SHORT CHRISTIAN READINGS SELECTED FOR FORMER JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
Outline: Is Jesus Christ God?
By Tom McGovern
(edited)
1. For how many true Gods does the Bible allow? (Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:39; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
2. Who is referred to in scripture as "Lord of Lords"? (Deuteronomy 10:17; 1 Timothy 6:15)
Is any other identification of the "one Lord" or "Lord of Lords" made in scripture?
Can two different individuals (Jehovah and Jesus) both be "Lord of Lords"? (Luke 2:11; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Jude 4; Revelation 17:14; 19:16)
3. Who is our only Owner and Lord? (Jude 4)
How many Lords do Christians have? (Ephesians 4:5,6; 1 Corinthians 8:6)
Note: Jehovah's Witnesses will often refer to 1 Corinthians 8:6 to assert that only the Father is God. But under such reasoning, Jehovah would not be Lord, since the same verse refers to "one Lord, Jesus Christ". Yet Watchtower doctrine teaches that Jehovah is the supreme Lord. In fact, the Father and the Son are both Lord and God. In his letters, however, Paul often uses the convention of referring to the Father as "God" and the Son as "Lord".
If Jesus is our only Lord, and our only Lord is called God, what does that tell us about Jesus?
4. Who is our Savior? (1 Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:3; 3:4)
Is there another Savior besides Jehovah? (Isaiah 43:11; 45:21; 49:26; 60:16; Hosea 13:4)
Is Jesus called our Savior? (John 4:42; Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; 3:6)
Is there another Savior besides Jesus? (Acts 4:12)
If Jehovah is the only Savior, and Jesus is the only Savior, who must Jesus be?
5. Who alone can forgive sin? (Exodus 34:6, 7; Numbers 14:18; Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21)
Does Jesus have power to forgive sins? If so, who must He be? (Mark 2:5-12; Luke 5:20-25)
6. Who is the Creator of all things? (Isaiah 48:13; Ephesians 3:9)
Did Jehovah have an assistant in creating all things? (Isaiah 44:24)
What part did Jesus play in creation? (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-18)
If Jehovah was the only Creator, and Jesus is shown to be the Creator, Who must Jesus be?
7. Who created the earth and heavens, according to Psalm 102:24-27?
To Whom are these same words applied at Hebrews 1:10-12?
What does that tell us about the identity of Jesus?
8. Are Christians to prostrate themselves* or do obeisance* to any god other than Jehovah? (Exodus 34:14)
* Note: These meanings are carried by the word translated "worship", according to Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries: shaw-khaw': A primitive root; to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God): - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.
Is obeisance to be done to Jesus? (Matthew 14:33; 28:16,17; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:11-14)
If Jesus is only a lesser "god", as Jehovah's Witnesses believe, would not such obeisance rendered to him constitute idolatry?
9. Who alone knows the hearts of men? (1 Kings 8:39)
What do the scriptures tell us about Jesus in this regard? (Revelation 2:23; Matthew 9:4; 12:25; Luke 6:8; 9:47)
If only Jehovah knows men's hearts, what does this tell us about Jesus?
10. What does the Bible tell us about the Name of Jesus? (Acts 4:12; John 14:13-14; Acts 4:7-10, 30; Ephesians 1:21)
Of whom are Christians to be witnesses? (Acts 1:8)
Is there any name greater than that of Jesus? (Philippians 2:9-11)
Would that include the name, Jehovah?
In view of the above scriptures, should Christians be Jehovah's witnesses, or should they be witnesses of Jesus?
11. Whose glory did Isaiah see? (Isaiah 6:1-5)
To whom is this vision of Jehovah's glory applied in John 12:37-41?
Will Jehovah share His glory with anyone? (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11)
Does Jesus share in Jehovah's glory? (John 12:45; 17:5)
12. Whose way was to be prepared by the prophesied "messenger", the "voice crying in the wilderness"?
(Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1)
Who fulfilled this prophecy?
Whose way did he actually prepare? (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:1-3; Luke 3:2-6)
13. Whom did Zechariah foretell would be sold for thirty pieces of silver? (Zechariah 11:12, 13)
NOTE: Matthew attributes Zechariah's prophecy to Jeremiah. Some commentators state that in ancient times, the book of Jeremiah was placed in first order among the prophets, and that the entire "book of the prophets" may have been referred to by Jeremiah's name. Another possibility is a transcription error in an early manuscript of Matthew.
Upon Whom was this prophecy fulfilled? (Matthew 26:14-16; 27:9)
14. Whom did Zechariah predict would be "pierced"? (Zechariah 12:10; note verse 4 to determine Who is speaking)
Upon Whom was this prophecy fulfilled, according to John? (John 19:37)
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Diety of Jesus Christ Outline
By David Finton
Is Jesus divine? Or is He the first and greatest creature created by God? This outline summarizes what the Bible has to say about the deity of Christ. The Bible consistently presents Jesus as God the Son; in some places Jesus is directly called God, but in many other places He is described by titles or actions which belong exclusively to God. The philosophical understanding of the deity of Christ is difficult. But there is no reason for us to assume that the nature of God would be completely understandable by finite and limited human minds. When The Bible presents God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we should bear in mind that the father-son relationship is probably only an approximate human picture of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, just as other Biblical passages describe God in human terms.
Note that the individual persons of the Godhead may have separate roles while still being of equal worth and being equally God. This is no more contradictory than the idea of male headship in a marriage or the submission of a US citizen to his president, since, in both examples, the persons involved may be equals in every way except that one agrees to submit to the leadership of the other. Philippians 2:5-11 exhorts us to emulate Christ's humility, since even though He is God, He submitted to the Father and gave up His divine rights for a time, in order to die on a cross to reconcile us to Himself (see also Titus 2:14). Another N.T. example of Christ as servant is Luke 22:27, where He washes the disciples' feet. Clearly, taking the role of a servant here does not make Jesus inferior to the disciples!
The following are verses which I've looked up, gathered from my own word studies of the Bible and from other sources. I've used the NAS Bible throughout this study; any typos or other errors are mine. I've chosen to render the divine name YHWH (which most English translations render "LORD" in capital letters) as Yahweh.
1. Names of Jesus
Immanuel, Emmanuel -- literally "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:21-23)
The righteous Branch -- called "the LORD our righteousness" (LORD = Yahweh) (Jeremiah 23:5,6)
Eternal Father (Isaiah 9:6)
Lord of glory -- 1 Cor 2:8
2. Jesus called God
"and the Word was God" (John 1:1, 1:14) Note: compare with 1:18, which is also correctly translated as "God," not "a God." These must be translated consistently.
"the only begotten God" (John 1:18) -- (the Greek word used is THEOS)
Jesus accepts Thomas' acclamation: "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28)
God calls him "O God" (Hebrews 1:8)
Jesus' shed blood called God's blood (Acts 20:28)
All the fullness of Deity in bodily form (Colossians 2:9)
"our God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1)
Jesus is "the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20)
Jesus applies to Himself words praising Yahweh in Psalm 8:2 --- "Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast prepared praise for Thyself" (Matthew 21:16)
3. Jesus is worshipped
No other gods than Yahweh
There is no God other than Yahweh -- Deut 4:35
"See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me" -- Deut 32:39
There is none like Yahweh, and no God besides Him -- 2 Samuel 7:22
Yahweh declares: "Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and there is no savior besides Me." -- Isaiah 43: 10-11
"And there is no other God besides Me," -- Isaiah 45:5,21,22
Note that the Bible commands us to worship God alone:
First of the 10 Commandments -- Exodus 20:3-5
God is one; fear and worship Yahweh only -- Deuteronomy 6:4, 6:13-15;
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13 in Matthew 4:10: "For it is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'"
Yahweh of hosts is the one you should fear -- Isaiah 8:13-15
God will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11),
but He does give it to Christ (John 17:5)
Jesus worshipped by ...
... the wise men (Matthew 2:11)
... the disciples in the boat (Matthew 14:33)
... the women at the empty tomb (Matthew 28:10)
... the disciples at His ascension (Matthew 28:17) (Note in the Great Commission that the "name" of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is singular -- Matthew 28:19)
... the man born blind, who Jesus healed (John 9:38)
... all God's angels (Hebrews 1:6)
Worship of God's angelic messengers prohibited -- Rev 19:10, 22:8,9
Herod killed because he didn't give God the glory -- Acts 2:20-23 4.
Jesus/God everlasting
Note that any created being must have been created at some time; that is, there was a time when it did not exist. Therefore, to exist from eternity past is a mark of divinity.
Jesus:
His goings forth from the days of eternity -- Micah 5:2
Called "everlasting Father" -- Isaiah 9:6
The Alpha and the Omega -- Rev 1:8, 22:13
The first and the last -- Rev 1:17, 22:13
The beginning and the end" -- Rev 22:13
Yahweh:
"I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He." -- Isaiah 41:4
"I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me" -- Isaiah 44:6
"I am He, I am the first, I am also the last." -- Isaiah 48:12
God enthroned: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" -- Rev 21:5-7
Note: Although Jesus is from all eternity, His earthly body is not -- Hebrews 10:5-10 5.
Jesus/God the creator God:
Yahweh created man -- Gen 2:7
Yahweh of hosts created heaven and earth -- Isaiah 37:16 Note: This verse says He is the God alone, of all the kingdoms
The Almighty gives me life -- Job 33:4
Yahweh created the heavens, all their host -- Psalm 33:6-9
The creator is the Everlasting God, Yahweh -- Isaiah 40:28
Yahweh alone is the maker of all things; He stretched out the heavens by Himself, and spread out the earth all alone -- Isaiah 44:24
Yahweh, Who created the heavens: "He is the God who formed the earth," and says "I am the LORD, and there is none else." -- Isaiah 45:18-22
One God created us -- Malachi 2:10
God enthroned: "For Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed and were created." -- Rev 4:11
Jesus:
All things that were created were created through Christ -- John 1:3
The world was made through Him -- John 1:10
All things created by Him and for Him -- Colossians 1:15-17 -- including everything in the heavens and earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities
The heavens and earth are the work of His hands -- Heb 1:10-12 Note: This passage describes the Son in the words of Psalm 102:25-27, which refer to Yahweh.
6. Jesus/God the King (of Kings)
Jesus, the Anointed King -- Psalm 2:4-12
He will reign forever on David's throne and over his kingdom -- Isaiah 9:7
Called the righteous Branch, reigns as king -- Jeremiah 23:5,6
The Son of Man given a kingdom, glory, everlasting dominion. He is served by all peoples and nations. -- Daniel 7:14
Zion/Jerusalem's king coming on a donkey - Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:5
Gabriel announces that Jesus will reign over Israel forever -- Luke 1:32,33
Jesus is king -- Matthew 25:34,40, Luke 19:38
Jesus is the King of Israel -- John 1:49,50
Jesus confesses that He is the King of the Jews -- Luke 23:3, John 18:37, John 19:21
Jesus is "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" -- 1 Tim 6:15
Jesus, the Lamb, is "Lord of lords and King of kings" -- Rev 17:14
Jesus has written on His robe and on His thigh, "king of kings and lord of lords" -- Rev 19:16
Yahweh is Lord of lords -- Deut 10:17
The LORD Most High is King over all the earth -- Psalm 47:2
Yahweh of hosts is the King, Whom Isaiah saw -- Isaiah 6:5 Note: The reference in John 12:41 appears to identify this as Christ
Yahweh of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem -- Isaiah 24:23
Yahweh is King of Israel -- Isaiah 43:15, 44:6
Yahweh is the everlasting King -- Jeremiah 10:10
Yahweh will be king over all the earth -- Zechariah 14:9 7.
Jesus/God the Judge
God:
"For God will bring every act to judgment" -- Ecclesiastes 12:14
The day of judgment is called the day of Yahweh -- Joel 2:31-3:2 (See also Isaiah 2:12, 13:9-13, Jeremiah 46:10, 2 Peter 3:7-10)
God judges: 2 Peter 2:4-11
Jesus:
Jesus enthroned in glory, judges the nations -- Matthew 25:31-46
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." -- John 5:22-30
We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ -- 2 Cor 5:10
Jesus judges -- 2 Thess 1:7-12
8. Jesus/God our Savior/Redeemer
God:
The Most High God is Rock and Redeemer -- Psalm 78:34,35
"They forgot God their Savior" -- Psalm 106:21
Yahweh is Savior -- Isaiah 43:3-11 Note verse 11: "I, even I, am the LORD; and there is no savior besides Me."
Yahweh: "And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me." -- Isaiah 45:21
Our Redeemer is the LORD of hosts -- Isaiah 44:6, 47:4, 55:8
Yahweh is your Savior -- Isaiah 49:26
Maker, Yahweh of hosts, Redeemer, Holy One, called God of all the earth -- Isaiah 54:5
Mary rejoices in "God my Savior" -- Luke 1:47
Our hope is fixed on "the living God, who is the Savior of all men" -- 1 Tim 4:10 (See also 1 Tim 1:1-3 -- "Jesus our hope")
Glory "to the only God our Savior" -- Jude 1:25
Jesus:
Christ proclaimed as Savior by the angels -- Luke 2:10,11
Testified of as Savior of the world -- John 4:40-42
We "wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" -- Philippians 3:20
Sent to be the Savior of the world -- 1 John 4:14
Bore our sins in His body on the cross ... that we may return to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls -- 1 Peter 2:24-25
(Listed above: 2 Peter 1:1 -- "our God and Savior, Jesus Christ")
"God our Savior ... Christ Jesus our Savior" -- Titus 1:1-4
"God our Savior ... our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds." -- Titus 2:10-14
9. Jesus/God the Rock
God:
Yahweh is the Rock -- Deut 32:1-4
Yahweh is the only God, and the only Rock -- 2 Samuel 22:32, Isaiah 44:8
God is my rock -- Psalm 18:2, 31:3, 78:34-35
The rock of my salvation -- Psalm 89:26
Yahweh of hosts is sanctuary and rock to stumble over -- Isaiah 8:13-15
God is our salvation and the rock of our refuge -- Isaiah 17:10
In Yahweh we have an everlasting Rock -- Isaiah 26:4
Jesus:
Jesus is the cornerstone -- Isaiah 28:16, Acts 4:10,11, Ephesians 2:20
Christ was the spiritual rock which followed the Israelites -- 1 Cor 10:4
Jesus is both the cornerstone and the rock to stumble over -- 1 Peter 2:4-8. Note the reference to Isaiah 8:14, which refers to Yahweh, the rock to stumble over.
10. Who raised Christ?
God:
Christ raised from the dead by the glory of the Father -- Romans 6:4
God the Father raised Jesus from the dead -- Galations 1:1
Jesus:
"Destroy this temple [His body, verse 2:21], and in three days I will raise it up." -- John 2:19
"I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." -- John 10:17-18
12. Whose witnesses?
Yahweh: "You are My witnesses" -- Isaiah 43:10, 44:8
Jesus: "you shall be My witnesses" -- Acts 1:8
And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
"To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, Be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshipped. -- Revelation 5:11-14