Tag: John 3:10

The New Birth Provides an Inner Transformation

In last week’s post, I made the following points:

  1. If Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus about the need to be born again was a totally new teaching that 144,000 people would receive spirit bodies when they die and go to heaven (which the Watchtower says he meant), he wouldn’t have expected Nicodemus to understand that already.
  2. Yet in John 3:10 Jesus chided Nicodemus because he didn’t understand was Jesus meant by the new birth or his need to have this experience.
  3. Therefore, Jesus must have meant something quite different what the Watchtower says.
  4. Jesus was indicating that all human beings need a spiritual rebirth, an inner transformation by the Holy Spirit, in order to meet Jehovah’s righteous standards.
  5. That’s something he would expect an Old Testament scholar like Nicodemus to understand.

If you make such a claim, most likely Jehovah’s Witnesses will ask you why you think an Old Testament scholar would understand such a thing. Take them to two Old Testament passages that teach this. (p. 131) Continue reading

The New Birth Approach

Key Scripture: “In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’.” (John 3:3)

 The objective of The New Birth Approach is to show Jehovah’s Witnesses that the new birth involves an inner transformation of a person by the Holy Spirit and is the only way by which anyone can obtain eternal life.

 The challenge

 If the Watchtower’s two-class salvation system were only a matter of location—whether all Christians will go to heaven or whether most of them will live forever in paradise on earth—the topic would be of little practical significance. However, because of the Watchtower’s erroneous teachings, the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the new birth and the new covenant are not for them. Continue reading

Using Statements Followed by Questions

23 Statements Followed by QuestionsWhen I recommend Student Role Teaching, you may be asking, “Are you saying I should never tell Jehovah’s Witnesses what I believe and why?”

No, sometimes you have to do that in order to get your point across.

But if you aren’t careful, you will come across as trying to take over their “rightful” role as teachers. You’ll arouse opposition, and the Witnesses may decide to stop meeting with you. That’s bad—you want to get through to them, not to drive them away.

So what can you do?

Follow your statements immediately with questions asking the Witnesses for their input.

There are a number of phrases that I’ve found helpful in doing this. Continue reading

Pin Them Down

20 PinGood investigators know that before you confront a witness with an inconsistency, you first have to pin them down to their basic story.

Otherwise, they just wriggle off the hook.

A similar principle applies in getting through to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Continue reading

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