Expert: Janko - 12/10/2005

Question
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Janko
   If Jesus is the son of God, but he is not God,
then who or what is the "Word" that John speaks of
in the beginning of his gospel?  ("in the begining
was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.")
Also, Jesus said "the father and I are one" so
how could one be God and the other is not?
         thanks
         Bob
Answer -
Hello Bob,
Thank you for your question and I will try to give you a
good Scriptual answer.First of all you have to have good common sense and good logic when it comes to Bible matters
and it is all in the context through the verses you have to put together to come to the correct conclusion.The King James version of the Bible distorts the first verse of John
by putting God and the Word together as the same person and
in many other versions says "was a god" not and the Word was God.So you must use all other verses in the Bible that
this relates to to come to the right conclusion.To help explain this subject in a more broader way please read these articles I have included and be sure to use your Bible to look up the Scriptures that are cited.Janko(read bellow)
“The Word”—Who Is He? According to John

“IN THE beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” That is how the first two verses of the apostle John's account of the life of Jesus Christ read, according to the Roman Catholic Douay Version and the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Janko
   Thanks for the answer (although it is rather long, and I still haven't finished reading it)
 Here's another question concerning what is commonly  known as the doctrine of "anialationism" that is that unforgiven sinners will not suffer eternal
torment in hell, but will experience permanemt and eternal death. They will caese to exist and feel nothing and know nothing,
   If this is true then it seems that there really is no punishment for
sin, Other than eternal seperation from God. But if one does not know that
they are seperated from God then  that is not really a punishment either.
   What are your thoughts on this subject?
         thanks
         Bob

Answer
Hello again Bob,
Sorry that the last response was so long but I wanted to
give you as much information as possible on that subject.
concerning this other topic you are asking about is quite
simple.People who have committed unforgivable sins will perish forever and never return as in the case of sinners that who have died that didn't commit unforgivable sins,
they will be brought back in the resurrection as unrighteous
ones and then wiil be judged by their deeds during the 1000
year reign of Christ along with the resurrected righteous ones.Once you have died in this system of things,you would
have paid for your sins and benefit from Jesus Christ with
his ransom sacrifice.Again I would like to include an article that covers this subject more broader with alot more insight,so please read it along with the last one and please use your Bible and look up the cited Scripures,and it would be a good idea to say a prayer to God beforehand
and ask Him for His help to understand. Janko (read bellow)
Did You Commit the Unforgivable Sin?

AT times the Watch Tower Society receives letters from dedicated Christians who are downcast, discouraged and filled with anxiety. They have an exaggerated sense of guilt and feelings of extreme unworthiness and of strong self-condemnation. Plagued with a guilty conscience, they wonder if there is any hope for them. In brief, they feel they have committed the unforgivable sin.

That there is such a thing as unforgivable sin the Scriptures clearly show. Said Jesus Christ on one occasion: “Every sort of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven.” In a similar vein one of his followers wrote: “It is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened” fully, “but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance, because they impale the Son of God afresh for themselves.” “If we practice sin willfully after having received the accurate knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, but there is a certain fearful expectation of judgment.” Yes, as another Bible writer says, “there is a sin that does incur death,” and for this we are not to pray.—Matt. 12:31; Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26, 27; 1 John 5:16.

Of course, only God himself who is the Judge knows whether a certain Christian has committed the unforgivable sin or not. But more likely than not, the very fact that the Christian is so concerned and deeply disturbed about it is an indication that he has not committed the unforgivable sin, especially so if he is overwhelmed with grief and is repentant about his sin.

A brief consideration of Scriptural examples of unforgivable sins and sins that were forgiven should prove enlightening and comforting. From these it will become apparent that it is not so much a matter of what kind of sin it is as it is the motive or heart condition, the degree of negligence and willfulness involved that determines whether it is forgivable or not. These examples show that it is the one who willfully makes a practice of sin after he knows the truth whose sins are unforgivable. Helpful also should be a consideration of what one who has stumbled into sin can do to regain his spiritual equilibrium or balance and joy in Jehovah.

The sin of the Jewish clergy in Jesus' day of opposing him was an unforgivable sin. They saw God's holy spirit at work in Jesus as he was doing good, performing miracles to the blessing of man and the honor of God, yet for selfish reasons they maliciously attributed this power to Beelzebub, Satan the Devil. They thereby blasphemed God's holy spirit, a sin that could not be forgiven, “not in the present system of things nor in that to come.”—Matt. 12:22-32.

The sin of Judas was likewise unforgivable, being a deliberately selfish one. In fact, his betrayal of his Master was only the culmination of a course of hypocrisy and dishonesty. He had been a thief, robbing the treasury that had been entrusted to his care. When he saw Mary anointing Jesus with very costly perfume, Judas complained, and Jesus silenced him. Then out of selfish spite, Judas went to the rulers and bargained to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. No wonder that Jesus said it would have been better had Judas never been born, and termed him “the son of destruction.” When Judas saw the consequences of his vile deed he felt remorse, but he was unable to revive himself to repentance because of his continued selfish course and the deliberate willfulness of his act.—Matt. 26:6-16; Mark 14:21; John 12:1-8; 17:12.

Such unforgivable sins stand in striking contrast to those that God did forgive. Thus the grievous sin of David was forgiven—though not without punishment, let it not be forgotten—because of his long years of faithful service, because his repentance was sincere and because of God's covenant with him. For similar reasons Peter's sin of denying his Master was forgiven. He had been honest in his service of his Master—not like Judas—and his sin was due to fleshly weakness and so repentance and forgiveness were also granted him.—2 Sam. 12:7-14; Ps. 51:1-19; Matt. 19:27; 26:69-75.

PLEADING FORGIVENESS

In view of the foregoing examples of sins that God forgave and those that he did not, the sincerely repentant Christian can come to God and plead with confidence for forgiveness, and that for a number of sound Scriptural reasons:

He can plead on the basis of inherited sin even as did David: “Look! . . . in sin my mother conceived me.” He can plead for forgiveness also on the basis of his past record of faithful service. Further, he can plead on the basis of God's mercy: “You are a God of acts of forgiveness, gracious and merciful.” God's name is another basis for pleading: “For your name's sake, O Jehovah, you must even forgive my error, for it is considerable.” Closely related to the foregoing is another plea that David made: “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God . . . that my tongue may joyfully tell about your righteousness.” And in particular is Jesus' ransom sacrifice a basis for a Christian's pleading with God for forgiveness: “By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses.”—Ps. 51:5; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 25:11; 51:14; Eph. 1:7.

If a Christian who has sinned feels unable to pray because his sin has made him spiritually sick, then what? “Let him call the older men of the congregation to him, and let them pray over him, greasing him with oil in the name of Jehovah. And the prayer of faith will make the indisposed one well, and Jehovah will raise him up. Also, if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.”—Jas. 5:14, 15.

Even if the sin is of such a serious nature as to require disfellowshiping, that does not mean that the sin is unforgivable. However, to secure God's forgiveness one must comply with his rules by also confessing his sin to those in charge of his congregation and willingly submitting to being punished. That such sins are forgivable is apparent from the words of the apostle Paul regarding such an erring one: “This rebuke given by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary now, you should kindly forgive and comfort him, that somehow such a man may not be swallowed up by his being overly sad.”—2 Cor. 2:6-8.

Often a run-down physical condition, perhaps due to overconscientiousness, is at the bottom of the anxiety of having committed the unforgivable sin. So never let the Devil discourage you so that you give up trying to serve God and doing what is right because of imagining you have committed the unforgivable sin. The ways of Jehovah God are not only just but also wise and, above all, loving. Certainly if he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked he has none in the loss of a servant of his. So keep feeding on God's Word, especially such comforting sections as Psalm 103, associate with your Christian brothers and share in God's work to the extent of your ability and opportunities. Doing so, you will become strong in faith, hope and love and free from any fear of having committed the unforgivable sin.—1 Cor. 13:13.
Do You Pay for Your Sins After Death?

Nearly all the world's religions answer Yes. But what does the Bible say?

DO YOU pay for your sins after death, especially in a purgatory? Yes, say ever so many of the world's religions. The devout Chinese believes that “a spirit wanders in purgatory for two years after death and must be assisted before it can enter heaven.” To aid such spirits, in times past the Chinese used to offer up sacrifices, but now they burn houses made of paper especially for this purpose.1 There is an elaborate description of purgatorial suffering in the sacred writings of Buddhism.2

In fact, we are told that “an analogy to purgatory can be traced in most religions. Thus the fundamental ideas of a middle state after death and of a purification preparatory to perfect blessedness are met with in Zoroaster, who takes souls through twelve stages before they are sufficiently purified to enter heaven; and the Stoics conceived of a middle place of enlightenment,” which they called empurosis, that is, a place of fire.3

As for Christendom, while here and there a Protestant clergyman may subscribe to the purgatory teaching,4 it is especially known as a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Said its Council of Trent: “Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught . . . that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine . . . regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful.”5 So it is a teaching of the Catholic church that you do indeed pay for your sins after death.

While this is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church, there is the greatest vagueness about the details of this teaching. Just where is purgatory located? What is the duration of the suffering and how can one tell when one's loved ones have finally reached heaven? And in particular are there vagueness and decided difference of opinion as to the exact nature of the suffering.

Says Jesuit writer R. W. Gleason: “We must remark that at times purgatory has been presented as a veritable antechamber of hell; and this by theologians of no small merit. The souls imprisoned there are tortured by demons, we are told; their sufferings are more intense than any imaginable on this earth.” However, not all are so certain. As Gleason also notes: “When Bellarmine tells us that it is indeed certain that the pain of fire exists in purgatory, but that the word ‘fire' may be taken in a metaphorical or a proper sense, that it may refer to pain of sense or to pain of loss, he really leaves us without much that is clear-cut in our certitudes.”5

In fact, there are some Catholics who even hold that those in purgatory are happier than those upon earth. Indeed, “Catherine of Genoa emphatically assures us that no joy on earth is comparable to the joy of purgatory, no joy in fact save the joy of heaven itself.”5 But if this is so, it may well be asked what sort of deterrent is purgatory supposed to be, and why are prayers said for those in it if they are better off than those on earth? Truly, there is much ambiguity on the subject.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the same Council of Trent that defined purgatory at the same time admonished the Catholic clergy that “they must not allow uncertainties or things which have the appearance of falsity to be given forth or handled, and they are to prohibit as scandalous and offensive such things as minister to curiosity or superstition or savor of filthy lucre. Let the bishops see to it that the prayers . . . be not rendered in a perfunctory manner but diligently and punctually.”6

THE VOICE OF TRADITION?

“Catholics Thank God There IS a Purgatory.” So reads an advertisement sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Among the claims made in these advertisements for purgatory's existence is that “the fathers and doctors of the Church speak repeatedly of the first Christians praying for the dead.” Also that “Tertullian, second century, admonished ‘the faithful wife to pray for the soul of her deceased husband.' The fourth century historian Eusebius, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Ephrem, St. Ambrose and St. John Chrysostom all speak of prayers for the departed souls.”

But that these claims presume more than the facts warrant is apparent from the testimony of one authority, that “it is impossible to point out in any writing of the first four centuries any passage which describes the state of any of the faithful departed as one of acute suffering . . . Still less would it be possible to show that the intermediate state was regarded by them as one in which satisfaction was made for sin.”7 This is further borne out by the vagueness with which the Eastern Orthodox Church presents its teaching of purgatory. So the voice of tradition is far from conclusive in this regard.

But even if the voice of tradition were not ambiguous, it of itself would not prove the existence of a purgatory. Why not? Because the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures warned that there would be a falling away from true faith after their departure, in fact, that it had its beginning even in their day. Moreover, it is granted that some of this early testimony which purported to favor the teaching of purgatory must be credited to “the survival of pre-Christian customs.”5—Acts 20:29, 30; 1 John 2:18.

SCRIPTURAL

It is also claimed that the teaching of purgatory finds support in the Scriptures. Among the leading texts used to prove this is 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, which reads: “Other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus. But if anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—the work of each will be made manifest, for the day of the Lord will declare it, since the day is to be revealed in fire. The fire will assay the quality of everyone's work: if his work abides which he has built thereon, he will receive reward; if his work burns he will lose his reward, but himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”—Cath. Confrat.

Can this text be used to prove a purgatory? No, it cannot. In the first place, since a Christian's works are not literally gold and silver, hay or straw, neither would the fire be literal. In the second place, the fire is said to consume one's work if it is not the right kind. Certainly it is not the works that go to purgatory. Thirdly, the statement is that the person shall be saved “as through fire,” not actually through fire. Apparently in an effort to make this text say more than it does, Msgr. Knox rendered it: “Yet he himself will be saved, though only as men are saved by passing through fire.”

So what is Paul speaking about at 1 Corinthians 3:11-15? Gold, silver and precious stones endure through flames, but wood, hay and stubble do not. Likewise works of which God approves are not destroyed by his judgments, but erroneous doctrines and works cannot stand before Jehovah's fiery tests. If the one performing these latter works is prepared to suffer the loss of them when confronted by counsel or judgment from God's Word of truth, then he will be saved by this cleansing, as though by fire. The Christian minister in his planting and watering work needs to watch how he works, that he builds with durable materials, doing all things in harmony with the truth and according to the example set by Christ Jesus.—1 Cor. 3:5-10.

Matthew 5:25, 26 (Cath. Confrat.) is another text quoted to prove there is a purgatory: “Come to terms with thy opponent quickly while thou art with him on the way; lest thy opponent deliver thee to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Amen I say to thee, thou wilt not come out from it until thou hast paid the last penny.” But what Jesus is here discussing is not the payment for sins after death but the wisdom of settling cases out of court. By no stretch of the imagination can this be used to prove purgatory. Only if purgatory itself were proved could this principle be said to apply to it. Besides, Jesus' words imply that anyone can escape the penalty, which is something denied by those teaching purgatory.

Still another text used to teach purgatory contains these words of Jesus: “Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come.” (Matt. 12:32, Cath. Confrat.) It is argued that this implies forgiveness in the world to come, and for this to be so there must be a purgatory. But not so. First, the basic sense of the text is simply that such sin against the holy spirit is unforgivable at any time, and even in “the world to come” there will be no provision for such forgiveness. (Compare Mark 3:29.) The Bible does speak of a resurrection of judgment for those who have done vile things but not willfully so.

When that resurrection takes place there will be the opportunity for such ones to gain everlasting life through their obedience, but it will also be possible for them through disobedience then to sin against the holy spirit. This will prove to be an unforgivable sin for them, and will result in everlasting destruction.—Acts 24:15; John 5:28, 29; Rev. 20:11-15.

THE BIBLE ANSWER

Do you pay for your sins after death? Not according to the Bible, the Word of God. In the first place it tells us that man does not have a soul but is a soul: “The Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Secondly, the Bible testifies that the soul is mortal, not immortal: “The soul that sinneth the same shall die.” “He [Jesus] hath delivered his soul unto death.” And, thirdly, it assures us that the dead are unconscious: “They live under sentence of death; and when death comes, of nothing will they be aware any longer; no reward can they receive, . . . no love, no hatred, no envy can they feel . . . Whatever lies in thy power, do while do it thou canst; there will be no doing, no scheming, no wisdom or skill left to thee in the grave, that soon shall be thy home.”—Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 18:20; Isa. 53:12, Dy; Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10, Knox.

So if man is a soul rather than having a soul, and if that soul is mortal, and if at death his thoughts perish, then how could man be conscious in purgatory after death?

The idea of atoning for one's sins by suffering after death, or even in this present life, is foreign to the Scriptures. When Jesus cured the paralytic brought to him, Jesus simply said: “Take courage, son; thy sins are forgiven thee.” That was it. Jesus said nothing about his needing to suffer for them. Likewise when he showed his disciples that “repentance and remission of sins” was to be preached, he said nothing about doing penance or suffering later for one's sins. And so also the apostle Peter counseled the Jews: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,” but again nothing about penance or suffering for sins. Testifying to the same truth, the apostle John wrote: “If we walk in the light as he also is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” If the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin, that leaves none to be cleansed by purgatorial fires.—Matt. 9:2; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:7, Cath. Confrat.

The Word of God does not present as alternatives life in bliss or life in blisters, but life or death. Jehovah God is loving and just. Everlasting life is one of his gifts. If man does not appreciate that gift, Jehovah God does not torture him. Man simply does not receive everlasting life. When Adam showed that he did not appreciate everlasting life, God did not tell him that he would go to a purgatory, or to a burning hell for that matter, neither did he hold out any hope of Adam's getting to heaven. Plainly he told Adam: “Still thou shalt earn thy bread with the sweat of thy brow, until thou goest back into the ground from which thou wast taken; dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” As so plainly put by the apostle Paul: “The wages of sin is death.”—Gen. 3:19, Knox; Rom. 6:23, Dy.

But perhaps someone will object, saying, ‘What about such expressions as “where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched,” “lifting up his eyes, being in torments,” “their portion shall be in the pool that burns with fire”? Do not such statements as these contradict the foregoing?' Not at all. The Bible, being God's Word, cannot and does not contradict itself. We all use figurative or symbolic language at times, expressions that are not to be understood literally, and so also with the Bible writers. If we but examine the subject matter and the context of such expressions we will find that they are not to be taken literally.—Mark 9:47; Luke 16:23; Rev. 21:8, Cath. Confrat.

The testimony of the Bible is unequivocal, reasonable and just. The idea that you pay for your sins after death, and that by suffering, is pagan, not a Scriptural teaching. Man pays for his sins with death. Yes, “sin offers death, for wages.”—Rom. 6:23, Knox.