Christ's Deity; Irrefutable?

 

The Watch Tower Society has tried to remove all references to Christ’s deity in their New World Translation of the Bible. They relegate Jesus to a place that is inferior, insisting he shouldn’t be worshipped because, they insist, he is not God.

Who Were the Jews Looking For?

The Jews were looking for a Messiah who is described in the Jewish Scripture as Mighty God, Isaiah 9:6. The Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that here Jesus is called ‘Mighty’ but only Jehovah is called ‘Almighty,’ concluding Jehovah alone is God. However, many Bible texts call Jehovah simply ‘Mighty.’ All the following call Jehovah Mighty: Deuteronomy 10:17; Nehemiah 9:32; Psalm 50:1; Isaiah 10:21; Jeremiah 32:18.

Jeremiah 23: 5,6 sees Jesus given the name Jehovah-tsidkenu, meaning, ‘The God of my righteousness.’

The Lord the Jews were seeking was none other than God himself, Jehovah our righteousness. At his birth Jesus was proclaimed, ‘Christ the Lord’ Luke 2:11 and named Immanuel, meaning, ‘God with us.’ Matthew 1:23

Christ’s Divinity Demonstrated 

The Jewish authorities sought to stone Jesus because, ‘he made himself equal to God.’ John 5:18
They condemned him ‘because you, being a man, make yourself God.’ John 10:33
Jesus made no attempt to deny his Divinity. John 19:7 (Compare with John 1:19,20)
He demonstrated his Divinity by doing what God alone can do Luke 5:20,21

Who did the Jews Crucify?

According to the testimony of Peter the men of Israel ‘killed the Author of life.’ Acts 3:15
According to Paul ‘the rulers of this age...crucified the Lord of glory.’ 1 Cor.2:8

Jesus himself prayed that the Father would, ‘glorify me in your presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.’ John 17:5 This wasn’t a promotion but a restoration to his original place of glory.

Christ’s Divinity According to New Testament Writers

John calls Jesus ‘the Word’ then calls the Word ‘God.’ John 1:1

The Jews said Jesus made himself out to be God John 10:33

Paul proclaims, ‘our God and Saviour, Christ Jesus.’ Titus 2:13

Peter also refers to Jesus as, ‘Our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.’ 2 Peter 1:1

The writer to the Hebrews has God calling Jesus, his Son, God Hebrews 1:8

Watch Tower Scripture Twisting

We know the reputation the Watch Tower has for twisting Scripture to their own ends. In Colossians we are told of Christ, ‘In him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily.’ Col.2:9 ESV The New World Translation translates theotetos as ‘divine quality’ thus, ‘because it is in him that all the fulness of the divine quality dwells bodily.’ But Greek scholar W E Vine writes:

‘Theiotes...divinity...is derived from theios...and is to be distinguished from theotes in Col.2:9 Godhead...Paul is declaring that in the Sn dwells all the fulness of the absolute Godhead.’ Vines Dictionary of New Testament Words, vol.1, p.328

The New World Translation also adds the word 'other' into Colossians 1:16, and Jehovah’s Witnesses trust this is a correct translation. However, their own Kingdom Interlinear giving a literal translation, doesn’t contain ‘other.’ The word simply isn’t in the text.

‘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

So, John insists Jesus created everything. 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?

Firstborn?

In Colossians there is a reference to Jesus being ‘firstborn of all creation.’ Col.1:15 Jehovah’s Witnesses claim on the basis of this verse that Jesus had a beginning. A closer examination of the text demonstrates this has nothing to do with his being ‘first coming into existence.’ It indicates that Jesus holds the position of pre-eminence. It is becomes clear when we read on from verse 15:
‘And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.’ Col.1:18

Only Begotten?

The Watch Tower also makes much of John’s calling Jesus ‘only-begotten’ John 1:14,18 Again, they take this to mean he had a beginning, that there was a time when he was not (the Arian heresy). Once again, W E Vine disagrees:

‘...a unique relationship...it suggests relationship indeed, but must be distinguished from generation as applied to man...the expression also suggests the thought of the deepest affection.’ Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words, vol.3, p.140

When all the texts of Scripture that deal with Christ’s Deity are put together we can only conclude the Bible clearly portrays Jesus as God.