We move in our series from Watchtower misconceptions regarding Jesus’ earthly ministry to its misconceptions about Jesus and salvation.
If you ask Jehovah’s Witnesses to explain their understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice, most of them will focus on Adam’s sin rather than on their own sins. 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
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
According to the Watchtower, Jesus was “a perfect man—nothing more, nothing less—and the exact counterpart of the once perfect Adam.” (The Watchtower, “Appreciating the Salvation of Our God,” 8/1/73, p. 465)
Adam was created perfect and sinless and placed in a garden paradise, yet in a short time he failed miserably.
Jesus was born into a sin-infested world.
If, as the Watchtower claims, Jesus wasn’t God in human flesh, there would be constant risks that he might fail as well. Continue reading
Consider the importance of this issue.
In John 10:11-14, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…”
If the Watchtower is right, then Jehovah sat safely in heaven and selected someone else to become a man and die a horrendous death to atone for our sins.
But if we are right, then God himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, personally came and bore the consequences of his own righteous wrath against sin in order to save us.
The Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 himself came to earth and gave his life for the sheep.
That’s a big difference! Continue reading
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