The Dangers of Adding to the Bible: Guest Post by Jacob Lambert

Today, when we come across Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons we find that they are led by a group of people who hold unquestioned authority. Members of this group know this, some even believe it themselves.

This puts them in a powerful position, even to the point where they can create their own Bible. Two examples are the Joseph Smith Translation of the Mormons and the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They can add words into their own Bible, words that are not in other, respectable, translations.

For example, in the Greek, Colossians 1:16 says that Jesus created all things:

‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.’ Col.1:15,16, ESV

Jehovah’s Witnesses say that this runs counter to their understanding that Jesus is God’s first created being, so they admit they add the word ‘other’ to the Bible:

‘...because by means of him all other things were created…’ v.16, NWT

Who do we Believe?

So, my question would be, who do we believe, the Watch Tower, or the original Greek? The Jehovah’s Witnesses would have to say that they believe the Watch Tower. They are saying they believe the Governing Body, those men with power, over the original Bible language. They say this because they believe that the Governing Body are God’s own channel of truth, therefore they are fed directly by God through the Governing Body.

My argument is this, why did Jehovah direct the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society to add the word ‘other’ but did not direct Paul, the author of the letter, to write ‘other’ in Colossians. We know God does not change his mind (Malachi 3: 6-12) How does a Jehovah’s Witness explain this addition to God’s Word?

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