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JOHN 1:1
"AND THE WORD WAS GOD."
The apostle
Paul said that those who are not saved are blinded to two
things:
1. The
gospel of Christ
2. The
glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:3,4)
Instead of
arguing doctrinal issues with Jehovah's Witnesses that go
nowhere , we simply want to share the gospel of Christ, (1
Cor.15:1-4) which is His death, burial, and resurrection, by
which we are saved. Also, that salvation is by grace alone,
through faith alone, in Jesus alone, and not by flesh-works.
(Eph.2:8,9) It is also beneficial to share the glory of
Christ with them by addressing the question, "Who is Jesus
Christ"?
Most
Jehovah's Witnesses think they can explain the New World
Translation's rendering of John 1:1, where they claim Jesus
is only, "a god." They even claim that their translation is
the only correct rendering.
The New World
Translation's rendering of John 1:1 presents the Jehovah's
Witness with some unique problems and provides us with
questions to ask:
Q-1: Does
this mean that you have two "gods," a big God and a little
one? If they are honest they will answer, yes. (They will
say that is why they only worship the big God, Jehovah.)
Q-2: So, has
there always been 2 Gods? (They will say that the big God,
Jehovah created Jesus.)
Q-3: When did
the big God create the little god, since Isa. 43:10,11 says
that there was no god created before Him or after Him?
(Also, Isaiah 44:24 says, "1 am the Lord (Jehovah), that
made all things; that stretched forth the heavens alone,
that spread abroad the earth by myself." Colossians 1:15-18
says that all things were created by Jesus and for Jesus and
He holds everything together. Isaiah 44:8 says, "Does there
exist a God besides me? No, there is no rock, I have
recognized none." Jesus is called God and the Rock also.
(Rom. 9:33;1Cor.10:3,4;1Peter 2:4-8)
Q-4: Isn't it
true that there is only ONE true God? Then is Jesus a false
god?
Q-5: John 1:1
starts with, "In the beginning, the Word WAS," meaning that
in the beginning, before any creation, the Word already
existed, right?
Q-6: Verse 14
says that Jesus was begotten. Begotten is completely
different from created, right?
Q-7: Why did
the big God create a little god? To be a god, the person has
to be worshipped. A golden calf is just a trinket until
someone worships it to make it a god! Did the big God need a
little god that He could worship? (They may reply that God
created the little god to worship the big God.)
Q-8: But, if
Jesus is a god, big or little, doesn't that mean that we
should worship him? (They may not understand this truth, and
may say, no.)
Q-9: But,
doesn't God tell all the angels to worship Jesus at Hebrews
1:6?
Q-10: If he
isn't worshipped, then he's not "a god," right? (They may
disagree.
Q-11: If the
little god was with the big god before all creation, then he
had to be of the same nature as the big God, or he would
have been toast, right?
Q-12: Why is
it only your translation and the translations of 2
spiritists, Johannas Greber & John Thompson that change John
1:1 to read, "a god"?
Q-13: Why is
it that all the major Bible translations by Greek scholars
say that the Word was God, with both the Word and God, being
capitalized, which means that the Word, who became flesh,
Jesus, is GOD?
Special
thanks to Leo Cetnar for his input on this subject
Reproduced from the March 2003
Revealer with permission |
