JAM3

Consider the context. Any author can appear to contradict himself if his words are taken out of context.

Consider the writer’s viewpoint. Eyewitnesses might describe an event accurately but not use the exact same wording or include the same details.

Take into account historical facts and customs.

Distinguish between the figurative and the literal uses of a word.

Recognize that an action may be attributed to someone—even if he did not personally carry it out. *

Use an accurate Bible translation.

Avoid trying to reconcile what the Bible says with mistaken religious ideas or dogma.

Not Praying to God, or to Jesus, Mary, saints, angels, or images. Only Jehovah God is the “Hearer of prayer.”—Psalm 65:2.

No, planet Earth will never be destroyed, burned in fire, or replaced. The Bible teaches that God created the earth to be inhabited forever.

“The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.”​—Psalm 37:29.

“[God] has established the earth on its foundations; it will not be moved from its place forever and ever.”​—Psalm 104:5.

“The earth remains forever.”​—Ecclesiastes 1:4.

“The One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, . . . did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited.”​—Isaiah 45:18.

God promises a time when “he will actually swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:8) To remove death, he must eliminate its root cause, which is sin. God will do this through Jesus Christ, who “takes away the sin of the world.”—John 1:29; 1 John 1:7.

We are all sinners. (Romans 3:​23) Sin puts a barrier between us and God, and it leads to death. (Romans 6:​23) But Jesus serves as “an advocate” for those who exercise faith in his ransom sacrifice. (1 John 2:1, footnote) He pleads in their behalf, asking God to hear their prayers and grant forgiveness of their sins on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death. (Matthew 1:​21; Romans 8:​34) God acts on such pleas made by Jesus because they are in harmony with His will. God sent Jesus to the earth “for the world to be saved through him.”​—John 3:​17.

Remove the wicked, whose selfishness harms us all. “As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth.”—Proverbs 2:22.

End all wars. “[God] is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.”—Psalm 46:9.

Bring prosperity and security to the earth. “Everyone will live in peace among their own vineyards and fig trees, and no one will make them afraid.”—Micah 4:4, Good News Translation.

Make the earth into a paradise. “Thirsty deserts will be glad; barren lands will celebrate and blossom with flowers.”—Isaiah 35:1, Contemporary English Version.

Provide everyone with meaningful, enjoyable work. “The work of their own hands [God’s] chosen ones will use to the full. They will not toil for nothing.”—Isaiah 65:21-23.

Eliminate disease. “No resident will say: ‘I am sick.’”—Isaiah 33:24.

Set us free from the aging process. “Let his flesh become fresher than in youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor.”—Job 33:25.

Bring the dead back to life. “All those in the memorial tombs will hear [Jesus’] voice and come out.”—John 5:28, 29.

The holy spirit is not a person

By referring to God’s spirit as his “hands,” “fingers,” or “breath,” the Bible shows that the holy spirit is not a person. (Exodus 15:8, 10) A craftsman’s hands cannot function independent of his mind and body; likewise, God’s holy spirit operates only as he directs it. (Luke 11:13) The Bible also compares God’s spirit to water and associates it with such things as faith and knowledge. These comparisons all point to the impersonal nature of the holy spirit.—Isaiah 44:3; Acts 6:5; 2 Corinthians 6:6.

The Bible gives the names of Jehovah God and of his Son, Jesus Christ; yet, nowhere does it name the holy spirit. (Isaiah 42:8; Luke 1:31) When the Christian martyr Stephen was given a miraculous heavenly vision, he saw only two persons, not three. The Bible says: “He, being full of holy spirit, gazed into heaven and caught sight of God’s glory and of Jesus standing at God’s right hand.” (Acts 7:55) The holy spirit was God’s power in action, enabling Stephen to see the vision.

God rejects worship that uses images or symbols, including the cross. God commanded the Israelites not to use “the form of any symbol” in their worship, and Christians are likewise told to “flee from idolatry.”—Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 1 Corinthians 10:14.

First-century Christians did not use the cross in worship. * The teachings and example of the apostles set a pattern that all Christians should adhere to.—2 Thessalonians 2:15.

Use of the cross in worship has a pagan origin. * Hundreds of years after the death of Jesus, when the churches had deviated from his teachings, new church members “were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols,” including the cross. (The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) However, the Bible does not condone adopting pagan symbols to help make new converts.—2 Corinthians 6:17.

While the Bible mentions the positive aspects of wine, it condemns overdrinking and drunkenness. Thus, a Christian who chooses to drink alcohol would do so only in moderation. (1 Timothy 3:8; Titus 2:2, 3) The Bible gives several reasons to avoid overdrinking.

It impairs thinking ability and judgment. (Proverbs 23:29-35) An intoxicated person cannot fulfill the Bible’s command to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a sacred service with your power of reason.”—Romans 12:1.

Overdrinking removes inhibitions and “the motivation to do what is right.”—Hosea 4:11; Ephesians 5:18.

It can lead to poverty and serious health problems.—Proverbs 23:21, 31, 32.

Heavy drinking and drunkenness displease God.—Proverbs 23:20; Galatians 5:19-21.

Although we must believe in Jesus to gain salvation, more is required. (Acts 16:30, 31) The Bible says: “Just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:​26) To be saved, we must:

Learn about Jesus and his Father, Jehovah.​—John 17:3.

Build faith in them.​—John 12:44; 14:1.

Demonstrate our faith by obeying their commands. (Luke 6:​46; 1 John 2:​17) Jesus taught that not everyone who called him “Lord” would be saved but only those“doing the will of [his] Father who is in the heavens.”​—Matthew 7:​21.

Continue to demonstrate our faith despite hardships. Jesus made that clear when he said: “The one who has endured to the end will be saved.”​—Matthew 24:13.

Jesus’ opposers accused him of making himself equal to God. (John 5:18; 10:30-33) However, Jesus never claimed to be on the same level as Almighty God. He said: “The Father is greater than I am.”—John 14:28.

Jesus’ early followers did not view him as being equal to Almighty God. For example, the apostle Paul wrote that after Jesus was resurrected, God “exalted him [Jesus] to a superior position.” Obviously, Paul did not believe that Jesus was Almighty God. Otherwise, how could God exalt Jesus to a superior position? —Philippians 2:9.

The existence of an orderly universe containing life points to a Creator. The Bible says: “Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but the one who constructed all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4) Although this logic is simple, many well-educated people find it to be powerful. *

As humans, we have an innate desire to understand the meaning and purpose of life, a type of hunger that can remain after our physical needs have been met. This is part of what the Bible calls our “spiritual need,” which includes the desire to know and worship God. (Matthew 5:3;Revelation 4:11) This spiritual need not only gives evidence that God exists but also indicates that he is a loving Creator who wants us to satisfy that need.—Matthew 4:4.

Detailed prophecies in the Bible were written centuries ahead of time and came true exactly as predicted. The accuracy and detail of those predictions strongly suggest that they came from a superhuman source.—2 Peter 1:21.

We offend God if we pray to anyone else, even to saints or holy angels. When the apostle John tried to worship an angel, the angel stopped him by saying: “Don’t! I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers who bear witness to Jesus. Worship God.”—Revelation 19:10, NAB.

"There are some prayers that God does not answer. Consider two factors that would cause God to ignore a person’s prayer.

1. The prayer goes against God’s will

God does not answer requests that go against his will, or his requirements, which are in the Bible. (1 John 5:14) For example, the Bible requires that we avoid being greedy. Gambling promotes greed. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) So, God will not answer your prayer if you pray to win the lottery. God is not a genie that you can summon to do your bidding. Actually, you can be thankful for this. Otherwise, you might have to fear what others could ask God to do.—James 4:3.

2. The person praying acts rebelliously

God does not listen to those who are determined to offend him by their actions. For example, God told those who claimed to serve him but acted rebelliously: “Even though you make many prayers, I am not listening; with bloodshed your very hands have become filled.” (Isaiah 1:15) But if they had changed their ways and “set matters straight” with God, he would have listened when they prayed to him.—Isaiah 1:18.

God will make “wars to cease to the extremity of the earth,” fulfilling his promise to bring “peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”—Psalm 46:9; Luke 2:14, Good News Translation.

God’s Kingdom will rule from heaven over the entire earth. (Daniel 7:14) As a world government, it will eliminate nationalism, which is at the root of many conflicts.

Jesus, the Ruler of God’s Kingdom, is called the “Prince of Peace,” and he will ensure that “to peace there will be no end.”—Isaiah 9:6, 7.

People determined to keep fighting will not be allowed to live under the Kingdom, since “anyone loving violence [God’s] soul certainly hates.”—Psalm 11:5; Proverbs 2:22.

God teaches his subjects how to live in peace. Describing the results of this instruction, the Bible says: “They will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.”—Isaiah 2:3, 4.

Already, millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world are learning from God how to be peaceable. (Matthew 5:9) Although we belong to many different ethnic groups and live in over 230 different lands, we refuse to take up arms against our fellow man.

suffering was not part of Jehovah God’s purpose for mankind. However, the first human couple rebelled against God’s rulership, choosing to set their own standards of good and bad. They turned away from God and suffered the consequences.

Today we are experiencing the effects of their bad choice. But in no way did God originate human suffering.

The Bible says: “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) Suffering can afflict anyone—even those who are favored by God.

Jesus saved faithful humans when he gave his life as a ransom sacrifice. (Matthew 20:28) Thus, the Bible calls Jesus the “Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:​14) It also states: “There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”​—Acts 4:​12.

Jesus ‘tasted death for everyone’ who exercises faith in him. (Hebrews 2:9; John 3:​16) Thereafter, “God raised him up from the dead,” and Jesus returned to heaven as a spirit creature. (Acts 3:​15) There, Jesus is able “to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them.”​—Hebrews 7:​25.

Why do we need Jesus to plead for us?

We are all sinners. (Romans 3:​23) Sin puts a barrier between us and God, and it leads to death. (Romans 6:​23) But Jesus serves as “an advocate” for those who exercise faith in his ransom sacrifice. (1 John 2:1, footnote) He pleads in their behalf, asking God to hear their prayers and grant forgiveness of their sins on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death. (Matthew 1:​21; Romans 8:​34) God acts on such pleas made by Jesus because they are in harmony with His will. God sent Jesus to the earth “for the world to be saved through him.”​—John 3:​17.

Not in winter

The registration. Shortly before Jesus was born, Caesar Augustus issued a decree ordering “all the inhabited earth to be registered.” Everyone had to register in “his own city,” which might have required a journey of a week or more. (Luke 2:1-3) That order—probably made to support taxation and military conscription—would have been unpopular at any time of year, but it is unlikely that Augustus would have provoked his subjects further by forcing many of them to make long trips during the cold winter.

The sheep. Shepherds were “living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.” (Luke 2:8) The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus notes that flocks lived in the open air from “the week before the Passover [late March]” through mid-November. It then adds: “They passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shepherds were in the fields.”

Demons can influence us?

Through deception. The Bible encourages Christians to “fight against the devil’s evil tricks.” (Ephesians 6:11, NCV ) One of his tricks is to deceive people into believing that his agents are actually servants of God.—2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

Spiritism. The Devil misleads people through spirit mediums, fortune-tellers, and those who practice divination or astrology. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) Drug use, hypnotism, and meditation techniques that empty the mind also expose a person to demon control.—Luke 11:24-26.

False religion. Religions that teach false doctrines mislead people into disobeying God. (1 Corinthians 10:20) The Bible calls such false beliefs “teachings of demons.”—1 Timothy 4:1.

Possession. The Bible records cases of evil spirits taking control of individuals. Sometimes demon-possessed people were struck blind or mute or even injured themselves.—Matthew 12:22; Mark 5:2-5.

Jesus died for “the forgiveness of our sins.”​—Colossians 1:​14.

The first human, Adam, was created perfect, without sin. However, he chose to disobey God. Adam’s disobedience, or sin, profoundly affected all his descendants. “Through the disobedience of the one man,” the Bible explains, “many were made sinners.”​—Romans 5:​19.

Jesus was also perfect, but he never sinned. Therefore, he could be “an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 2:2; footnote) Just as Adam’s disobedience contaminated the human family with sin, so Jesus’ death removed the stain of sin from all who exercise faith in him.

In a sense, Adam sold the human race into sin. Jesus, by willingly dying in our behalf, repurchased humankind as his own. As a result, “if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one.”​—1 John 2:1.