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Defending Christianity against Jehovah’s Witnesses

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Defending Christianity against Jehovah’s Witnesses
Using much of their “bible” to refute them
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (NIV 1 Peter 3:15).
In other words, LOVE THEM.


Jehovah’s Witnesses                                       Biblical Truths
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity.

J.Ws. believe that Jesus was a “little god” (lower case g).





J.Ws. believe in a different “Jesus” because of the NWT accounts.


J.Ws. call themselves “Christians.”









J.Ws. believe Jesus is not to be worshiped.



J.Ws. believe that Jesus was once, and is again, Michael the archangel.
Genesis 1:26 says, “Let Us create man in Our image...” (Even in the NWT the wording is similar; see also Isaiah 6:8).

Read John 1:1 (their bible says Jesus is “a” god). Ask them, “is Jesus a true God?” They will not say “He is a false god” but might say He is a “little god” or something to that nature. Then show them Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

If Jesus were the being that J.Ws. described (i.e. like an angel, not God, etc.), would that make Jesus able to become an atonement for sin? For one thing, The Gospel does not describe Jesus in this manner. Jews in Jesus’ time wanted to kill Him because He claimed to be the Son of God John 19:7). The Jews knew this was blasphemous, if it were not true. In other words, Claiming to be God’s Son is claiming deity (see John 10:30).
“προσεκύνησαν” Means to “bow down and worship.” This is the word used in Matthew 2:2, 2:11 and 14:33. NWT translates this as “obeisance” which means “to pay respect” as in “curtsy.”

Thomas, in John 20:28 blurts out to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” If Thomas were wrong in this act of worship, Jesus would have corrected him sharply.

Jude verse 9 shows that Michael can’t rebuke the devil, but in Matthew 4:10, Jesus can.
Daniel 10:13 is used by J.Ws. to show that Michael is a chief prince, but Revelation 19:16 reveals that Jesus is above princes.
Hebrews 1:5-8 reveals that Jesus is above angels (see more below).
The goal (at minimum) is to plant seeds of doubt

Definitions:
J.W(s). =Jehovah’s Witness (es)
NWT=New World Translation—which is the J.Ws. translation of the Bible that J.Ws. claim was translated by 5 “Greek scholars,” but no legitimate Koine (common) Greek scholar will agree the NWT is credible.

Other facts:
J.Ws. are often former Catholics, partially because they cannot understand the Trinity. They don’t think it is logical and therefore deem it impossible.
Much of this information can apply to assisting the refutation of other religions as well (Judaism for example).
J.Ws. are told to “avoid independent thinking” from the Watchtower Society.
J.Ws. Believe that Jesus was hung on a torture stake and not on a cross. This is refuted even in their own religion because the founder (Russell) and the leader that followed him (Rutherford) both wore crosses on their clothes. Not only that, but J.Ws. do not consider the crosses found in archaeological digs, such as in Pompeii—an ancient city frozen in time.
J.Ws. believe that the Watchtower Society is God’s prophet on earth. They believe that the Bible is not sufficient for a salvific message.
J.Ws. target people who have just had some kind of life trauma such as divorce or a death in the family or excommunication from family or church.

See also:
John 5:22-23; Acts 5:3-4, Paul calls he Holy Spirit “God;” Hebrews 1:5-8, Angels do not worship other angels, and God calls Jesus “God” in verse 10; “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15 or “beginning” in Revelation 3:14 (and other examples) means “head” in Greek. It is a title of rank as shown in Psalm 89:27; Jesus is no less than God in flesh (Colossians 1:17, 1:19, 2:9 [2:9 in the NWT incorrectly translates the Greek word θεότητος which means “deity” or “divine being” to meaning “divine quality”]); God has ordained government (Romans 13:1-7); Matthew 28:19; John 1:10, 10:30; Philippians 2:5-8. At the end of Acts chapter seven, Stephen prayed the prayer, that Jesus prayed to God, to Jesus. In other words, Stephen used Jesus' prayer that Jesus prayed while on the cross, only Stephen didn't pray this prayer to God, but to the Lord Jesus: "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep" (NIV Acts 7:59-60). We can Pray to Jesus, because He is God.

They will likely show you some of the following:
Colossians 1:15. their explanation is that Jesus was created, and not in existence as long as the Father.
Deuteronomy 6:4. “The Lord is one.” The Hebrew here is not Yachid, which means “only,” but it is Echad, which means “united.” (see Genesis 2:24 for similar use).
Daniel 10:13. As discussed above.
Jude 9. As discussed above.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 to them, means, that Jesus is Michael the archangel. Jesus is shown to be above angels in Hebrews 1:5-8.
They might ask you to get your Bible and point to the Tetragrammaton explanation in the preface of the Bible, indicating that your Bibles are very similar. This is one way of how they try to make you think that they aren’t much different than you and that they are “safe.”
They might also try to show you some of the first parts of the comparisons listed below.

Comparisons:
Have them read Isaiah 43:11, after they have finished, ask them who it is talking about. Then have them read Acts 4:12 and then ask them the same thing.
Have them read Isaiah 45:22-23 the subject matter is clear in this verse as it also is in Philippians 2:10-11, which is the next passage to be read: the implications are clear.

Dos and Don’ts:
Do focus on Jesus.
Do ask, “Where was Jehovah’s organization from the time between the apostles and the time of Charles T. Russell (J.W. founder)?
Be loving and gentle. Try to create an inviting and comfortable atmosphere.
Be prepared for their visit. Try reading over this information and the Bible references that are mentioned, in order to be familiar with the material.
Don’t tell them that you are “protestant” or “Baptist,” etc., but instead, tell them that you are “a believer in Jesus.”
Do take control of the conversation—using the Bible only. Maybe you could ask them if they would set the Watchtower literature aside for a week or so and let Jehovah talk to them through it exclusively.
Do invite them into your home. They are very nice and professional people than can be trusted. They are just severely misled.
Don’t accept their literature. It gives them a false hope, and the desire is to win them to Christ.
Don’t be afraid that they will take over your life. They will usually only stay for a half of an hour or an hour at the most. Invite them back to talk. They are usually surprised that people even talk with them.
Do remember that if you don’t feel comfortable having them back again, you can gently make them leave and not come back if you say something like, “I feel that we have exhausted our conversations in our debates but I also want to thank you for your respect.”
Do look them in the eye when you speak. Often, there will be two of them together, one will be older and one will be younger. It can be a good idea to keep your focus more on the younger person while reading scripture that defies or refutes their logic. Remember; try to plant a seed of doubt.
Do remember that this is only a small portion of information regarding the refutation of and defense against Jehovah’s Witnesses. I encourage you to copy and paste this post for personal use and I also encourage you to study further, starting with reading the Word of God.

__________________________
Feel free to reply or ask questions to this post, or on the A&E facebook page 


Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus


© Nace Howell, 2022


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Comments

  1. Danny HaszardMarch 4, 2013 at 10:30 PM

    Jehovah's Witnesses are in *breach of the preach*.

    Jehovah's Witnesses proselytizing is a false Gospel. (Gal. 1:8)

    Straight up doctrinal facts on Jehovah Witness.
    The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach preach that Jesus had his return aka second coming October 1914,then they spin all sorts of doctrinal embellishments on that date.
    They teach only 144,000 go to heaven,on and on and on with made up man made dogmas……They have infighting,crime and child abuse as bad as any church out there.


    Jehovah’s Witnesses promotion of their Watchtower sect has the net effect of stumbling and turning people off to the real Gospel.
    Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte; and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Matt 23:15)
    -
    Danny Haszard born 3rd generation Jehovah's Witness
    *Tell the truth don't be afraid*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellMarch 24, 2013 at 9:42 PM

      Thanks Danny. You are correct. Like I implied in the article, there is so much more information such as with the year 1914 and the 144,000 in Revelation. I appreciate your willingness to comment.

      Delete
  2. Dr. Nace HowellMarch 5, 2013 at 12:04 PM

    Something that could also be taken into consideration is that at the end of Acts chapter seven, Stephen prayed the prayer, that Jesus prayed to God, to Jesus. In other words, Stephen used Jesus' prayer that Jesus prayed while on the cross, only Stephen didn't pray this prayer to God, but to the Lord Jesus: "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep" (NIV Acts 7:59-60). We can Pray to Jesus, because He is God.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Russian EagleMarch 5, 2013 at 5:14 PM

    I only was home one time when JWs showed up. They wanted to talk about the end times. It seemed they lost interest when I started talking about the Book of Revelation, basically telling me to have a nice day and moved on. Going after Catholics and nominal Christians, who have a limited knowledge of Scripture, may be more their cup of tea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellMarch 6, 2013 at 12:58 PM

      I have met those as well. I said to a J.W. once that I was a Christian, hoping that they would say they are too (which all of them do) and open up a window for discussion, but she said ok and kind of ran away. I also had another experience where I invited a J.W. back after a long discussion and we had a debate every Friday evening at 5:00 for about six months.

      Delete
    2. H GhostFebruary 17, 2017 at 7:00 PM

      Catholics have a very complete understanding of the bible, and at Mass read three texts every Sunday over a three year cycle, so nearly 500 reading in the cycle

      Delete
  4. stonyMarch 5, 2013 at 9:23 PM

    Very well said My friend, It brings joy to my heart to see that the truth is in you. Brothers in Christ, always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellMarch 6, 2013 at 1:00 PM

      Thanks for your encouragement and support. It is much appreciated, Mr. Ocean.

      Delete
  5. UnknownMay 18, 2014 at 12:25 AM

    I firmly agree with you in the area of preaching Christ to the lost of this world, however you make the suggestion of having these people who deny the true Christ therefore deny the only True God, back to your home, I am not sure how that works out as we have clear biblical instruction to not do so, 2nd John 7-11, what would be your view on this? Many thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellMay 18, 2014 at 5:01 AM

      Michael, that is a great question. This particular passage was talking about a traveler, who brought with them a philosophy or teaching that basically opposed the Christian doctrine. To "take them into your house or welcome them" meant that you should not provide them with support and hospitality. Many travelers (including Christians) back in the day relied on the hospitality of people they were teaching, etc. In other words, these travelers could not go on unless they had food and rest. It does not mean that you can't be in the comfort of your own home and contend for the faith (Jude 3). Does it suggest that when a J.W. comes to your house and if you want to contend, that you should go outside? I think a study of historical background is helpful here, which suggests that we are not to support them in a manner that keeps them going. If we invite them into our house solely to plant seeds of doubt, then we are not "taking them into our house or welcoming them," but practically the opposite. I hope this helps.

      Delete
  6. KarynJune 14, 2017 at 6:27 AM

    I wish I had found this before this morning. I'm a pastor's wife and I'm never good at explaining my beliefs on the spot like I was in this morning. I was expecting a package and thought it was the postman! And of course it was two older women, which I have seen parked in front of my house many times before. I began unfortunately with my position in the house and explained I believed in the trinity, and that was mostly all I got out before they began to shut down. Thank you for posting this and keeping it available for people to use!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellJune 14, 2017 at 2:55 PM

      Karyn,

      Thank you for posting. Feel free to share this with your friends and also my page on Mormonism. Just click the title of the blog at the top of this page and you will have access to others articles. In any event, you can also follow the ATC facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ApologeticalAndTheologicalCommentary/
      Thanks again and God be with you and your husband in your ministries!

      Delete
  7. UnknownJuly 30, 2019 at 8:35 PM

    Nace, I like what you said
    To tell them that we are believers in Jesus Christ, instead of saying we ate protestant or baptist, etc..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dr. Nace HowellJuly 30, 2019 at 8:46 PM

      Yes, thank you! I think it is important to focus on Jesus in our encounters with everyone, but especially with those who claim to already know Him, but actually don't.

      Delete

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