I've always found it curious that the Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate birthdays or holidays. They literally believe it's wrong to do so. The children of that faith don't get a cake or presents on their birthday. You'll never see a Christmas tree in the home of a JW. I have to be honest and say that I have criticized them for there position in this matter. To be frank, I was wrong in doing so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing not to esteem certain days above other days.
I was reading in my Bible last night and came to Romans 14:5-6. "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
The point is that it doesn't matter whether or not you celebrate certain days. What matters is your motive for doing so. If you celebrate certain days, make sure you're doing it in a way that glorifies God. Thank God in the celebration of the day. If you don't celebrate certain days, that means you should just be thanking God for each day equally.
The problem with many esteemed days is that they are esteemed for man instead of God. Christmas has turned into an economy all its own instead of a time for everbody to thank God for sending His Son to the world to pay the price for sin. It has become a day where "What am I going to get?" has overshadowed "Thank God for what He gave." Birthdays are similar in this way. Most people think more about the presents they're getting than the fact that God has graciously given them another year to live for and glorify Him. If you're esteeming a day for the wrong reason, you'd be better off not esteeming it at all!
Someone might ask, "How do I decide whether I should esteem one day over another?" Verse 5 tells us that we are to be "fully persuaded in (our) own mind." If we have persuaded ourselves, we'll usually end up doing what we're doing for the wrong reason. We are not to persuade ourselves. God is to persuade us.
"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." - Romans 14:4
As Christians, God is our master. We are not to judge other Christians because we are not their master. Our desire should be to be right in the sight of God, first and foremost. With God as our master, He should be the one persuading us in every area of life.
The only reason you could say I was right in my criticism of JW's for their position on celebrating days is that they are not truly saved, therefore God is not truly their master. Everything they do are self-righteous works, so their choice not to esteem certain days is not done for the right reason.
As a believer, if you want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. If you don't want to celebrate certain days for the right reason, great. Just be fully persuaded by God.
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2 comments:
Hi, I have a Q for you. I was saved as a teenager and later since I have gotten married I have become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Am I still considered to be saved?
That wasn't really the point of this post, but thanks for reading anyway.
The truth is, it doesn't matter whether I consider you to be saved. I have no idea if you're saved. That is between you and God.
I can't know if you're saved, but the Bible does give me some clues.
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." - 1 John 2:19
"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit." - Matthew 12:33
The "fruit" of leaving the doctrines of God's Word for the false teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses is not a good sign. Whether or not you're saved is a question you should be asking God.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" - Romans 8:16
If you are saved, the question is: Why would you leave the truth of God's Word for heresy?
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