Category: The Issue of Sovereignty (page 1 of 2)

Did Jesus Suffer Agony to Prove a Point?

On page 51 of its book What Does the Bible Really Teach?, the Watchtower asks, “The Bible describes in detail the suffering that Jesus endured before his death. He was whipped and nailed to the torture stake, suffering an agonizing death. (citations omitted). Why was it necessary for Jesus to suffer so much?”

How does the Watchtower answer its own question, and is it the Bible’s answer? Continue reading

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 Come to Vindicate Jehovah’s Sovereignty?

In last week’s post, I noted that 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.”

Let’s discuss what the Watchtower means by that second sentence.

What “slanderous issues” did Satan raise “with regard to Jehovah’s sovereignty”? Continue reading

Was Saving the Lost a Secondary Mission?

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

The Book of Job Isn’t About Job Proving His Integrity

Bible teach Ch 12

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

In Chapter 12, “Bible Teach” focuses on what the Watchtower considers to be the sovereignty challenge by Satan and points to the experience of Job.

Paragraphs 8-9 (p. 117) say, “Satan questioned Job’s motive for serving God. [He]…argued that Job served God just for what he got in return.”

To that statement, I would respond, “How are our own motives? For example, would you personally be going door-to-door as diligently if the Watchtower didn’t require you to turn in time reports? Would you serve Jehovah out of love even if he didn’t offer you any hope of a resurrection or of everlasting life on a paradise earth?”

Don’t expect them to admit anything to you, but pray that these questions will have an impact on them. Continue reading

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