An Approach to JW's
My sister Becca just mentioned that some Jehovah's Witnesses had come by her house recently. Conversations with cult members are difficult because they have a lot of training in being really persuasive. I don't have much help to offer in this area, but I thought I would post some notes from a class lecture from Dr. Timothy Beougher's Personal Evangelism class, with some of my own thoughts. The specific notes are on how to approach Non-Trinitarians, specifically JW's.
"Concept statement – if the Bible teaches there is only one God, and the Bible calls three persons God, then I must, in faith, accept that God is Triune even if I don’t fully understand it."
Based on that statement, you walk the person through the following verses, one at a time: Deut 6.4, Is 43.10-11, Is 44.6, Rev 1.8, Rev 22.13, 16, Rev 1.17-18, Heb 1.1, 2, 8, Acts 5.3-4
Your point all along is very simple, and in line with the above concept statement: You are showing them that the same things that are said about the One true God of the Old Testament are clearly said about Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Pretty amazing, and good for the soul to reflect on such truths.
UPDATE: I cut and pasted all those verses into the ESV Bible website to pull them all up at once. Here's the link.
"Concept statement – if the Bible teaches there is only one God, and the Bible calls three persons God, then I must, in faith, accept that God is Triune even if I don’t fully understand it."
Based on that statement, you walk the person through the following verses, one at a time: Deut 6.4, Is 43.10-11, Is 44.6, Rev 1.8, Rev 22.13, 16, Rev 1.17-18, Heb 1.1, 2, 8, Acts 5.3-4
Your point all along is very simple, and in line with the above concept statement: You are showing them that the same things that are said about the One true God of the Old Testament are clearly said about Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. Pretty amazing, and good for the soul to reflect on such truths.
UPDATE: I cut and pasted all those verses into the ESV Bible website to pull them all up at once. Here's the link.
Comments
Firstly,
I am not a JW!
"Concept statement – if the Bible teaches there is only one God, and the Bible calls three persons God, then I must, in faith, accept that God is Triune even if I don’t fully understand it."
However, there is a problem with your "concept statement"
The Bible clearly teaches that
there is only one GOD. Who is He?
Jesus Christ identified his Father
as the only true GOD.
[John 17.3];
and the only GOD
[John 5.44]
Jesus was not a trinitarian!!
(So neither should we!)
The early church concurred with their Master:
(1 Cor 8:4) ... that there is none other God but one.
(1 Cor 8:6) But to us there is but one God, the Father, ...
You see, the Bible does not call three persons God;
the Bible does not speak of the ONE GOD as Triune!!
Neither Jesus nor his disciples ever taught such things.
When asked what was the greatest commandment,
what was Jesus of Nazareth's response? :-
(Mark 12:29) And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is,
Hear, O Israel;
The Lord our God is one Lord:
Jesus of Nazareth answered with
the GOD-given Jewish creed,
the Shema, Deut 6.4ff
The Jews of biblical times were definitely not trinitarian and that includes Jesus.
They simply knew no such concept as the trinity because it is not in Holy Scripture.
Note the scribe's response:
(Mark 12:32) And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Obviously then, neither Jesus nor the scribe were trinitarian!
Jesus believes in solely ONE GOD, and that is the Father.
That is the belief of the NT church.
That ought to be our belief.
Therefore, John,
On the subject of the Trinity,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you to reconsider
"The Trinity"
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
Thank you for taking the time to respond and to post a comment. Clearly you have a desire to educate others, and this is a noble thing.
I disagree with your conclusion that followers of Christ should not be Trinitarian. Specifically, I have two responses to your comment.
First, you failed to interact with my actual post. I included a link to about 9 different passages with the specific aim of showing that the NT uses the same terms for Jesus that the OT uses for the one true God. And it doesn't appear that you have directly responded to this claim.
Second, your chosen texts are highly selective, and you only quote them partially. You chose to quote from the book of John to show that Jesus only called his Father God. Yet in 10:30 "he says the Father and I are one."
I don't have the time to respond any more than this, but I wonder if you would be willing to specifically interact with my post. Thanks again for your time!
Blessings,
John
The reason why I didn't address the 9 different passages; is because the video I mentioned;
The Human Jesus
deals with the concepts behind them.
Therefore please watch the video, and let's take it from there.
Yet in 10:30 "he says the Father and I are one."
That's not all Jesus said i.e.
(John 17:11) ... Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,
that they may be one, as we are.
(John 17:20-22) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one:
These verses clearly align with what Jesus meant in 10:30.
The Father and Son are one in unity, purpose & will.
Jesus prays that the church will be one in like manner.
John, please watch the video.
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
Thank you again for responding.
Frankly, I don't have 2 hours to commit to watching a video. I have probably only watched 3 movies in the last 4 or 5 months total, so you get my point. I just don't have the time.
Also, the original nature of my post was meant for getting a conversation started about evangelism, not to debate the doctrine of the Trinity. Such debates are good, but not here, not now.
This is the last comment I will make in terms of the issues you have brought up: simply quoting the verses you have mentioned does not prove your statement "The Father and Son are one in unity, purpose & will." You have noticeably neglected to say they are one in essence, which is what the historic Christian understanding of the Trinity has always maintained.
Thanks for your time!
Blessings,
John
In response to your question, yes, Adam Pastor sounds Unitarian. But he would have to refute or accept that himself.
Thanks!!
John