Why do most Jehovah's Witnesses flunk this Bible test?

[David_A_Reed]

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test?" -- 2 Cor. 13:5 NIV

"But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." -- John 14:17,18 NIV

". . . this mystery, which is Christ in you . . ." -- Col. 1:27 NIV,RSV

". . . that Christ may actually live in your hearts . . ." -- Eph. 3:17 J.B. Phillips

"To prove that you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, crying 'Abba! Father!'" -- Gal. 4:6 New Eng. Bible

"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by your sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you . . ." -- Rom. 8:8-10 NIV

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." -- Rev. 3:20 RSV

"I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ...I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.' " (John 3:3-7, NIV)

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. " (John 6:37, NIV)

"Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus...'" (Acts 7:59 NIV)

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord... But he said to me, '...my power is made perfect in weakness.' ...Christ's power..." (2 Cor. 12:8-9, NIV)

"...together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-- their Lord and ours" (1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29, NIV)

[MikeWC]

How do you know they fail this test?

[David_A_Reed]

How do you know they fail this test?
The scripture says, "Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Cor. 13:5 NIV) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ is "in" (or "in union with" according to their New World Translation) only 144,000 individuals, not the millions who attend their Kingdom Halls. So, according to Paul's words, because they do not have Christ, they fail the test.

Also, they deny that Romans 8 applies to them, because they believe that only 144,000 are "joint heirs" with Christ (Rom. 8:17). JWs will admit that this does not apply to themselves personally, because they are not of the "remnant" of 144,000. But, if you read Romans 1-17 in context, this means they are again denying 'Christ in you' (vs. 10) and denying the Spirit dwells in them (vs. 9) This also means they "cannot please God" (vs. 8).

I didn't spell out all of this in the original post, because (1) JWs all know this about themselves and their interpretation of Scripture, and (2) I wanted to let these powerful passages from God's Word have their full effect on JW readers, without any interpretive comments on my part.

(The other verses quoted in the original post also give JWs problems, because they deny that they must be born again -- saying this applies only to the 144,000 -- and they forbid members to talk to Jesus in prayer, contrary to what these verses plainly say.)

[Oldmonk]

The scripture says, "Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you -- unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Cor. 13:5 NIV) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ is "in" (or "in union with" according to their New World Translation) only 144,000 individuals, not the millions who attend their Kingdom Halls. So, according to Paul's words, because they do not have Christ, they fail the test.

Also, they deny that Romans 8 applies to them, because they believe that only 144,000 are "joint heirs" with Christ (Rom. 8:17). JWs will admit that this does not apply to themselves personally, because they are not of the "remnant" of 144,000. But, if you read Romans 1-17 in context, this means they are again denying 'Christ in you' (vs. 10) and denying the Spirit dwells in them (vs. 9) This also means they "cannot please God" (vs. 8).

I didn't spell out all of this in the original post, because (1) JWs all know this about themselves and their interpretation of Scripture, and (2) I wanted to let these powerful passages from God's Word have their full effect on JW readers, without any interpretive comments on my part.

(The other verses quoted in the original post also give JWs problems, because they deny that they must be born again -- saying this applies only to the 144,000 -- and they forbid members to talk to Jesus in prayer, contrary to what these verses plainly say.)
DAVID: GREAT stuff!!!! Love your "Comments From The Friends"!!!Will look forward to your posts:)