The answer of hell and its origins

[The Learner]

1st. Their arguments in behalf of tradition are—(1.) Scripture authorizes it, 2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6. (2.) The early fathers asserted its authority and founded their faith largely upon it. (3.) The oral teaching of Christ and his apostles, when clearly ascertained, is intrinsically of equal authority with their writings. The scriptures themselves are handed down to us by the evidence of tradition, and the stream cannot rise higher than its source. (4.) The necessity of the case. (a.) Scripture is obscure, needs tradition as its interpreter. (b.)Scripture is incomplete as a rule of faith and practice; since there are many doctrines and institutions, universally recognized, which are founded only upon tradition as a supplement to Scripture. (5.) Analogy. every state recognizes both written and unwritten, common and statute law.
...
6. What arguments do the Scriptures themselves afford in favor of the doctrine that they are the only infallible rule of faith?

1st. The Scriptures always speak in the name of God, and command faith and obedience.

2nd. Christ and his apostles always refer to the written Scriptures, then existing, as authority, and to no other rule of faith whatsoever.—Luke 16:29; 10:26; John 5:39; Rom. 4:3;2 Tim. 3:15.

3rd. The Bereans are commended for bringing all questions, even apostolic teaching, to this test.—Acts 17:11; see also Isa. 8:16.

4th. Christ rebukes the Pharisees for adding to and perverting the Scriptures.—Matt. 15:7-9; Mark 7:5-8; see also Rev. 22:18, 19, and Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Josh. 1:7.

7. In what sense is the completeness of Scripture as a rule of faith asserted?

It is not meant that the Scriptures contain every revelation which God has ever made to man, but that their contents are the only supernatural revelation that God does now make to man, and that this revelation is abundantly sufficient for man's guidance in all questions of faith, practice, and modes of worship, and excludes the necessity and the right of any human inventions.

8. How may this completeness be proved, from the design of scripture?

The Scriptures profess to lead us to God. Whatever is necessary to that end they must teach us. If any supplementary rule, as tradition, is necessary to that end, they must refer us to it.

"Incompleteness here would be falsehood." But while one sacred writer constantly refers us to the writings of another, not one of them ever intimates to us either the necessity or the existence of any other rule.—John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:15-17.

9. By what other arguments may this principle be proved?

The Rule of Faith & Practice | Monergism

A. A. Hodge (1823-1886)The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, Having Been Given By Inspiration of God, Are the All-Sufficient and Only Rule of Faith and

www.monergism.com

 

[The Learner]

Faith, Rule of​

Faith, Rule Of

I. Regula Fidei. — In the early Church the summary of doctrines taught to catechumens, and to which they were required to give their assent before baptism, was called in Greek πίστις, the faith; ὅρος πἰστεως, the limit or determination of the faith; ἔκδοσις πίστεως, exposition of the faith; κανών, rule; and in Latin, Regula Jidei, rule of faith. This term was afterwards applied to the Apostles' Creed. SEE CREED, APOSTLES; SEE REGULA FIDEI.

II. From the ancient usage, the phrase has been adopted (not very aptly) in modern theology to denote (1) the true source of our knowledge of Christian truth; and (2) the criterion or standard of Christian doctrine. Protestants find this rule in the Scriptures alone; the Greek and Roman churches, and some Anglicans, find it not only in Scripture, but also in the Church, as the authorized (inspired) interpreter of Scripture, whose interpretations are embodied in tradition. The supreme authority, according to the Romanists, lies in tradition, and in the pope as its living expounder. Some of the mystics and the Quakers make the "inner light" the supreme rule: thus Robert Barclay says that the highest source of knowledge divine revelation and illumination is something internal, trustworthy, and self- evident, which commands reason to accept it by the indwelling evidence. The Rationalists make reason the final arbiter, and the mind of man the measure of truth.

(I.) The Protestant Doctrine. —

1. One of the chief doctrinal elements of the Reformation was the sufficiency of Scripture for faith and salvation.

Faith, Rule of from the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.

Faith, Rule of from the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.

www.biblicalcyclopedia.com

 

[The Learner]

Abstract​

The expression Rule of Faith was used from early on to designate the basic theology of the church—the sum content of "apostolic" teaching—as set down in Scripture, (pre)baptismal confession, and apostolic teaching patterns. Based on early Christological formularies and two- or three-limbed Christian confessions to the One God (cf. 1 Cor 8:6; Matt 28:19; 1 Clem. 46:6; Irenaeus, Epid. 6), this language emerged as a first- and second-century response to questions raised both within and outside of the Christian communities. With particular focus on Irenaeus (especially Haer. I, 10.1), but also on Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria, this article seeks to reflect on the origins of the Rule of Faith (regula fidei). The existence of the Rule is traced back to the apostolic period through close association with baptism and prebaptismal teaching patterns (use of traditional Christ-creed material, the Pauline Heis-Theos profession, and dyadic or triadic structuring of the faith). Particular attention is given to pre-Irenaean use of the term canon, Irenaeus's combination of onemembered, two-membered, and three-membered confessions, and to the close relationship between the Rule of Faith and Scripture in Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement. Together, these features of the regula fidei constitute a textual matrix within which proto-orthodox Christian hermeneutics by and large operated. Some structural similarities between the scribal nomina sacra practice and the Rule-of-Faith-pattern are noticed.https://www.jstor.org/stable/26421568

 

[The Learner]

The Rule of Faith in the early church

Roman Catholic apologists like to emphasize the tradition of the early church, and claim that other unwritten oral apostolic traditions that Paul mentions in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, are brought out l…

apologeticsandagape.wordpress.com

Rule of Faith: regula fidei

FF Bruce, in The canon of scripture, p 115-116, claims that the regula fidei was read and memorized by those who were to be baptized.

"1. Since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers. On this account are we bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the thing pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the tradition of the truth. For how stands the case? Suppose there arise a dispute relative to some important question among us, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches? 2. To which course many nations of those barbarians who believe in Christ do assent, having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition, believing in one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things therein, by means of Christ Jesus, the Son of God; who, because of His surpassing love towards His creation, condescended to be born of the virgin, He Himself uniting man through Himself to God, and having suffered under Pontius Pilate, and rising again, and having been received up in splendour, shall come in glory, the Saviour of those who are saved, and the Judge of those who are judged, and sending into eternal fire those who transform the truth, and despise His Father and His advent. Those who, in the absence of written documents, have believed this faith, are barbarians, so far as regards our language; but as regards doctrine, manner, and tenor of life, they are, because of faith, very wise indeed; and they do please God, ordering their conversation in all righteousness, chastity, and wisdom. If any one were to preach to these men the inventions of the heretics, speaking to them in their own language, they would at once stop their ears, and flee as far off as possible, not enduring even to listen to the blasphemous address. Thus, by means of that ancient tradition of the apostles, they do not suffer their mind to conceive anything of the [doctrines suggested by the] portentous language of these teachers, among whom neither Church nor doctrine has ever been established. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, book 3, 4, 1-2)
"Now, with regard to this rule of faith-that we may from this point acknowledge what it is which we defend-it is, you must know, that which prescribes the belief that there is one... Creeds: The ancient "rule of faith" (regula fidei) was not a creed!

 

[The Learner]

The New Unger's bible dictionary

This has been one of the best‐selling Bible dictionaries on the market since its introduction almost 50 years ago. Now, this timehonored classic is more valuable than ever. Packed with current scholarship, more than 67,000 entries are supplemented

www.academia.edu

 

[The Learner]

In short, the watchtower does not follow the early churches rule of faith, thus they are not real christians at all.

 

[RLT63]

In general death is defined as seperation James 2:26 Death of spirit-soul is simply seperation from God. We know that the spirit-soul lives in the grave Isaiah 14:1-11. At Resurrection of everyone, all gets a body that is not destroyed by fire. I cor 15, outline the chapter.

Although few things are so clearly taught in Scripture as the existence of an eternal hell, where the wicked will be punished, the Witnesses reject it. “Once the devil has invented immortal souls, he had to invent a place somewhere outside heaven or earth for wicked immortal souls to go to. What else could he do but fall back on eternal conscious torment as the explanation?” That quotation is extremely mild in comparison with many of the b.asphemies of Russell and Rutherford. The Witnesses do not believe God will punish sinners. “The Bible does not teach that man possesses an ‘immortal soul’ that can endure endless roasting in torment.” The world already belongs to the devil. “God never punishes either in this life nor in the next,” declared Russell. It does not, therefore, matter how badly people behave in this life, according to the Witnesses, for our moral choices now have no effect whatever upon our eternal future. We might just as well sin with impunity. There is no hell. Russell says that all are to be raised again and given a second chance. So everything depends on how we behave then, not on how we behave now. The more wicked a man has been in this life, the more likely he is to make good in the next. Even if he doesn’t make good and continues to defy God with contempt, he will simply be put painlessly out of existence and experience no future evil consequences whatever.

A system that contradicts all our basic Christian ideals must be a danger. Source. What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe. ////. I’m not Catholic but this is an informative article. Feel free to rebut @Aunty Jane

 

[RLT63]

Although few things are so clearly taught in Scripture as the existence of an eternal hell, where the wicked will be punished, the Witnesses reject it. “Once the devil has invented immortal souls, he had to invent a place somewhere outside heaven or earth for wicked immortal souls to go to. What else could he do but fall back on eternal conscious torment as the explanation?” That quotation is extremely mild in comparison with many of the b.asphemies of Russell and Rutherford. The Witnesses do not believe God will punish sinners. “The Bible does not teach that man possesses an ‘immortal soul’ that can endure endless roasting in torment.” The world already belongs to the devil. “God never punishes either in this life nor in the next,” declared Russell. It does not, therefore, matter how badly people behave in this life, according to the Witnesses, for our moral choices now have no effect whatever upon our eternal future. We might just as well sin with impunity. There is no hell. Russell says that all are to be raised again and given a second chance. So everything depends on how we behave then, not on how we behave now. The more wicked a man has been in this life, the more likely he is to make good in the next. Even if he doesn’t make good and continues to defy God with contempt, he will simply be put painlessly out of existence and experience no future evil consequences whatever.

A system that contradicts all our basic Christian ideals must be a danger. Source. What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe. ////. I’m not Catholic but this is an informative article. Feel free to rebut @Aunty Jane

In the orthodox sense the Witnesses are not Christians, for they deny that Christ is God. Their teaching is certainly new. But they themselves deny that it is a religion. They conceive it to be their first duty to denounce all other religious bodies. Rutherford declared that “religion was introduced into the world by the devil.” “For more than three years,” he declared, “Jesus continued to proclaim the truth and to wam the people against the practice of religion. . . . For religion dishonors and reproaches the name of Jehovah God.” According to him religion and Christianity are exactly opposite and opposed one to the other. That, of course, is ridiculous. Christianity is the one, true religion revealed by Jesus Christ who was God himself.

The Witnesses have no time for the Christian churches. Russell said that in 1878 God had rejected all existing churches and made the Russellites the only spokesmen thenceforward. Rutherford went further. He did not like to admit that the churches were all right till Russell came on the scene. After Christ’s Resurrection, he said, the devil built up a great empire, the papacy. Later, he inspired the creation of the Protestant churches. So, all Catholic priests and Protestant clergymen are of the devil, enemies of God, Antichrist. The Witnesses deny that they are a church or a denomination. There is no justification, they say, in the Bible for a church or a hierarchy. The Catholic Church, the Church of England, and the Free Churches are the constant butt of abuse in publications of the Witnesses, which deny most of the fundamental Christian doctrines

 

[Aunty Jane]

In general death is defined as seperation James 2:26 Death of spirit-soul is simply seperation from God.

James 2:26 is part of James’ commentary on the futility of faith without works. It says nothing about the soul, but about the spirit. Somewhere along the road to apostasy, there was the adoption of the Greek notion of an immortal soul, which crept into apostate Judaism in later centuries, but it was never a Bible teaching. The dead are dead.....resurrection is what the Bible teaches...and you cannot resurrection someone who is not dead.

Solomon clearly stated that the dead are not conscious....
Eccl 9:5,6,10....
“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun. . . . .

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, (sheol) where you are going.”

The dead are not alive somewhere else because God never taught his people that the soul lives on after death.....the soul is the whole person and that is what dies......it is also what God will resurrect. Resurrection is a return to life, not a continuation of it.

The sister of Lazarus expressed the Jewish belief in “the resurrection on the last day”, (John 11:23) which is the period following the cleansing of the old earth of all its wickedness, and the beginning of a new age where the devil and his angels are in a prison that is shut and sealed over them. (Rev 20:1-3) The thousand year reign of Christ and his elect is “the last day” when all in their graves will be called out....both the righteous and the unrighteous. (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) and then Rev 21:2-4 can have its fulfillment.

We know that the spirit-soul lives in the grave Isaiah 14:1-11. At Resurrection of everyone, all gets a body that is not destroyed by fire. I cor 15, outline the chapter.

Isaiah 14 is about the King of Babylon getting his just punishment.
Vs 9-11.....say metaphorically.....
“Even the Grave underneath is stirred up
To meet you when you come.
Because of you, it awakens those powerless in death,
All the oppressive leaders of the earth.
It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

10 All of them speak up and say to you,
‘Have you also become weak like us?
Have you become like us?

11 Down to the Grave your pride has been brought,
The sound of your stringed instruments.
Maggots are spread beneath you as a bed,
And worms are your covering.’”

Those wicked kings who had gone before him into death were going to symbolically mock him, saying....
"Have you also become weak like us?
Have you become like us?
Down to the grave your pride has been brought
Maggots are spread as your bed and worms are your covering"....

Isaiah also said in ch 26:13-14....
"Lord, (Yahweh) you are our God.
Other masters besides you have ruled over us.
But your name is the only one we honor.
14 Those other masters are now dead.
They will never live again.
Their spirits won’t rise from the dead.
You punished them and destroyed them.
You wiped out all memory of them."

This is the fate of the truly, incorrigibly wicked.....they are "destroyed" in gehenna, as Jesus said.
Only God knows who will end up there, but Jesus sentenced the Pharisees to that place. (Matt 23:33) As teachers of God's law, but who were the worst transgressors, they had double accountability. (Matt 23:13-15)

You know, when people quote scripture without a clue as to the context, or what the words actually mean to the one hearing the expressions, they show themselves up to be......exactly as you said....ignorant.

That's the thing about pointing fingers....you have to be careful of the three fingers pointing back at yourself.

BTW....you look ridiculous in red and white polka dots....

 

[Aunty Jane]

Feel free to rebut @Aunty Jane

Aren't you the one who said he was going to get his information about JW beliefs 'from the horse's mouth'...from JW.ORG......what happened?

Apparently these sites you quoted tell you what you want to hear.....they seem to operate on the notion that Russell and Rutherford were some kind of prophets......but they never were....they were Bible students with a very good knowledge of scripture.....and we have progressed in our knowledge so much since their days. We are not stuck in the past, but welcome progressive revelation of truth as the Bible has made clear throughout all of its history. This is what God has always done...and this is what Jesus said would identify his "faithful and wise servant"......they would feed his household their "food at the proper time". (Matt 24:45)
As I said, its not a buffet, where you can eat whatever takes your fancy, whilst leaving what you find unpalatable on the table.
You are all served your meal and everyone will eat the same food without complaint, because they know where its coming from.

You can keep plugging away, but you will never get to the truth by listening to our opposers.......neither did the Jews. They ended up putting their own Messiah to death.....you think the devil can't manage to sway the majority his way again? God will not stop him, nor will he prevent anyone from being deceived if that is what they want....it will all come from our own hearts, which God and his son can read like a book. We can't fool either of them.

 

[RLT63]

Aren't you the one who said he was going to get his information about JW beliefs 'from the horse's mouth'...from JW.ORG......what happened?

Apparently these sites you quoted tell you what you want to hear.....they seem to operate on the notion that Russell and Rutherford were some kind of prophets......but they never were....they were Bible students with a very good knowledge of scripture.....and we have progressed in our knowledge so much since their days. We are not stuck in the past, but welcome progressive revelation of truth as the Bible has made clear throughout all of its history. This is what God has always done...and this is what Jesus said would identify his "faithful and wise servant"......they would feed his household their "food at the proper time". (Matt 24:45)
As I said, its not a buffet, where you can eat whatever takes your fancy, whilst leaving what you find unpalatable on the table.
You are all served your meal and everyone will eat the same food without complaint, because they know where its coming from.

You can keep plugging away, but you will never get to the truth by listening to our opposers.......neither did the Jews. They ended up putting their own Messiah to death.....you think the devil can't manage to sway the majority his way again? God will not stop him, nor will he prevent anyone from being deceived if that is what they want....it will all come from our own hearts, which God and his son can read like a book. We can't fool either of them.

If you are constantly receiving new revelation it shouldn’t be in conflict with what you taught in the past if it all came from God. The fuller revelation in Christ in the New Testament does not correct the Old Testament revelation, but develops it and brings it to fulfilment (Heb 10:1; 1 Peter 1:10-12) JWs conceive it to be their first duty to denounce all other religious bodies. This is obvious from your posts. You don’t get information from the source of the denominations you bash. You told me I am in bed with Mystery Babylon. This excerpt from Wikipedia explains why. —

Restorationism​

See also: History of Jehovah's Witnesses and Restorationism (Christian primitivism)
Witnesses believe that after the death of the apostles, the Church embarked on a "Great Apostasy", diverging from the original teachings of Jesus on several major points. Influenced by Restorationism in the 19th century, Charles Taze Russell and his associates formed a Bible study group in the 1870s in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, developing teachings that they considered to be a revival of "the great truths taught by Jesus and the Apostles".[63] Watch Tower publications claim both the Great Apostasy and Russell's subsequent "restoration" of original Christianity[64] were a fulfilment of Jesus' parable of the wheat and the weeds at Matthew 13:24-30,36-43.[65]
Although many of their eschatologicalteachings have changed over the years,[66] Jehovah's Witnesses have consistently claimed to be the only true religion.[67] Based on their interpretation of Revelation 18:2-24, Jehovah's Witnesses believe all other religions are part of "Babylon the Great", a "world empire of false religion" under the control of Satan. Consequently, they refuse all ecumenical relations with other religious denominations”

 

[The Learner]

Although few things are so clearly taught in Scripture as the existence of an eternal hell, where the wicked will be punished, the Witnesses reject it. “Once the devil has invented immortal souls, he had to invent a place somewhere outside heaven or earth for wicked immortal souls to go to. What else could he do but fall back on eternal conscious torment as the explanation?” That quotation is extremely mild in comparison with many of the b.asphemies of Russell and Rutherford. The Witnesses do not believe God will punish sinners. “The Bible does not teach that man possesses an ‘immortal soul’ that can endure endless roasting in torment.” The world already belongs to the devil. “God never punishes either in this life nor in the next,” declared Russell. It does not, therefore, matter how badly people behave in this life, according to the Witnesses, for our moral choices now have no effect whatever upon our eternal future. We might just as well sin with impunity. There is no hell. Russell says that all are to be raised again and given a second chance. So everything depends on how we behave then, not on how we behave now. The more wicked a man has been in this life, the more likely he is to make good in the next. Even if he doesn’t make good and continues to defy God with contempt, he will simply be put painlessly out of existence and experience no future evil consequences whatever.

A system that contradicts all our basic Christian ideals must be a danger. Source. What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe. ////. I’m not Catholic but this is an informative article. Feel free to rebut @Aunty Jane

Where did Russell write "God never punishes, either in this life nor in the next,"

 

[The Learner]

James 2:26 is part of James’ commentary on the futility of faith without works. It says nothing about the soul, but about the spirit. Somewhere along the road to apostasy, there was the adoption of the Greek notion of an immortal soul, which crept into apostate Judaism in later centuries, but it was never a Bible teaching. The dead are dead.....resurrection is what the Bible teaches...and you cannot resurrection someone who is not dead.

Solomon clearly stated that the dead are not conscious....
Eccl 9:5,6,10....
“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun. . . . .

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, (sheol) where you are going.”

The dead are not alive somewhere else because God never taught his people that the soul lives on after death.....the soul is the whole person and that is what dies......it is also what God will resurrect. Resurrection is a return to life, not a continuation of it.

The sister of Lazarus expressed the Jewish belief in “the resurrection on the last day”, (John 11:23) which is the period following the cleansing of the old earth of all its wickedness, and the beginning of a new age where the devil and his angels are in a prison that is shut and sealed over them. (Rev 20:1-3) The thousand year reign of Christ and his elect is “the last day” when all in their graves will be called out....both the righteous and the unrighteous. (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15) and then Rev 21:2-4 can have its fulfillment.


Isaiah 14 is about the King of Babylon getting his just punishment.
Vs 9-11.....say metaphorically.....
“Even the Grave underneath is stirred up
To meet you when you come.
Because of you, it awakens those powerless in death,
All the oppressive leaders of the earth.
It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

10 All of them speak up and say to you,
‘Have you also become weak like us?
Have you become like us?

11 Down to the Grave your pride has been brought,
The sound of your stringed instruments.
Maggots are spread beneath you as a bed,
And worms are your covering.’”

Those wicked kings who had gone before him into death were going to symbolically mock him, saying....
"Have you also become weak like us?
Have you become like us?
Down to the grave your pride has been brought
Maggots are spread as your bed and worms are your covering"....

Isaiah also said in ch 26:13-14....
"Lord, (Yahweh) you are our God.
Other masters besides you have ruled over us.
But your name is the only one we honor.
14 Those other masters are now dead.
They will never live again.
Their spirits won’t rise from the dead.
You punished them and destroyed them.
You wiped out all memory of them."

This is the fate of the truly, incorrigibly wicked.....they are "destroyed" in gehenna, as Jesus said.
Only God knows who will end up there, but Jesus sentenced the Pharisees to that place. (Matt 23:33) As teachers of God's law, but who were the worst transgressors, they had double accountability. (Matt 23:13-15)

You know, when people quote scripture without a clue as to the context, or what the words actually mean to the one hearing the expressions, they show themselves up to be......exactly as you said....ignorant.

That's the thing about pointing fingers....you have to be careful of the three fingers pointing back at yourself.
View attachment 29938
BTW....you look ridiculous in red and white polka dots....

Isaiah 14:1-11 shows that tghe soul is seperate from the Body at death.

I Thessalonians 5:23 says the human soul is not only real but distinct from the body and the spirit: "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

50 Bible verses about The Soul

A topical Bible which shows the most relevant Bible verse for each topic

bible.knowing-jesus.com

Matthew 10:28 ESV / 405 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 352 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Concerning James 2:26 in Hebrew NT is soul.

Luke 1:46-47 ESV / 157 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

How does air rejoice?

Matthew 16:26 ESV / 151 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

John 4:24 ESV / 139 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

How does breath worship?

Genesis 35:18 ESV / 135 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.

something departing does not go out of existence.

3 John 1:2 ESV / 115 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful​

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Revelation 6:9-11 ESV / 76 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

Leviticus 17:11 ESV / 56 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Mark 12:30 ESV / 39 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful​

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV / 27 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Isaiah 26:9 ESV / 25 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

Psalm 139:14 ESV / 23 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful​

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

These texts clearly teaches that the soul is seperate from the Body. In short, soul + spirit + body = a human being.

 

[The Learner]

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT BODY SOUL AND SPIRIT

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT BODY SOUL AND SPIRIT. Body Soul And Spirit Bible verses in the King James Version (KJV) about Body Soul And Spirit.

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Do we have two or three parts? Body, soul, and spirit? Dichotomy or trichotomy? | GotQuestions.org

Do we have two or three parts? Body, soul, and spirit? Is humanity dichotomous or trichotomous?

www.gotquestions.org

“The soul is our very self (cf. Matt. 16:26; Luke 9:25), a medium between our spirit and our body, possessing self-consciousness, that we may have our personality.”

The 3 Parts of Man—Spirit, Soul, and Body

"Have you ever wondered how man is made? For example, what about the soul, or the spirit? God made us in a very special way so that we could fulfill His..."

blog.biblesforamerica.org

 

[The Learner]

Aren't you the one who said he was going to get his information about JW beliefs 'from the horse's mouth'...from JW.ORG......what happened?

Apparently these sites you quoted tell you what you want to hear.....they seem to operate on the notion that Russell and Rutherford were some kind of prophets......but they never were....they were Bible students with a very good knowledge of scripture.....and we have progressed in our knowledge so much since their days. We are not stuck in the past, but welcome progressive revelation of truth as the Bible has made clear throughout all of its history. This is what God has always done...and this is what Jesus said would identify his "faithful and wise servant"......they would feed his household their "food at the proper time". (Matt 24:45)
As I said, its not a buffet, where you can eat whatever takes your fancy, whilst leaving what you find unpalatable on the table.
You are all served your meal and everyone will eat the same food without complaint, because they know where its coming from.

You can keep plugging away, but you will never get to the truth by listening to our opposers.......neither did the Jews. They ended up putting their own Messiah to death.....you think the devil can't manage to sway the majority his way again? God will not stop him, nor will he prevent anyone from being deceived if that is what they want....it will all come from our own hearts, which God and his son can read like a book. We can't fool either of them.

One does not have to be a prophet to teach false doctrines.

 

[The Learner]

Watchtower 12/1/1919, page 357
“Portrait of Pastor Russell . . . His teachings”
“Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russell’s writings believe that he filled the office of “that faithful and wise servant,” and that his great work was giving to the Household of Faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation,” (Watchtower, Dec. 1, 1919, p. 357).

“Jesus foretold that among his people there would be a “faithful and discreet slave” class who would be providing the spiritual food to God’s family of devoted servants on earth, acting as his channel of communication and overseeing the carrying out of the Kingdom interests world wide. (Matt. 24:45-47) These anointed overseers serve as though being guided in their activities by the right hand of Christ,” (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1969, p. 50-51).

.” Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russell’s writings believe that he filled the office of “that faithful and wise servant,” and that his great work was giving to the Household of Faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation. (For a more detailed account of his work, reference is made to The Watchtower of June 1st, 1916.)

 

[The Learner]

Charles Taze Russell is the faithful and discreet slave

Documentation where the Watchtower claims Charles Taze Russel was the Faithful and Discreet spoken of by Jesus in Matt. 24:45.

carm.org

Russell had believed that he was the Seventh Messenger of Revelation 10:7, God's sole instrument of truth on the earth in his day. He
was the "faithful and wise servant," (later coined "faithful and discreet slave"), by his own admission to his friends. Even after his
death in 1916, Rutherford wrote of him,
The Scriptures indicate that Russell was chosen of the Lord from his birth. The two most prominent messengers were Paul and
Pastor Russell. Russell is the servant of Matthew 24:45-47.(WT 11/1/17, p. 6159)
When asked who the faithful and wise servant was, Russell would reply, "Some say I am while others say the Society is"; both are
true, since Russell was in fact the Society. (WT 3/1/1923, p. 68)
With Rutherford however, this soon became a thorn in his side: Many of Russell's followers claimed Rutherford had merely "muscled
into town" to take over the affairs of the Watchtower after Russell's death, an opportunist in storm boots.
As far as Rutherford was concerned, teachings were prone to change. The next 25 years of Joe's absolute control over the
Watchtower's teachings and practices confirms that as a fact.
By 1927, Rutherford not only changed the teaching of the "servant," but even lied about what they had previously said about Russell:
"That Faithful and Wise Servant" does not apply to one individual and not to brother Russell. Russell never made that claim himself.
(WT February 15, 1927, page 56)
"Today Jehovah leads the earthly part of his organization by means of “the faithful and discreet slave.” ... We show that we trust in Jehovah’s way of doing things by heeding the direction we receive from the organization and the elders." Watchtower 2022 Feb p.4
"Some may feel that they can interpret the Bible on their own. However, Jesus has appointed the ‘faithful slave’ to be the only channel for dispensing spiritual food. Since 1919, the glorified Jesus Christ has been using that slave to help his followers understand God’s own Book and heed its directives." Watchtower 2016 Nov p.16
"That faithful slave is the channel through which Jesus is feeding his true followers in this time of the end. It is vital that we recognize the faithful slave. Our spiritual health and our relationship with God depend on this channel." Watchtower 2013 Jul 15 p.20
"“The faithful and discreet slave” was appointed over Jesus’ domestics in 1919. That slave is the small, composite group of anointed brothers serving at world headquarters during Christ’s presence who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. When this group work together as the Governing Body, they act as “the faithful and discreet slave.”" jw.org 10th Nov 2012

"We need to obey the faithful and discreet slave to have Jehovah’s approval." Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 p.24 Simplified English Edition
"Since Jehovah God and Jesus Christ completely trust the faithful and discreet slave, should we not do the same?" Watchtower 2009 Feb 15 p.27
"[A mature christian] does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and "the faithful and discreet slave." Watchtower 2001 Aug 1 p.14
"But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave", made up of spirit-anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do." Watchtower 1981 Dec 1 p.27
"... show respect for the “faithful and discreet slave” that He is using at the present time. Actually, your very life depends on following this course of action. Remember, too, it is only he that endures to the end that will be saved." Watchtower 1964 Jul 15 p.435
"To act consistently with our baptism for life and into the Greater Noah we must submit to and cooperate with that slave and its legal instrument, the Watch Tower Society." Watchtower 1959 Oct 1 p.583

 

[The Learner]

Who was Charles Taze Russell? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Charles Taze Russell? How, why, and when did Charles Taze Russell start the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

www.gotquestions.org

Has the Watchtower Ever Lied, Covered Up, or Changed Important Doctrines, Dates, and Biblical Interpretations?/Program 2 - JA Show Articles

Ankerberg: Welcome! During this program tonight we’re going to show you portions of a documentary film entitled, Witnesses of Jehovah. It’s about the

jashow.org

8. Bases of Doctrinal Authority

8. Bases of Doctrinal Authority was published in Apocalypse Delayed on page 233.

www.degruyter.com

 

[RLT63]

Where did Russell write "God never punishes, either in this life nor in the next,"

I got it from here. What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe

 

[Aunty Jane]

I got it from here. What Jehovah's Witnesses Believe

And of course Catholics know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe better than JW's do....

You crack me up ....that's like asking the Pharisees what they thought of Jesus.....