JESUS, THE GOD MAN: EXAMINING THE DEITY OF CHRIST WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON OBJECTIONS PRESENTED BY JEHOVAH S WITNESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JESUS, THE GOD MAN: EXAMINING THE DEITY OF CHRIST WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON OBJECTIONS PRESENTED BY JEHOVAH S WITNESSES James Adam Tucker January 17, 2008

JESUS, THE GOD MAN: EXAMINING THE DEITY OF CHRIST WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON OBJECTIONS PRESENTED BY JEHOVAH S WITNESSES Who is Jesus, and why does it matter? That is a question that people all over the world have pondered for some 2,000 years. There are as many different ideas of who Jesus was, and is, as there are ideas on how someone finds God. No other name throughout history has been the focus of such passion, debate, hatred, and even violence. In recent years, a resurgence of interest in the person of Jesus Christ has taken place due, in part, to books such as Dan Brown s The Davinci Code, viral internet videos like Zeitgeist, and a rise in various cultic beliefs that stray far from orthodox Christianity. Specifically, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, commonly known as Jehovah s Witnesses, teaches a very skewed view of Jesus that is often difficult to understand and defend against. Author Lee Strobel said it well, These days if someone says he believes in Jesus, you almost have to say, Which Jesus? [emphasis in original]. 1 Now, more than ever, Christians must understand who Jesus is and why it does matter. Author Doug Powell put it this way, Many people think of Jesus as a great teacher, an itinerant sage. Some say He was an example of realizing the divinity that is within us all. Others say He was a sorcerer and a heretic. Christianity says He was God incarnate, the Word made flesh. 2 The purpose of this paper is to examine the biblical evidence for the deity of Christ, and 1Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007) 242. 307. 2Doug Powell, Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2006) 1

2 in the process, answer objections specifically raised by Jehovah s Witnesses to Jesus being God in human form. By no means is this meant to be a personal attack on Jehovah s Witnesses. Rather it is meant to answer the objections raised in their theology. In order to accomplish this purpose, we will assume the comprehension of the following points: truth exists and is knowable, the theistic God exists, miracles are possible, miracles are used to confirm a message from God, and the New Testament documents are historically reliable. 3 With that established, much atten- tion will be given to the words of Jesus in the New Testament and what the writers of the New Testament said about Jesus. Only when necessary will additional attention be given to the assumed points mentioned above. Author Robert M. Bowman Jr., manager of Apologetics and Interfaith Evangelism with the North American Mission Board, had this to say as to the importance of understanding who Jesus really is, Knowing that He is God incarnate is the only sound foundation for approaching Jesus, for coming to Him in prayer, and for trusting in Him for salvation. Relating to Jesus as God is also crucial to the message we take to the rest of the world. We must know whom we represent if we are to represent Him faithfully. Our Christian walk, witness, and worship all must reflect a sound understanding of the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 It has been argued by many that Jesus never said, I am God. We know that anyone walking among us who made a flat-out claim to be God would be considered insane, and rightly 129. 3Norman L. Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999) Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of 4 Christ (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2007) 22.

3 so. Even in ancient times, royalty considered themselves to be a form of deity. 5 Powell says, What Jesus did do was claim to be a very specific God to a specific people in a very specific way. And the way in which He made His claims was unambiguous and unmistakable to those people. 6 This paper is not meant to provide comprehensive evidence that God exists as a trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is implied, however, through the various evidences that will be given for Jesus deity. We will assume the understanding that Jesus is not the Father, nor is He the Holy Spirit. Jesus did, however, claim to be God both directly and indirectly, and, as we will see, it was evident to His contemporaries at the time. 7 Jesus Claimed to Be Yahweh (Jehovah) LORD, as found in most modern English Bibles, is the equivalent of the Hebrew letters YHWH, also known as the tetragrammaton or tetragram. 8 The tetragram is usually transliterated into English as Yahweh or Jehovah. This is the special name God gave for Himself in the Old Testament. Other titles for God such as Adonai and Elohim can also be used to refer to human rulers or false gods. Yahweh or Jehovah, however, are only used to refer to the one true God of the Bible. 9 Isa. 44:6 says, This is what the LORD, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts, says: I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but Me (Holman CSB). Again, 5Powell, 311. 6Powell, 311. 7Geisler, 129. 8Bowman and Komoszewski, 158. 9Geisler, 129.

4 God says in Isa. 42:8, I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, or My praise to idols. Jesus, being well versed in the Old Testament, nevertheless claimed to be Yahweh in several different ways. First of all, even before Jesus public ministry began, there is evidence from John the Baptist that he believed Jesus was Yahweh. When John was asked if he was the Messiah, he answered no and replied, I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord (John 1:23). John s words here refer directly to the Old Testament passage of Isa. 40:3 which speaks of preparing the way for Yahweh. John s use of this passage in reference to his ministry and purpose is found in all four Gospels. Author Ron Rhodes notes, Mark s Gospel tells us that Isaiah s words were fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ (Mark 1:2-4). 10 Furthermore, Jesus prayed in John 17:5, Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the world existed. We just saw that God said in Isaiah that He would not share His glory. Jesus, however, has apparently always shared the glory of the Father. Jesus also ascribed titles to Himself that were only used for Yahweh in the Old Testament. For example, Jesus said He was the first and the last (Rev. 1:17), but Isa. 42:8 explicitly says Yahweh is the first and the last. Jesus also calls Himself the good shepherd, but the Old Testament speaks of Yahweh as the shepherd. Among other titles, Jesus called Himself the bridegroom as Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah s Witnesses (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest 10 House Publishers, 1993) 64.

5 well. Again, the Old Testament says in Isa. 62:5 and Hos. 2:16 that Yahweh is the bridegroom. 11 One of the most significant titles Jesus gave Himself is found in John 8:58 when He said, I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am. Not only was Jesus showing His prior existence to Abraham, but He was also referring directly to Moses burning bush encounter with God in Ex. 3:14. I AM was the name God gave Himself before Moses. Both I AM and Yahweh have the same root meaning from the verb to be and can be used interchangeably. 12 Jesus audience of Jews apparently understood that He was claiming to be Yahweh because they picked up stones to stone Him, which was the prescribed punishment for blasphemy. Rhodes writes, Certainly there can be no doubt that the Jews interpreted Jesus words as a claim to be Yahweh. 13 Much more could be said, but suffice it to say that Jesus claimed to be Yahweh in human form. Objections from Jehovah s Witnesses In spite of the evidence given above, Jehovah s Witnesses (JWs) believe Jesus never claimed to be God. In fact, the JW publication Should You Believe in the Trinity says, The Bible s position is clear. Not only is Almighty God, Jehovah, a personality separate from Jesus but He is at all times his superior. 14 It goes on to say, The fact is that Jesus is not God and nev- er claimed to be. 15 11Geisler, 129. 12Rhodes, 115. 13Ibid., 119. 14Should You Believe in the Trinity? Is Jesus Christ the Almighty God? (Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1989) 20. 15Ibid.

6 JWs have the mistaken idea that orthodox Christianity teaches that Jesus and the Father are the same person. They view the Father alone as being Jehovah or Yahweh. The Bible, however, teaches that they are of the same nature or essence, as we have seen, but they are not the same person. JWs assert that there should be at least one verse where Jesus explicitly says He is Jehovah, yet they fail to realize that nowhere is the Father explicitly called Jehovah. 16 Also, as was mentioned earlier, anyone walking among fellow humans, whether now or in ancient times, who claimed out-right to be God would be considered insane. Since we know that Yahweh is the only true God (Gen. 2:4; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5, 21), it is implied that the Father is Yahweh when He is called the only true God in John 6:27. 17 However, 1 Cor. 8:6 calls the Father the one God and Jesus the one Lord. Does this mean that God is not powerful enough to also be Lord? Of course not. It is an error to assume that a title for one person cannot be used for another person in a different context. 18 In fact, Jesus calls the Father Lord in Matt. 11:25. And as has been demonstrated from the previous evidence, Jesus called Himself Yahweh on many occasions in various ways. However, JWs denounce one of the strongest evidences by changing Jesus words in John 8:58. The New World Translation, the JWs own translation of the Bible which has a very questionable reputation among most biblical scholars, changes Jesus words in John 8:58 from I am to I have been. Is this a viable translation of the Greek words ego eimi? Rhodes says, Schol- 16Rhodes, 62-63. 17Rhodes, 63. 18Ibid., 160.

7 ars agree that the Watchtower Society [Jehovah s Witnesses] has no justification for translating ego eimi in John 8:58 as I have been. 19 In fact, ego eimi occurs numerous other times through- out the Gospel of John, and, even in The New World Translation, it is always translated I am. 20 Powell writes, Thus, the very specific words Jesus used and the reaction of His audience confirm that Jesus claimed to be the God of the Bible. Jesus did not correct their misunderstanding of the law which declared that blasphemers must be executed. Rather He tried to correct their misunderstanding of His identity. 21 Jesus Claimed Equality with God Jesus not only claimed the names of God, but He also claimed equality with God through both word and deed. On several occasions, Jesus equated Himself with God by claiming prerogatives that belong to God alone. For example, in the story of the paralytic found in Mark 2, Jesus claims to have authority to forgive sins. 22 Mark 2:5-7 says, Seeing their faith, Jesus told the par- alytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. But some of the scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves: Why does He speak like this? He s blaspheming Who can forgive sins but God alone? Apparently, it was very clear to Jesus audience what He was saying. Jesus proceeded to heal the man to demonstrate the fact that He did indeed have the power and authority He was claiming. We will examine Jesus miracles more in depth later. 19Ibid., 116. 20Ibid., 117. 21Powell, 315. 22Geisler, 129.

8 Furthermore, on more than one occasion Jesus claimed to have the power and authority to raise the dead and make ultimate judgments of people. He said in John 5:25 and 29 that at His command the dead will rise and He will judge their deeds. 23 Prior to His words in these verses, Jesus had said in John 5:21, And just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to anyone He wants to. Respected apologist Dr. Norman Geisler said, But the Old Testament clearly taught that only God was the giver of life (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6) and the one to raise the dead (Ps. 2:7) and the only judge (Deut. 32:35; Joel 3:12). Jesus boldly assumed for Himself powers that only God has. 24 Jesus also said that He had the power to raise Himself from the grave. John 2:19-21 records a conversation between Jesus and the Jews, Jesus answered, Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days. Therefore the Jews said, This sanctuary took forty-six years to build, and will You raise it up in three days? But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body. We will look at Jesus resurrection in more detail later. Moreover, Jesus claimed that He should be honored as God. For instance, Jesus said in John 5:22-23, The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Bowman says, In the monotheistic Jewish culture, to honor God meant to confess and live in the light of His exclusive status as the maker, sustainer, and sovereign King of all creation. To honor any creature, no matter how wonderful, as a deity 23Ibid. 24Geisler, 129.

9 was to detract from the honor due to God. 25 He goes on to say, It is in this cultural setting that Jesus asserted that it was God the Father s purpose that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. 26 Jesus also accepted worship due only to God a number of times. One example of this is found after Jesus healed a blind man in John 9:35-38: When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, Do you believe in the Son of Man? Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him? he asked. Jesus answered, You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you. I believe, Lord he said, and he worshiped Him. Powell makes the following observation, By accepting worship He is tacitly claiming to be God incarnate one to whom worship is rightly offered. And by identifying Himself as the Son of Man, He is claiming to be the promised Messiah prophesied in Daniel 7:13. 27 Geisler notes, In the great Messianic prophecy of Daniel 7, the Son of Man is called the Ancient of Days (vs. 22), a phrase used twice in the same passage of God the Father (vss. 9, 13). 28 The chief priests and scribes were upset at Jesus willingness to accept worship. Matthew 21 records an encounter when the Jewish leaders were upset with Jesus as the children in the temple were exclaiming Hosanna to the Son of David 29 Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders by quoting from Psalm 8. He said, Have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of children and nursing infants? Powell 25Bowman and Komoszewski, 31. 26Ibid. 27Powell, 320. 28Geisler, 130. 29Powell, 321.

10 observes, And the fact that He quoted that Psalm in order to give a correct understanding of the situation indicates that Jesus believed Himself to be the You of the Psalm God Himself. Again we find Jesus making the claim to be a specific God to a specific audience in a specific way. 30 Not only did Jesus freely receive worship and praise due only to God, He also told His followers to pray in His name, and He considered His words to have the same authority as God s. Jesus said in John 14:13-14, Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. Geisler says, In response to this, the disciples not only prayed in Jesus name (1 Cor. 5:4), but prayed to Christ (Acts 7:59). Jesus certainly intended that His name be invoked both before God and as God in prayer. 31 We also observe from Jesus statements such as, You have heard that it was said but I tell you, (Matt. 5:21-22) and, A new commandment I give you (John 13:34) that He considered His word on par with God s. A thorough reading of Jesus words throughout the New Testament shows that He spoke with the same authority God s words had had in the Old Testament. 32 Much more could be said, but Geisler put it well when he wrote, In view of these clear ways in which Jesus claimed to be God, any unbiased observer of the Gospels should recognize that Jesus of Nazareth did claim to be God in human flesh. He claimed to be identical to Yahweh of the Old Testament. 33 30Ibid. 31Geisler, 130. 32Ibid. 33Ibid.

11 Objections from Jehovah s Witnesses Despite this brief examination of Jesus claims to equality with God, JWs contend, Jesus never claimed to be God. Everything he said about himself indicates that he did not consider himself equal to God in any way not in power, not in knowledge, not in age. In every period of his existence, whether in heaven or on earth, his speech and conduct reflect subordination to God. 34 We have already seen through the previous evidence given that this is simply not the case. However, Jesus did say some unusual things that, if taken out of context and misunderstood, could lead one to believe He is inferior to God. Let us briefly look at a few of the most commonly misunderstood passages. A favorite proof-text among JWs is Mark 10:18 where Jesus encountered the rich young ruler. The rich young ruler called Jesus Good Teacher. In response Jesus said, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One God. JWs contend that Jesus was saying not even He was as good as God, and that God is in a category all His own in regards to goodness. 35 How- ever, Jesus never denied being God. In fact, we know from scripture that Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life. That would be considered good by anyone s estimation. Instead, Jesus was asking the rich young ruler to think about what he had just said. Geisler notes, Jesus was saying, Do you realize what you are saying when you call me good? Are you really saying that I am God? 36 He goes on to say, Jesus was forcing him into a very uncomfortable dilemma. Ei- 34Should You Believe, 16. 35Should You Believe, 17. 36Geisler, 130.

12 ther Jesus was good and God, or He was evil and human, for each human is evil and does not deserve eternal life. 37 JWs also point out that Jesus said in John 14:28 that the Father is greater than He is. Is this proof that Jesus is not God on par with the Father? Again, the answer is no. Space does not permit a thorough examination of the doctrine of the incarnation, however, it is crucial to understand that it is a biblical teaching. The incarnation is the doctrine that describes the fact that Jesus has both a divine and human nature. Is this a mystery? Yes. Is this a contradiction? No. Geisler says, as a man, Jesus subordinated Himself to the Father and accepted limitations inherent with humanity. So, as man the Father was greater. Further, in the economy of salvation, the Father holds a higher office than does the Son [emphasis in original]. 38 It is much like we under- stand the president to hold a higher office than we do. As a human, he is no better than anyone else, but as president his office is greater. 39 Rhodes explains it this way: Jesus specifically said, The Father is greater than I not, The Father is better than I. The word greater is used to point to the Father s greater position (in heaven), not a greater nature. Had the word better been used, however, this would indicate that the Father has a better nature than Jesus. This distinction is made clear in Hebrews 1:4, where better is used in regard to Jesus superiority over the angels. The word better in this verse indicates that Jesus is not just higher than the angels positionally; rather, He is higher than the angels in His very nature. Jesus is different (better) in kind and in nature from the angels [emphasis in original]. 40 37Ibid. 38Geisler, 130-131. 39Ibid., 131. 40Rhodes, 147.

The majority of the other arguments and proof-texts offered by JW theology can be answered by a thorough understanding of the doctrine of the incarnation and the doctrine of the trinity. Misunderstanding these two important doctrines leads to much confusion when examining Jesus life. Jesus is equal in nature to God the Father in every way as we have seen. He is also willingly subordinate to God the Father in His human nature and stands as the perfect example of how we should interact with and respond to God. We can be sure, as Geisler says, that, Jesus cannot be said to have considered Himself less than God by nature. 41 Jesus Disciples Claimed He was God An unbiased reading of the New Testament should easily show that the focus of every book is Jesus Christ. Only in the Gospels and Acts do we have Jesus actual words recorded as He walked among His contemporaries. We have seen that His words strongly claimed deity for Himself. His disciples, however, also used language that attributed deity to Jesus and shows that they, too, believed Jesus to be God in human form. We saw earlier that Jesus claimed for Himself titles that are used only for Yahweh in the Old Testament. The disciples also used such titles when referring to Jesus all throughout the New Testament. For example, they call Jesus the true light (John 1:9), their rock (1 Cor. 10:4), redeemer (Ps. 130:7), and savior of the world (John 4:42). Geisler says, All of these titles are unique to Jehovah in the Old Testament but are given to Jesus in the New. 42 13 41Geisler, 131. 42Geisler, 131.

14 The Apostle Paul says that we are to serve Jesus. He says in Col. 3:23, Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord you serve the Lord Christ. We know from the previously mentioned prophecy from Daniel 7 that one day everyone will serve the Son of Man, who is Christ. Bowman observes that the Hebrew word for serve used in Daniel is a word that is always used to refer to rendering religious service or performing religious rituals in honor of a deity. 43 He notes, Within this larger context, the reference to all peoples serving the Son of Man is confirmed as an expression of religious devotion. The One whom you regard as the Ruler of your entire universe for all time is by definition your God, and it would be the height of folly not to render religious devotion or service to Him. 44 Jesus disciples also ascribed the power of God to Him. Jesus was said to have raised the dead and forgiven sins. 45 One of the more prominent powers ascribed to Jesus was the power to create and sustain the universe. Col. 1:16-17 says, because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. Interestingly enough, however, Yahweh says in Isa. 45:12, I made the earth, and created man on it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. We will look at this a bit more closely later. 43Bowman and Komoszewski, 68. 44Bowman and Komoszewski, 69. 45Geisler, 131.

15 Perhaps one of the most convincing ways the disciples claimed Jesus was God was by their use of the title Lord for Him. On the surface, this may seem mundane, however, a deeper look at the implications of this title will reveal quite the contrary. The Apostle Paul says, This is the message of faith that we proclaim: if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:8-9, 12-13). Here, Paul references the Old Testament book of Joel. This is extremely revealing. Bowman writes: This reference is Joel 2:32, the same text that Peter quoted in the first Christian sermon (Acts 2:21). In context here in Romans 10, the Lord on whose name everyone calls for salvation (v. 13) must be the same one who is Lord of all and who bestows His riches of salvation on everyone who calls on Him (v. 12). Since that Lord is Jesus (vv. 9-11), Paul is clearly identifying Jesus as the Lord of Joel 2:32 who in the Hebrew text is called YHWH, or Jehovah. 46 Paul also says in 1 Cor. 1:8, He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, Joel 2:31 calls the judgement day the Day of the LORD [YHWH]. 47 Bowman says, The allusion to the day of the Lord (cf. Joel 2:31) in the same context as calling on the name of the Lord (cf. Joel 2:32) makes it all the more likely that Paul s language alludes directly to Joel. 48 Much more could be said on the use of Lord in regards to Jesus, however, we will only look at one final example. Paul said in Phil. 2:9-11, For this reason God also highly exalted Him 46Bowman and Komoszewski, 162-163. 47Ibid., 163. 48Ibid.

16 and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. There are two main reasons we know Lord here refers to Yahweh. First, the name that is above every name, to the Jews would be Yahweh, and as Bowman says, the immediately following affirmation that Jesus is Lord (kurios) confirms that to be the name. 49 Secondly, this passage of scripture is a direct ref- erence to Yahweh s words in Isaiah 45:23 where every knee is said to bow and tongue swear to Him. 50 Bowman writes, The convergence of these two factors of the immediate context con- vinces most biblical scholars that, in Phil. 2:9-11, the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord affirms that He is in fact Jehovah. 51 He concludes, Across the New Testament, then, in the Gospels, Acts, and Epistles, we find writers calling Jesus Lord in contexts that identify or equate Him with the Lord YHWH. The basic confession of early Christianity that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 2:11) turns out to entail the most astonishing and radical claim that any first-century Jew might have made; that the crucified man, Jesus of Nazareth, was Jehovah. 52 Objections from Jehovah s Witnesses Once again, JW theology disregards the evidence of Jesus deity as provided by the New 49Ibid., 167. 50Bowman and Komoszewski, 167. 51Ibid. 52Ibid., 170.

17 Testament writers and chooses to focus on certain individual passages to try to make the point that Jesus is less than God. They contend, While Jesus is often called the Son of God in the Bible, nobody in the first century ever thought of him as being God the Son. 53 It has already been shown that such a claim is false. Unfortunately, their translation of the Bible, which they draw much of their evidence from, changes the original reading of many verses used to support the deity of Christ. Rather than discussing the mistranslation of these verses, I will try to answer some of the most common objections raised by JWs that do not deal with these disputed matters. A favorite verse used by JWs to prove Jesus is not God is Col. 1:15. Here Paul calls Jesus the firstborn of all creation. JWs reason that this means Jesus was God s first created being. Their New World Translation also adds the word other to say that Jesus created all other things after He was created. However, this understanding misses Paul s point in Colossians 1. First of all, no where does other appear in the original manuscripts of Colossians 1. The New World Translation admits this, thus the word is bracketed within the text. We have already noted that Isaiah 45 says Yahweh created everything by Himself. That would exclude Jesus from only creating all other things. JWs also misunderstand the use of the term firstborn. Rhodes points out, Firstborn does not mean first-created. Rather, as Greek scholars agree, the word (Greek: prototokos) means first in rank, pre-eminent one, heir. The word carries the idea of positional preeminence and supremacy. 54 This makes complete sense in light of the context of the passage. There is also 53Should You Believe, 16. 54Rhodes, 130.

18 a precedence for this use of firstborn in the Old Testament. For example, even though King David was the youngest of his brothers, he is called firstborn because he was God s chosen servant and anointed king of Israel. In the theology of JWs, Jesus is seen as God s junior partner in creation. This is an understandable mistake given the wording of several passages of scripture. For example, when speaking of 1 Cor. 8:6, JWs say, So it was by means of this master worker, his junior partner, as it were, that Almighty God created all other things. The Bible summarizes the matter this way: For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things [emphasis in original]. 55 Does this understanding prove that Jesus was God s helper in creation? Bowman observes, Paul has taken the words of the Shema (Deut. 6:4), the classic Jewish creedal affirmation of monotheism, and reframed it to refer to the Father and the Son. Paul has just echoed the Shema in his comment that there is no God but one (1 Cor. 8:4). 56 He goes on to say, Paul is not distinguishing two deities, the supreme deity and a lesser one. Rather, he is distinguishing within the identity of the one Lord God of Judaism two persons, the Father and Jesus Christ. 57 According to Bowman, the casual functions ascribed to the Father and Son in 1 Cor. 8:4 are used virtually interchangeably between the two elsewhere in the New Testament. 58 Hence, there is no big God and little god working in creation. 55Should You Believe, 14. 56Bowman and Komoszewski, 189. 57Ibid. 58Ibid., 190.

Moreover, JWs do not believe that Lord, when referring to Jesus in the New Testament, is the equivalent of the tetragram. They claim to have properly restored the name Jehovah throughout the New Testament. The fact that, of the handful of Old Testament fragments in Greek that exist, none use the Greek word kurios for Lord has led many to believe that the tetragram should be used. Bowman says, This evidence has suggested to many biblical scholars that Christians around the the beginning of the second century introduced the use of kurios in their Greek versions of the Old Testament. 59 However, as Bowman points out, there is reason to doubt this conclusion. There is evidence, including portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls, that show words being substituted for the tetragram long before Christianity was on the scene. Testament documents we have also never use the tetragram. Bowman says: 60 The New We have over 5,700 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament varying in length from scraps containing a couple of verses or so to codices containing the entire New Testament. These manuscripts include papyri dating from a least the second century possibly even the late first century that have Lord (kurios) in direct quotations of Old Testament texts that use the name YHWH. The Greek manuscripts come from various parts of the Mediterranean world and reflect different textual traditions or family lines of manuscripts that trace back to the first century. In other words, there was no autocratic or organizational control forcing all of the New Testament manuscripts to read according to one ecclesiastical viewpoint. 61 Jesus Proved to Be God It is one thing to claim deity for yourself, or have others claim it about you. It is something else altogether to prove it. Anyone can claim to be God, and many have through the cen- 19 59Ibid., 158. 60Ibid., 158-159. 61Bowman and Komoszewski, 159.

20 turies, however, only Jesus backed up His claims. Geisler says, The real question is whether there is any good reason to believe the claims. To support His claims to deity, Jesus showed supernatural power and authority that is unique in human history. 62 First, Jesus life was marked by a remarkable number of fulfilled Messianic prophecies, or prophecies predicting who and what the Messiah would be like. Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus such as His virgin birth, His family line, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection just to name a few were made hundreds of years before His birth. Geisler notes, Even the most liberal critics admit that the prophetic books were completed at least 400 years before Christ and the Book of Daniel no later than 165 B.C. 63 Could these prophecies have been fulfilled in the life of Jesus by chance? It is very highly unlikely. Strobel says, Against astronomical odds by one estimate, one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion Jesus, and only Jesus throughout history, matched this prophetic fingerprint. 64 It is also very unlikely that God would allow someone other than the true Messiah to fulfill these prophecies. 65 Not only did Jesus fulfill Messianic prophecy, but He also lived a miraculous life. Jesus performed a multitude of miracles throughout His earthly ministry. He turned water into wine, healed the sick, caused the blind to see, and raised the dead. When asked by John the Baptist s 62Geisler, 132. 63Ibid., 133. 64Strobel, 275. 65Geisler, 133.

21 disciples about His identity as the Messiah, Jesus offered miracles as proof of who He was. Again Geisler says, To a first-century Jew, miracles such as Christ performed were clear indications of God s approval of the performer s message. But in Jesus case, part of that message was that He was God in human flesh. Thus, His miracles verify His claim to be true deity. 66 JWs reject this conclusion. They contend, Does Jesus ability to perform miracles, such as resurrecting people, indicate that he was God? Well, the apostles and the prophets Elijah and Elisha had that power too, but that did not make them more than men. God gave the power to perform miracles to the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles to show that He was backing them. But it did not make any of them part of a plural Godhead. 67 This is sad because the JW reasoning is so close to being correct, but they miss the point entirely. They are correct to assert that miracles are acts of God performed by a messenger of God and are used to confirm the truth of God s message. 68 Unfortunately, they fail to realize that, as we have seen, Jesus message was that He was God in human flesh, and that His disciples messages were the same. Their miracles confirmed their message that Jesus is God, and Jesus miracles confirmed His message that He is God. Simply having the power to perform miracles does not necessarily make that person divine, as the JWs apparently believe Christianity teaches. Finally, Jesus performed the greatest miracle, besides creating the world from nothing, when He was resurrected from the grave. Jesus not only predicted His death and resurrection, but 66Ibid., 134. 67Should You Believe, 18-19. 68Geisler, 129.

said He had the power to raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19, 21, 10:18). 69 22 The resurrection of Jesus is perhaps the most verifiable event from the ancient world. Geisler says, Nothing like the resurrection of Christ is claimed by any other religion, and no other miracle has as much historical confirmation. 70 The fact that Jesus was indeed dead on the cross is not in doubt. His empty tomb three days later is also undeniable. The disciples had no means, motive, or opportunity to steal the body, and the Roman and Jewish authorities would have gladly displayed Jesus body to everyone had there been one to display. Also, women, whose testimony was not considered credible in ancient times, were the first to report the empty tomb. The Gospel writers would not have recorded this embarrassing fact were it not true. 71 The risen Jesus was seen by more than 500 eyewitnesses. This fact is recorded in one of the earliest New Testament books (1 Cor. 15) showing that there was not enough time for legend of Jesus resurrection to have sprouted. 72 Plus, the murder of all but one of the disciples for their Christian faith, and the rise of the early Christian church despite much persecution, are strong evidences for the reality of Christ s resurrection. Strobel points out that the disciples knew for a fact whether or not Jesus was resurrected, and nobody would willing die for something they knew to be a lie. 73 JWs contend that Jesus could not be God because He died, and God cannot die. 74 While it 69Ibid., 134. 70Ibid. 71Strobel, 276. 72Strobel, 276. 73Ibid. 74Should You Believe, 18.

is true that God cannot die, they again misunderstand the incarnation and Jesus human and divine natures. Even though orthodox Christianity and JW theology agree that Jesus rose from the grave, JWs believe that He did not rise bodily, but was rather recreated, as it were, in a spiritual or immaterial body. However, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus rose in the same physical body, albeit a glorified body, that was crucified. Jesus was touched with physical hands, ate physical food with His disciples, retained the physical scars of crucifixion, and even said in Luke 24:39, Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have. 75 Geisler concludes, He literally exhausted the ways it is possible to prove that He rose bodily from the grave. No event in the ancient world has more eyewitness verification than does the resurrection of Jesus. 76 In conclusion, this paper is far from being a comprehensive look into the deity of Christ. Volumes have been written on the subject, and will continue to be for years to come. However, based on the evidence that has been explored, a strong case for the deity of Christ has been made. Not only did Jesus claim to be God, but His contemporaries recognized what He claimed and expounded upon it throughout the New Testament. More importantly, Jesus proved He was God through fulfilled prophecy and an abundance of miracles, namely the resurrection. Unfortunately, JWs either misunderstand the scripture, totally alter what the scripture says, or simply ignore what the scripture teaches. To reiterate, in no way is this paper intended to be a personal attack 23 75Geisler, 134. 76Ibid.

24 on the JWs themselves. Rather, the intent is to do as Paul exhorts in 2 Cor. 10:4-5 by pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in order that the reality of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ may be found. Strobel s interview with Dr. Paul Copan in his book The Case for the Real Jesus sums it up well. Copan told Strobel, But I can t stress this enough: What we believe about Jesus doesn t really affect who He is [emphasis in original]. 77 He went on to say, He is who He is, regardless of what we think. So we have a choice: we can live in a fantasyland of our own making by believing whatever we want about Him; or we can seek to discover who He really is and then bring ourselves into alignment with the real Jesus and His teachings [emphasis in original]. 78 May our prayer be that all will bring themselves into alignment with the real Jesus, who is non other than Yahweh Himself. 77Strobel, 243. 78Ibid.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bowman, Robert M. Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2007. Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999. Powell, Doug. Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics. Nashville: Holman Reference, 2006. Rhodes, Ron. Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah s Witnesses. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1993. Should You Believe in the Trinity? Is Jesus Christ the Almighty God?. Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1989. Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. 24