Category: New Birth and New Covenant (page 1 of 4)

Vindication or Reconciliation and Transformation?

For the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing this  claim that the Watchtower makes on its website:

“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.”

As a reminder, in Genesis 3:4-5, the serpent (Satan) led Eve to rebel against God, telling her that God had lied to Adam: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Continue reading

Did Jesus Need to be Born Again?

The Watchtower teaches, “Jesus was the first one to be ‘born again’. This was in harmony with God’s rule concerning his Son: ‘that he might become the one who is first in all things.’ When was Jesus ‘born again’? At the time of his human birth? No, but rather thirty years later, at the time of his baptism A.D. 29.” (The Watchtower, “Who Are Born Again?”, 11/15/54, p. 682)

I discuss the new birth extensively in Chapter 10 of my book, Getting Through to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There, I offer recommendations as to how to engage Jehovah’s Witnesses on this crucial topic.

In this post, I want to give you a brief overview of the Watchtower’s misconception about Jesus being born again, and to explain what I believe is at stake. Continue reading

The New Birth Is Available to Everyone

Once you have shown the Witnesses that the new birth is an inner transformation and that all Christians are in the new covenant, I recommend that you direct their attention to Scriptures which show that Jesus’ invitation and promises are for everyone who will receive him, not just a select group of 144,000. Continue reading

All Christians Are in the New Covenant

Because of the Watchtower teaching that only the anointed 144,000 are born again into the new covenant, at their annual Memorial service (their version of communion) only those who profess to be in this class are allowed to partake of the bread and wine. Others attend and watch, but the Watchtower says that the new covenant in Christ’s blood is not for them. (p. 133)

To show the Witnesses that this practice is unscriptural, I recommend that you draw the Witnesses’ attention to the following passages. Ask them to read them aloud. Continue reading

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

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