Jehovah's Witnesses are we a Temple of God? Or of God, an angel, and an active force?

Question

John 14:16-17,26
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

1 Cor 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

2 Cor 6:16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Romans 8:9-10
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Galatians 4:6
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Ephesians 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.

1 John 4: 15-16
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Ephesians 3:19
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

So if we are a temple of GOD, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in us… what does that tell you? Are we the temple of an active force and an angel?

Answer 1

The verses that you quote are very simply understandable. It pretty well tells us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit do indwell in us and each have their own separate tasks but yet each is equal in nature.



Bar_enos tells us that: "But those who wish to study the Scriptures on a deeper level and follow the guidance of God's spirit so as to appreciate the Scriptures' gems of wisdom and knowledge, also have that right."



Well he is correct, they should have that right to study the "scriptures" with the help of God's Spirit. But this is not what they do, no matter what they say, that's not how they work. They read the Watchtower Publications and then use scripture to validate their beliefs. In other words the Watchtower has done all the work for them. They read their Watchtower publications and the men in Brooklyn New York in which they interpret the bible for them. The bible is used to confirm their magazine or publications. So the real study is the Publications. I have noticed that they like to mention the deeper meanings of the bible. Which I have also noticed this is where they get many different Doctrines that are much different then main stream Christianity. Such as Jesus was Resurrected as a spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, ( Some bible say in the spirit) however, they never say made alive as a spirit.



John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my FLESH, which I will GIVE for the life of the world."



As you can see it plainly say This bread is my Flesh, which I give for the life of the world. As you can see it never says I GIVE UP my life. Example I give my life to my work but I do not give up my life for my work.



Luke 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."



This is a verse that tell us what Jesus had to say about his resurrection to his disciples. He plainly tell them he is not a spirit but is flesh and bones. This is how he presented himself to the disciples, not as a spirit but in flesh and bone.



The JW's tell us that he manifested a body in order to convince them that it was really him, Jesus.



Also if Jesus was a spirit upon resurrection, what happened to the body. They tell you that God dissolved the body. No where in the bible doe sit teach such a thing.



These are just a few things that are not in the bible, but by their deeper level they are able to understand the bible in a deeper way then we do. But they are unable to show it in the bible. So where does it come from? Their publications! That is where you find these answers. So do all their teaching come from the bible as they say? Absolutely not!



You ask them "but What do you believe? They believe what ever the Watchtower tells them to believe. If they tell you any different then they are either brainwashed or liars, because I just proved that not all their teaching comes from the bible but from their publications. Judge Rutherford should have named them Watchtower Witnesses not Jehovah's Witnesses as that better fits whom they are!

Answer 2

I'm not a Jehovah's Witness but from my understanding they do not believe that Jesus is God. I'm not sure what they believe about the Holy Spirit if he is God or not. Arianism was a similar heresy that threatened the early church and this heresy was the belief that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were created things rather than God. This heresy was refuted by the early church by an ecumenical council with an overwhelming majority of bishops voting for Jesus as God (contrary to the lies in the "Da Vinci Code") and the faith of the early fathers was then stated in the nicene creed that includes a statement that the Holy Spirit and Jesus are both God. If the Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the Holy Spirit is a created thing then how could they call themselves temples of God.

Answer 3

Temple of God. I am not my own, but purchased with a price. I am a Holy Spirit filled Christian & a witness for Jehovah. But I must admit I am born of God, & am an angel sometimes. In the definition of being a Godly messenger. And also the Holy Spirit is an active force also. Meaning that the Miracles Jesus did when He was on earth were done by the Holy Spirit. Who is very active. Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Being the temple of GOD, the Holy Spirit seals us unto the Day of Redemption. And the love of Jesus is in our heart. And when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then we can receive the gifts that are of Angels & is of an active Godly force.

Answer 4

Jesus is God and the Bible contains the truth.



It would be difficult to explain everything in a short answer.



I would suggest you visit the below website. You will get all the answers, for the below questions and many more.



1) Did Jesus really exist?

2) Is Jesus God?

3)Why should I believe that the Bible is accurate, or the word of God?

4) What is the Holy Trinity?

5)What is so special about Jesus? Why cant I just view him as an ordinary man or a teacher or a prophet? Why should I see him as God?





http://jesustrinity.blogspot.com

Answer 5

Hello Anna



No one can understand the word of the Lord unless they are born again John 3:3 -Jesus said You must Be - Others say it's not necessary.



A natural man is a man who is born once from his mothers womb and he cannot understand the things of the spirit because he is a natural - Once he is born again he begins to see (His eyes are open to the truth)

He's now a spiritual man - Bar Enosh is a natural man he doesnt know what he really wants - He's searching and our prayers are with him and all of those who are without God's Holy Spirit





A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. 1Cor 2:14

Answer 6

If you trust Jesus' words so much, do you believe him when he said that the Father is the "only true God," thus proving the trinity to be the lie that it is? (John 17:3)



BTW, the temple of God that Paul mentioned at 1 Cor. 3:16 were the anointed Christians of his day. It is to this holy temple class that Jesus has entrusted his earthly belongings, which means that certain rights and responsibilities within the Christian congregation belong exclusively to this collective slave. This does not apply to the majority of JWs today. It only applies to those going to heaven.



"So if we are a temple of GOD, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in us… what does that tell you?"



This tells me that you are confused. The Father, Son, and the holy spirit don't literally live in anyone. The Bible clearly tells us that the Father resides in heaven and that Jesus is at his right hand. And the holy spirit is something, not someone. At Ro. 8:16, 26, it is called "it."

Answer 7

I once had a JW response to a question of mine, which ran something along the lines of,



"Anyone that celebrates Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and birthdays, is not a true Christian."



Personally, I DON'T do Christmas. However, the Bible doesn't prohibit observance of it. In my opinion, what really counts is HOW it is celebrated.



Ditto for Easter. However, since we TRUE CHRISTIANS have already been commanded to participate in the Lord's table - which, of course, celebrates our Lord's death and resurrection - observance of this arguably Christianized pagan festival, is somewhat superfluous...



...in my opinion.



They definitely ought to ditch the name. A quick Google to the effect of, "Pagan origns of Easter", should quickly reveal the ungodly origin of that festival name.



Halloween is a no-no for any TRUE CHRISTIAN, as far as I'm concerned.



Birthdays I have no problem with.



But how does this answer my question, I hear you ask?



My point - at last - is this;



John 14 clearly teaches that the TRUE CHRISTIAN is indeed indwelt by God. However, there is no mention of an angel, or any "active force", but rather,



The Holy Spirit (14:16)



The Son (14:23)



The Father (14:23)



"WE will come to him and make OUR abode with him."



JW's often say that there is no scriptural evidence for the Trinity - as it's popularly termed - yet, when I have presented this section of the Bible to them for examination, they have, as with many other verses which challenge their indoctrination, become evasive, preferring to quote a fistful of scriptures which, in their minds, cancel out the one initially highlighted.



What about John 14:14, Bar Enosh? How can an alleged created being, be actively involved in the process of receiving/passing on to the Father the prayers of hundreds of believers, SIMULTANEOUSLY?



You never quite addressed that one, did you, sir?



Address it for yourself, if nothing else.



Thanks Anna.

Answer 8

At Pentecost of 33 ce the disciples of Jesus received the holy spirit.

This was the beginning of gathering the holy ones of God.A holy nation a holy priesthood.

So the anointed of God are holy and have God spirit.Which will go to heaven to be with Jesus

that number is 144000.

The rest of the faithfull Jehovah Witnesses are not holy,although we want to be holy in imitation of God,but we still imperfect and fallow short to the glory of God.

But by means of the 1000 years reign of Christ the ones who remains faithfull,will achieve perfection and eternal life here on the earth which will be restored in a paradise.

Answer 9

Thanks for the verses.



Jehovah's Witnesses do not disagree with the verses. We disagree in your interpretation of them.



Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus is the Son of God and not just an angel.



However, it demonstrates lack of knowledge of what the words "angel" and "spirit" mean in the Bible to say that the term "angel" (messenger) does not describe an aspect of the work of Christ, or to say that the term "active force" does not mean spirit.



Surface meanings and minimal knowledge do not help in understanding the Scriptures. Those who wish to be satisfied with that may do so.



But those who wish to study the Scriptures on a deeper level and follow the guidance of God's spirit so as to appreciate the Scriptures' gems of wisdom and knowledge, also have that right.

Answer 10

The terms Father, Son, and Holy Ghost do not imply three separate persons, personalities, wills, or beings. They only denote different aspects or roles of one Spirit-being - the one God. They describe God's relationships to man, not persons in a Godhead. We use Father to emphasize God's roles as Creator, Father of spirits, Father of the born-again believers, and Father of the humanity of Jesus Christ. We use Son to mean both the humanity of Jesus Christ and God as He manifested Himself in the flesh for the purpose of man's salvation. We use Holy Ghost to emphasize God's active power in the world and among men, particularly His work in regeneration.





Why did Jesus use the plural in speaking of the believer's union with God? Of course, God has designed salvation in order to reconcile the believer with Himself. However, sinful man cannot approach a holy God, and finite man cannot comprehend an infinite God. The only way we can be reconciled to God and understand Him is through His manifestation in flesh, through the sinless man Jesus Christ. When we are one with Jesus, then we automatically are one with God, since Jesus is not just a man but God also. Jesus used the plural to emphasize that in order to be united with God we must first receive the atonement through the blood of Jesus. There is one mediator between man and God, the man Jesus (I Timothy 2:5). No one comes to God except through Jesus (John 14:6). To be doctrinally correct, we must acknowledge that Jesus is come in the flesh (I John 4:2-3). When we receive Christ, we have received both the Father and the Son (II John 9). Our union with Father and Son is not a union with two persons in the Godhead, but simply a union with God through the man Jesus: "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (II Corinthians 5:19).



Another way to think of our union with God is to remember the two different offices or relationships represented by Father and Son. The believer has available to him the qualities of both roles, such as the omnipotence of the Father and the priesthood and submission of the Son. He has both the Father and Son. However, he receives all these qualities of God when he receives the one Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. He does not receive two or three Spirits. The bodily indwelling of the believer by God is called the gift (or baptism) of the Holy Spirit, and this gift makes all the attributes and roles of God available to us: "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (I Corinthians 12:13).



If, on the other hand, a person were to interpret John 14:23 and 17:21-22 to describe the union of two separate persons in the Godhead, then to be consistent he would have to interpret the Scriptures to mean that believers become members of the Godhead just as Jesus is. Clearly, then, these passages allude to the union with God that the Son of God had and that we can enjoy by believing and obeying the gospel.





A=Apostolic

B=Believer

I=In

O=One

G=God

JESUS

Answer 11

The most important teaching we can follow is belief in Jesus as our Savior and God, repentance, being baptized in His Name for the remission of sin and being filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the spirit gives the utterance. Acts 2:38 When we deny Christ as God in the flesh we are not Christians.



God, through His Word, says that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit!

1 Cor 3:16-17(NIV) Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

SPIRIT

When you received Jesus as your lord and savior you were ‘born-again’ and at that instant your spirit was renewed (or made brand new). And if you invited him to do so, the Holy Spirit moved in to live, dwell and abide in your spirit. So that half of your heart is healed and made whole.

SOUL

Now the soul is a different matter. Remember your soul contains your mind, will and emotions. And it does not automatically become renewed. The renewal of the soul begins with the renewal of the mind, which is your responsibility.

Rom. 12:2 and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The “will of God” here is just talking about what God has already said in the Bible. That’s what it takes to renew the mind – to the end that you get rid of the way that you used to think and begin to think the same way that Jesus thinks. Once your mind starts becoming renewed, your will and emotions will follow.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Let’s look at how the Holy Spirit interacts with your spirit. God not only created you as a spirit with a soul and body, but he designed you so that you (the spirit) would take ascendancy, dominion and authority over your soul (mind, will, emotions), body, heart, words and works. We refer to this as being in proper alignment. Unfortunately, all to many Christians are totally ignorant of that fact. And some of those that do know fail to act upon it due to fears, and oppressions (mostly demonic or religious in nature).



The Bible word “submit” really just means, “come under the protection of.” When we are in proper alignment, all the other parts of man submit (come under the protection of) the spirit. This makes you (the spirit) the head of the body. You (the spirit) were designed to submit to the lord Jesus Christ – the soul, body, etc… will not on their own, submit to anyone or any thing – especially God. Rom 8:7 says, … “The carnal mind is enmity (hostile) against God.” Being in proper alignment is called ‘walking in the spirit’ while being out of alignment is called ‘walking in the flesh.’



When you (the spirit) are in control, the Holy Spirit can ‘direct connect’ with you (your spirit). This makes it easier to hear God speak to you, easier for the Holy Spirit to teach you, lead you, and operate through you in the form of the anointing. Being out of alignment stops or hinders the flow of the anointing and disconnects from the Holy Spirit and the voice of God. It takes you out from under the protection of the blood of Jesus because the soul will not only exalt itself over the spirit but even the blood of Jesus.



In order for the spirit to become strong it needs to be fed. Scripture teaches that there are two ways to edify (build up) the spirit – by reading (hearing) the word of God and by praying in tongues (in the spirit). Why? That’s just the way God designed it.



An emaciated spirit can take authority and dominion but it takes a strong spirit to keep (or retain) it. Faith or believing and acting on the word of God is the outward manifestation of a strong spirit and a heart full of the word of God. You feed your body three times a day – how often do you feed your spirit? As we Christians get closer and closer to the return of Jesus Christ, we must get on a spirit-building program in order to develop and strengthen our spirit. Remember, the devil has to get you into the flesh to touch you – you have to get into the spirit to touch the world!



gatita_63109



Apostolic, Believer, In, One, God, Jesus