A Statement and a Question

by Rose~

I want to say something about the previous discussions that went on here at UOG a couple of weeks ago. I believe I disagree with Antonio. I am not sure how a Jehovah's Witness could believe he was receiving eternal life from anyone other than the Divine Being. How can we separate the message of who Christ is from what He offers? He has no authority to offer eternal life if He is not the eternal being Himself. That being said, I understand and appreciate that Antonio and those who empathise with his ideas are not "evil" or "false teachers." We are all still learning about our Lord and His awesome dealings with mankind, are we not? I find some of the rhetoric from several over the last months (some of my own ilk included) to be quite rectionary and overdone. I don't mean to sound judgemental in that - I know I am not above reproach, but doesn't it get discouraging to anyone else? (oops - I just slipped in a question - and that was supposed to be the statement part.) I love all of these aforementioned ones.

Shifting gears: Here is a question I want to throw out:
I was reading this passage yeaterday and it provoked some questions in my mind.

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5)

Who are the men of verse 11 and who is the you of verse 20?
I think it is pretty clear that the anyone and the us of verse 17 and 18 are saved people.
What about the world and men of verse 19?
Who is the you of verse 20?

I would really love to hear some thoughts from various people on this. Do you see any implications of this passage and your answers to my questions?