In our latest Watchtower Wednesday on the Facebook page we saw that, according to Watchtower teaching, Jesus is the first creature God created. On their website they write:
'God created Jesus before creating Adam. In fact, God created Jesus and then used him to make everything else, including the angels. That is why the Bible calls Jesus “the firstborn of all creation” by God,—Read Colossians 1:15, 16.'
It is worth noting that anyone new to a faith, any faith, has a lot to take in and is understandably not especially discerning. They put a lot of trust in the people teaching them and this places a huge responsibility on those teachers (James.3:1). The new Jehovah’s Witness will typically look at this explanation of Colossians 1:15,16 and feel they are having a lightbulb moment.
‘That makes sense,’ they might think, uncritically embracing this new knowledge. Sadly for Jehovah’s Witnesses, the organisation strives to keep them in this infant state, where their minds are malleable and unquestioning, and the organisation is seen as the only reliable source of knowledge. Truthfully, the teachers are no more mature in their understanding than those they teach. They are just better prepared yet just as unquestioning.
‘All Other Things?’
We are familiar with the fact they add the word 'other' into this Colossians text. but they trust this is a correct translation. This in spite of their own Kingdom Interlinear giving a literal translation that doesn’t contain ‘other.’ The word simply isn’t in the text.
Further, their literal translation agrees with every ‘other’ (pun intended) translation you can find. ‘Other’ is only found in their New World Translation. This is because the Watchtower Society has decided who Jesus is and have made the Bible fit around that decision.
This is problematic, not only because their own Interlinear disagrees with their NWT, but because other Bible texts in the NWT clearly speak of Jesus as Creator...period. John clearly says of Jesus, ‘All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence.’ (John 1:3, NWT)
The writer to the Hebrews says of Jesus, ‘Now at the end of these days he has spoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the system of things.’ (Hebrews 1:2, NWT)
While the NWT gives ‘the system of things’ other Bibles variously translate ‘the world’ or ‘the universe’ or ‘the worlds.’ The word here is the Greek aiōn, the ages, meaning eternity, age (time period); "this age" can mean the universe or even the current world system, the "god of this age" refers to the devil.
So, John insists Jesus created everything, and Hebrews tells us Jesus created the ages. Given a creator can reasonably be thought to stand outside the thing he creates, Jesus must stand outside of creation and outside of time. What does this make him?
Lord of All
What does Yahweh himself have to say on the matter?
‘This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, who formed you since you were in the womb; I am Jehovah, who made everything. I stretched out the heavens by myself, and I spread out the earth. Who was with me?’ Isaiah 44:24, NWT)
The question here is rhetorical. Nobody was with Yahweh when he created the heavens and the earth. Why does Yahweh express himself in so emphatic a fashion, ‘by myself’? It is because in pagan cosmology the gods consulted together for wisdom in creation. Yahweh consulted no one, stood in counsel with nobody. He himself did it, ‘by myself.’
A word is needed on that terrible ‘Repurchaser.’ I believe they might be avoiding another word here. The Hebrew is gō’ăleḵā and it means Redeemer. This carries the same meaning as the Greek apolutrōsis (redemption) in Ephesians 1:7. Who, then, is our Creator? Who is our Redeemer?..And who is Lord of all?
‘He sent out the word to the sons of Israel to declare to them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ-this one is Lord of all.’ (Acts 10:36)
Who alone is Creator? Who alone is Redeemer? Who alone is Lord of all? This is key because, ‘There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12, NWT) In the end it comes down to salvation, the question of who is Lord of our lives. Nothing could be more important.
The Teacher’s Responsibility
A discussion like this, from their own Bible, can make a Jehovah’s Witness uncomfortable. It is hard, indeed impossible, to reconcile these conflicting ideas. Such conflict creates a cognitive dissonance as the person tries to deal with what has made them so uncomfortable and confused.
They have three options, explain it away somehow, reject this new knowledge, or come to terms with what the Bible says. Anyone who has witnessed to a Jehovah’s Witness knows what the first two look like. However, we must have faith in the fact God’s truth has been spoken and heard and cannot be unheard.
Understanding how difficult this is for them helps us temper our sense of urgency in sharing with a sense of responsibility for being patient and prayerful with the Jehovah’s Witness standing in front of us.
Don’t make the mistake many make of thinking because nothing happened there and then that nothing will happen. Take joy in knowing you have been a faithful witness to the truth and hold that person in your prayers. Now is the time to trust in the Spirit to bring to fruition what you have started in his strength and power.
Comments