A while ago, I was visited by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and we engaged theological discourse. After about 45 minutes of in-depth discussion, we agreed to disagree, and they went on their way. Now, I on the one hand I have great admiration for their resilience, as they would receive rejection after rejection, much of which is abusive. However, on the other hand I feel totally saddened by their blind following of what is a false doctrine – not truth – and totally helpless in that I don’t seem to be able to help remove their blindness. To paraphrase Paul in Romans 9:

I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit – that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of these Jehovah’s Witnesses, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are God-fearing and worshipping, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Now that’s not quite true. I don’t really wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for their sake, and I sometimes wonder whether Paul meant that literally or whether he was making a somewhat poetic, yet poignant statement.

Many of us here listen to wonderful preachers and expositors of biblical knowledge and truth – Rick Warren, John Piper, Frances Chan, Chuck Swindon etc – but we need to be careful not to elevate them to the point of us focusing on their words and their teachings over what is written in the bible. One of their [JW’s] questions to me was “What teachings do you follow?”, to which my response was “The Bible. I follow the Bible. As soon as I elevate anyone else to that standard, I begin following them rather than Jesus, much like the Mormon’s follow the teachings of Joseph Smith rather than the teachings of Jesus.” Interestingly, they actually agreed with me.

On the Church of Latter Day Saints website, the Book of Mormon is just underneath the Holy Bible in their scriptures section. Quoting from the introduction to the Book of Mormon:

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel.

Comparable to the Bible? There are texts that are equal to the word of God? Now the Mormons read from the same Bible we do, so where and how did they go so badly wrong?

Revelation 22

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

If anyone adds to them. Sorry Joseph Smith (and consequently, any practicing Mormons), but having elevated your own words to that of the Bible you have been added to the plagues described in the Bible. That’s not from me; that’s from Jesus.

Now Bethel Church cops a fair bit of criticism, but from their website:

We believe that there is only one true God who is the eternal King, Creator, and Redeemer of all that is. He is perfectly holy, just, loving, and truthful. He has revealed Himself to be eternally self-existent – one being in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is God’s Anointed One, empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s kingdom on earth. He was crucified for our sins, died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, and is now alive today in the presence of God the Father and in His people. He is “true God” and “true man.”

There’s more on their website. I should also point out that I’m neither overtly pro nor anti Bethel, so I don’t have a vested interest either way. Perhaps I don’t agree with some of their ‘Americanisms’, but I can’t see too much doctrinally wrong with those statements I just quoted.

I believe it’s very easy to start elevating others to the same level as Jesus, and their writings to the same level as the Bible. We don’t do this deliberately or intentionally, however it’s very easy to start relying on the words and teachings of others.

Charles Taze Russell is the founder of the Jehovah’s Witness movement, and this is from their website:

Yes. We are Christians for the following reasons:
We try to follow closely the teachings and behaviour of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:21.
We believe that Jesus is the key to salvation, that “there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”
Acts 4:12.
When people become Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are baptized in the name of Jesus. Matthew 28:18, 19.
We offer our prayers in Jesus’ name.
John 15:16.
We believe that Jesus is the Head, or the one appointed to have authority, over every man.
1 Corinthians 11:3.

Follow the teachings of Jesus, he is the only way to salvation, we must be baptised, pray in Jesus’ name, Jesus is the authority overall. Great. So far, so good. Continuing on though:

However, in a number of ways, we are different from other religious groups that are called Christian. For example, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity (Mark 12:29).
We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.— Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 23:8-10.

Now those verses I just mentioned read like this:
Jesus is the son of God but not part of the Trinity, Mark 12:29

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

The soul is not immortal in Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

God doesn’t torture people in an everlasting hell in Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

Pastors/ministers shouldn’t be elevated above others in Matthew 23:8-10

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

Hmmm. So how does what I’ve just read fit with what you believe? I know exactly where it sits with me. There’s a very good reason I invite these people into my home with a welcoming smile and an open Bible. There’s a marvellous concept called ‘context’, which the Jehovah’s Witnesses miss thanks to their steadfast and unwavering adherence to the teachings of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the JW movement.

See, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 says

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

Test everything. Don’t just follow what someone else says just because they say it with confidence, conviction and from a position of authority. That’s why I don’t hold Reformed

theology to be accurate. They answer all the logical inconsistencies in their doctrine with “It’s just the mystery of God. These aren’t for me to explain; I just accept them.” Ah, no, it is for you to explain. When the logical inconsistencies in the JW’s interpretation of scriptures were pointed out, they’re quick to agree to disagree with me, thank me very much for their time and be on their way. I told them they’re welcome to knock on my door any time.

The soul is not immortal in Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Verse 5 in context:

But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

He who has joined with the living has a hope. What, then, is that hope? I’ll leave you to think about that one.

God doesn’t torture people in an everlasting hell in Ezekiel 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.

To get the context you would need to read all of Ezekiel chapter 18, but the last few verses read like this:

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”

I have no pleasure in the death of anyone. It does not say I will send no one to hell. There’s a substantial difference there. I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, but it will happen.

Pastors/ministers shouldn’t be elevated above others in Matthew 23:8-10

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.

Ironically, this passage of scripture is saying that we have one teacher; Jesus Christ. His are the words we should follow, not those written by Joseph Smith or Charles Taze Russell.

Jesus is the son of God but not part of the Trinity, Mark 12:29

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

This to me is scripture taken blatantly out of context. There is no way that Mark chapter 12 should be interpreted as Jesus is not part of the Trinity, and I’ll let you read Mark 12 to decide that yourself. Now you may expect that the verses in Genesis – let us make man in our image – would throw them. Nope, as that was answered very quickly with the usreferring to the angels Michael or Gabriel and not Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Also, Jesus was created by God, as indicated in Colossians 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

But rather than quote all of Colossians 1 in context to answer this particular misinterpretation and misrepresentation, I would rather point you to John chapter 1, which I believe is the quintessential and poetic, yet simplistic text explaining the eternity of Jesus and His oneness with God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Let’s just remember who the author and perfector of our faith is. Let’s not be drawn to the biblical teachings and interpretations of man without first testing them and comparing them to what’s written in the Bible. And next time a Jehovah’s Witness knocks on your door invite them into your home, offer them a coffee, sit with them at your kitchen table and start with John chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.