How your conversation will likely go with a Jehovah's Witness.
The Videos… they have all seen them. The videos that they have seen are like when you start a new job and watch these old, poor quality, cheesy DVDs (or VHS) about how your job is performed safely. You’re sitting in the room alone for three hours and fifteen minutes, watching everyone in their PPE do the wrong things and then the right things, so you can know the difference between them. Anyone who has worked at Wal-Mart, or a factory, or is a heavy equipment operator knows exactly what “the videos” look and sound like.
Jehovah’s Witnesses (Hereafter, JWs) must go through a similar situation because their responses to my questions and challenges is exactly the same, often verbatim, every time. I have to assume that they have all seen the same video. I have not seen the videos myself, but I definitely seem to have a cumulative case for believing that they exist. Granted, this group of JWs I'm referring to are the mentors of the two people that show up at your door. They are not all novice JWs. These hypothetical videos must teach that there are several things that Christians will say in defense of Jesus being God or in defense of the doctrine of the Trinity... Their response is learned in the videos.
Feel free to click the link below for a satirical example of training videos:
Depending on where it starts...
I have heard people say that it is wrong to discuss the Trinity or that Jesus is God, right off the bat with a JW because it might create barriers between you and them, but sadly, I find that the barriers are already up, no matter what approach is taken. They already are on the defense. This is something also taught in the video. I find that they ask you if you go to church or what religion you are, early on in the conversation, or perhaps what you think about Jesus. Once it is discovered that you are a Christian, they strap on their weapons, which we’ll get to discussing in a moment.
Jesus is God
Since their guard is already up, it seems good to not beat around the bush. John 1:1-3 seems to me to be the strongest in-your-face kind of argument to a JW when dealing with the training video material:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made…”[1]
Since they will ignore your Christian Bible translation of John 1:1, let’s focus on John 1:3. If we talk about this verse with JWs and stick to it, I think ultimately, it deeply bothers them (which is honestly what we are looking for. We want them to dwell on this for as long as possible and through our prayer for them, hopefully they will begin to see the truth). Cracking open a coconut or an ostrich egg begins with a small wound. We want this conversation to echo in their ears for as long as possible. This is what is meant by, “Planting a seed of doubt” or, “Putting a stone in their shoe.” We want this to deeply bother them, and the only way it seems to do that is by controlling the conversation is a specific manner. Hold on to John 1:3.
John says about Jesus in the JW translation of the Bible, which is called the New World Translation (NWT), “All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.”[2]
It is clear that in these two different translations mentioned, one from the NIV earlier in this article, and the one immediately above from the NWT, that they both share the same idea: That Everything came into existence through Jesus, and without Him, nothing came into existence.
JWs teach that Jesus is a created being, but this verse tells us, even in their “Bible” that “without Him, nothing came into existence.” Does this also include Jesus Himself? According to what JWs teach and what this verse says, Jesus would have had to create Himself, which is clearly absurd.
JWs will agree with you that the word, “Word” (logos λόγος, in Greek) used in verse one, refers to Jesus. JWs who have seen the videos will try to take you to Colossians 1, and say that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15 ESV). They bring you to this verse because they believe that there is a contradiction in what you are saying of John 1:3, and what they are saying of Colossians 1:15. The first problem is, we don't need another book to decipher what John means by verse three. The context of verses one through three give no other understanding, even though the perverted NWT changes the translation of the Greek in verse one, to the idea that Jesus was “a” god.
Ultimately, they are ripping two texts out of context and smashing them together. They might as well be cutting and pasting Bible verses. In the context of Colossians, the firstborn is a title of rank. Psalm 89:27 uses it the same way, confirming the title of rank: “And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” In this passage, God is calling King David His firstborn. What could this possibly mean? Wouldn’t Adam be God’s firstborn? It means that David is a man after God’s own heart. It was an ancient term of endearment and power. It means that David (to use a modern term) was God’s favorite.
It does not mean that Jesus was born before all other things that were created. John 1:1-3 explicitly argues against this. In the beginning was the Word... This means that in the beginning of time, the Word already existed. The Word is referring to Jesus as we can see in John 1:14, which says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” This verse teaches us that Jesus became a man and came to earth.
I want you to be aware of this hypothetical video, because by knowing such, you will be able to predict their responses with accuracy. They will try to argue using a bunch weapons, which I briefly mentioned early on above, which are like bullets being shot at you. For instance, I have been fired upon by a JW with a 30-round magazine of Bible verses several times, all ripped out of context, and listed as if I should look them all up out of their context. This is what I mean when I say that they will shoot you with Bible verses. They saw the videos. This is all that is in their armory, the fact that they know some Bible references well. When they panic in a conversation because they see that they are backed into a corner, I find that they just spit these out as fast as possible with no explanation following them.
Given enough time, they will most likely brag about how many years or how many hours a week that they have been in Bible study, and if they haven’t yet mentioned it in your conversation, it is because you haven’t given it enough time. Seriously, you can count on this. They use this “time spent in Bible study” as an appeal to authority, but truly, if what is being studied is wrong, then what is the outcome?
Often in your conversation They will give you some verses to chew on and say that they are genuinely interested in what you have to say about them, which is one of their tactics in getting you to fight back. The emphasis is that they pretend to seek your wise council or your help. What I suggest in this article is that you stick to John 1:3. They won’t be able to give you (or their self) a satisfying answer. Say things like, “I will get to those verses once we can get beyond John 1:3.” “If we cannot get past this one little verse, then why would we proceed with other ones?”
It also seems that there is a lot of confusion for a JW when trying to describe the Trinity. They look at it as three gods. When you say that Jesus is “God” they think that you are saying that Jesus is “The Father,” which is not what you mean. They think of the word “God” and “Father” interchangeably. But this is not how it works. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). This can help them understand better what you mean, but I often find that this is what the videos teach them. That God is the Father and that the father (Jehovah) is God. Which is half true. God is not only the Father. They believe that Jesus is not God, and that the Holy Spirit is not God. Christians disagree with this. Jesus is God. Jesus is not the Father. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is not Jesus, etc. Jesus does not pray to Himself in John 17, which JWs have a hard time with as well. Knowing where they are coming from might help your conversation.
I think this is all that really needs to be said about the Trinity here, because it is hard enough to get them to understand that Jesus is God in the flesh. Focus on John 1:3 and be in control of the conversation. “I just can’t get past this verse.” “I don’t understand why we need to go to another book to understand what this verse means in its own context.” “Do you consult one history book to understand what another history book means?” It seems that if they acknowledge that Jesus is God, then they are on the right track.
I get that there are some things in cross Bible references that we can use for clarity, such as missing elements in a historical narrative or support for another verse, but John 1:1-3 is teaching doctrine. It is not only simply moving the story along. There is a huge purpose in this passage (namely, that the reader understands that Jesus is God). It is a complete passage. In contrast, when Paul tells the Corinthians “Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?”[3] This is something that is mentioned in the letter, but is not elaborated on. It is only mentioned once in the entire New Testament, and we cannot know with absolute certainty what Paul meant. Some explanations are much more likely than others, but with the John 1:1-3 passage, the context is directly explained, which is why it is so hard for JWs to get past. Stick to your one bullet. Everything fired on you will be a dud or a miss.
In any event, “…Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
What common behaviors and tactics have you seen from your conversations with JWs?
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus
© Nace Howell, 2023
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