Bridge of Reason

  On their website the Watch Tower write: ‘As we read Jesus’ prayer in John chapter 17, we can see Jesus’ deep love not only for his apostles but also for us. (John 17:20) The most important thing to Jesus, though, is not our salvation. During the whole time he was on earth, the most important thing to him was to glorify his Father’s name. For example, when Jesus first explained why he had come to earth, he read from the scroll of Isaiah: “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor.” We can be sure that when Jesus read this, he pronounced God’s name clearly. —Luke 4:16-21. ‘Long before Jesus came to earth, Jewish religious leaders taught people not to use God’s name. Imagine how much Jesus must have hated that tradition. He said to those religious leaders: “I have come in the name of my Father, but you do not receive me; if someone else arrived in his own name, you would receive that one.” (John 5:43) Then, a few days before his death, ...

There is an argument I see coming up time and again, from Mormons and others, even from within the body of Christ, that the law that doesn’t save is the Law of Moses. Paul in Romans writes: ‘ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin’ (Ro.3:20, NIV) ‘ For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.’ (Ro.3:20, ESV) The fallacy arises when people fail to understand the role of the law in salvation. The argument is made that we are not saved by Moses, by the ceremonies of the cult of the temple, by the civil law peculiar to the nation of Israel. Nevertheless adherence to the eternal statutes of God contained in the Ten Commandments do have a role to play in the saving of men and women. The fallacy arises when people fail to understand the role of the law in salvation. The text makes t he same distinction but to reach a ver...