Will the Dead Live Again and Why?

The May 1, 2005 issue of the WATCHTOWER devotes the majority of its pages to answering this question: Will the dead live again; and if so, why will they live again? After pointing out various religious beliefs, the reader is told the following:
“Our close relationship with our loving heavenly Father, our strong faith like that of Abraham, and our obedience to God’s commands allows us to be declared righteous and to be received by Jehovah as his friend. This brings us in line to benefit from Kingdom rule.” (p. 11)

With regard to this statement from the WATCHTOWER, please notice the emphasis on “our” having to do something (works) before being declared righteous. Rather than righteousness being a result of what God has freely given through Jesus Christ, it is presented as something that can be obtained only after performing enough works. This emphasis on having to work for our righteousness agrees with previous statements made by the Watchtower Society regarding salvation. For example, one WATCHTOWER magazine refers to "working hard for the reward of eternal life.”1 Another declares that “to get one’s name written in the Book of Life will depend upon one’s works.”2 Is this true? Does the Bible say that obtaining a resurrection and eternal life – including a righteousness from God – depends on the person and on his or her ability to do enough works? Is it possible to work hard enough to earn resurrection and be assured of eternal life? Let’s compare the Watchtower Society’s views on this topic with what the Bible says; only then can we know how we can be assured of being resurrected.

Resurrection Assured
Before examining why we would be resurrected, let’s examine the first question posed by the article: Will the dead live again? The Bible assures us that there will be a resurrection. In John 5:25, Jesus states, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” Referring to the Christian’s absolute confidence in the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 tells us, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The Christian’s resurrection is as sure as Jesus’ resurrection! So, according to the scriptures, the article’s contention that there will be a resurrection is correct. There will be a resurrection.

Having Part in the Resurrection
But how can someone be assured of being resurrected? The WATCHTOWER article says that one of the ways is through “our close relationship with our loving heavenly Father.” While having a close relationship with the Father is necessary, the reader is never told how to obtain that close relationship. Throughout the Watchtower Society’s history, it has always said that one of the primary ways we can have a “close relationship” with God is by taking in enough “knowledge.” However, Jesus himself assured us that taking in knowledge would never save anyone or give them a close relationship with God. In John 5:39, Jesus said, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” We must come to Jesus to have life because He is the only one who was able to pay the price of sin required by the Father. Furthermore, unless we have a relationship with the Son, a relationship with the Father is impossible. The Bible is very clear on this topic. In John 6:40, Jesus stated, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” According to the Scriptures, one of the reasons we will be raised up is because we look to the Son. By looking to the Son and following Him, we are assured of having a relationship with the Father. In John 8:19, Jesus was asked, “Where is your father?” Jesus replied, “If you knew me, you would know my Father also. You do not know me or my Father.” Our close relationship with the Father is based on whether we know the Son and have a close relationship with the Him. In fact, the Bible says that there is no other name by which we can be saved. Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Another blessing we receive from following the Son is a righteousness that can come only from God. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, we read, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” The Bible also says, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24). Only through faith in Jesus Christ can we become the righteousness of God. Having faith “like that of Abraham” will have no significance at all if the faith we have isn’t focused on the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). While Jesus was alluding to the Lord’s Supper (also known as the Memorial to Jehovah’s Witnesses), He is making a clear inference to his crucified body and shed blood as the source of life. Unless our salvation rests only on what Jesus has already accomplished by shedding his blood, we will not have life again in the resurrection. It is only through the blood of Jesus that we are saved; not by our works, but by his grace are we justified.

The Final Analysis
According to the Bible, works are a good thing and God wants us to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 says that God saves us “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” However, the good works God intends us to do are a result of a miraculous change Jesus has brought about in the life of the one who follows Him. They are not a means to salvation; rather, they are the fruit of salvation that God gives us when we receive Him as Lord. Isaiah 64:6 is clear, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” If our best works are like filthy rags, then we can only rely on the finished work that Christ has accomplished through his death, burial, and resurrection.

Furthermore, trying to add anything to what Christ has accomplished will only make the situation worse. Galatians 5:4 states, “You who are trying to be justified by the law [works] have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” If we are not looking only to Jesus as the source for our salvation, we are alienated from God. The good news is that we don’t have to be alienated from God. We can be assured of a resurrection and eternal life. Jesus’ request is clear in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but who ever loses his life for me will save it.” Following an organization will never save anyone. By following Jesus, however, not only can we be assured of a resurrection, but we can be assured of an abundant life here (John 10:10) and in the life to come.

Notes
1 WATCHTOWER, 15 August 1972, p. 491
2 WATCHTOWER, 1 April 1947, p. 204