to judge the world, but to save the world. He that disregards me and does not receive my sayings has one to judge him. The word which I have spoken is what will judge him in the last day.”—John 12:31, 32, 46-48.

Not all the people of this world get saved; not all this world of people escapes judgment that results in a condemnation to destruction, even though Jesus at his first coming did not come to judge and condemn the world of people in its entirety. Why does not the whole world of people therefore get saved and escape judgment? It is because, as Jesus added, “he that exercises faith in him is not to be judged. He that does not exercise faith has been judged already, because he has not exercised faith in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. Now this is the basis for judgment, that the light has come into the world but men [not angels] have loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were wicked.” (John 3:18, 19) Consequently, the only ones of this world that do not get judged down and that get saved are those who put faith in God’s Son and come out of the world’s darkness into the light in order that their “works may be made manifest as having been worked in harmony with God.” (John 3:21) Except for these, the world of people in general get judged as unworthy of salvation.

Concluding now the discussion, we say that the “world” that God loved so much and that he sent Jesus, not to judge, but to save, is the world of people on earth as represented by those members who break away from the worldly, organized people and who exercise faith in God’s gift of his only-begotten Son and then come into union with him or into association with him, proving themselves to be worthy of God’s love through his only-begotten Son. Such faithful believers and followers are reserved for everlasting life in God’s promised new order of “new heavens and a new earth.”—2 Pet. 3:13.

Christians Ever Misunderstood

The complaints made against the Christian witnesses of Jehovah as to their not joining in with popular well-meant movements have a familiar ring to those who know the history of early Christianity. Thus second-century anti-Christian writer Celsus “besought them to help the Emperor [Marcus Aurelius] in his difficult task of saving the world. Let them come forth from their selfish isolation, let them assist his councils, and even join his armies as officers.” Yes, even as with dedicated Christians today, Christians back there in the second century were unpopular because “they refused to come into a scheme deemed vital to the interests of civilization.”—Eusebius of Caesarea, Foakes-Jackson.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

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“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

February 15: Down with the Old—Up with the New! Page 37.

February 22: Surviving with the New. Page 44.