I think it’s important for us to make clear to Jehovah’s Witnesses that the relationship between faith and works is not just a matter of semantics.

We don’t all believe the same thing just using different terminology.

 

I recommend that you use stone-in-the-shoe questions to show them that people who rely on faith plus works for their salvation are not relying on Christ.

They are really relying on themselves—trusting in themselves and in their efforts or in their standing with an organization run by fallible men.

All that misplaced reliance produces is condemnation, not salvation.

It is only when we humble ourselves, give up on ourselves and on everything else, and trust in Christ’s sacrifice alone that God saves us.

So the key to our salvation is reliance on Christ and Christ alone—trusting in his righteousness we receive as a gift rather than in our own righteous which we generate by our works.

You can illustrate this to Jehovah’s Witnesses through the life of the apostle Paul.

Jehovah’s Witnesses rely on their organizational standing and their works as their way of “exercising faith” in Jehovah.

That’s what convinces them they’re “in the truth.”

Ask:

  • If Jehovah were to tell you that you were going to die tonight and he gave you a chance to tell him why you believe you are worthy of a resurrection someday, what would you say to him?

They are likely to mention their dedication to him through baptism, their affiliation with the Watchtower organization, their efforts to obey his commandments, their door-to-door witnessing, and the like.

Some of them may be confident in their standing with Jehovah, while others may be conscious of how far short they fall.

Either way, you can say:

  • When I was younger, I would have given similar answers based on my own religious commitments. 
  • Then I read Philippians 3 one day and I was surprised by the answers Paul gave. 
  • Could we look at that together? 
  • I’d like to get your take on it.

Ask one of the Witnesses to read aloud Philippians 3:3-9 verse by verse and ask stone-in-the-shoe questions to bring out the meaning:

Verse 3: For we are those with the real circumcision, we who are rendering sacred service by God’s spirit and boasting in Christ Jesus and who do not base our confidence in the flesh…

Ask:

  • What is Paul contrasting here?

He’s contrasting his relationship to Christ and to God’s Spirit with relying on “the flesh.”

You can say:

  • I always thought of “the flesh” as representing gross sins, but in verse 4 Paul talks about it as something he might have had confidence in.

Could we look at that verse?

Verse 4: “Though I, if anyone, do have grounds for confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:

Ask:

  • Doesn’t it sound like Paul is challenging his readers to a flesh contest?

Verse 5: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews; regarding law, a Pharisee;

Ask them to list all of the things he used to have confidence in during his pre-Christian days:

  • His parents’ obedience: They had him circumcised on the eighth day
  • His nationality: He was an Israelite
  • His ethnicity: He was from the same tribe as King Saul
  • His birthright: He was a Hebrew and his parents were Hebrews
  • His organizational affiliation: He was a devoted Pharisee

Go on to verse 6: regarding zeal, persecuting the congregation; regarding righteousness based on law, one who proved himself blameless.

  • His zeal: He wasn’t just a Pharisee; he worked hard to opposed what he considered to be heresy
  • His external obedience to God’s law: He says he was blameless

You can say:

  • I have to admit that I would have lost that flesh contest badly.

Verse 7: Yet, the things that were gains to me, I have considered loss on account of the Christ.

Ask:

  • What does he mean by that?

After they have given answers, you can say:

  • It seems to me that Paul is saying the all of the things he had been relying on to secure God’s approval were actually dragging him down.

Verse 8: “What is more, I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have taken the loss of all things and I consider them as a lot of refuse, that I may gain Christ…

Ask:

  • Now that he is a Christian, what does Paul consider to be a superior replacement for all the things he had been relying on?

His personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Verse 9: …and be found in union with him, not because of my own righteousness from following the Law, but because of the righteousness that is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

Ask:

  • What is he contrasting here?

His own righteousness from doing his best to keep God’s Law and God’s own righteousness that he received as a gift because of his faith in Christ.

Summary

Summarize with questions regarding application.

Ask:

  • How is all this supposed to apply to us?
  • What are we supposed to be relying on to merit God’s approval? 
  • What are we really relying on to merit God’s approval?

Pray that God will show them that they are making the same mistake Paul used to make.

Pray that the answers to your questions will be stones in their shoes.

 

 

 

 

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