the blood vessels of the human body with blood from another person or other persons that the practitioner of blood transfusion says is necessary for the survival of the recipient.

God’s law definitely says that the soul of man is in his blood. Hence the receiver of the blood transfusion is feeding upon a God-given soul as contained in the blood vehicle of a fellow man or of fellow men. This is a violation of God’s commands to Christians, the seriousness of which should not be minimized by any passing over of it lightly as being an optional matter for the conscience of any individual to decide upon. The decree of the apostles at Jerusalem declares: “If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.” Hence a Christian who deliberately receives a blood transfusion and thus does not keep himself from blood will not prosper spiritually. According to the law of Moses, which set forth shadows of things to come, the receiver of a blood transfusion must be cut off from God’s people by excommunication or disfellowshiping.

If the taking of a blood transfusion is the first offense of a dedicated, baptized Christian due to his immaturity or lack of Christian stability and he sees the error of his action and grieves and repents over it and begs divine forgiveness and forgiveness of God’s congregation on earth, then mercy should be extended to him and he need not be disfellowshiped. He needs to be put under surveillance and to be instructed thoroughly according to the Scriptures upon this subject, and thereby be helped to acquire strength to make decisions according to the Christian standard in any future cases.

If, however, he refuses to acknowledge his nonconformity to the required Christian standard and makes the matter an issue in the Christian congregation and endeavors to influence others therein to his support; or, if in the future he persists in accepting blood transfusions or in donating blood toward the carrying out of this medical practice upon others, he shows that he has really not repented, but is deliberately opposed to God’s requirements. As a rebellious opposer and unfaithful example to fellow members of the Christian congregation he must be cut off therefrom by disfellowshiping. Thereby the Christian congregation vindicates itself from any charge of connivance at the infraction of God’s law by a member of the congregation through blood transfusion, and it upholds the proper Christian standard before all the members of the Christian congregation, and keeps itself clean from the blood of all men, even as the apostle Paul did who promulgated to the various Gentile congregations the apostolic decree handed down at Jerusalem.—Acts 20:26.

Announcements

FIELD MINISTRY

Our hearts must be in harmony with God and his Word to speak good things for salvation. Jehovah’s witnesses are pleased to aid others toward salvation by sharing Bible knowledge. During January they will do this by offering a year’s subscription for The Watchtower, along with three Scriptural booklets, on a $1 contribution.

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Is this copy of The Watchtower that you hold the first you have ever seen? Whether it is or not, leaf through its pages again. Notice the great variety of Scriptural material, the sound Bible counsel, the interesting and informative experiences, items of prophetic significance. Would you like to receive such instructive and stimulating spiritual fare regularly? Send only $1 for a year’s subscription and receive free three booklets on timely Bible subjects. Be spiritually well fed.

“WATCHTOWER” STUDIES FOR THE WEEKS

February 26: Jehovah’s Requirements for Life Seekers. Page 41.

March 5: The Purpose of Our Ministry. Page 47.