The Wandering Sands of Watchtower Salvation

In Acts:16:30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
See All... – 31, we read what is perhaps the most important question anyone can ask. The answer is surprisingly simple: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Some confuse the significance of works in the life of a believer. Are good works necessary for salvation, sort of a “Jesus plus plan” of salvation, or are good works and godly behavior the result of being born again, as God works in the lives of His children? 

When it comes to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WTBTS), the answer to the question of “what must I do to be saved” cannot be easily answered. To be sure, the salvation they preach is based on one’s own works, but even that is very hard to pin down since the requirements for salvation change at the whim of the Watchtower leadership and not on any contextual understanding of Scripture. For example, in The Watchtower, August 15, 1972, p. 492, they state: "It is for the reward of eternal life that every last person on earth should now be working. Are you?… The man who does not shrink back from the hard work of being a Christian will come in line for the splendid and ultimate reward – eternal life."

Here salvation is not a gift received by believing but is a “reward,” a payment, for doing the “hard work of being a Christian.” The WTBTS doesn’t seem to even know the difference between a gift and a reward.

The “determining factor” is how you treat the so-called “anointed class,” the elite upper class that gives the orders to the much larger lower class of JWs. Here we see it has nothing to do with believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, which is what the apostles taught. That little detail isn’t even mentioned. No, the “determining factor” spelled out here is nowhere to be found in Scripture.

But “determining factor” or not, in 1983, an entire list of salvation requirements was printed in the February 15 issue of the Watchtower article, “You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth—But How?” Jumping down to #3: "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.

Those seeking salvation must identify the one organization God is using and become part of it to earn one’s salvation and eternal life. We find it hard to recall where we find talk of God’s Channel or His “Organization” in the Bible.

The WTBTS has a doctrine they call “New Light.” They change even the most fundamental of teachings from time to time and sometimes turn around and restore the original teaching, which wasn’t scriptural either, but that’s beside the point we are making here. It can be interesting to watch if it wasn’t so sad for the people caught up in this circus.

The YouTube channel “JW Updates,” which regularly enlightens any who will listen to the many real problems of JW teachings, recently pointed out, in a seven-minute video, a massive contradiction in the WTBTS “STUDY ARTICLE 39 – Is Your Name in ‘the Book of Life’?” In the case of this particular Watchtower article, the organization was supposedly correcting something they previously taught or introducing New Light. However, after they make this correction, they then make a 180-degree turn and pointedly contradict the very “correction” they just made! In answering the question “Is Your Name in ‘the Book of Life’?” the WTBTS quote John:5:28-29 [28] Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, [29] And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
See All...: “The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment” (New World Translation).

The article then asks, “What did Jesus mean?” They then go on to point out what they used to teach regarding this issue: "In the past, we understood Jesus’ words to refer to the deeds the resurrected ones will practice after their resurrection; that is, some will come to life and practice good things while others will come to life and practice vile things. However, note that Jesus does not say that those who have just come out of the memorial tombs will do good things or will practice vile things. He uses the past tense. He speaks of those who 'did good things' and those who 'practiced vile things.' This indicates that these actions took place before their death."

They then explain that in their new “understanding,” the “righteous” that will be resurrected to eternal life had had their former life sins canceled when they died, and their names are written in the book of life. OK – so far.

But then comes the headshot. That is not the end of the story. In the new understanding, the righteous person’s eternal life may very well not be eternal at all. Because they turn right around and proclaim that though a person’s sins from their former life were canceled, they must again be judged by works committed after the resurrection!

Now, if that ain’t a kick in the head! You worked hard all of your miserable life, attended all required meetings, shunned your loving mother as an “apostate,” and wore out your shoes going door to door – and you had a beautifully compliant “attitude” towards your overlords, never questioning a word they said, jumping when they said “jump,” etc., to earn your eternal life. Still, all that got you was a lousy T-shirt and a chance to do it all over again. (As a side note, we have often pointed out that the JW teaching on Resurrection itself is absolutely nonsensical. We have noted this in detail in “Resurrection: Watchtower-Style.”)

The Apostles were clear and penned in easy-to-understand, unchanging terms that salvation is a gift to those who believe: "if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans:10:9-13 [9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
See All...).

https://midwestoutreach.org/2022/09/01/the-shifting-sands-of-watchtower-salvation/