Demonstrating
the Deity of Christ
By Rev. Keith
Gibson
Many
Christians are intimidated when they find Jehovah’s
Witnesses at their door. The myth in the minds of
most Christians is that Jehovah’s Witnesses
know the bible very well. This is untrue. In reality,
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not know the bible well
at all. What they actually know is their presentation.
Once they are taken off of their presentation, they
quickly become lost. They may actually become surprisingly
teachable due to the high respect they have for the
scriptures.
Sadly, most Christians
are completely unprepared to defend their faith.
They do not have a solid grasp
of major Christian doctrines such as the Trinity. Jehovah’s
Witnesses prey on this ignorance.
The purpose of
this manual is to assist the Christian who has a
desire to evangelize
those enslaved by the
Watchtower to share powerfully the truth that Jesus
is fully God while avoiding verses such as John 1:1
and 1 John 5:7 with which JW’s are familiar and
for which they believe they have airtight answers.
This manual will give mock dialogues to demonstrate
how to use the scriptures and solid questions to provoke
thought in the mind of the Jehovah’s Witness.
The Holy Spirit can use these questions to begin to
undermine their faith in the teaching of the Watchtower.
It is our sincere
prayer that those reading this manual will receive
a change
of heart from fear to rejoicing
at the opportunity to share Christ with these very
sincere yet very lost people. In a very real sense,
having a Jehovah’s Witness come to your house
is a privilege. God has given you the special task
of sharing the truth about Christ to them.
It is necessary
at this point to comment about expectations when
one shares
with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Unless
the Witness is a new convert, it is highly unlikely
that they will renounce the Watchtower and come to
Christ after one encounter. Many times Christians believe
they have failed if the cultist doesn’t immediately
leave the cult. Most Jehovah’s Witnesses who
leave the group do so after years of struggle. The
cost to leave the cult is high as they will be immediately
cut off from any family who remain in the Watchtower.
The Witness is most likely not going to fall on their
knees after one encounter and ask what is necessary
to be saved. The Christian should imagine what it would
take to cause them to leave Christianity. The hope
is to place a crack in the JW’s armor that the
Holy Spirit will use to bring conviction eventually
leading to salvation.
In attempting
to witness to Jehovah’s Witnesses,
one should remember the wise words of former Jehovah’s
Witness, Joan Centnar who states, “Talk to God
about the person more than you talk to the person about
God.” This reminds us that salvation is ultimately
a miracle of God and not the work of man. Share the
truth in the power of the Holy Spirit and pray. God
alone brings the increase.
Answer
their objections
JW
attacks on the trinity and the deity of Christ will
come in
three forms,
biblical, historical and
logical. If the Christian can effectively answer these
basic arguments, they can use the cultists own attack
to build a bridge for a powerful communication of the
truth. In order to provoke an attack on the Trinity
and the deity of Christ, the Christian merely needs
to ask a question such as, “Is it true that Jehovah’s
Witnesses teach that Jesus is a created being and not
Almighty God?” The Witness will readily engage
in a discussion of this nature as they are fully convinced
they know the answers. They also are fully convinced
that Christians have no answers for what they are about
to say. In this section we will look at the most common
objections raised by followers of the Watchtower and
how to effectively respond to them.
Biblical Arguments
Most
of the verses that JW’s will use to attack
the full deity of Jesus Christ, when properly understood,
relate either to Jesus’ voluntary submission
to the Father or to the voluntary humbling of Himself
that took place in His incarnation. The Christian should
be alert for these issues. Two other passages need
special attention, Proverbs 8 and Colossians 1, because
JW’s misuse them to attempt to show that Jesus
is a created being. Special attention needs to be given
to these verses.
Proverbs 8:22-31
Here, in some convoluted fashion, the JW will state
that wisdom in this passage is a symbol for Jesus Christ.
Since Wisdom says that she was the first creation of
Jehovah and was with Him as a master builder this must
mean that Jesus was created by Jehovah and was then
used by Him to create all other things.
A discussion around this passage can actually become
quite fun and can be used by the prepared believer
to undercut a major tenant of JW doctrine. Use the
following dialogue:
Christian: Where
do you see Jesus mentioned in this passage? I see
wisdom
but I don’t understand
why you have taken wisdom to mean Jesus?
JW: Well we know that the bible teaches that Jesus
is the wisdom of God. (They may have you read 1 Cor.
1:30)
Christian: Oh, so every time I read the word wisdom
in the bible I should substitute Jesus? Like where
it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
I can put Jesus in there as well?
JW: No, that wouldn’t
be right. (They will say something but they will
not be able to give a convincing
reason for inserting Jesus in this passage. Allow them
to struggle for a minute then move on.)
Christian: Well,
I have another question. Who is Prudence in this
passage?
It says in verse 12 that “I
wisdom dwell with prudence”. If wisdom is Jesus,
who is prudence?
JW: Prudence isn’t
anyone. This simply means that Jesus has understanding.
Christian: By what rule of interpretation can you
interpret wisdom as a symbol for a person but leave
prudence alone?
JW: (Allow them to struggle for a minute and then
move on. You are building to the real issue.)
Christian: Ok,
let’s say for the sake of discussion
that wisdom really is Jesus in this passage even though
I don’t think that’s true. Was there ever
a time when God was without His wisdom? In other words,
did God truly create His wisdom or was His wisdom always
with Him?
JW: No, God has always had wisdom.
Christian: Then
if wisdom is a symbol or picture of Jesus here, and
since God
never truly created His wisdom
but has always had it, wouldn’t this mean that
Jesus would have to be as eternal as the wisdom of
God and not truly created?
JW: (They will
say something but it doesn’t
matter. Your point has been made.)
Christian: Can we look at some other verses about
the nature of God and see what God has to say about
this subject? (Transition to the presentation if possible.)
Colossians 1:15-17 New World Translation
“He is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
all creation;
because by means of him
all [other] things were created in the heavens and
upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible,
no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or
governments or authorities. All [other] things have
been created through him and for him. Also, he is before
all [other] things and by means of him all [other]
things were made to exist.”
Important Note: The New World Translation has altered
the original text in this passage to say that by Jesus
all other things have been created. The word other
is not in the original language and is in parenthesis
in the NWT. Sometimes it is helpful to point this out
to the Witness.
In order to understand
and explain this passage one must have a proper concept
of “firstborn”.
The phrase can mean one who is first in time but it
can also mean the one who has authority or first in
rank. For instance David is called the firstborn in
Psalm 89:27 though he was not the first king of Israel
and Ephraim is called the firstborn of God in Jeremiah
31:9 though Ephraim was not the first tribe nor was
the Northern Kingdom the first nation.
Once this concept is explained to the Witness, the
next step is to look at the context of the passage
to see what is being discussed. Colossians chapter
1:16-18 demonstrate that the issue being discussed
is clearly the preeminence of Christ over all things
in creation. This fits with an understanding of the
context of Colossians where one of the heresies was
the worship of angels. Paul is refocusing the church
on the greatness of Christ.
Christian: Are
you familiar with the context of Paul’s
letter to the Colossians?
JW: (It doesn’t matter if they say “yes” or “no” keep
going.)
Christian: Part
of what Paul was addressing was Gnostic heresies
that were
leading the Colossians to worship
angels, especially Michael the Archangel. In Colossians,
Paul shows that Jesus is far above all of these other
things. When we look at this passage and understand
the context, it is obvious that Paul is using the word “firstborn” to
indicate the superiority of Jesus not any order in
creation.
From this point, one can again transition to the presentation
about Jesus.
John 14:28 “my Father is greater than I”.
This is perhaps
the most common passage used by Witnesses that deals
with
the voluntary submission and authority
within the Godhead. It is important to note that greater
does not necessarily mean different in essence or glory.
For example, at the time of this writing, George Bush
is the President of the United States. It would be
proper for me to say that “George Bush is greater
than I”. He has more authority than I have. Yet
he is not of a greater substance than I am. He is still
a man. In a similar way, the Son voluntarily submits
to the authority of the Father so He can rightly say
that the Father is greater but this does not necessarily
mean that the Father is of a different nature from
the Son.
Transition:
Christian: In
understanding the Bible, it is important that we
look at all that
the Bible has to say about
a particular subject isn’t it?
JW: Yes, of course.
Christian: I agree
so let’s
look at some other passages and see what the Bible
has to say. (Move to
presentation.)
Historical Arguments
The Trinity is a pagan doctrine that crept into the
church.
JW: Did you know
that the Trinity is actually a pagan doctrine? For
instance,
the Babylonians had a Trinity.
The Assyrians had a Trinity. Even the Hindu’s
have a Trinity. Why would you want to believe in a
pagan doctrine?
Christian: Actually,
these other cultures that you mentioned had a triad
of
three gods that ruled over
a pantheon of other gods. This is certainly different
than the doctrine of the Trinity that teaches there
is one and only one God eternally existing in three
Persons isn’t it?
JW: I can see that it is slightly different.
Christian: Also
did you know that all of these same cultures and
countless
others have an account of a
world-wide flood similar to the account of Noah in
Genesis? In Babylon it was called the “Epic of
Gilgamesh”. Does this mean that we shouldn’t
believe in the story of the great flood because it
has similarities with the beliefs of other religions?
JW: No, I wouldn’t
say that.
Christian: So the real issue is not whether or not
other cultures have similar beliefs to the Trinity
but whether or not the doctrine is taught in the Bible
so can we look at the scriptures to see what they say
about the nature of God? (Move to presentation.)
The
Trinity wasn’t believed by the early church
but was developed later JW: The doctrine
of the Trinity wasn’t even
developed until the Fourth Century at the Council of
Nicaea. Why would you want to believe in something
that wasn’t believed by the first Christians?
Christian: Actually,
you are misstating church history. The early Christians
all believed that Jesus was fully
divine even if they didn’t use the word “trinity”.
Church fathers like Athenagorus, Irenaeus and Tertullian
taught the concept of the Trinity in the Second Century.
In fact, the early debates in Christianity were not
over the deity of Christ but His humanity. The first
heretics, the Gnostics, denied that Jesus was truly
human. The church didn’t have to deal with the
deity of Christ in a council until the Fourth Century
because up until then it was universally agreed upon.
It wasn’t until the heretic Arius taught that
Jesus was created that the church used a council to
define what the orthodox doctrine was on this matter.
But the real issue is not one of church history but
whether or not the Bible teaches the doctrine of the
Trinity. Can we look at the scriptures to see what
they tell us about the nature of God? (Move to presentation.)
The Word Trinity is not found in the Bible
JW: Did you know
the word, “trinity” isn’t
even found in the Bible? Why would you want to believe
in something that isn’t even in the Bible?
Christian: There
are many words that are not in the Bible for instance
theocratic
organization isn’t
in the bible (I use this word because it is a part
of JW belief.) In fact the word, “bible”,
isn’t in the bible. The issue is not really whether
or not the word is used but whether or not the concept
is taught. Let’s look at the scriptures to see
what they say. (Transition to presentation.)
Logical Arguments
These
arguments all relate to Jehovah’s Witnesses
misstating the doctrine of the Trinity to attempt to
create a logical inconsistency. They will do this by
trying to say that the doctrine teaches that Jesus
is the Father. It is vital that the Christian have
a proper definition of the doctrine of the Trinity.
The orthodox doctrine is that there is one God, eternally
existing in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. The Spirit
is not the Father or the Son. The Father is not the
Son or the Spirit. But all three Persons are one God.
If Jesus is God then who was running the universe
while Jesus was in the grave.
This line of reasoning
actually contains multiple errors. Jehovah’s Witnesses understand death
to be an end to a person’s conscious existence
until the resurrection. Actually physical death is
merely the separation of the soul or spirit from the
body. But in order to avoid becoming sidetracked into
a separate issue the believer merely needs to remind
the Witness that the doctrine of the Trinity teaches
that the Father and Son are separate in person so the
Father continued to run the universe just as He always
has.
If Jesus is God then who was he praying to in the
garden?
The answer here is similar to the one above. Jesus
was praying to the Father. The Son is not the Father.
The Father and the Son are both God. Once again explain
that the doctrine is one God eternally existing in
three persons.
Transition:
Christian: There
are many things about God that we can’t fully comprehend. For instance we can’t
fully comprehend his knowledge, his justice or his
love. This is because God is so much greater than we
are. The issue is not whether or not I can fully comprehend
the nature of God. The issue is what does scripture
teach about the nature of God. Let’s look at
the Bible to see what it tells us. (Move to presentation.)
Present the Truth
In this section we are going to build a case beginning
with truths with which the Witness will agree. In doing
this, one can more effectively relate to the JW and
disarm them. Do not allow yourself to become sidetracked
on minor issues. When the JW brings up a secondary
issue, tell them you would be happy to discuss that
issue on another visit.
The Bible teaches there is only one God.
Have the Witness read John 17:3. It will usually surprise
them that you have chosen to start here.
Christian: Now this verse teaches that there is only
one true God right?
JW: Yes, that’s
right.
Christian: And knowing the truth about this one God
is essential to everlasting life right?
JW: Yes.
Christian: Ok.
Let’s
see what else the Bible teaches about this one true
God.
No other gods existed before this God nor were created after Him.
Ask the Witness to read Isaiah 43:10.
Christian: Now this verse tells us that no gods existed
before Jehovah and no gods were created after Jehovah
right?
JW: Yes, that’s
right.
Christian: Good.
I agree. Let’s keep going.
Jehovah will not share His glory.
Ask the Witness to read Isaiah 42:8.
Christian: Now this verse teaches that Jehovah will
not share His glory with anyone else right?
JW: Yes, I agree with that also.
Jesus is called God.
Read Isaiah 9:6.
Christian: Now
in this verse Jesus is called God. Is he a true or
false
god? (This question now creates
a dilemma for the cultist. He can not say that Jesus
is a false god but he can not say that Jesus is a true
God in the same way that Jehovah is a true God. He
will try to dodge the question. Don’t allow the
Witness to move to another passage.)
JW: Well, Jesus
is referred to as a mighty god here but he is never
called Almighty
God. In the bible,
Satan is called the god of this world and idols are
also called gods but that doesn’t mean that they
are equal to Jehovah.
Christian: It is true that Satan is called the god
of this world and idols are called gods but we would
agree that these are all false gods right?
JW: Right.
Christian: So that brings me back to my original question,
Jesus is called God. Is he a true God or a false god?
JW: (It doesn’t
matter what the Witness says at this juncture. Your
point
has been made. Let them
stew for a little and then move on.)
Christian: I have
another question at this point. The Watchtower teaches
that
Jesus is “a god” created
by Jehovah God. But how can this be when we just read
in Isaiah 43:10 that Jehovah says that never happened?
JW: (Once again,
the Witness will say something. Let them talk and
be polite but
keep moving. Don’t
allow them to take you to other verses. Keep leading
the discussion. Promise to look at their verses in
a minute.)
Activities claimed by Jehovah in the Old Testament
are applied to Jesus in the New Testament.
Read Isaiah 44:24.
Note the phrase “by Myself”.
Christian: Here Jehovah says He stretched out the
heavens alone and the earth by Myself. Now this is
important. If I say to you that I just built a deck
on my house, that may mean that I did it along with
some other people or it could even mean that I merely
hired someone else to do it for me. But if I tell you
that I did it by myself that means something different
right?
JW: I can see that.
Christian: But
now, let’s
look at John 1:3. Read the verse. Here the Bible
says that Jesus created
everything that was made. Do you see that these verses
can not both be true unless Jesus is God?
JW: Well Jesus came alongside Jehovah as a Master
Builder just like we read in Proverbs 8 and he created
all other things.
Christian: But remember, Jehovah says that He did
it by Himself. This means that He did it alone without
help from anyone else.
Let’s look
at some more.
Titles used for Jehovah in the Old Testament are applied
to Jesus.
Read Isaiah 9:6 and Isaiah 10:21.
Christian: Now look, here Jesus is called Mighty God.
This is the same title used for Jehovah in Isaiah 10:21.
Read Isaiah 43:10-11 and Titus 1:4.
In these passages Jehovah tells us that He is the
only savior but in Titus, Jesus is called the savior.
Do you see that
Jehovah’s
titles are being given to Jesus? And remember something
else we looked at
earlier. Jehovah says that He does not share His glory
with another.
JW: (Once again, they are going to say something.
Continue to move forward if you can. The Witness will
be becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Keep going
as long as they will let you.)
Honor and worship given to Jehovah is also given
to Jesus.
Note: This is
a particularly devastating point to the Jehovah’s
Witness. Prayerfully drive it home.
Read John 5:20-23
Christian: Do you see here that Jesus indicates that
the Father wants all men to honor the Son Jesus in
the same way that they honor the Father?
JW: Well, if you had a son, it would you please you
for people to honor him. Jesus is the son of Jehovah
and it pleases Jehovah when we honor Jesus.
Christian: But the difference is that my son is the
same sort of being that I am. I am not God. To honor
someone who is less than Jehovah in the same way that
we honor Jehovah is idolatry. If Jesus is a created
being this would be idolatry. Do you see that? Look
at another verse.
Read Revelation 5:13.
Christian: Now
notice that the blessing, glory and honor is given
to “Him who sits on the throne”.
Who would that be?
JW: That would be Jehovah.
Christian: That’s right. But notice that the
blessing, glory and honor is not only to go to “Him
who sits on the throne” but also to “the
Lamb”. Who is the Lamb?
JW: I think the Lamb would be Jesus.
Christian: Right. Do you see that worship is going
to Jehovah and Jesus equally? And remember this is
occurring in heaven, around the throne, where worship
would be perfect. Also remember what we read from Jehovah
earlier, He does not share His glory.
JW: I need to look at this passage later. I am not
familiar with it.
The New Testament exalts the name of Jesus.
Note: Once again,
this is a devastating point. The reason this is so
important
is because of the emphasis
Jehovah’s Witnesses place on the divine name.
Remember that they believe that Jehovah is the only
true name for God. All modern translations of the bible,
with the exception of the New World Translation, have
been corrupted and the divine name has been removed.
What the Witness has never taken time to think about
is that the New Testament exalts the name of Jesus.
There is no need to look at references for all of these
issues. The Witness will be familiar enough with them
in order for the point to come home. Incidentally,
there are many more examples besides those given here.
You may want to begin your own list.
Christian: There is something else that is very important.
Did you ever stop to notice that the New Testament
exalts the name of Jesus?
JW: I don’t understand what you mean. I’m
not sure what you’re saying.
Christian: Well think about it. In the New Testament;
• Healing
is performed in the Name of Jesus. (Acts 3:16, 4:7-10)
• Demons are subject to the Name of Jesus. (Luke 10:17)
• We are to gather together in the Name of Jesus. (Matt.
18:20)
• We are to be witnesses in the Name of Jesus. (Acts
1:8)
• Prayers are to be offered in the Name of Jesus. (Jn
14:13-14)
• We are to believe in the Name of Jesus. (Acts 10:43)
• Salvation is in the Name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12)
• The Holy Spirit is sent in the Name of Jesus. (John
14:26)
• We are told to call on the Name of Jesus. (1 Cor. 1:2)
• It is at the Name of Jesus that every knee will bow
and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord. (Phil. 2:9-11)
Remember again that we read that Jehovah does not
share His glory.
(Let this sink
in. The Witness will most likely be silent for a
moment at
this point. My experience is
that they don’t know what to say to this argument.
Remember a silent cultist is a thinking cultist. You
may also find that the cultist may decide to leave
at this point. This will not be easily forgotten however.)
The Old Testament calls more than one person Jehovah.
The second person is Jesus.
Note: This passage is of particular interest and is
very useful in the New World Translation because of
their insistence on inserting the name of Jehovah throughout
the translation. Walk the Witness through this passage
slowly so that it sinks in. Do not allow them to misinterpret
the passage. Read it over if necessary. We are indebted
to our good friends at Midwest Christian Outreach for
the material in this section.
Zechariah 2:6-11 New World Translation
“Hey there! Hey there! Flee then, You people, from the land of the north,
is the utterance of Jehovah.”
Christian: Who does the Bible say is speaking here?
JW: Jehovah.
Christian: That’s right. Let’s
continue.
“For in
the direction of the four winds of the heavens I
have spread You
people abroad, is the
utterance of Jehovah.”
Christian: So we see that Jehovah is still speaking.
“Hey there,
Zion! Make your escape, you who are dwelling with
the daughter
of Babylon. For this
is what Jehovah of armies has said,”
Christian: Now who is about to speak?
JW: Jehovah of Armies
Christian: Right.
Now let’s
continue.
“Following
after the glory he has sent me to the nations that
were
despoiling You people;
Christian: Who is speaking?
JW: Jehovah of Armies.
Christian: Who is being sent?
JW: This must mean Zechariah.
Christian: Wait
a minute. We said Jehovah of Armies is speaking.
Jehovah says, “He has sent me.” Let’s
go on and see if this is truly Zechariah.
“for he
that is touching You is touching my eyeball. For
here I am
waving my hand against them,
and they will have to become spoil to their slaves.
And You people will certainly know that Jehovah of
armies himself has sent me.
Cry out loudly and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for
here I am coming, and I will reside in the midst of
You is the utterance of Jehovah.”
Christian: Now who is still speaking?
JW: Jehovah.
Christian: Who is coming?
JW: Jehovah.
Christian: Who is going to reside in the midst of
the people?
JW: Jehovah.
“And many nations will certainly become joined
to Jehovah in that day, and they will actually become
my people; and I will reside in the midst of you.” And
you will have to know that Jehovah of armies himself
has sent me to you.
Christian: Who did we say was going to reside in the
midst?
JW: Jehovah.
Christian: Who is sending?
JW: Jehovah.
Christian: Who is being sent?
JW: (At some point
in this dialogue the Witness will become very uncomfortable.
Allow them to struggle a
bit. It is important that they see that there are two
Jehovah’s in this passage, One who is sending
and One who is being sent. Remind them that the One
who is supposed to come to reside in the midst of them
is Jesus. If they have made it this far, Your Witness
guests will leave very quickly at this point.)
Christian: Do you see why Christians believe that
Jesus is fully God? We have seen that there is only
one true God, yet Jesus is called God. Jesus does the
works of Jehovah, receives the titles of Jehovah, is
given honor and worship along with Jehovah and is the
one with the exalted Name.
JW: Well, that’s
only two. The Trinity requires three.
Christian: I would be happy to discuss the Holy Spirit
with you on another time. When would you be willing
to come back?
(If possible set an appointment. To prepare for the
next Bible study, get any good Systematic Theology
book or simply use your concordance to put together
a similar study. There is only one true God yet the
Holy Spirit is called God, does the works of Jehovah
and receives the titles of Jehovah etc. It will also
be very important to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit
is personal in that He possesses mind, will, emotion,
sovereignty etc.)
Rev.
Keith Gibson
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