Disagreeing vs Disobedience

Welcome once again, my beautiful readers, on this currently cool but sunny morning. (I know, just wait 5 minutes.)

As always, I welcome the questions and comments. It does help me to get an insight into what y'all are thinking. Keep 'em coming. One of the comments has caused me to think of the scripture where Jesus is talking about the 'Rafter in your own eye' and I am gunna table that for a later blog. (Stay tuned.)

To disagree is one thing
To disobey is another.

But for now, I had an excellent question from a reader that asks: Does JWorg teach JWs to "forgive" JWs who disagree with some of its ever-changing teachings? Or, does JWorg teach JWs to shun other JWs who disagree with some of its teachings, thereby making forgiveness a group thing instead of, as the prayer states, that our Father forgive us (individuals), as we forgive others?

Disagreements
Photo credit: Pixabay

When I see the word 'disagree' in the above question, the first thing that comes to my mind is: there is quite a difference between disagreeing vs disobedience. Take myself, for instance. I might disagree with something to do with dress and grooming, (I like crazy clothes, goofy hair, that sort of thing) but we are counseled as Christians to set ourselves apart from the world so that our dress and grooming does not make us look 'worldly.'  (I, by no means, am meaning to insult or judge anyone about their choice of dress and grooming, that is a very personal thing, a decision that the individual must make based on their own Bible Trained Conscience.) But I wanna be different, sometimes in a worldly looking way, and that doesn't mean I don't love Jehovah. However, I choose not to dress in a way that makes me look worldly, because as I like to put it, (learned this from my spiritual dad) I am representing the Sovereign of the Universe, the one and only God, Jehovah, and I had better look appropriate. So, I disagree with some of the dress and grooming guidelines, but I obey because I love Jehovah and do not want to bring reproach upon his name.

“You are slaves of the one you obey.”—Romans 6:16

It is OK to disagree, TO A POINT. Now, that does not mean that disagreement can't lead to disobedience though. I know of several that disagreed with certain guidelines and left Jehovah all together, but don't freak out, people have been doing that for years.

Take smoking, for instance. Yeah, back many moons ago, smoking was allowed. But through examination of the scriptures, and a deeper understanding, it was decided that Christians shouldn't smoke. (I thought this article was interesting: THE WATCHTOWER JUNE 2014 - What Is God’s View of Smoking? ) In the end, some left Jehovah's organization because they were smokers, and for reasons that are personal to them, chose not to follow the direction given through an examination of the scriptures. (The above mentioned article being a case in point.) They disagreed, but it isn't the disagreeing that caused them to leave, they disobeyed. Their heart wasn't ready for accepting the council and making the needed changes. You see, it isn't the act that gets us in trouble, it's the heart condition.

Jeremiah nailed it with this:

9  The heart is more treacherous* than anything else and is desperate.*+Who can know it?

How will you Choose?

What does that mean for you and me? It means that it is the heart that can get us into trouble. Where the heart is; the mind will follow, and if we allow our mind and then our body to follow the heart, we end up going that way, either for good or bad. So picture it, you're heading for bad, and Bible council is giving to you to help you readjust your course, and you still head down that bad path because YOU CHOOSE to, then you are in essence saying 'I don't need you, Jehovah. I can do it on my own. I don't want to follow your rules.' That pretty much sums up your heart condition, and it is at that point, that action is needed to remove what is disobedient, and keep the congregation clean from corruption.

The rules are for our
PROTECTION

Now, I know that this doesn't sit well with some people, especially at the thought of having a family member removed from the congregation. It can be a hard thing to deal with. And while I have not experienced it personally, I have very dear, close friends that have had to deal with it, and through it all, they remain loyal and obedient to Jehovah, because they, and I, recognize that it is for the protection of the congregation that it is done. After all, bad association... we are like a sponge that will soak up what is around us, and if there is 'bad' within the congregation, it can spread, be soaked up by others, and that is not good. Jehovah knows that, and want to help us avoid contamination.

For those of you who might not know what I am talking about, I have supplied a link to some information that might help you with that. Please, if you have a moment, take the time to read this brief article: Always Accept Jehovah’s Discipline.

A Change Of Heart

When a person in the congregation is removed, we are sad, but, when they make the needed changes to return, we are so happy that they have come back to Jehovah, and we welcome them back as our friends and spiritual brothers and sisters. I love this scripture in Luke:

Welcome back!

7  I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents+ than over 99 righteous ones who have no need of repentance.
Can you just imagine, all of heaven rejoicing over just one who returns? I can! It means that much to them, and it means that much to us to have our brother or sister back. They are our family. We want them back.

From the beginning, we (mankind) have been given THE CHOICE. What will you do with that choice? We are taught by Jesus to FORGIVE. What will you do with that choice?

Back, again, to the excellent question from a reader that asks: Does JWorg teach JWs to "forgive" JWs who disagree with some of its ever-changing teachings? Or, does JWorg teach JWs to shun other JWs who disagree with some of its teachings, thereby making forgiveness a group thing instead of, as the prayer states, that our Father forgive us (individuals), as we forgive others?

Jehovah God teaches us to from his words in the Bible to forgive. We are to forgive those who do us wrong, and those who disagree with us. We are counseled to be cautious over those who disagree, because as you have learned, that can lead down the path to disobedience, and that, my dear reads, is a bad thing.


How do you feel about forgiveness?