Is salvation a reward for faithfulness?

The Watchtower says that it is.

It states: “Jehovah rewards his faithful servants with life, but life of what kind?”[1]

You can make this stone-in-the-shoe comment: 

  • Faithfulness is important, but if faithfulness is a requirement for salvation, we are all in serious trouble because our faithfulness to God is spotty at best.

 Be polite but ask stone-in-the-shoe questions that challenge Watchtower dogma.

For example, an article on the Watchtower’s website states: “Jesus saved faithful humans when he gave his life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28).”[2]

If the Witnesses refer you to this article, ask one of them to read aloud Matthew 20:28: “Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.”

 You can ask:

  • Where does that verse mention faithfulness?

The Watchtower explains its teaching this way:

After Armageddon, mankind will be under just one government, God’s Kingdom. That Kingdom will do God’s will and bring wonderful blessings. For example, it will remove Satan and his demons. (Revelation 20:1-3)  The power of Jesus’ sacrifice will be applied so that faithful humans will no longer get sick and die. Instead, under Kingdom rule they will be able to live forever. (Read Revelation 22:1-3.) The earth will be made into a paradise. Thus the Kingdom will cause God’s will to be done on earth and will sanctify God’s name. What does this mean? It means that eventually under God’s Kingdom everyone alive will honor Jehovah’s name.[3](emphasis added)

You can ask:

  • Did Jesus sacrifice his life for faithful people or for sinners?

The answer should be obvious, but if necessary ask one of the Witnesses to read aloud Matthew 9:13: “Go, then, and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners.”

That’s because when he came, there were no righteous people to call!

Ask the Witnesses to read aloud Romans 3:9-10: “What then? Are we in a better position? Not at all! For above we have made the charge that Jews as well as Greeks are all under sin; just as it is written: “There is not a righteous man, not even one…”

You can say:

  • Of course, God doesn’t want us to remain rebellious. 
  • He does desire faithfulness, but I think this is something he has to work into us as he transformers believers from the inside out by his Spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses may cite Hebrews 5:9: “And after he had been made perfect, he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him…” (emphasis added)

Concerning this verse, Christian author Warren Wiersbe comments:

Does the phrase “them that obey Him” suggest that if we do not obey Him, we may lose our eternal salvation? To “obey God” is the same as “to trust God,” as “them that obey Him” is a description of those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ… Once we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, and thus obeyed His call, we experience His eternal salvation.[4]

Ask the Witnesses to read aloud Romans 5:6-11 from their Bibles:

For, indeed, while we were still weak, Christ died for ungodly men at the appointed time. For hardly would anyone die for a righteous man; though perhaps for a good man someone may dare to die. But God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if when we were enemies we became reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more we will be saved by his life, now that we have become reconciled. Not only that, but we are also rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (emphasis added)

Ask:

  • Are people saved by being declared righteous by their faith in Christ’s blood or by the level of faithfulness of their behavior?

Summary

Be careful not to come across as being against faithfulness.

Of course, God wants Christians to be faithful.

But you can summarize your point with this stone-in-the-shoe question:

  • If salvation is a reward for faithfulness, just how faithful do we have to be to prove worthy of it?

 

[1] What Does the Bible Really Teach?, p. 192

[2] “Jesus Saves—How?”

[3] What Does the Bible Really Teach?, pp. 82, 84

[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 2, p. 294

 

 

 

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