and Jehovah's Witnesses is our belief and trust in the Bible as the
ultimate authority inspired by God, on issues concerning God and His
expectations for us. While we may understand things differently,
Jehovah's Witnesses are to be highly commended for their dependence on
and diligence in studying the Holy Scriptures to know God and His
will. Like the Bereans, we would be wise to examine all things in
life, in light of the Scriptures. To that end, we shall examine verses
of the New World Translation (the version of the Bible published by
their Watchtower Society) to clear up some common misunderstandings.
A Rose by Any Other Name…
Christians get their name from being followers and worshipers of Jesus
Christ, first called "Christians" in Antioch during Paul's ministry
(Acts 11:26). Paul repeatedly made it clear that to be a Christian was
to be a witness to men concerning the person of Christ, to be a
witness to the words and works of Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses, on the
other hand, believe that we are to focus our worship exclusively on
God the Father (who is referred to in some Bible translations as
"Jehovah"). The name Jehovah, however, was a hybrid name created by
Christians by adding vowels to the tetragrammaton YHWH, which was the
original rendering of we now know as Yahweh. Evangelical Christians
understand Jesus to be God in all His fullness, equal in deity but
different in function from God the Father. Christians acknowledge that
one of the historic names for God the Father is Jehovah; however,
there are many other names and titles that the Scriptures use in
reference to God the Father.
Jehovah's Witnesses understand Jesus to be Michael the Archangel, and
categorically deny His deity. As we shall see, if we understand Jesus
to be anything other than God, many verses present obvious
contradictions. However, we know that God's Word is inerrant and does
not contradict itself. Therefore, we must understand the truth of
God's Word in a way that is consistent and faithful to His revelation.
You will notice that these same verses lack any contradiction if we
understand Jesus to be God the Son—the fullness of God in bodily
form—who surrendered His rights to be the suffering servant and
sacrifice for our sin. (All verses are quoted directly from the
Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation.)
God's Glory
(Verses regarding God the Father)
Isaiah 42:8 "I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I
give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images."
Isaiah 48:11 "…And to no one else shall I give my own glory."
(Verses regarding Jesus)
John 8:54 "…It is my Father that glorifies me, he who you say is YOUR God"
John 16:14 "That one will glorify me…"
John 17:1 "…Father, the hour has come; glorify your son…"
John 17:5 "So now you, Father, glorify me alongside yourself with the
glory that I had alongside you before the world was."
Philippians 2:10 "so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend
of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground"
Hebrews 5:5 "So too the Christ did not glorify himself by becoming a
high priest, but [was glorified by him] who spoke with reference to
him; 'You are my son; I, today, I have become your father."
The Savior
(About the Father)
Isaiah 43:3 "For I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel your Savior."
Isaiah 43:11 "I am Jehovah and besides me there is no savior."
Isaiah 45:21 "Is it not I, Jehovah besides whom there is no other God;
a righteous God and a Savior, there being none excepting me?"
(About Jesus)
Luke 2:11 "because there was born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…"
Acts 13:23 "From the offspring of this [man] according to his promise
God has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus."
Titus 1:4 "…May there be underserved kindness and peace from God [the]
Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."
Whose name are we to have faith in?
(said about Jesus or by Jesus)
John 14:12 "Most truly I say to YOU, He that exercises faith in me,
that one also will do the works that I do…"
Acts 4:12 "Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for
there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men
by which we must be saved."
Acts 26:18 "…and inheritance among those sanctified by [their] faith in me."
Revelation 2:13 "I know where you are dwelling, that is where the
throne of Satan is, and yet you keep on holding fast my name, and you
did not deny your faith in me…"
John 20:28 "In answer Thomas said to him: My Lord and my God!" Jesus
said to him: Because you have seen me have you believed?
John 20:31 " But these have been written down that YOU may believe
that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that, because of
believing YOU may have life by means of his name."
Acts 2:38 "Peter [said] to them: 'Repent, and let each one of YOU be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ..."
1 John 3:23 "Indeed, this is his commandment, that we have faith in
the name of his Son Jesus Christ…"
Created or Creator?
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jehovah created Jesus as an angel, and
that Jesus then created all other things. What do the scriptures say?
(About the Father)
Isaiah 66:2 "Now all these things my own hand has made, so that all
these came to be."
Isaiah 44:24 "…I, Jehovah, am doing everything, stretching out the
heavens, by myself…"
(About Jesus)
John 1:3 "All things came into existence through him, and apart from
him not even one thing came into existence." If all things came into
existence through Jesus, He could not have been created because He is
included in the "all things."
Status, Names and Titles of Jesus and Jehovah
Isaiah 9:6 "For there has been a child born to us, there has been a
son given to us, and the princely rule will come to be upon his
shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says Jehovah God, "the
One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:17-18 "…I am the First and the Last, and the living one,
and I became dead, but, look! I am living forever and ever, and I have
the keys to death and of Hades."
Revelation 2:8 "…These are the things that he says, 'the First and the
Last, who became dead, and came to life [again]"
Revelation 22:12-16 "Look! I am coming quickly, and the reward I give
is with me, to render to each one as his work is. I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end…I, Jesus,
sent my angel to bear witness to you people of these things for the
congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the
bright morning star."
Revelation 21:6-7 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the
end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of
life free. Anyone conquering will inherit these things, and I shall be
his God and he will be my son." If Jehovah is the Alpha and Omega (the
first and last Greek letters), then the "first and the last" must
refer to Jehovah, so the Witnesses claim. But when did Jehovah become
dead? The only "first and last" who died and lived again is Jesus.
Hebrews 1:13 "But with reference to which one of the angels has he
ever said 'Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies as a stool
for your feet"?
Truth and Unity
Jesus' substitutionary atonement was accepted for one reason: God
accepts only His own righteousness. The righteousness of a man or an
angel is insufficient to hold up to the holy and perfect standard of
God's righteous law. Jesus was the only suitable sacrifice because He
was the righteousness of God, and as God's law required shed blood,
Jesus took on flesh so that He might be a ransom for all who believe
in His name.
Notice that if we understand Jesus to be God incarnate, then all the
above verses can be understood to be true and mutually consistent in
their claims. They can also be understood clearly with plain reason,
taken at face value. However, if we attempt to suggest that Jesus is
something less than God—Michael the archangel—then these verses are
mutually exclusive and cannot both be true, when taken in their
natural context. Therefore, the truth of God's Word necessitates that
we must come to another understanding in which all Scripture is
unified, interconnected, interdependent, inerrant and true. That
unifying truth can be found only in the person and deity of Jesus
Christ. May we see the truth revealed in Scripture as it is, not as we
would each have it to be, and may God receive all the glory.
If you have any questions about Jesus as God incarnate, please ask us.
If you are ready to place your trust in this God incarnate Jesus, you
can speak the following words to God: "Father God, I know that I am a
sinner and am worthy of your wrath. I recognize and believe that Jesus
is the only Savior, and that only by being God, could Jesus be the
Savior. I place my trust in Jesus alone to save me. Father God, please
forgive me, cleanse me, and change me. Thank you for your wonderful
grace and mercy!
Have you placed your full trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior because
of what you have read here? If so, please click on the link below
http://pstgabrielpeter.blogspot.com/2016/01/i-have-just-put-my-faith-in-jesusnow.html?m=1
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