PART 2
by
Tom and Ella McCrea

   The Watchtower magazine of January 15, 1992 printed a four page article aimed solely at stripping Jesus of His divinity.
   In the last issue of Concern Tom and Ella McCrea continued their examination of this article and asked what Scriptural proof, if any, the Watch Tower Society, presented to its readers to back up its claims.
   We print the third part of their findings below.
   THE next section (page 21 of this Watchtower) has the heading “Do not read too much into Bible texts”.
   However a more accurate title would be “Do not accept what the Bible says!”
   Genesis 1:26 is discussed. “Let us make man in our image” ......no mention is made of verse 27, “So God created man in his own image” Also Genesis 5:1.    We know God could not have been speaking to a created angel as JWs are led to believe. There can be no comparison between Creator and creature as he said “in our image”.
   The article speaks of Jesus as God’s Master Worker as if Jesus helped in creation. However the Watchtower teaching is that the Father is Creator and that Jesus was not even co-creator. (See Watchtower publication “Insight on the Scriptures” volume 2, page 52.)

Baptism

   There follows a discussion of Jesus’ baptism account and the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19. We are told JWs recognise Jehovah (father) as Almighty God, Jesus as the Messiah and ransom, and the holy spirit as God’s active force to which they must submit.
   Oddly, in recent years, JWs at their baptism do not pledge allegiance to submit to the Holy Spirit but rather to a spirit directed organisation (i.e. the Watchtower Organisation). In this same Watchtower magazine 15/1/92, page 29, JWs are told “Christians must stick close to their celestial parents, Jehovah and his wife-like organisation.” On page 12 Jesus is described as “the happiest creature of the Creator of the whole universe.”
   So JWs, rather then accepting the plain formula of Matthew 28:19, 20 are baptised in the name of God, of a creature and an organisation!

Miracles

   Jesus’ miracles are next discussed and we are told they were no different from miracles performed by men.
   It is true that men were able to do miracles by God’s power and in Jesus name (Acts 3:6; 16 etc.) but there were so many things Jesus said and did that set Him apart.

• He could read men’s hearts - something only God can do. John 1:47,48, Luke 9: 47 1Kings 8:39
• He could control nature. Mark 4:39-41; Psalms 89: 8-9
• He spoke as the Lord. Matthew 5:43,44
• He claimed oneness with the Father. John 10:28-30
• He forgave sins. Mark 2:5, 7
• He accepted worship. Luke 24: 52

   Next we are told, even though Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus Mighty God, we must not believe he is God. (Note: The Watchtower's own New World Translation does not say “mighty god”). So rather then JWs having one God - they have one Almighty God and one Mighty God, the latter becoming “a god” in their New Testament.
   The Bible says in Isaiah 43:10 concerning God - “Before me there was no God formed (Hebrew “yatsar” - same word as used of God forming man - Genesis 2:7) neither shall there be after me.”
   The simple truth here expressed is that, contrary to Watchtower teaching, God never created any god to come after him. Men make gods, worshipping these and calling upon them for help. But God condemns such worship, He does not tolerate sharing worship of himself with any god. The Bible knows nothing of relative worship! 1 Kings 18:21, Exodus 20:5 NWT.
   Yet this Watchtower says the Word was “a god” created by Jehovah (the Father) and that Jehovah produced human gods mentioned at Psalm 82: 6,7.
   Psalm 82 is referring to human judges - the same word “Elohim” is used at Exodus 22:8,9. These judges as a body represented God. As such they were to be respected and obeyed but were never worshipped. Compare Romans 13:1-7 with Exodus 22:8,9.
   Often human magistrates, mayors and such are addressed as “your worship”. In court they are respected and the court stands when the judge enters. But none of these men are worshipped. They are human, fallible. Only God inherits the nations and exercises true judgement, Psalm 28:8; John 5:22: 1 Timothy 4:8.

Continued in the next issue of

Click here to read PART ONE of this series.