When we are discussing faith and works with Jehovah’s Witnesses, we need to be aware of the Watchtower’s proof texts and have good stone-in-the-shoe responses.

In addition to citing James in support of their doctrine that salvation requires both faith and works, the Watchtower also uses partial quotations from both Matthew 10:22 and Philippians 2:12.

The best way to deal with partial quotations is to ask stone-in-the-shoe questions that will require the Witnesses to discuss the entire passages in context.

Instead of arguing with the Witnesses, ask them to read the entire text aloud.

Bring out the contexts of the passages through your questions.

Discussing Matthew 10:22

 In the Watchtower’s New World Translation, Matthew 10:22 reads: “…the one who has endured to the end will be saved.”

Witnesses have been taught that Jesus’ statement means that they have to endure suffering faithfully throughout their lives in order for God to consider them worthy to make it into Christ’s millennial kingdom.

Have them read the verse in the context, which is all of Matthew 10:16-23:

Look! I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; so prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men, for they will hand you over to local courts and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. However, when they hand you over, do not become anxious about how or what you are to speak, for what you are to speak will be given you in that hour; for the ones speaking are not just you, but it is the spirit of your Father that speaks by you. Further, brother will hand brother over to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. And you will be hated by all people on account of my name, but the one who has endured to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to you, you will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel until the Son of man arrives.

You can say:

  • It seems to me that this passage is talking about surviving the persecution of the tribulation, not talking about how we become righteous enough to obtain everlasting life.

 You can add:

  • In his statements about how we become righteous in God’s sight, Paul doesn’t mention endurance at all. 
  • Neither does James.
  • I’m not denying that the Bible talks about genuine faith producing patient endurance, because it does. 
  • What I’m saying is that I don’t see anywhere in scripture that endurance is a prerequisite to bring considered righteous before God and acceptable to him.

Discussing Philippians 2:12-13

Jehovah’s Witnesses often quote from Philippians 2:12: “…keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling…”

By using that partial quotation, the Watchtower gives the impression that we have to prove worthy of our salvation by our works and tremble in fear lest we fall short and get destroyed.

But that’s not what the passage is saying at all.

Let’s look at the broad context.

Paul is the author.

Remind them that Paul is the one who wrote this in Romans 4:3-6:

For what does the scripture say? “Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness. Now to the man who works, his pay is not counted as an undeserved kindness but as something owed to him. On the other hand, to the man who does not work but puts faith in the One who declares the ungodly one righteous, his faith is counted as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the happiness of the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…

Similarly, in Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul said:

By this undeserved kindness you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; rather, it is God’s gift. No, it is not a result of works, so that no one should have grounds for boasting.

You can say:

  • Reading Philippians 2:12 out of its context would lead us to believe that Paul completely abandoned what he said in Romans and Ephesians about salvation coming by faith apart from works.
  • It’s as if he were saying, “I’ve changed my mind. You do have to work for your salvation after all. Not only that, but Jehovah wants you to live every moment in fear and trembling, because if he decides your works aren’t good enough, he’ll destroy you at Armageddon…”

To counter this, have them read the context given by verse 13, where Paul gives a completely different explanation as to why we should fear and tremble.

Philippians 2:12: “…keep on working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Why?

Philippians 2:13: “For God is the one who for the sake of his good pleasure energizes you, giving you both the desire and the power to act.”

Ask:

  • Is Paul telling us that Christians should fear and tremble because they might not merit salvation by their works?
  • Or is he saying that people who have already been saved by faith should be in fear—that is, awe—and tremble because they know God has transformed them and that he himself is working inside them to produce righteous works that they could never produce on their own?

Follow up by asking:

  • Which interpretation is consistent with Paul’s teaching in Romans and Ephesians that salvation comes by faith apart from works?

Summary

The Watchtower quotes so many verses and parts of verses out of context that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t realize they are getting a distorted view of the Bible message.

The only way to counter this is to put them in a position where they have to read their proof texts in context and to ask them salient questions which can serve as stones in their shoes.

 

 

 

 

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