The Trinity
In another essay
(Jehovah's Witnesses: Witnessing to the Witnesses)
I discussed effective evangelistic strategies when
sharing the faith with Jehovah's Witnesses. We
covered some effective techniques such as the
Witnesses' record of false prophecy, the name
"Jehovah", the bodily resurrection of Christ, and
the personality of the Holy Spirit. In this essay I
would like to teach you how to defend the doctrine
of the Trinity, a truth clearly denied by Jehovah's
Witnesses. Before we can defend this doctrine,
however, we must have a clear understanding of the
Trinity. Too many Christians lack a solid
understanding of the Triune nature of God.
The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that
there is one God who has revealed Himself in three
persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
These three persons make up the one true God. These
three persons are of the same substance, equal in
power and glory. It is important we understand this
doctrine because the wrong Jesus or the wrong God
cannot save us from eternal death. Paul makes a
clear warning of this in 2 Corinthians 11:4.
The Bible clearly states that there is only one
God. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, "Hear O Israel, the
Lord is our God, the Lord is one." Isaiah 44:6
states, "I am the first and I am the last, and there
is no God besides me." Clearly, these verses reveal
that there is only one God. Yet, there are three
separate persons in the Bible who are called God and
have the characteristics only God can have. The
Trinity is a difficult concept to grasp, because we
are finite beings trying to explain an infinite God
who is beyond our understanding.
Let's take a look at some verses that back up our
doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is obviously
called God as seen throughout the Bible. No one will
argue that point. So there is one member of the
Trinity, the Father. Jesus the Son, is a separate
person but He is also called God. John 1:1 says, "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God." Titus 2:13 says,
"Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of
the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ
Jesus." So here we see clearly, the Son is also
called God.
The Holy Spirit is also a separate person, and He
is also called God. First, let us understand, the
Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. He is a
person and has the characteristics of a person. He
can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), He speaks (Acts 13:2),
and He can be lied to (Act 5:3-4). In Acts 5:3-4 the
Holy Spirit is called God, "But Peter said,
'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to
the Holy Spirit?...You have not lied to men, but to
God.'"
So we see clearly that there are three persons in
the Bible, and all three are called God. Yet, we
must remember, there is only one God according to
the verses we looked at Deuteronomy 6:4 and Isaiah
44:6. Therefore, we come to the conclusion that the
Trinity is made up of three separate persons who are
the one true God. At this point we need to look at
verses Jehovah's Witnesses use to attempt to
disprove the Trinity and learn how to refute these
arguments. Then we will look at the best verses to
use in demonstrating the truth of the Trinity to
Jehovah's Witnesses.
Jehovah's Witnesses and the Bible
I run in to many Christians who tell me, "The
Jehovah's Witnesses know their Bible so well, and
they've got so many verses memorized." The truth is,
they don't know their Bible well, it's just that we
Christians are lacking in our Bible knowledge. When
it comes to the Trinity, Witnesses only know about 8
verses to defend their view. We'll be studying the
main verses they use to try to disprove the Trinity.
In one approach they attempt to show that Jesus
cannot be God because He was created. The verse they
use here is Colossians 1:15, "And He is the image of
the invisible God, the first-born of all creation."
Here the Witnesses say Christ is the first-born
which they say means, "first created being of God."
Therefore, they conclude Jesus cannot be God since
He was created.
The key to understanding this verse is
understanding the term first-born, what does
it mean? The Greek word for "first created" is the
word Protoktioti. If Paul wanted to say
Christ was the first created being, he would have
used this word but he does not. He uses another
term, Prototokos. Paul is referring to the
Jewish use of the word first-born which not
only means first one born but also is used as a
title of sovereignty and pre-eminence.
Here's an example of the meaning of the word. In
Psalm 89:27 God says of David, "I also shall make
him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the
earth." Let's take a good look and see how first-
born is used here. Is David the first-born son of
Jesse? No, he is the eighth and youngest son of
Jesse. Then how is it that David is the first-born?
In the Old Testament use of the word, he is first-
born in that he is pre-eminent or sovereign of all
the kings of the earth.
Now stick that usage of first-born into
the context of Colossians 1:15, and it fits
perfectly. Not only that, have the Witnesses read on
with you to verse 18. Verse 18 shows that Paul is
clearly talking about the pre-eminence of Christ for
he says, "He is also the head of the body" and "the
first-born" for the purpose, "that in everything he
might be pre-eminent." If we were to replace
first-born in verse 18 with the term
pre-eminent, it would fit perfectly in the
context. However, if we replaced it with first
created, it would not fit in that context.
Another verse the Witnesses use to show Jesus was
created is Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of
Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the Beginning of the creation of God....'"
Here the faithful witness is Jesus and He is called,
"The Beginning of the creation."
The Greek word for beginning is arche,
which is used in many ways. It is used to mean
"origin or source of, or ruler," but not first
creation. Turn with the Witness to Revelation 21:6.
In these two verses, Jehovah calls Himself the
beginning. Does that mean Jehovah was created? No.
Therefore, the Witnesses use of the term
beginning, is incorrect.
Jesus was never created. John 1:1 states, "In the
beginning was the Word" Jesus was with God from
eternity past; Jesus has no beginning because He is
the eternal God.
Is Jesus Inferior to God?
Is Jesus inferior to God? Another way the
Witnesses try to disprove the deity of Christ is to
show that Christ is inferior in nature to God. The
verses they use here are John 14:28 and 1
Corinthians 11:3.
John 14:28 reads, "You heard that I said to you,
'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved
Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the
Father; for the Father is greater than I." They will
ask you, "How can Jesus be equal to God if here He
states 'the Father is greater than I'?"
The term greater refers to position, not
nature. The term better refers to nature.
Here is a good example I use in illustrating this
passage. The President is greater than you or I,
correct? Yes, as Chief Executive Officer of the
United States he is greater than you or I. The
Jehovah's Witness will agree. But, is the President
better than you or I? What I mean is, is
there anything about the President that makes him a
superior being to you or me? No.
You see, greater refers to position, not
nature. We see in Philippians 2:6-8, that Christ
though He was in the form of God, did not consider
equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied
Himself and submitted Himself to the Father and took
on the form of a servant. Though Jesus emptied
Himself, He was always in nature God and equal to
the Father in nature. If Jesus wanted to say He was
inferior to God in nature, He would have said, "The
Father is better than I."
Here is an example of the use of the term
better in Hebrews 1:4 (NAS); it says speaking of
Jesus, "having become as much better than the
angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name
than they." The NI V reads, "So he became as much
superior to the angels...." Here we see that Jesus
is a being superior to the angels, so the term
better, is used. Remember, in explaining this
verse, the term greater refers to position,
not nature.
Another verse the Witnesses will use is 1
Corinthians 11:3, "But I would have you know, that
the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the
woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
Here they say since the head of Christ is God, Jesus
must be inferior to God.
Once again you use the same concept of equal in
nature, but Christ submitted Himself to the Father.
Here the principle of headship and submission
established by God is displayed both in marriage and
in the Trinity. Now show the Jehovah's Witnesses
that in this passage, the head of the woman is man.
"Does this mean that the husband is a superior being
to his wife?" The answer is obviously, "No." The
husband is greater than his wife by way of position
but not by nature. The same applies to the Father
and the Son. The Father is greater by position, but
not better by nature.
Remember when you're Witnessing, you are not
there to win an argument, but to show them the error
of their ways in a loving and Christ-like manner,
but also you are not to be afraid to boldly defend
the faith.
Proving the Deity of Christ
One of the best defenses is a good offense. When
defending the Trinity to Witnesses, take charge of
the conversation. Don't let the Witnesses run you in
circles. You pick the topic and keep them on the
topic you choose, instead of having them ask you all
the questions, you have some questions ready for
them to answer.
The best way to do this, when they appear at your
doorstep, is ask them, "What organization are you
with?" They will reply, "We are Jehovah's
Witnesses." Then ask them, "Whom do you say is the
God of the Apostles?" They will reply, "Jehovah."
You then reply, "How do you explain the fact that
Jesus is the God of the Apostles?" They will be
surprised and say, "No, that's not true, where do
you find that?" Here you have taken over the
conversation. Now, stay in charge of the
conversation and don't let them break off on another
tangent.
Next, you turn to the first text John 20:28,
where Thomas, after seeing the resurrected Lord,
proclaims to Jesus," My Lord and My God." Here,
Thomas calls Jesus God. The Witnesses have
two responses to this. One, they may say, "Well,
Thomas was so surprised at seeing Jesus that he
shouted, 'My Lord and My God,' in surprise just as
we shout, 'Oh, my God,' when we're surprised."
There's a problem with that. Thomas was a devout Jew
and never would have shouted "my God" in surprise
for that would be blasphemy for a Jew. A second
response they have is, Thomas looked at Jesus and
said, "My Lord," then looked to heaven and said, "My
God." There's a problem with that too because the
context does not say that. If you look at the
passage, Thomas says, "My Lord and My God" to Jesus.
So Thomas saw clearly that Jesus was God.
The next verse to turn them to is John 1:1. Now
here the Witnesses will think you're falling into
their trap for they have a different translation.
Their translation says, "In the beginning was the
Word and the Word was with God and the Word was
a god."
Well, the first thing to do is to show them that
both translations can't be right. Someone is
wrong. Ask them, "If we were to go to the local
library here, we would find over thirty translations
of the Bible. How many would translate it your way?"
The truth is only one would, theirs. Then ask them,
"Are you willing to say all the translators for the
past centuries have been wrong and only yours is
correct?" If they're honest, they'll think about it.
Others will say, "Yes, ours is the only true
translation."
It is then you say, "Let's say your translation
is correct and mine is wrong, you still have a
problem. How many gods do you have in that verse?"
Then you take their Bible and count the number of
gods with them. Say, "Well, here is one God with a
capital G, what kind of god is He?" They'll
say, "A true god." Then you go on and say, "Here's
another god with a small g, what kind of god
is He?" They must say," a true god." Then you ask
them, "How many gods do you have?" This is where
they get stuck for they must either say two gods and
be polytheists or deny their translation. These are
two great verses to use when witnessing to Jehovah's
Witnesses.
The Alpha and the Omega
As I have witnessed to many Jehovah's Witnesses,
I have found some verses that work most effectively
in proving the deity of Christ. Here are two of my
favorite combination of verses.
The first verse is Revelation 1:8. I am reading
from the Jehovah's Witness Bible, and it reads, "I
am the Alpha and the Omega," says Jehovah God. Ask
the Witness, "What does Alpha and Omega mean?"
They'll reply,"The beginning and the end." Then ask
them, "How many Alphas and Omegas can you have?"
They'll answer, "Only one." Make sure you get this
point across, there is only one Alpha and Omega.
Then turn to Revelation 22:12-13 which says,
"Look I am coming quickly, and the reward I give is
with me....I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first
and the last, the beginning and the end." Ask the
Witnesses, "Who do you say the Alpha and Omega is?"
They will say, "Jehovah." Now take a careful look.
The Alpha and Omega in verse twelve is coming
quickly. Let's see who is speaking in verse twelve.
Look at verse sixteen, "I Jesus, sent my angel to
bear witness to you people of these things for the
congregations. I am the root and the offspring of
David, the bright morning star." It is Jesus
speaking in verse twelve. If there is any doubt go
to verse 20 which says, "He that bears witness of
these things says, 'Yes; I am coming quickly' Amen
come Lord Jesus." So it is clear that the Alpha and
the Omega in verse twelve is Jesus. Here is a strong
proof text that Jesus is God because both Jehovah
and Jesus are called the Alpha and the Omega.
Another pair of verses that are effective when
used together are Isaiah 44:6 and Revelation
1:17-18. Isaiah 44:6 says, "This is what Jehovah has
said, 'The king of Israel and the Repurchaser of
him, Jehovah of armies, I am the first and I am the
last.'" Ask the Witnesses how many firsts and lasts
can you have? It's obvious to anyone you can only
have one first and one last. Ask them, "Who is the
first and the last?" They will say, "Jehovah." Now
turn to Revelation 1:17-18 which says, "Do not be
fearful; I am the First and the Last, and the living
one; and I became dead but look! I am living
forever." Who is speaking here? Obviously, it is
Jesus for He died but is now alive, and guess what?
He is called the First and the Last. Here again we
see Jesus is God.
These are my favorite verses, and I have never
had Witnesses refute these arguments. Remember, the
Witnesses at your door won't convert right then and
there. The key is to get them to start thinking and
questioning the organization, and down the road,
maybe in several years, they will seek answers and
that will lead them out of the organization. Don't
give up or be discouraged when sharing with
Witnesses. Though they may be rude and show no signs
that they are thinking, the Word of God is powerful
and is working in their hearts even if we can't see
it.
Remember Dr. Walter Martin (author of Kingdom
of the Cults) went fifteen years without a
convert, but he never gave up. Today we know of
hundreds he pulled out of the organization. Continue
to study the Word, and God bless you as you defend
the faith.
© 1994 Probe Ministries |