In last week’s post, I noted that in an article entitled “Appreciating Why the Messiah Was to Come,” the Watchtower makes the following claim:
“The most important reason why God’s Son came to earth was not to save mankind. Rather, it was to settle the slanderous issues raised by Satan with regard to Jehovah’s sovereignty.”
Let’s discuss what the Watchtower means by that second sentence.
What “slanderous issues” did Satan raise “with regard to Jehovah’s sovereignty”? Continue reading
Although the Watchtower teaches that Jesus made the “ransom sacrifice,” in an article entitled “Appreciating Why the Messiah Was to Come,” the Watchtower makes the following claim:
“The most important reason why God’s Son came to earth was not to save mankind. Rather, it was to settle the slanderous issues raised by Satan with regard to Jehovah’s sovereignty.”
In a later post, I will explain what they mean by their second sentence and the issue of “Jehovah’s sovereignty.”
For now, I want to discuss the first sentence—specifically, the Watchtower’s contention that saving the lost was not the most important reason why God the Father sent Jesus into the world. Continue reading
The Watchtower teaches, “Jesus was the first one to be ‘born again’. This was in harmony with God’s rule concerning his Son: ‘that he might become the one who is first in all things.’ When was Jesus ‘born again’? At the time of his human birth? No, but rather thirty years later, at the time of his baptism A.D. 29.” (The Watchtower, “Who Are Born Again?”, 11/15/54, p. 682)
I discuss the new birth extensively in Chapter 10 of my book, Getting Through to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
There, I offer recommendations as to how to engage Jehovah’s Witnesses on this crucial topic.
In this post, I want to give you a brief overview of the Watchtower’s misconception about Jesus being born again, and to explain what I believe is at stake. Continue reading
Thus far in this series, we have examined Watchtower misconceptions about the nature of Jesus.
Now we move on to look at its misconceptions about Jesus’ earthly ministry. Continue reading
As we have seen in previous posts, the Watchtower insists that “the ransom sacrifice” had to be provided by “a perfect man—nothing more, nothing less—and the exact counterpart of the once perfect Adam.” Only this way could Jesus give “‘himself a corresponding ransom for all,’ that is, for all of sinner Adam’s imperfect offspring. (1 Tim. 2:5, 6).” (The Watchtower, “Appreciating the Salvation of Our God,” 8/1/73, p. 465)
On page 50 of its book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, the Watchtower states its position:
How did Jehovah provide the ransom? He sent one of his perfect spirit sons to the earth. But Jehovah did not send just any spirit creature. He sent the one most precious to him, his only-begotten Son.” (Read 1 John 4:9, 10). Willingly, this Son left his heavenly home. (Philippians 2:7) As we learned in the preceding chapter of this book, Jehovah performed a miracle when he transferred the life of this Son to the womb of Mary. By means of God’s holy spirit, Jesus was born as a perfect human and was not under the penalty of sin.—Luke 1:35.
As I noted last week, the clear implication of this statement is that Jehovah could have chosen one of any number of obedient angels to come as a man and make the atonement (“ransom”) for our sins.
Today, I’ll go even further. Continue reading
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