Key Scripture: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’.” (John 20:28-29)

The objective of The Jesus Is the God-Man Approach is to help Jehovah’s Witnesses see that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.

Why it matters

If the Watchtower view of Jesus were correct, they would be right not to worship him or seek to have a personal relationship with him. But if Jesus is truly Jehovah God himself, then a personal relationship with him is not only possible, but essential to their salvation. (p. 157)

The unexpected approach

The Witnesses will expect you to focus on trying to prove to them that Jesus is God. Instead, you will begin in a way that will build bridges—by stressing your belief in the humanity of Jesus. In starting with this balanced Christology, you will be preempting many of their arguments by referring to proof texts they had expected to be showing to you.

Acknowledging the humanity of Jesus and his positional subordination to the Father is not a denial of the doctrine of the Trinity. It is an integral part of that doctrine. Jehovah’s Witnesses often do not understand that we believe Jesus is both fully God and fully man. (pp. 157-158)

Even though you try to limit the discussion to the identity of Christ, Jehovah’s Witnesses may well suddenly say something like, “The Trinity is three. The Father and the Son are only two. What about the Holy Spirit?” Agree to discuss the Holy Spirit at another session, but for now, stick to the identity of Jesus. (pp. 157-158)

The humanity of Christ (pp. 158-162)

You can cite many verses which show that as a man Jesus had human limitations. He got hungry and thirsty, he needed sleep, he was tempted, he didn’t know the day or hour of his return, and he didn’t know who touched him in a crowd.

As a man, Jesus took a subordinate role to the Father. Specifically:

  • The Father is greater positionally than Jesus (John 14:28).
  • He worshipped his Father as his God (John 4:21-22).
  • He prayed to his Father in heaven (Matthew 26:39).
  • He learned obedience through the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8).
  • He was made lower than the angels and died (Hebrews 2:9).
  • He depended on the Father totally for his teachings (John 14:24) and works (John 10:37).
  • The Father is the head of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3).
  • One day, Jesus will deliver the kingdom to his Father and will be subject to him (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). (pp. 158-160)

Transitioning to the deity of Christ

 Overcoming the language barrier (p. 160)

Don’t say to Jehovah’s Witnesses, “I believe Jesus is Jehovah.” In their minds, “Jehovah” means only one thing—the Father. They will think you are saying that Jesus is his own Father. That’s called “modalism,” and it makes no sense.

Instead, say, “I understand that you will disagree with this, but what I believe is that within the nature of the one true God, Jehovah, there are three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So when you see the name ‘Jehovah,’ you think one thing—the Father. When I see the name ‘Jehovah,’ I look to the context to see which person or persons it is referring to.”

Ask them to state that in their own words to make sure you’ve adequately conveyed what you believe. Tell them you don’t expect them to agree with you; you just want to make sure they understand where you’re coming from. They may tell you that they don’t understand what you mean because it makes no sense to them. How can God be three in one? There are several ways to respond to this. Perhaps the most thought provoking is simply to ask, “Do you think if Jehovah wanted to manifest himself in a human body he would be able to do so?” If they even admit that this is possible, you have made significant progress.

Summarizing the importance of the differences (pp. 161-162)

You can comment, “Even before we get into a discussion of this, I can see how important this issue is to our relationship with God. If the Watchtower is right, then Jehovah never came to earth but sent someone else to become a man and die for our sins. But if I am 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, isn’t it?”

Next week, we’ll examine the biblical evidence for the deity of Christ and talk about how best to present it to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Study Questions

  1. How can starting with the human limitations and subordination to the Father scriptures help Jehovah’s Witnesses get an accurate understanding of biblical Christology—that Jesus Christ is both God and man? (p. 158)
  1. If we just tell Jehovah’s Witnesses “Jesus is Jehovah,” how are they likely to misunderstand what we believe? What is a better way to clarify what we believe? (pp. 160-161)
  1. How can restating each other’s positions improve our communication? (pp. 160-161)
  1. Explain the significance of God coming and bearing our sins rather than God sending someone else to do it. (p. 161)

 

 

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