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Jehovah's Witnesses: or are they?
The 'Jehovah's Witnesses' are a false cult, who are bringing back out of hell the errors of Arius and others who troubled the early church.
The New World Translation proves that Jesus is Jehovah
By the way, I no way endorse that wretched travesty of an excuse for a Bible called the New World Translation (NWT)
THE CREATOR
Isaiah 44:24 This is what Jehovah has said, your Repurchaser and the Former of you from the belly: ''I, Jehovah, am doing everything, stretching out the heavens by myself, laying out the earth. Who was with me?''
Job 9:8 Stretching out the heavens by himself, and treading upon the high waves of the sea
Rev 4:11 You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created
John 1:3 All things came into existence through him (Jesus), and apart from him (Jesus) not even one thing came into existence.
Colossians 1:16 because by means of him (Jesus) all 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 things have been created through him and for him
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who long ago spoke on many occasions and in many ways to our forefathers by means of the prophets, has at the end of these days spoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the systems of things
Hebrews 3:4 Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God
THE MIGHTY GOD
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.
Isaiah 10:20-21 they will certainly support themselves upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in trueness, a mere remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God
Jeremiah 32:17-18 Alas, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah! Here you yourself have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. The whole matter is not too wonderful for you yourself, 18 the One exercising loving-kindness toward thousands, and repaying the error of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them, the [true] God, the great One, the mighty One, Jehovah of armies being his name.
Nehemiah 9:32 And now, O our God, the God great, mighty and fear-inspiring, keeping the covenant and loving-kindness, do not let all the hardship that has found us, our kings, our princes and our priests and our prophets and our forefathers and all your people from the days of the kings of As·syr´i·a down to this day, seem little before you.
LORD of LORDS
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of the lords, for his loving-kindness is to time indefinite
Deut 10:17 For Jehovah YOUR God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the God great, mighty and fear-inspiring, who treats none with partiality nor accepts a bribe
Rev 17:14 These will battle with the Lamb, but, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Also, those called and chosen and faithful with him [will do so].
FIRST and LAST
Isaiah 44:6 This is what Jehovah has said, the King of Israel and the Repurchaser of him, Jehovah of armies, ''I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God.''
Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him (Jesus), I fell as dead at his feet, and he laid his right hand upon me and said: “Do not be fearful. I am the First and the Last'
ALPHA and OMEGA
Rev 1:8 I am the Al´pha and the O·me´ga,” says Jehovah God, “the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty
Rev 22:17-18 'Look! I (Jesus) am coming quickly, and the reward I give is with me, to render to each one as his work is. I am the Al´pha and the O·me´ga, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (see 1:17 above)
Rev 21:5-6 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also, he says: “Write, because these words are faithful and true'' And he said to me: “They have come to pass! I am the Al´pha and the O·me´ga, the beginning and the end. To anyone thirsting I will give from the fountain of the water of life free
THE NAME
Isaiah 44:22-23 Turn to me and be saved, all YOU [at the] ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no one else. By my own self I have sworn—out of my own mouth in righteousness the word has gone forth, so that it will not return—that to me every knee will bend down, every tongue will swear'
Philippians 2:9-11 For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every [other] name, 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, 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father
THE JUDGE
John 5:22 For the Father judges no one at all, but he has committed all the judging to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Rev 16:7 And I heard the altar say: “Yes, Jehovah God, the Almighty, true and righteous are your judicial decisions''
Romans 14:10-12 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written: “‘As I live,’ says Jehovah, ‘to me every knee will bend down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.’ So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God
THE SAVIOUR
Isaiah 43:10-11 YOU are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that YOU may know and have faith in me, and that YOU may understand that I am the same One. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be none. 11 I—I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior.”
John 4:24 and they began to say to the woman: “We do not believe any longer on account of your talk; for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man (Jesus) is for a certainty the savior of the world
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 get saved.”
Titus 1:3-4 whereas in his own due times he made his word manifest in the preaching with which I was entrusted, under command of our Savior, God [...] may there be undeserved kindness and peace from God [the] Father and Christ Jesus our Savior
Titus 2:13 while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus
FROM TIME INDEFINITE
Micah 5:2 And you, O Beth´le·hem Eph´ra·thah, the one too little to get to be among the thousands of Judah, from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel, whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains themselves were born, or you proceeded to bring forth as with labor pains the earth and the productive land, Even from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God
Habakkuk 1:12 Are you not from long ago (same Hebrew phrase) O Jehovah? O my God, my Holy One, you do not die. O Jehovah, for a judgment you have set it; and, O Rock, for a reproving you have founded it.
UNCHANGING
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the [celestial] lights, and with him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow
Malachi 3:6 For I am Jehovah; I have not changed.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever
PREPARING FOR WHOM?
Isaiah 40:3 Listen! Someone is calling out in the wilderness: “Clear up the way of Jehovah, YOU people! MAKE the highway for our God through the desert plain straight
Mark1:1-3 The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “(Look! I am sending forth my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way;) listen! someone is crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of Jehovah, YOU people, make his roads straight)
THE SHEPHERD
Psalm 23:1 Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall lack nothing.
Psalm 80:1 O Shepherd of Israel, do give ear.
Isaiah 40:10-11 Look! The Sovereign Lord Jehovah [...] Like a shepherd he will shepherd his own drove. With his arm he will collect together the lambs
John 10:11 I am the fine shepherd; the fine shepherd surrenders his soul in behalf of the sheep
Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus
1 Peter 2:25 For YOU were like sheep, going astray; but now YOU have returned to the shepherd and overseer of YOUR souls.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief shepherd has been made manifest, YOU will receive the unfadable crown of glory
WHOSE GLORY DID ISAIAH SEE?
Isaiah 6:1 and 10 In the year that King Uz·zi´ah died I, however, got to see Jehovah [...] make the heart of this people unreceptive, and make their very ears unresponsive, and paste their very eyes together, that they may not see with their eyes and with their ears they may not hear, and that their own heart may not understand and that they may not actually turn back and get healing for themselves
John 12:37-41 But although he had performed so many signs before them, they were not putting faith in him (Jesus), so that the word of Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled [...] He has blinded their eyes and he has made their hearts hard, that they should not see with their eyes and get the thought with their hearts and turn around and I should heal them.”. Isaiah said these things because he saw his (Jesus') glory, and he spoke about him (Jesus')
FORGIVER OF SINS
Isaiah 43:25I—I (Jehovah) am the One that is wiping out your transgressions for my own sake, and your sins I shall not remember
Mark 2:7-10 Who can forgive sins except one, God?” [...] But in order for YOU men to know that the Son of man has authority to forgive sins upon the earth [...]
OMNISCIENCE
1 Kings 8:39 you know his heart (for you yourself alone well know the heart of all the sons of mankind)
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it? I, Jehovah, am searching the heart, examining the kidneys, even to give to each one according to his ways, according to the fruitage of his dealings
Rev 2:23 [...] all the congregations will know that I (Jesus) am he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to YOU individually according to YOUR deeds.
John 2:24-25 But Jesus himself was not entrusting himself to them because of his knowing them all, and because he was in no need to have anyone bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
John 21:17 Lord, you know all things; you are aware that I have affection for you
WORSHIP
Rev 5:12-14 The Lamb that was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And every creature that is in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and all the things in them, I heard saying: “To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” And the four living creatures went saying: “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
GIVER OF LIFE
Deut 32:39 SEE now that I—I am he, and there are no gods together with me. I put to death, and I make alive. I have severely wounded, and I—I will heal, And there is no one snatching out of my hand
John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead up and makes them alive, so the Son also makes those alive whom he wants to
VOICE
Ezekiel 43:2 And, look! the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the direction of the east, and his voice was like the voice of vast waters; and the earth itself shone because of his glory
Revelation 1:15 and his (Jesus') feet were like fine copper when glowing in a furnace; and his (Jesus') voice was as the sound of many waters
LIGHT
Isaiah 60:20 No more will your sun set, nor will your moon go on the wane; for Jehovah himself will become for you an indefinitely lasting light
Revelation 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God lighted it up, and its lamp was the Lamb
John 8:12 Therefore Jesus spoke again to them, saying: “I am the light of the world. He that follows me will by no means walk in darkness
THE HOLY ONE
Hosea 11:9 I am God and not man, the Holy One in the midst of you; and I shall not come in excitement
Acts 3:14-15 Yes, YOU disowned that holy and righteous one, and YOU asked for a man, a murderer, to be freely granted to YOU, whereas YOU killed the Chief Agent of life. But God raised him up from the dead, of which fact we are witnesses
THE RIGHTEOUS ONE
Psalm 11:7 For Jehovah is righteous; he does love righteous acts
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing YOU these things that YOU may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one
Romans 3:10 There is not a righteous [man], not even one; 11 there is no one that has any insight, there is no one that seeks for God
WHO RAISED JESUS?
Acts 2:32 This Jesus God resurrected, of which fact we are all witnesses
John 2:19 In answer Jesus said to them: “Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [...] But he was talking about the temple of his body
CALMS THE SEA
Psalm 107:29 He (Jehovah) causes the windstorm to stand at a calm, so that the waves of the sea keep quiet
Psalm 89:9 You (Jehovah) are ruling over the swelling of the sea; when it raises up its waves you yourself calm them
Mark 4:39 With that he (Jesus) roused himself and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: “Hush! Be quiet!” And the wind abated, and a great calm set in
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 13:2 As they were publicly ministering to Jehovah and fasting, the holy spirit said: “Of all persons set Bar´na·bas and Saul apart for me for the work to which I have called them''
Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said: “An·a·ni´as, why has Satan emboldened you to play false (Gk. to lie) to the holy spirit [...] You have played false (Gk. lied), not to men, but to God
Eph 4:30 Also, do not be grieving God’s holy spirit, with which YOU have been sealed for a day of releasing by ransom.
THE ROCK of OFFENCE and STONE of STUMBLING
Isaiah 8:13-14 Jehovah of armies—he is the One whom YOU should treat as holy, and he should be the object of YOUR fear, and he should be the One causing YOU to tremble.” And he must become as a sacred place; but as a stone to strike against and as a rock over which to stumble to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and as a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
1 Peter 2:7-8 It is to YOU, therefore, that he (Jesus) is precious, because YOU are believers; but to those not believing, “the identical stone that the builders rejected has become [the] head of [the] corner,” and ''a stone of stumbling and a rock-mass of offense''
THE FIRSTBORN
Exodus 4:22 And you must say to Phar´aoh, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “Israel is my son, my firstborn
Psalm 89:27 Also, I myself shall place him [David -see v.20] as firstborn, the most high of the kings of the earth
Jeremiah 31:9 For I have become to Israel a Father; and as for E´phra·im, he is my firstborn.
COMMENT: Neither Israel, nor David, nor Ephraim were firstborn in time, so why should Jesus be in Colossians 1:15?
DOES FATE RULE OUR LIVES?
A tract produced by the Watchtower asks, 'Does Fate rule our lives or does God hold us responsible?' The Watchtower, unsurprisingly, argues that man must have a freewill or else God cannot hold him responsible. It says 'God's Word clearly says that fate does not rule man's life. Man can choose. He can do either good or bad'. Strikingly, maybe not surprisingly, the Watchtower tract contains not one word about faith and does not mention Jesus Christ once.
Fate vs. The Sovereignty of God
First of all, Christians do not believe in Fate, as defined as an impersonal irrational force. We believe that God in Sovereign. By sovereign we mean that God rules as King of the Universe. He rules wisely and with a purpose. His supreme purpose is to glorify Himself. Nothing in the Universe is outside of control. The Bible is very clear on that.
'Our God is in the Heavens: he hath done whatsoever He hath pleased' (Psalm 115:3)
'Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and in all deep places' (Psalm 135:6)
(Notice, that God's will is done on earth, as well as in Heaven)
God's governmental control or kingly reign of the world also applies to disasters and even evils.
'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure' (Isaiah 46:10)
'I have spoken if, I will also bring it to pass: I have purposed it, I will also do it' (Isaiah 46:11)
(Notice, that the context of Isaiah 46 is God's purpose to destroy one nation by the means of war. He calls it 'a ravenous bird from the east' which He intends to send)
'All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest Thou?' (Daniel 4:35)
Amos is especially clear when he writes, 'Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it?' (Amos 3:6)
The same is true in the New Testament.
In Ephesians 1:11, we are told that God 'worketh all things after the counsel of His own will'
God's Sovereignty Does Not Rule Out Man's Responsibility
Amazingly, even the evil deeds of wicked men are included in this. Speaking of Christ, Peter preaches the following on the Day of Pentecost:
'Him [Christ] being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye [people of Jersualem] have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain' (Acts 2:24)
Notice that Peter explains that (1) God ordained and planned the crucifixion of His dear Son and (2) the people who crucified Him did wickedly. In other words, God says that He was sovereign and yet men were accountable to Him at the same time!
Another example from Acts is even more striking:
'For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done' (Acts 4:27-28)
God planned the very acts of Herod etc. and yet God is not the Author of sin, nor is He polluted by sin, nor does He take part in the sin, nor is the guilt of Herod etc. lessened in any way. That is what the Bible says.
Analogy
The analogy used, of a man locking his son in the house and then punishing him for staying at home all day, is very poor. Obviously, no analogy is perfect, but here is a better one:
Imagine a rich man gives his servant one million dollars and says, 'Build me a house, which should be ready on my return'. As soon as the rich man leaves the poor man [now in possession of one million dollars of his Master's money] runs riot and spends all the money on himself, on fancy clothes, fast cars, entertainment and the servant is left peniless. The rich man returns and demands to know where his house is. The servant says, 'I cannot build a house. I have no money'.
Does the Master say, 'That is fine. You cannot obey me. I won't hold you accountable' Of course not.
That is similar to what happened in the Fall.
Adam and Eve were given every blessing by God and were able to obey Him. They sinned thus losing for themselves (and for all those they represented) the righteousness, holiness and truth of God. As a result they are unrighteous, polluted and unable to understand. Yet, God, who has not changed, still has a right to expect and demand full obedience as before. Inability does not excuse the sinner, because in Adam he had that ability and lost it.
The Justice of Original Sin
Some complain that God is unfair to hold us accountable for what Adam did. The Bible is clear that God does account us sinners in Adam, so all our complaining will not change the fact.
'By one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned' (Romans 5:12)
'For by one man's [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus Christ], many shall be made righteous; (Romans 5:19)
Even newborn babies are accounted sinful because they are 'in Adam'. David confesses this in the Psalms: 'Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me' (Psalm 51:5) and 'The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies' (Psalm 58:3)
Again, I say, we cannot complain about this:
'Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He [God] yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him [God] that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus? Hath not the Potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another to dishonour?' (Romans 9:20-21)
The Result of Original Sin: Total Depravity
Because of original sin and actual sin, mankind is in a terrible state:
'There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God, they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good: no, not one' (Romans 3:10-12)
'The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are of the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [God's]' (Romans 8:7-9)
'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned' (1 Corinthians 2:14)
So, the Bible is clear, that although man has a freewill [in that he is not a robot, or a puppet; that he is able to make choices in accordance with his own will] yet his will is bound in such a way that he can only will evil. It is simply this: man acts in accordance with his desires. Because of man's sinful nature, all his desires are sinful and displeasing to God. Man is not able to do, or even to will something which is good in God's eyes. All of his best actions are 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6) and 'dung' (Philippians 3:8). Yet, the sinner sins most willingly, and therein especially lies his guilt.
If this is so, why bother?
First of all, God has commanded it. That should be a good enough reason.
Secondly, God has ordained the end [salvation and damnation] as well as the means towards that end. God decreed that He would save His People from their sins. He also decreed that His People should be saved through the Cross, and through faith. He decreed that the Gospel should be preached, because 'faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17). He decreed that His People should pray and ordained all the other duties of the Christian life.
'For we are His [God's] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them' (Ephesians 2:10). Even the faith is 'not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast' (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Paul writes to the Thessalonians,
'God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth' (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
God also has a reason for sending the Gospel to the reprobate:
'That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness' (2 Thessalonians 2:12)
'Unto you which believe He [Jesus Christ] is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed [Jesus], the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed' (1 Peter 2:7-8)
'To the one [the reprobate] we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other [the elect] the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?' (2 Corinthians 2:16)
Sovereign over Everything
The Bible teaches that God is Sovereign - over wars, over famine, over earthquakes, over hurricanes, over politics, over all societies, and over every action and thought of every man, woman and child who has ever lived or will live - and God is especially Sovereign over His three great Works - Creation, Providence and Salvation.
'The king's heart - and by implication, the heart of Presidents, Prime Ministers today, yes, and all their citizens - is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He [God] turneth it whithersoever He will' (Proverbs 21:1)
'O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps' (Jeremiah 10:23)
'It is not of him [man] that willeth, nor of him [man] that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy' (Romans 9:16)
We Cannot Merit
The Watchtower maintains that words like right and wrong, sin and merit are meaningless if man has no freewill. Man cannot merit anything with God. Even if we were able to perform a perfect obedience, we still would merit nothing with God:
'So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do' (Luke 17:10)
However, we cannot perform perfect obedience: 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them' (Galatians 3:10)
'Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all' (James 2:10)
Christ Made A Curse for Us
Since we cannot obey the Law perfectly - and our inability is our own fault, and puts us under God's curse - we need somebody to keep the Law for us and bear the curse we deserve.
'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us' (Galatians 3:13) 'Who [Jesus] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed' (1 Peter 2:24)
'God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His [Christ's] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies [to God] we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life' (Romans 5:8-10)
'Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us' (Romans 8:33-34)
Note that the death of Jesus Christ is a substitution. He dies for other people. It is also efficacious: it accomplishes what Christ willed - the salvation of His elect people, His sheep, for whom He laid down His life. The efficacy of the Atonement does not depend on the sinner.
Does Command Mean Ability?
It is true that the Bible commands us to choose life, to do good, to change. However, that does not mean that we can. We have seen that we cannot. We need to be changed by God. God is not obligated to change us. He can justly pass us by, but Christ promised that, 'All that the Father giveth [Christ] shall come to [Christ] and him that cometh to [Christ] He will in no wise cast out' (John 6:37). Coming to Christ means believing that He is God the Son, who is able to save all those who come unto Him, it is turning away from our sins and repudiating our own righteousness and trusting it Christ's righteousness. The one who comes to Christ, 'counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus [the] Lord’ He does ‘count them but dung that [he] may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having his own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith' (Philippians 3:8-9). He will then have 'no confidence in the flesh' (Philippians 3:3)
When Jesus met the man with a withered hand, He said to that man, 'Stretch forth thine hand' (Mark 3:5). Could the man do that? No, his hand was withered. Yet, God's command produced the obedience and the man stretched it out (v. 5).
Similarly, in John 11:43 God commands Lazarus (who had been dead for 4 days and stank) to come forth. The command of God caused Lazarus - who could not of himself obey - to obey that command.
The whole 37th chapter of Ezekiel contains a powerful word of God. Ezekiel preaches to the dead bones and they rise. The call of God's word is powerful. When God wills to save a sinner, no power in heaven, hell or earth can stop Him. To suggest that man’s freewill can prevent God doing what He wishes, is to suggest - arrogantly - that man’s will is more powerful than God’s. That could never be!
Conclusion:
God is Sovereign AND man is accountable to God for all his works God does not force man to sin against his will and inclination, but man willingly indulges in sin, and takes pleasure in it. Therefore man is guilty and liable to punishment. Man has got himself into the predicament of original and actual sin. Man has lost all ability to do good, YET God still holds him accountable. If man is to be saved from this predicament, God must save him. Man deserves nothing, can merit nothing, and can contribute nothing to salvation. Salvation is ALL of grace, ALL of Christ and through faith. Man cannot save himself by his own works.
'He that hath the Son hath life, and He that hath not the Son of God hath not life' (1 John 5:12) 'Whosover transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he that both the Father and the Son' (2 John 9)
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Questions to Confound a Jehovah's Witness
1. In John 20:28, Thomas refers to Jesus in Greek as ‘Ho kyrios moy kai ho theos moy’. This translates literally as ‘the Lord of me and the God of me’. Why does Jesus in John 2:29 affirm Thomas for having come to this realisation? If Jesus really wasn’t the Lord and the God of Thomas, why didn’t Jesus correct him for making either a false assumption or a blasphemous assertion?
2. Jehovah says in Isaiah 44:24, ‘’I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone’. How do you reconcile this with the Watchtower teaching that Jehovah first created Christ and then Christ created everything else?
3. If, as the Watchtower teaches, the title of the Lord Jesus as the ‘firstborn’in Colossians 1 refers to ‘first created’and is not a term of pre-eminence, how do you explain Jeremiah 31:9 where God declares that Ephraim is His firstborn? Is it not clear from Scripture (Genesis 41:51-52) that Manasseh, not Ephraim was the firstborn in time? Is Jesus not therefore, as Creator, supreme over His creation and not the first-created being produced by Jehovah?
4. If only God can save – and there is no other Saviour than God (Isaiah 43:11) – then doesn’t that mean that the New Testament references to Jesus as Saviour point to His deity? If not, then how do you reconcile Jesus’ role as Saviour with Isaiah 43:11? (see also Hosea 13:4)
5. If Jesus placed Himself on an equal par with the Father as the proper object of men’s trust (as He did in John 14:1), then wouldn’t this have been blasphemous unless Jesus Himself is truly God and Saviour? Similarly, how can it be the Father’s will that ‘all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father’ (John 5:23) if God says in Isaiah that he will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11). Explain also Jesus words in John 17:5 in light of the above conisiderations.
6. How do you reconcile Jehovah-God’s statement in Deut 32:39 that there is no god beside Him, as well as the statement in Isaiah 45:5 that besides Him there is no god, with the Watchtower teaching that Jehovah is God and Jesus is a god beside Him? (see John 1:1 in the NWT)
7. In Luke 20:38 we read of Jehovah, ‘He is a God, not of the dead but of the living’. In this verse the Greek word ‘theos’(God) is used without the definite article ‘the’ (ho). Since Jehovah’s deity is not diminished by this Greek construction in Luke 20:38, why does the Watchtower seek to diminish Christ’s deity in John 1:1 using the same Greek construction?
8. If Jesus is merely a god according to the NWT version of John 1:1, is he a true God or a false god?
9. Since all the I am sayings (I am the bread of life; I am the good shepherd etc.) are clearly intended to be related to one another in John’s Gospel, why does the NWT correctly translate ego eimi as ‘I am’ throughout John’s Gospel except in John 8:58 where it translates ego eimi as I have been? Why did the Jews want to stone Christ in John 8 if all He said was ‘Before Abraham was, I have been’ and did not use the obviously Divine Name, I AM from Exodus 3:14?
10. Since Jehovah is called ‘Mighty God’in Isaiah 10:21 just as Jesus is called ‘Mighty God’in Isaiah 9:6 does that not mean that the Watchtower is wrong when it claims that mighty god refers to a lesser deity? (see also Jeremiah 32:18)
11. Since Jesus is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’(Hebrews 13:8) how can it be said that Jesus was an angel, he became a man, and then became an angel again?
12. Since Micheal the archangel could not rebuke the devil by his own authority (Jude 9) and Jesus could and did (Matt 4:10) doesn’t that mean that Jesus cannot be Micheal the Archangel?
13. Jesus said in Luke 24:39 that He was not a spirit and proved this by the fact that He had a flesh-and-bones body. How do you relate this to the Watchtower teaching that Jesus was raised as a spiritual creature without a physical body?
14. Since Jesus defines ‘temple’as His own body in John 2:19-21 and He declared that He would raise this ‘temple’ (body) then isn’t Jesus teaching a bodily resurrection in this passage?
15. How can Jehovah be ‘Lord of lords’ (Psalm 136:3 and Deut 10:17) and Jesus share this title in Rev 17:14?
16. How can Jehovah be ‘first and last’ (Isaiah 44:6) and Jesus share this title in Rev 1:17?
17. How can Jehovah be the one before whom every knee shall bow (Isaiah 45:22-23) and Jesus also have this honour in Philippians 2:10-11?
18. If in Isaiah 40:3 a way is prepared for Jehovah, why does Mark 1:1-3 apply this to Jesus Christ? Was John the Baptist not preparing the way for Jesus Christ? How can we escape the conclusion that Jesus is Jehovah?
19. Since in Rev 22:13 the One who is coming is clearly the Lord Jesus and He is designated ‘Alpha and Omega’in that passage, how can we escape the conclusion that Rev:1:8 also refers to Jesus Christ (the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (see Rev 1:17) and the Almighty, and that therefore Jesus Himself is Almighty God?
20. If in 1 Cor 8:6 there is one Lord, namely Jesus Christ, does that mean that God the Father is not Lord? How, then, can the Watchtower claim that the Father’s title of one God, rules out that Jesus can be God?
21. If the name of Jehovah is so important for salvation why does Acts 4:12 say of Jesus Christ that ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for this in NONE OTHER NAME under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved’? Is it not true that Jesus is Jehovah, God with us ? (Matt 1:23)
22. In the NWT every time the Greek word ‘proskuneo’ is used in reference of God it is translated ‘worship’ (Rev 5:14, 7:11, 11:16, 19:4, John 4:20 etc.). Every time ‘proskuneo” is used in reference to Jesus Christ it is translated as obeisance (Matthew 14:33, 28:9, 28:17, Luke 24:52, Heb 1:6 etc.) even though it is the same word in the Greek. What is the reason for this inconsistency?
23. Colossians 1:16, speaking of Jesus, says that all things were created BY him and FOR him. The Watchtower claims that Jesus was Michael the Archangel at the time of the Creation. Would an angel create all things for HIMSELF. How do you explain this since God Almighty is said to have created all things for His own pleasure in Rev 4:11?
24. If the righteous dead have no consciousness how can Rev 14:13 describe them as blessed and enjoying rest? Similarly, how can the wicked dead have no rest day and night forever (Rev 14:11) if they are annihilated and no longer exist?
25. If the Holy Spirit is God’s impersonal active force, how can He be lied to and called God in Acts 5:3-4. How can an impersonal force be blasphemed (Matthew 12:31)? How can an impersonal force be grieved (Eph 4:30). How can an impersonal force have a will (1 Cor 12:11)? How can an impersonal force have a mind since He ‘searches’ (the same word is used in John 5:39) the deep things of God and knows the mind of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-11)? How can an impersonal force teach (John 14:26) and command (Acts 8:29 & 13:2) and intercede or pray (Romans 8:26)?
26. The Bible uses impersonal things to describe the Holy Spirit such as water and fire. Why does the Watchtower believe that He is thereby not a person? How do you explain that God does not lose His personality when, for example Heb 11:29 calls God a consuming fire?
27. If Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, which faith is not of ourselves but is the gift of God, why does the Watchtower teach salvation by works? (see also Titus 3:5, Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:16)
28. Paul says in Galatians 6:14, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you glory in?
A Personal Question to A Jehovah's Witness
29. You claim that the meek shall inherit the earth and presumbly you wish to inherit the earth. Do you know that meekness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23)? Since you are not born again and therefore do not have the Spirit, how are you going to be meek enough to inherit the earth or enter the kingdom of heaven? Romans 8:5-9 teaches that you are either FLESHLY or SPIRITUAL. If you are not born again, you have not the Spirit and are ‘none of His’ (v. 9). If you are of the flesh you CANNOT please God, no matter what you try to do to gain God’s favour (v. 8) and you are carnally minded which is DEATH (v. 6). So, either way, you have no place in God’s kingdom or on His earth! What are you going to do? Would you like to know the Bible message of salvation: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!
