Due to the profound theological
differences, such discussions often take the form of spiritual
trench warfare--a long series of arguments and counterarguments,
getting nowhere and ending in mutual frustration. But this need
not be the case, especially if the Christian will "become all
things to all men" by taking a moment to put himself in the
Witnesses' shoes, so to speak (see 1 Corinthians 9:22). In the JWs
mind he himself is a worshiper of the true God of the Bible,
while you are a lost soul who has been misled by the devil into
worshiping a pagan three-headed deity. He is, no doubt, quite
sincere in these beliefs and feels both threatened and offended
by the doctrine of the Trinity. To give any serious
consideration to your arguments in support of the Trinity is
simply unthinkable to the JW; he would be sinning against
Jehovah God to entertain such a thought.
So, in order to make any headway with the Witness, it is
necessary to bridge the gap--to find common ground that will
enable him to rethink his theology. Rather than plunging into a
defense of "the doctrine of the Trinity," which can be
mind-boggling even to a Christian, take things one step at a
time.
A good first step would be to consider the question, "Is
Jesus Christ really an angel?" It will be frightening to the
Jehovah's Witness to open this cherished belief of his to
critical re-examination, but no nearly as frightening as to
start off discussing evidence that God is triune.
Since the Watchtower Society speaks of "Jesus Christ, whom we
understand from the Scriptures to be Michael the archangel" (The
Watchtower, February 15, 1979, p. 31), put the JW on the
spot and ask him to show you "the Scriptures" that say Jesus is
Michael. There are none. The Watchtower Society New World
Translation (NWT) mentions Michael five times as: 1) "one of the
foremost princes" (Dan. 10:13); 2) "the prince of [Daniels]
people" (Dan. 10:21); 3) "the great prince who is standing in
behalf of the sons of [Daniels] people" (Dan. 12:1); 4) "the
archangel" who "had a difference with the devil and was
disputing about Moses body" but "did not dare to bring a
judgment against him in abusive terms" (Jude 9); and 5) a
participant in heavenly conflict when "Michael and his angels
battled with the dragon" (Rev. 12:7).
Ask the Jehovahs Witness which one of these verses says that
Michael is Jesus Christ. Help him to see that it is necessary to
read Scripture plus a complicated Watchtower argument to reach
that conclusion. Rather than being merely "one of the foremost
princes," Jesus Christ is "Lord of lords and King of kings"
(Rev. 17:14, NWT) and is "far above every government and
authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only
in this system of things, but also in that to come" (Ephesians
1:21, NWT). And, unlike "Michael who did not dare condemn the
Devil with insulting words, but said, The Lord rebuke you!"
(Jude 9, Todays English Version), Jesus Christ displayed His
authority over the devil when He freely commanded him, "Go away,
Satan!" (Matthew 4:10, NWT).
In arguing that Jesus is Michael the archangel, the
Watchtower Society also points to another verse that does not
use the name Michael but says that "the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangels
voice and with Gods trumpet..." (1 Thessalonians 4:16, NWT).
However, the expression "with an archangels voice" simply
means that the archangel, like Gods trumpet, will herald the
coming of the Lord, not that the Lord is an archangel. Point out
to the JW that none of the verses he has attempted to use as
proof-texts even comes close to stating that Jesus Christ is
Michael the archangel. In fact, Scripture clearly teaches the
opposite: namely, that the Son of God is superior to the angels.
The entire first chapter of Hebrews is devoted to this theme.
Have the Witness read Hebrews chapter one aloud with you, and,
as you do so, interrupt to point out the sharp contrast between
angels and the Son of God. "For to what angel did God ever say,
Thou are my Son...? And again, when he brings the first-born
into the world, he says, Let all Gods angels worship him" (vv.
5,6, Revised Standard Version).
Remind the JW that angels consistently refuse worship ("Be
careful! Do not do that! ...Worship God," Revelation 22:8,9,
NWT), but the Father's command concerning the Son is, "Let all
Gods angels worship him" (Hebrews 1:6). That is how the
Watchtower's own New World Translation read for some 20 years
until, in 1970, the Society changed it to read "do obeisance to
him" instead of "worship him"--part of their consistent campaign
to eliminate from their Bible all references to the deity of
Christ.
True, you have not yet proved the "doctrine of the Trinity"
in this discussion. But you have laid a good foundation by
giving the Jehovah's Witness convincing evidence that Jesus
Christ is not an angel (he is now faced with the question of who
Jesus really is), and you have shown that the Watchtower Society
has misled him, even resorting to altering Scripture to do so.
Now you are in a much better position to go on to present the
gospel.
Author: David A. Reed, Ex-Jehovah's Witness elder. Excerpted
from The Evidence Bible.
Speaking the Truth in Love to Jehovah's Witnesses
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and remained one until age
11. Coming out of this cult, I entered my teenage years as a
bitter atheist where I remained until I graduated from college.
Through Gods amazing grace I was saved in 1994 after reading the
Bible and realizing that it was indeed the true Word of God.
Repeatedly God has blessed me with the passion and privilege
to witness to the Jehovah's Witnesses. You've almost certainly had
them come knocking on your door on a Saturday afternoon and you
may have even engaged a Jehovah's Witness in a theological
discussion. In talking to other Christians I find that when
presented with a face-to-face encounter with a Jehovah's Witness
there are usually two responses:
1) A "frontal assault" via debate or heated discussion; or
2) A polite "no thanks, I'm already a Christian" followed by an
all too abrupt closing of the door.
For the mature Christian, what's usually missing is the
realization that this is a true witnessing opportunity--one that
has arrived right at your doorstep.
In my earliest attempts at grabbing the proverbial bull by
the horns, I tried engaging them in direct debates, often
quoting from several texts I had studied regarding the cultic
practices of the Jehovah's Witnesses. After several failed
"conversion" attempts, often ending with thoroughly frustrated
Jehovah's Witnesses unwilling to ever return to my residence, I
arrived at a startling realization: Jehovah's Witnesses are real
people, with real needs and real feelings. They can feel
frustration, anger, fear, and confusion. I then realized that
the reason my frontal assaults on the Jehovah's Witnesses never
seemed to work was because I had not put myself in their place
and taken their feelings into account.
A wise man once said, "When you want to get someone's
attention, you don't shine a flashlight in their eyes." In
presenting my arguments and facts without giving them time to
prepare, I had forgotten that they were human beings searching
for the truth. I had not been speaking this truth in love.
Months later, when I was again presented with an opportunity
to speak with Jehovah's Witnesses at my door, I engaged them in
conversation, and agreed to do a weekly Bible study with them in
order to further discuss what exactly they believed. They
agreed, with the understanding that along the way I would ask
questions whenever we arrived at a topic or subject with which I
disagreed or failed to understand. The amazing difference was
that instead of blindsiding them with questions and points of
contention, I was giving them an opportunity to prepare
themselves for a topic of discussion.
More importantly, though, I began to care about them
personally and yearn for their salvation.
In this way, I am able to meet with Witnesses on a weekly
basis and take them off the streets, focusing on critical topics
such as the requirement that one be born again to enter the
kingdom of God, the unbiblical theology of a two-class system of
believers, and the true identity of Jesus Christ.
Author: Clint DeBoer. Excerpted from The
Evidence Bible.
Encounters between Christians and Jehovah's
Witnesses typically revolve around a discussion of deity. The
reason for this is twofold. First, this is the area where
Watchtower theology deviates most dramatically from orthodox
Christianity. In contrast to the Trinitarian concept of one God
in three Persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--the JWs have
been taught to believe that God the Father alone is "Jehovah,"
the only true God; that Jesus Christ is Michael the archangel,
the first angelic being created by God; and that the Holy Spirit
is neither God nor a person, but rather Gods impersonal "active
force." Second, the subject of deity is a frequent
confrontational focus because both Jehovah's Witnesses and
Christians (at least those who like to witness to JWs) feel
confident and well-prepared to defend their stand and attack the
opposing viewpoint.