Yesterday two Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door (Bryce and Justin) and we had a wonderful conversation. First, I thanked them for their service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for sharing about Him door to door. When they heard that we had ‘Littles’ at home they showed me some kids videos they offer on their JW website to teach little one’s about God and Who He can be in their lives. I let them know that I did not have time and instead asked them what makes Jehovah’s Witnesses separate from other Bible believing churches? Do they believe that the Bible is ‘the Word of God’, without error, complete, and sufficient for us here on earth?
They didn’t really answer the first question but emphatically said Yes to my second. So then I inquired about what scriptures they could point me to that uphold their belief that God the Father and Jesus Christ are distinct individuals rather than the doctrine that they are indeed One God with 3 functions (the Trinity)? They led me to 3 areas of scripture:
- John 3:16 – God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.
- Colossians 1:15 – He (Jesus) is the firstborn of all creation [therefore being ‘Created’]
- The Shema Prayer – Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41
- The point of the Shema prayer being that God (the One True God) is to alone be worshipped and served.
I was so thankful for their supporting scripture and although I had many places in the bible where it is clear that Jesus is God (if you know Me, you know the Father), God the Father is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; I pointed them to 1 verse -> Galatians 2:20 which I quoted for them so I could quickly ask them this important question.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 [ESV]
So, asked them – If I observe the Shema Prayer, how can I also hold true to Galatians 2:20? I just simply stated that the Doctrine of the Trinity is TRUTH as it is supported through the whole of scripture. As you can see, I cannot take Deuteronomy 6:4 (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”) and Galatians 2:20 as conflicting truths. They in fact help me understand the Doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not see Jesus as the One True God, then you are missing out on a HUGE aspect of the power of God, our freedom, and security in the Almighty God.
As far as Colossians 1:15 is concerned, this is a common reinforcing verse for the JWs. The problem is that if you look at the context of what Paul is saying, he is in fact trying to refute what the false teachers had come in saying about Jesus. The words used for ‘first born’ are used elsewhere in the bible and they always have to do with pre-eminence…not a temporal (point of time) statement. Jesus is over everything because ‘He existed’ before anything else was created…and He did the creating. Paul is actually reinforcing Jesus’ as God Himself.
Justin said that he would like to come back by and drop off some other material supporting their position. I thanked him and told them I look forward to more wonderful conversation.