement,
"God has always used an organization." Interesting, but is it true?
Let's look at it from the Bible's perspective. Has God always used an organization?
If so, which one has been used since the days of Adam and Eve? If not, what
is the Biblical purpose of religious organizations? Must we "identify that
organization" and become a part of it to receive salvation?
The Jewish Era
God did organize ancient Israel with a Levitical
priesthood. The Mosaic Law detailed many duties to be carried out only by this
priesthood, such as the various sacrifices required by the Law. Before the Law,
God dealt with the patriarchal family heads like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In the time of Noah, God did appear to have
only one "channel" through which he dealt with mankind. Noah's family
were the only ones to survive the Flood, so God had only that group to deal
with. As time progressed, God dealt with the various family heads, but not just
with one group at a time. Abraham, while he was still named Abram, was a patriarchal
family head who was specially chosen by God, and was specially blessed by him.
Genesis 12:1-3 records this blessing: "And Jehovah proceeded to say to
Abram: "Go your way out of your country and from your relatives and from
the house of your father to the country I shall show you; and I shall make a
great nation out of you and I shall bless you and I will make your name great;
and prove yourself a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and him
that calls down evil upon you I shall curse, and all the families of the ground
will certainly bless themselves by means of you."" (NWT) By the Watchtower's definition, Abram (Abraham) was
the one specially chosen by Jehovah, and should have been God's only "channel".
Yet, Genesis 14:14-20 gives an account that shows he was not the only servant
God was dealing with at the time. Verses 18-20 say: "And Melchizedek king
of Salem brought out bread and wine, and he was priest of the Most High God.
Then he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Producer
of heaven and earth; and blessed be the Most High God, Who has delivered your
oppressors into your hand!" At that Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
(NWT)
After this, Melchizedek disappears from the historical account. That he is called
a priest in Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews chapter 5 verses 6 and 10, chapter 6 verse
20, and chapter 7 verses 1, 10, 11, 15, and 17 shows that even though Abraham
was God's chosen agent for his time, he was not God's only agent.
Apparently, Jehovah God was dealing with Melchizedek
even though he was not associated with Abraham's family. There were obviously
true worshippers of Jehovah outside of the group who had his special blessing,
and who apparently had a blessing of their own. So we find that one did not
have to "be associated with God's channel, his organization" to be
counted as righteous by God.
God later established the Levitical priesthood
and also granted the people's request to be governed by a monarchy, which was
authorized by Jehovah. But, did He always reveal His will to His people through
these chosen representatives? No. During the period of the judges He raised
up different individuals to lead the nation of Israel. Deborah, a rather insignificant
person in Israel, was a prophetess who was judging Israel. She lived in the
mountains of Ephraim and did her judging from there, not from the centers of
government of the nation. In Judges chapter 6, verse 8, Jehovah sent an unnamed
prophet to the people to reprimand them. If he had been one of the leaders from
the main government of Israel, we could expect the Bible to tell us. Gideon
was beating wheat in a winepress when the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in
the city of Ophrah, which was far north of the main centers of Israel. It is
apparent, then, that God has not always used persons from a "governing
body" or centralized organization to transmit His messages to the people.
Jehovah had David anointed as king of Israel
and made a special covenant with him and his posterity. David's son Solomon
was said to "sit upon Jehovah's throne". (1 Chronicles 29:23) After
Solomon's death, God divided His "one organization" into two parts,
giving the ten northern tribes to Jeroboam, the son of one of Solomon's servants.
(1 Kings 11:26-32) Jehovah left one tribe to David's descendants. At this point
in time, therefore, there are two organizations which are approved by Jehovah. For centuries,
God dealt with these two organizations, raising up prophets to set both the
kings and the priests straight.
Jeroboam, who was directly appointed by Jehovah,
ordered the people to worship golden calves as their god instead of going to
Jerusalem to worship. (1 Kings 12:28, see footnote) Again, an unnamed "man
of God" was sent to set him straight. (1 Kings 13:1-10) Jeremiah prophesied
against both the false kings and the false priests, all
of whom were part of the organization set up by Jehovah God! Even though these kings had God's appointment to lead
Israel, one had to use discretion in following their commands. Faithfulness
to God was never dependent on blindly following the instructions from the organized
priesthood and monarchy, even though God had placed them in power. Where would Jeremiah have been if he had followed the
leaders of his day in the manner that the Watchtower tells the witnesses to
follow the Society? Instructions such as:
"We resolve that we shall obey all instruction
received from the Watch Tower, knowing that such proceed from the higher powers,
Jehovah God and Christ Jesus. We resolve to be completely obedient to the Society
as the visible part of the Great Theocracy." - The
Watchtower February 1, 1940 p. 47
"If we have love for Jehovah and for the
organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible
says, 'believe all things,' all the things that The
Watchtower brings out ..." - Qualified to be Ministers,
1955, p. 156
"... in submitting to Jehovah's visible
theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every
feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements." - The
Watchtower 10/01/1967 p. 592
"Although the overseers are imperfect men,
there is no need for anyone in the congregation to hold back from being submissive
since it is Jehovah's arrangement and he will hold the overseers responsible
for their actions." - Organized
to Accomplish Our Ministry, 1983 p.39
Plainly, the Bible does not condemn Jeremiah
for preaching against God's chosen representatives, nor does it label him "apostate"
for doing so. The Jews were scattered into several locations after the Babylonian
exile. Esther became queen of Persia. The large colony of Jews in Egypt translated
the Bible into Greek, the version known as the Septuagint. Did these Jews have
to keep up regular contact with the temple in Jerusalem to maintain true worship?
Not at all. They had appreciation of the temple in Jerusalem, but all that was
necessary for them was for them to keep the Law and follow the Scriptures.
The Early Christians
The Watchtower Society claims that the early
Christian church was directed by a Governing Body made up of the apostles and
the elders from Jerusalem:
". . . right from the beginning of the
Christian congregation, Christ had the holy spirit, angels, and a visible governing
body at his disposal to enable him actively to lead his disciples on earth.
. . . the Jerusalem elders became a part of the governing body of the early
Christian congregation, along with the 12 apostles." - The
Watchtower, August 1, 1987 p. 12, 13
Following this supposed pattern, the Watchtower
Society has set up a governing body in Brooklyn, New York to oversee the worldwide
organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. Most Witnesses do not know that the Society
was led by the first two presidents without a governing body, and that the group
of men called "The Governing Body" did not have the power to govern
until the 1970's. See the book, Crisis
of Conscience by Raymond Franz for the
details of this shift of power. Today, however, the Governing Body rules the
organization with authority they claim comes directly from Jehovah God. The
Society claims some type of apostolic succession and inspiration with statements
such as:
"At the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses
in Brooklyn, New York, there is a governing body of older Christian men from
various parts of the earth who give the needed oversight to the worldwide activities
of God's people. This governing body is made up of members of "the faithful
and discreet slave." It serves as a spokesman for that faithful "slave."
The men of that governing body, like the apostles and older men in Jerusalem,
have many years of experience in God's service. But they do not rely on human
wisdom in making decisions. No, being governed theocratically, they follow the
example of the early governing body in Jerusalem, whose decisions were based
on God's Word and were made under the direction of holy spirit." - You Can Live Forever In Paradise On Earth, 1982, p. 195
The Watchtower teaches that Jehovah doesn't
deal with individuals, he only deals with the Watchtower organization. Individuals
must come to the Society to find God, they cannot find him separate from the
Watchtower organization. Consider these quotations from Society literature:
"We must show understanding, appreciating
our relationship to the visible theocratic organization, remembering the fate
of those like Korah, Achan and others, who forgot the theocratic order. Jehovah
God deals with his people as a servant class. He does not feed each one individually
nor does he appoint an individual over them. No individual student of God's
Word reveals God's will or interprets His Word. God interprets and teaches through
Christ the Chief Servant, who in turn uses the discreet "slave" class
as the visible channel, the visible theocratic organization. David approached
God through the priestly organization represented by Abiathar, who had the ephod;
and a servant today must likewise look to God's visible organization for spiritual
food that is timely and for directions in Kingdom service. - 1953
Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1952,
Nov. 9 Text
"... the Bible is an organizational book
and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals,
regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible.
For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible
organization in mind." - The Watchtower October 1, 1967 p. 587
"No question about it. We all need help
to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need
outside the "faithful and discreet slave" organization." - The Watchtower
February 15, 1981 p. 19
The twelve apostles and Paul were individually
appointed by Jesus Christ. The Church was established in Jerusalem at Pentecost.
Did this also establish an organizational hierarchy which would supervise the
entire Christian Church? If this hierarchy was in place, was it necessary to
stay in touch with it and be under its rule to be considered a Christian? If
a person fell out of touch with the Jerusalem group, would he no longer be considered
a Christian? Should we look for a similar body of men today to direct us in
our Christian life?
The Watchtower bases their doctrine of a "governing
body" in Jerusalem on Acts chapter 15, which details a trip Paul and Barnabas
took to Jerusalem to solve a problem. The Bible passage to be considered in
this matter actually starts at Acts 15:1 and ends at Acts 16:5. Here is that
portion of the text from the New International Version:
"15:1) Some men came down from Judea to
Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according
to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2) This brought Paul
and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were
appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the
apostles and elders about this question. 3) The church sent them on their way,
and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles
had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4) When they
came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders,
to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5) Then some of
the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,
"The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."
6) The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7) After much discussion,
Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago
God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message
of the gospel and believe. 8) God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted
them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9) He made no
distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10)
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples
a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11) No! We believe
it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
12) The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling
about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through
them. 13) When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.
14) Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking
from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15) The words of the prophets are in
agreement with this, as it is written: 16) "`After this I will return and
rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
17) that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear
my name, says the Lord, who does these things' 18) that have been known for
ages. 19) "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult
for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20) Instead we should write to them,
telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,
from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21) For Moses has been preached
in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every
Sabbath." 22) Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided
to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among
the brothers. 23) With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and
elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings. 24) We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization
and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25) So we all agreed
to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul
-- 26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27) Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what
we are writing. 28) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden
you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29) You are to abstain
from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals
and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
30) The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the
church together and delivered the letter. 31) The people read it and were glad
for its encouraging message. 32) Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets,
said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33) After spending some
time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to
return to those who had sent them. 34) 35) But Paul and Barnabas remained in
Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
36) Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the
brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how
they are doing." 37) Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with
them, 38) but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted
them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39) They had
such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed
for Cyprus, 40) but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to
the grace of the Lord. 41) He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening
the churches. 16:1) He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named
Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was
a Greek. 2) The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3) Paul wanted
to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews
who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4) As
they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the
apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5) So the churches
were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."
Scripture taken from the HOLY
BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
True, Paul and Barnabas did go to Jerusalem
to deal with the circumcision question. But why did they go to that particular
city? Chapter 15, verses 1, 2, and 5 shows that
had caused the dispute in the first place. Verse
24 contains an apology from the "apostles and elders" of Jerusalem
to the Gentile Christians, not only at Antioch, but also Syria and Cilicia for
the disturbance caused by "some" of the people who "went out
from" the Jerusalem congregation. The letter was both an apology and a
request that the Gentile converts have consideration for the Jewish converts'
consciences, and a call for moral purity. So we see that Paul and Barnabas went
to Jerusalem because that is where
the problem came from. Notice also
that this letter was not a decree to the entire Church, but was specifically
addressed to the Gentile believers in those three congregations.
Paul took the dispute back to its source - the church at Jerusalem. Paul was not seeking authority
for his ministry from Jerusalem. Paul's letter to the Galations emphasized that
his apostleship did not come from men, but directly from Jesus Christ and God
the Father. He is careful to show that he did not seek man's approval for his
appointment as an apostle. He states that the only apostles he saw were Peter
and James, and that three years after his conversion to Christianity. At Galations
2:1 he further points out that he didn't go up to Jerusalem again for fourteen
years! At that time he laid out for the Jerusalem leaders the gospel he had
been preaching. Verse 6 states that "to me, in fact, those outstanding
men imparted nothing new." He said this about "James and Cephas (Peter)
and John, the ones who seemed to be pillars." (verse 9) After
fourteen years, the Jerusalem leaders could not teach Paul anything, but he
left information with them! Does
this sound as though the Jerusalem group was a "governing body," in
charge of running all the affairs of Christ's Church on the earth?
Back in Acts, Chapter 16, verse 3, we find that
Paul has Timothy circumcised, after the letter from the Jerusalem group instructed
otherwise, in direct violation of the instructions from this "governing
body." Did the Church then remove Paul from his post, and subject him to
shunning as the Watchtower would do to any baptized Witness who disobeyed their
leaders? Emphatically, No! Paul went on to write more of the New Testament than
any other man. Just where in the account in Acts 15 do we find the supposed
pattern of a governing body in Jerusalem directing the world-wide activities
of the first-century Christians? Paul and Barnabas received their commission
for their first missionary journey from the Holy Spirit's direction at the Antioch
congregation, not Jerusalem! (Acts 13:1-4, 26, 27)
The Watchtower quite often cites the story in
Acts chapter 8 of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. The following quotation
from The Watchtower
is fairly typical:
"No question about it, if we would gain
life, we must study the Bible. But does that in itself mean we need The Watchtower?
Cannot we individually go to the Bible and gain all the knowledge and understanding
necessary? Can we? At Acts, chapter 8, we read of an official of Queen Candace,
an Ethiopian eunuch, who went directly to his Bible, but when he was asked by
the disciple Philip, "Do you really know what you are reading aloud?"
what was his answer? "Really how could I ever do so, unless someone guided
me?" He realized his need of help. And Philip, having been guided by others
in the first place, was equipped to give this Ethiopian eunuch the guidance
he needed." - The Watchtower, October 15, 1953, p. 621
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, telling
him to go in the direction where the eunuch was. Philip found the eunuch reading
from Isaiah, and the Spirit told Philip to join him. Philip asked the eunuch
if he understood what he was reading, and when requested, he helped explain
to the eunuch what it said. The Society concludes from this that individuals
cannot understand the Bible without help from God's corporate organization.
Consider these quotations from their publications:
"Showing respect for Jehovah's organization
really resolves itself down to our attitude toward God's visible channel and
the trust that we place in our proved, faithful brothers. If we have become
thoroughly convinced that this is Jehovah's organization, that he is guiding
and directing his people, then we shall not be unsettled by anything that happens.
If something comes up that we do not understand we will wait patiently until
it is made thoroughly clear to us. If we feel sure something is wrong we will
'keep the commandment' of our Father and take whatever theocratic steps are
open to us and then wait on Jehovah. We will not 'forsake our mother's teaching'
by immediately beginning to criticize and find fault. We will realize that Jehovah
knows what is going on in his organization, and if he is willing to permit it,
who are we to insist it should be different? If we really have faith, we will
know that if it is wrong he will straighten it out eventually, and we are far
safer inside his organization even with these minor difficulties than we would
be on the outside where only chaos and destruction await us." - The Watchtower
May 1, 1957 p. 284
"Jehovah God has provided his holy written
Word for all mankind and it contains all the information that is needed for
men in taking a course leading to life. But God has not arranged for that Word
to speak independently or to shine forth life-giving truths by itself. His Word
says: "Light is sown for the righteous." (Ps. 97:11) It is through
his organization that God provides this light that the proverb says is the teaching
or law of the mother. If we are to walk in the light of truth we must recognize
not only Jehovah God as our Father but his organization as our mother."
- The Watchtower
May 1, 1957 p. 274
"Avoid
Independent Thinking
... How is
such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel
that is provided by God's visible organization." - The
Watchtower January 15, 1983 p. 22
Interpreting the story of the eunuch in this
manner violates the context of the passage. The Ethiopian eunuch was not a Christian,
but Philip was used by the Holy Spirit to lead him to Christ. The passage goes
on to say: "Jehovah's spirit quickly led Philip away, and
the eunuch did not see him anymore."
(NWT,
emphsis mine.) God led Philip to the eunuch, Philip gave the man the Gospel,
baptized him, then God led him away. Does
this sound as though Jehovah God thought it necessary for the eunuch to remain
in contact with a central organization?
He was probably one of the first Christians in Ethiopia. If we follow the Watchtower's
interpretation, the eunuch must have gone into spiritual darkness shortly thereafter,
without God's organization to guide him. But, no, he did not go into darkness,
for he had the Holy Spirit as his guide, comforter, and teacher. (John 14:16,
17, 26.) God often uses Christians to explain the message of salvation to unbelievers.
Acts chapter 8 is not telling us that Christians must submit to a human teacher.
Notice what the apostle John said on this subject later: "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, as the anointing from him is teaching you about all things, and is true
and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in union with him."
(1 John 2:27, NWT,
emphasis mine.)
The early Christians had no impressive centralized
organization in Jerusalem (or anywhere else, for that matter) like the Watchtower
Bible and Tract Society has today in Brooklyn, New York. Paul, who wrote more
of the New Testament books than anyone else had no contact with Jerusalem for
fourteen years! Christians have no members of a special priesthood like Israel's
Levitical priests. They have no "anointed class" who are the only
"channel" through whom God gives instructions to His Church. God's
Word tells us in 1 Peter 2:7, 9 that "It is to you, therefore, that he
is precious, because you are believers ... you are "a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should
declare abroad the excellencies" of the one that called you out of darkness
into his wonderful light." (NWT) All believers are members of this "royal priesthood."
We are all of the "anointed"
class! This is what is known as
the priesthood of all believers, or the general priesthood. The names of the
twelve apostles are shown as being on the foundation stones of the wall of the
New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14), but no indication is given in Scripture that
they would have successors today. The Watchtower insists on complete unity and
agreement with their leaders, but Romans 14:1-18 indicates that there was a
variety of belief among the early Christians with regard to food, special days,
etc. This was acceptable in the first-century Church.
That the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
has an impressive organization we cannot disagree with, but to say that "God
has always used an organization" is plainly against the teaching of the
Bible. God doesn't need an organization, on earth or in heaven, for the anointing
of the Holy Spirit remains in His people. Christianity is not seeking membership
in the right organization or denomination. Christianity is loving Christ. Christians
need to be taught by the Holy Spirit, not by men, no matter what authority those
men ascribe to themselves. We find we can agree with the Watchtower when it
says:
"We cannot take part in any modern version
of idolatry - be it worshipful gestures toward an image or symbol or the imputing
of salvation to a person or an organization." - The
Watchtower, November 1, 1990 p. 26
(footnote) As an interesting side note, Jeroboam
had two centers for worship of these golden calves, one of which was called
"Bethel." (see 1 Kings 12:28-33)
Scripture taken from the HOLY
BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
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