Page 8: A godly man, however, will show the same determination as did Joshua, who said: "As for me and my household, we shall serve Jehovah." - Joshua 24:15.
Note: True Christians serve Jesus Christ!
Colossians 3:23-24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Page 10: Consider what Moses said to the Israelites: "Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah. And you must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force. And these words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up." - Deuteronomy 6:4-7.
Note: Consider the full amplification of the Hebrew into English for Deuteronomy 6:4.
(shama' yisra'el YHWH 'elohim 'echad YHWH) Hear, O Israel: our Jehovah God is a plurality and a grouping together of one is Jehovah.
Note: True Christians are in love with Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 16:22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.
Page 10: Just as a tree bears good fruit if it is consistently watered, so, too, spiritually nourished families bear godly fruitage, to Jehovah's praise.
Note: True Christians sing praises to the Father and the Son!
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Page 11: Fathers also need to concern themselves with the spirituality of their children. Paul wrote: "You, fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah." (Ephesians 6:4)
Correction: The context of this Scripture centers on Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 6:5-6 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
Note: The Watchtower has mistranslated the Greek word kurios in Ephesians 6:4.
Page 11: One of the goals set for each family member is to read all articles in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. Recently, they added daily Bible reading to their routine.
Correction: True Christians have always read the Bible for instruction.
Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Page 13: However, Adam and Eve rebelled against their Creator. (Genesis 3:1-6)
Note: Adam and Eve were created by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! (Plural Pronouns)
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Page 14: Remember, what Adam lost for himself and his offspring was not an ordinary life of some 70 or 80 years. He lost perfect life - really, everlasting life. So if 'life should go for life,' what type of life would have to be given to satisfy justice in this case? Logically, it would have to be a perfect human life - a life that, like Adam's, had the potential of producing perfect human offspring.
Correction: God is the Redeemer not just a perfect man.
Psalm 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Page 14: If offered as a sacrifice, a perfect human life would not only balance the scales of justice but also make possible the complete elimination of sin and its consequence, death.
Correction: Only God can eliminate sin and death.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Page 14: To atone for sin, the ransom must precisely fit that which it is supposed to cover - Adam's perfect human life.
Correction: To atone and eliminate sin, the ransom must be more than a perfect human.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Page 15: Right after the rebellion in Eden, Jehovah announced his purpose a "seed," or offspring, who would ransom mankind from sin. (Genesis 3:15)
Note: Just perfect man could never defeat the spirit creature Satan.
Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Page 15: In a dream, Joseph was told that Mary was pregnant by holy spirit. The angel said: "She will give birth to a son, and you must call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:20, 21.
Note: Only God is the Savior of the world!
Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior.
Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Page 15: His life had been transferred by Jehovah's miraculous power to the womb of Mary, making it possible for this beloved Son of God to be born as a human.
Note: Isaiah prophesied that this Child would be God!
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Note: There is only one true God making all other gods false!
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.
Isaiah 45:15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!
Note: God hide Himself in human flesh who is named Jesus.
Page 15: Jehovah guided matters so that Jesus was not tainted by Adam's sin. On the contrary, Jesus was born perfect.
Correction: God Who could never sin is truly our Redeemer.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Page 15: Thus, he possessed what Adam had lost - perfect human life. Finally, a human who could cover the cost of sin.
Correction: A human could never cover the cost of sin and eliminate it.
Psalm 78:35 Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.
1 Corinthians 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Page 16: Upon ascending to heaven as a spirit person, he presented the value of his sacrifice to Jehovah. (Hebrews 9:24)
Correction: Jesus Christ has by Himself put away sin.
Hebrews 9:26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Page 16: by doing so, Jesus purchased sinful mankind and became their new Father, a replacement for Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45) With good reason, Jesus is called the "Eternal Father." (Isaiah 9:6)
Correction: "Eternal Father" does not refer to Adam but to God since Adam is not eternal.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Page 16: Jesus, a perfect Father, uses the value of his sacrifice to bestow eternal life upon obedient humans.
Note: Believing is obeying!
Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Page 16: But does the original manager get to share in the new prosperity? No, he is in prison and thus permanently out of his job! Similarly, the cancellation of Adam's one debt brings benefits to millions of his descendants - but not to Adam.
Correction: Jesus Christ died for all sins including Adam's.
1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Note: The promise of the Messiah was given to Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:15)
Page 16: This is fair. Remember, Adam and Eve were willful sinners. They chose to disobey God. In contrast, we are born in sin. We have no choice. No matter how hard we try, we can not completely avoid sinning. (1 John 1:8)
Correction: The death of Jesus Christ covers all sins to those who trust the Lamb.
Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Page 17: The Bible writer James acknowledges that "we all stumble many times." (James 3:2) Because of Christ's ransom, however, our errors can be pardoned. John writes: "If anyone commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 2:1, 2)
Correction: Our errors will be pardoned since God is faithful to forgive.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Page 17: However, if we err, we can pour out our heart to Jehovah, confident that he is "ready to forgive." (Psalm 86:5; 130:3, 4; Isaiah 1:18; 55:7; Acts 3:19)
Note: True Christians preach the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.
Acts 13:38-39 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Page 17: Christ's ransom opens the way for the fulfillment of God's purpose - that obedient humans live forever in Paradise on earth.
Correction: True Christians have the promise of heaven!
John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Page 17: The ransom provides a basis for God to wipe out this "last enemy." (1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 21:4) Jesus' ransom can even benefit those who have died. "The hour is coming," Jesus said, "in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his (Jesus) voice and come out." - John 5:28, 29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22.
Note: Only if you have received Jesus Christ into your life will you have eternal life.
John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
Page 17: Love moved Jehovah to send forth his beloved Son. (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9) In turn, love moved Jesus to "taste death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9; John 15:13)
Note: This includes Adam and Eve.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
Page 17: If we appreciate what Jesus did for us, we will respond. After all, the ransom makes it possible for us to be rescued from death! Surely we would not want to imply by our actions that we esteem the sacrifice of Jesus as of ordinary value. - Hebrews 10:29.
Note: Have you put your total faith into Jesus Christ or an organization?
Galatians 3:23-26 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Page 18: Shortly before his arrest, Jesus stated: "If anyone loves me, he will observe my word." (John 14:23) Jesus' "word" includes his command that we have a zealous share in fulfilling the commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of people of all nations, baptizing them." (Matthew 28:19) Obedience to Jesus also requires that we show love for our spiritual brothers.
Note: Are you abiding in Jesus Christ or an organization?
John 15:5-6 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."
Page 18: One of the finest ways we can show appreciation for the ransom is by attending the Memorial of Christ's death, which this year will held on April 1. This is part of Jesus' "word," for when instituting this celebration, Jesus commanded his followers: "Keep doing this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) By our attendance at this most important event and by our keen attention to all that Christ commanded, we will demonstrate our firm conviction that the ransom of Jesus is God's way of salvation. Truly, "there is no salvation in anyone else."
Note: Will you follow all of the "words" of Jesus Christ about the Memorial Supper?
Matthew 26:26-27 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you."
Page 25: Long ago Jesus told a woman who believed in holy sites: "The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father....The true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth." (John 4:21-24) Thus, true Christians do not venerate holy sites. The destruction of unfaithful Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 C.E. stands as a warning to Christendom. Her idolatry, divisions, and bloodguilt belie her claim to be Christian. Therefore, she will suffer the fate that God has foretold for all the religions composing Babylon the Great. - Revelation 18:2-8.
Correction: Only half of everyone in Christendom are not true Christians.
Matthew 25:1-2 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish." Matthew 25:11-13 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"