One of the valuable lessons I learned early in my life is, a man who does a lot of explaining has usually got a lot of explaining to do. It is often a sign someone is trying to excuse or justify something, and the more they ‘explain’ the less plausible they sound. Haven’t you ever listened to someone ‘explaining’ and thought, ‘Come on, it cant be that complicated?’
I am not saying some things, like some Scripture passages, don’t need some unpacking, but we all know the Scripture reading principle: the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things. The cults, of course, have their explanations all lined up and they are prepared to ‘explain’ their position at some length. This is where plain and contextualised Bible reading and understanding are so important.
Jehovah’s Witnesses will tell you God’s name at the drop of a hat. They will have their explanations lined up, their proof texts ready, and will explain the importance of knowing God’s name.
They will point out Jesus’ words in the Lord’s prayer, ‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.’ (Mt.6:9, NWT) insisting you cannot sanctify a name you do not know. Jesus’ prayer in John 12 is, ‘Father, glorify your name…’ (v:28, NWT)
They will take you to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, in which he prays, ‘Father...I have made your name known (v6,NWT) and again (v26,NWT) he says, ‘Righteous Father...I have made your name known to them and will make it known…’ Making God’s name know is of paramount importance they insist.
Reviewing these texts in the New World Translation, what do we find Jesus calling God? He calls him Father. Only once does Jesus not call God Father, and that is on the cross where he calls him God. Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Mt.27:45-46, NWT)
Basic Bible knowledge tells us Jesus never used God’s name. You may search high and low and never find him using it.
Background Bible knowledge tells us, if he ever did it would not be ‘Jehovah.’
Context opens our eyes to what Jesus means when he talks about making God’s name known. In John 17 Jesus prays, ‘O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.’ (v 25, ESV) Those first three words tell us a lot. God is our ‘Righteous Father,’ and it is God’s righteousness and fatherly concern that Jesus makes known. The Watchtower proof texts don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Mormons spend enormous sums building temples around the world. They have 160 currently operating; and 8 previously dedicated, but closed for renovation), 35 under construction, and 28 announced (not yet under construction), making a total of 231. The temple in Preston, Lancashire, in the north of England is the second UK temple. It cost some one hundred million pounds to build in the 1990’s!
The main activity in these temples is performing ordinances in behalf of the dead. They justify this by appealing to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians:
‘Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptised on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised on their behalf?’ (1 Cor.15:29)
A whole apologetic, based around the question of ‘what about people who have never heard the gospel?’ is based on this one verse.
Basic Bible knowledge tells us our salvation doesn’t depend on our having had an opportunity to hear the gospel and respond, but on the grace of God in Christ held out to a sinner deserving eternal punishment. Sinners are not standing on neutral ground, waiting for a messenger to arrive. Sinners are already condemned (Romans 3:9-18). An act of God’s sovereign will and choice pulls someone from the flames (Eph.1:5; Acts 13:48).
Nor is there any example of anyone in the first century ever being baptised, or performing any ordinances in behalf of the dead. Just as Jesus never used God’s name, so nobody got baptised for the dead. It is not a New Testament practise.
Background Bible knowledge tells us we should never build a doctrine on one verse.
Context tells us Paul is not writing in this letter about baptism for the dead but addressing doubts about resurrection planted in the minds of Corinthian believers:
‘Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?’ (1 Cor.15:12)
Reading the whole chapter we find a simple and clear theme running throughout:
The truthfulness of the traditions about Christ’s resurrection (vv 1-11)
Christ’s resurrection and the resurrection of believers (vv 12-34)
The nature of the resurrection body (vv 35-58)
It is a chapter that brings hope and assurance to believers that the promises of Scripture are reliable and true. By distracting people with this one verse, and at such great earthly cost, is to distract them from the very hope Paul offers.
Don't let anyone 'explain' away your hope in Christ.
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