Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation#The 'anointed'

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that salvation is possible only through Christ's ransom sacrificeThe Watchtower 6/1/00 p. 11 par. 6 Keep Your “Hope of Salvation” Bright! and that individuals cannot be saved until they repent of their sins and call on the name of Jehovah.The Watchtower, March 15, 1989, p. 31 Call on Jehovah’s Name and Get Away Safe! “The Way of Salvation” Salvation is described as a free gift from God, but is said to be unattainable without good works that are prompted by faith. The works prove faith is genuine."Meetings to Help Us Make Disciples", Our Kingdom Ministry, January 1979, p. 2. Preaching is said to be one of the works necessary for salvation, both of themselves and those to whom they preach.The Watchtower, May 15, 2006 pp. 28-29 par. 12

They believe that baptism as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses is "a vital step toward gaining salvation",{{cite journal|journal=The Watchtower|date=March 2016|page=4|title=Young Ones—Are You Ready to Get Baptized|quote=It is a great privilege to get baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Moreover, baptism is a requirement for Christians, and it is a vital step toward gaining salvation.}} and that people can be saved by identifying God's organization. They believe that conforming to the moral requirements set out in the Bible is essential for salvation.The Watchtower, May 15, 2006 pp. 28-29 par. 12

The Witnesses reject the doctrine of universal salvation,The Watchtower 4/15/60 p. 229 Does the Bible Teach What You Believe? as well as that of predestination or fate. They believe that all intelligent creatures are endowed with free will. They regard salvation to be a result of a person's own decisions, not of fate.Awake! 5/07 p. 13 Is Your Life Predestined? They reject the concept of "once saved, always saved" (or "eternal security"), instead believing that one must remain faithful until the end to be saved.You Can Endure to the End The Watchtower October 1, 1999, p. 17.

Regarding whether non-Witnesses will be saved, they believe that Jesus has the responsibility of judging such ones, and that no human can judge for themselves who will be saved. Based on their interpretation of Acts 24:15, they believe there will be a resurrection of righteous and unrighteous people. They believe that non-Witnesses alive now may attain salvation if they "begin to serve God".{{cite web|title=Do You Feel That You Are the Only People Who Will Be Saved?|url=http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/who-saved/}}

Based on their understanding of scriptures such as [http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/b/r1/lp-e/nwt/E/2013/66/14 Revelation 14:1-4], Jehovah's Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians go to heaven to rule with Christ in the kingdom of God. They, with Jesus, will perform priestly duties that will bring faithful mankind to perfect health and "everlasting life".{{cite book|title=Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand!|page=200|publisher=Watch Tower Society}} They believe that most of those are already in heaven, and that the "remnant" at Revelation 12:17 (KJV) refers to those remaining alive on earth who will be immediately resurrected to heaven when they die. The Witnesses understand Jesus’ words at John 3:3—"except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"—to apply to the 144,000 who are "born again" as "anointed" sons of God in heaven.{{cite journal|journal=The Watchtower|date=November 1, 1996|page=10|title=Look to Jehovah for Comfort}}

They teach that the New Testament, which they refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures, is primarily directed to the 144,000, and by extension, to those associated with them.{{cite book|title=Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace"|page=110|publisher=Watch Tower Society}} They believe that the terms "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16), "little flock" (Luke 12:32), "New Jerusalem," and "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Revelation 21:2,9) in the New Testament also refer to the same group of "anointed" Christians.{{sfn|Chryssides|2008|pages=3, 122}}

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that being anointed involves a personal revelation by God's spirit which "gives positive assurance of adoption" to the individual alone.{{cite book|title=United In Worship Of The Only True God|publisher=Watch Tower Society|pages=112–113}} Members who claim to be anointed are not given special treatment by other congregation members.{{cite journal|journal=The Watchtower|date=May 1, 2007|page=31|title=Questions From Readers|quote=They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the other sheep have; nor do they expect special treatment or claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation}} Only those in the anointed class partake of the unleavened bread and wine at the yearly commemoration of Christ's death, or Memorial.

Watch Tower Society literature states that Jesus' use of the term "other sheep" in John 10:16 was intended to indicate that the majority of his followers were not part of the 144,000 and would have an earthly, rather than heavenly, hope."Awake" 1/8/95 p. 27 Who Go to Heaven? In the resurrection, those who died faithful to God are included in the "other sheep" and will receive the "resurrection of the righteous" ("just" KJV) mentioned in Acts 24:15.The Watchtower 2/15/95 p. 11 par. 12 'There Will Be a Resurrection of the Righteous: “Men and women of old who exercised strong faith in Jehovah and his promises and remained faithful to the death were declared righteous by Jehovah on the basis of their faith, and they will without doubt share in the ‘resurrection of the righteous.’ Those who died without faithfully serving God will receive the "resurrection of the… unrighteous" ("unjust" KJV). They will be given an opportunity to gain God's favor and join Jesus' 'other sheep' and live forever in an earthly paradise.‘You Can Believe in a Paradise Earth’ The Watchtower November 15, 2003, p. 4.

Individuals unfavorably judged by God are not resurrected, and are said to be in Gehenna, which they consider to be a metaphor for eternal destruction.The Watchtower 3/15/06 p. 6 The Only Remedy!: “Some committed sins for which there is no forgiveness. They are not in Hades (mankind’s common grave) but in Gehenna, a symbolic place of eternal destruction. (Matthew 23:33) Those of the "other sheep" who are alive today, some of whom survive through Armageddon without needing a resurrection, are referred to as the "great crowd".{{cite book |last= Ankerberg |first=John |title= Fast Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses |year= 2003|publisher= Harvest House Publisher |isbn= 978-0-73691081-1 |pages=51–53 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wmsdmva7u6kC}}

• Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses
• Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs

{{reflist|2}}

• {{cite book |last1=Chryssides |first1=George D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xx6nUwZzeCsC |title=Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2008 |quote=See "Salvation" |page=122 |isbn= 9780810860742}}
• {{cite book |last1=Penton |first1=M. James. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38SYXalMLeQC |title=Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses |location=Toronto |publisher=University of Toronto Press |edition=2nd |year=1997 |chapter=Chapter 7, "Major Doctrines" |pages=184–210|isbn=9780802079732 }}

• [https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-is-salvation/ What is Salvation?]—Jehovah's Witnesses official website

Category:Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses

Category:Christian soteriology