What is "The Good News?"

[EBA]

Tell me, what is "The Good News?"

Peace be to all.

[JehovahsWitness]

God the King created everything, and ever since His kingdom has been "only partly manifesting itself" as He has seen fit.

So you believe God's kingdom has only been "partly manifesting" itself and you were asking OWH (below) if she agreed with your view?

[Replying to post 193 by onewithhim]

we know that God's Kingdom hasn't fully manifested itself, but will do so in the (near) future.

So, before that it was only partly manifesting itself?

[JehovahsWitness]

The good news is we believers can now experience its present benefits, having been welcomed into it as His sons and daughters.

Yes, I would agree. Since the Messianic Kingdom has been installed and we are subjects of the kingdom we enjoy many spiritual benefits at this time, among other things a worlwide brotherhood, that worship in unity and an abundance of spiritual food.

Thus we have a firm and grounded HOPE of its coming full manifestation.

Amen to that! We refer to that hope as the kingdom hope. When Jesus returns in kingdom power we will enjoy MORE benefits including an end to all sickness on the planet, no more hunger suffering or wars. The meek will inherit the earth. Indeed its a win-win situation, spiritual benefits now and many physical benefits in the future. Good news indeed!

[shnarkle]

-Paul never met Jesus in the flesh.

Jesus taught to "deny yourself" which presumably Jesus also practiced as well. Therefore, it isn't important to meet the person as much as it is to meet Christ.

-Also his errant theology of atonement.

Which is based upon the fact that "cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree" which is right out of the Hebrew scriptures and points out that Christ though innocent was cursed. Why he was cursed is a question that deserves an answer.

-His adding conditions for salvation, namely the condition of believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. (Jesus never preached this as a condition for salvation). "believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead"...easy for him to say, after all, he believed that he encountered the Risen Christ. Most of us have not been so fortunate.-

And yet the gospel narratives also point out this problem when Thomas is unbelieving, Christ points out that those who believe without seeing are blessed.

-His contempt for the Law as a "curse". This in contrast to the Law being considered life-affirming all thoughout the Hebrew Bible.

You're taking his comments out of context. Paul is distinguishing between the commandment and the law that "was added because of transgressions" against the commandment. He is referring to the difference between the law that was chisled onto stone by the finger of God and placed within the Ark verses those handwritten ordinances on a scroll set beside the Ark as a 'witness against you" See Deuteronomy 31:26

-His non-seqitors. "If we could be saved by the Law, then Christ died in vain".."

That's not a non sequitur.

-Instead of YHVH, Paul, for all intents and purposes, worships "Christ". "Christ" is Paul's God, he only seems to pay lip service to Father YHVH.

Not really. Paul is quite clear in distinguishing between God and Christ. He quite clearly points out that the father is God while Christ is lord. He says nothing that is effectively any different than what Christ says. e.g. "If you have seen the son you have seen the father"; "i and the father are one"; "Before Abraham was, I AM" etc.

He seems to have little interest in the actual, flesh and blood historical Jesus.

Jesus didn't have any interest in his own flesh and blood either. He practiced what he preached by showing that he held no value in his own life. The gospel accounts actually are an elaboration of Paul's letters, and were written down sometime after Paul's letters.

Regarding Pauline Christinaity, I think Thomas Paine said it best. "Instead of God, a man is preached".

Pure nonsense. Paul preached Christ crucified which is elaborated and extended in the gospel narratives with Christ saying things like, "I only do what I see the father doing". Christ is manifesting God's will in the world, and that requires one to deny themselves, and this is precisely what Paul is preaching as well. Paul is living that message and his letters prove it.

[onewithhim]

The good news is we believers can now experience its present benefits, having been welcomed into it as His sons and daughters.

Yes, I would agree. Since the Messianic Kingdom has been installed and we are subjects of the kingdom we enjoy many spiritual benefits at this time, among other things a worlwide brotherhood, that worship in unity and an abundance of spiritual food.

Thus we have a firm and grounded HOPE of its coming full manifestation.

Amen to that! We refer to that hope as the kingdom hope. When Jesus returns in kingdom power we will enjoy MORE benefits including an end to all sickness on the planet, no more hunger suffering or wars. The meek will inherit the earth. Indeed its a win-win situation, spiritual benefits now and many physical benefits in the future. Good news indeed!

This is the Good News in a nutshell. Jesus and his disciples are merely searching for people who recognize this and want to be citizens of God's Kingdom.

[Checkpoint]

The good news is we believers can now experience its present benefits, having been welcomed into it as His sons and daughters.

Yes, I would agree. Since the Messianic Kingdom has been installed and we are subjects of the kingdom we enjoy many spiritual benefits at this time, among other things a worlwide brotherhood, that worship in unity and an abundance of spiritual food.

As I understand your position, what you describe and affirm did not apply before 1914.

Or have I gained the wrong impression?

[JehovahsWitness]

The good news is we believers can now experience its present benefits, having been welcomed into it as His sons and daughters.

Yes, I would agree. Since the Messianic Kingdom has been installed and we are subjects of the kingdom we enjoy many spiritual benefits at this time, among other things a worlwide brotherhood, that worship in unity and an abundance of spiritual food.

As I understand your position, what you describe and affirm did not apply before 1914.

Or have I gained the wrong impression?

That would depend on what impression you have. If its that there was no spiritual benefits than yes you have the wrong impression, there have always been spiritual benefits and spiritual food and since Jesus first anointed his brothers there have been son's and daughters of the kingdom. Of course there was no faithful and discreet slave and those son's and daughters of the kingdom were under the Kingdom of the son of God's love and not the Messianic kingdom (since that hadn't been set up yet). And the wheat, prior to this harvest season hadn't yet been gathered into God’s modern day organization.

If that's what you understood from what I said then that is correct.

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 213 by onewithhim]

This is the Good News in a nutshell. Jesus and his disciples are merely searching for people who recognize this and want to be citizens of God's Kingdom.

"merely searching"?

Not "merely" anything, and not searching without finding.

Finding people who gain citizenry in heaven, having exited Satan's kingdom and been brought into God's kingdom by becoming sons of the kingdom.

Here, then, is Paul with the Good News in a nutshell.

Colossians 1:

10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 213 by onewithhim]

This is the Good News in a nutshell. Jesus and his disciples are merely searching for people who recognize this and want to be citizens of God's Kingdom.

"merely searching"?

Not "merely" anything, and not searching without finding.

Finding people who gain citizenry in heaven, having exited Satan's kingdom and been brought into God's kingdom by becoming sons of the kingdom.

Here, then, is Paul with the Good News in a nutshell.

Colossians 1:

10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

I see that Jehovah'sWitness has given a good explanation of the difference between the Kingdom of the Son of His love and the Messianic Kingdom that will rule the world as an all-encompassing government.

We are searching for people who desire to hear about and to learn about God's own government that will rule the world. This is why Jesus gave his disciples the commission to go throughout the world and preach this amazing message (Matthew 24:14; Matthew 28:19,20). We have to find them before they can receive enlightenment.

[shnarkle]

[Replying to post 213 by onewithhim]

This is the Good News in a nutshell. Jesus and his disciples are merely searching for people who recognize this and want to be citizens of God's Kingdom.

"merely searching"?

Not "merely" anything, and not searching without finding.

Finding people who gain citizenry in heaven, having exited Satan's kingdom and been brought into God's kingdom by becoming sons of the kingdom.

Here, then, is Paul with the Good News in a nutshell.

Colossians 1:

10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
13 For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

There's an old saying that goes something like this: "you can't transmit what you haven't got". For someone like Paul, he's got it, and he's zealous to transmit it. Then there are those who are more like a physician holding a syringe with anti venom while he tells the guy dying of a snake bite all of the benefits of this snake venom, but never giving it to anyone. Then there are those who have heard about the kingdom, but have never bothered to seek it out and press their way into it. Those are the ones who tend to tell everyone how great it is, but that they're never going to get in unless they have the proper credentials.

[Checkpoint]

The good news is we believers can now experience its present benefits, having been welcomed into it as His sons and daughters.

Yes, I would agree. Since the Messianic Kingdom has been installed and we are subjects of the kingdom we enjoy many spiritual benefits at this time, among other things a worlwide brotherhood, that worship in unity and an abundance of spiritual food.

As I understand your position, what you describe and affirm did not apply before 1914.

Or have I gained the wrong impression?

That would depend on what impression you have. If its that there was no spiritual benefits than yes you have the wrong impression, there have always been spiritual benefits and spiritual food and since Jesus first anointed his brothers there have been son's and daughters of the kingdom. Of course there was no faithful and discreet slave and those son's and daughters of the kingdom were under the Kingdom of the son of God's love and not the Messianic kingdom (since that hadn't been set up yet). And the wheat, prior to this harvest season hadn't yet been gathered into God’s modern day organization.

If that's what you understood from what I said then that is correct.

You have clearly spelled out the JW position as accepting the presence of "the kingdom" 2000 years ago.

There is only one kingdom of God, past, present, and future.

JW terms and constructs are not helpful and not scripture.

These include "Messianic kingdom", "faithful and discreet slave", and "modern day organization".