It’s quite interesting that there have always been massive confusions and misbeliefs that surround the person of Jesus Christ all throughout the history of the church. Unsurprisingly, they are all directed toward denying His divinity. Meaning that whenever you hear something about Jesus that goes against how Scripture depicts Him, you can be quite sure that His deity is being questioned or tampered with. That’s kind of consequential misbelief is very common in every false religion.
Having said that, Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that they are honoring God while minimizing His only Son plays a major role in the massive confusions that are spreading around about who Christ really is. When examining closely their belief system, the error that’s so prevalent in their doctrine stems from their sheer misunderstanding about the true identity of the person of Christ. It’s inconceivable to see how they can get away with that kind of bizarre belief, which clearly defies how Scripture portrays Christ.
The bottom line is when you’re dealing with absolute truth that cannot be compromised or altered is that if you get it all wrong from the beginning; in other words, you are wrong fundamentally, you’ll end up coming up with all types of errors because you’re off base from the start, and that error will be carried over on and on.
Here’s where the problem begins, they believe that the Bible points out that Michael the archangel is another name for Jesus Christ; before and after His life on earth. In other words, they believe that Christ is Michael while they are two separate entities. The truth is that Michael the archangel is created through Christ since without Him was not anything made that was made including angels (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16). There are many issues that can be covered through that post but to keep this article to a reasonable length, we’ll focus on some of them.
The Deity of Christ
In order for us to get a true hold of whom Jesus really is, it’s critical that we look at what Scripture teaches about His deity. The first Scripture below has to do with Christ voluntarily laying aside certain aspects of His own divine majesty temporarily by taking human nature in the form of a servant by being obedient to God unto death in order to provide salvation to mankind.
He was like God in every way, but He did not think that His being equal with God was something to use for His own benefit (Philippians 2:6).
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).
Jesus Being like God in every way carries massive implication that cannot be understated. By the way, that verse doesn’t state that Christ possesses most of the attributes of God, which could have caused us to consider Him as a lesser God. So we can boldly conclude the true interpretation of being like God in every way is that He’s like God in power, greatness, nature, quality, being, and essence (Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:1-3; Matthew 1:23; John 20:28).
Here are a number of attributes that Christ has which confirms that He’s God. He’s all powerful (Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 1:3; Philippians 2:6). He’s everywhere (Matthew 28:20; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:16-17). He knows all things (John 1:49; 2:25; 6:64; 14:30; 21:17). Christ is immutable (Hebrews 13:8). He is an eternal entity with no beginning and ending (Revelation 22:13). And Christ is sinless (1 Peter 2:22; John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15)
Some of His Works Demonstrate Plainly That He’s God.
Who has the power to forgive sin? The answer is only God does. There is a passage of Scripture in the Bible in which Christ boldly declares that He has authority to forgive sin (Mark 2:10). This took place when He boldly declared to the paralytic man whom they lowered through the roof of a house He was ministering in that his sins were forgiven, this came as a sheer shock to many since it’s God alone who has the power to forgive sin (Mark 2:6-7).
Another vital sign of Christ’s deity attribute is also showcased several times by knowing what people were thinking in their hearts simultaneously (Mark 2:8); John 2:23-25; Matthew 12:25; Matthew 22:18; Mark 2:8; Luke 6:8). In other words, He knows fully what’s going in the hearts of man. So Christ went on by affirming His authority by healing that man (Mark 2:9).
The reason He did so is because forgiveness of sin is a spiritual matter, thus nobody can actually see it taking place with their naked eyes. One the other hand, healing of the body is a physical matter, people can actually see it manifested as a result, especially if they knew very well the person being healed.
Christ also has the power to control nature (Matthew 8:26). When Christ displayed His absolute authority over nature during the storm, His disciples marveled by saying, “What sort of Man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?” Lastly, He has the power to give eternal life to those who believe in Him (John 10:28; 17:2).
Lastly, Christ Accepts Worship From People And Angels.
One thing that we all can agree on is that only God is worthy to receive worship (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:13). Christ Himself upholds that by saying to Satan in (Matthew 4:10), “You shall worship the Lord Your God and Him only shall you serve.” Interestingly, while God is the only One who is to be worshiped, but Christ Himself didn’t refuse worship from people (Matthew 14:33; John 9:38; Matthew 28:9).
Christ as the beloved Son of God in whom His Father is deeply pleased would have never received something that’s only due to God the Father if He wasn’t God Himself. The Bible also says that Jesus is worshiped by angels according to (Hebrews 1:6). Interestingly, in this passage angels are instructed by God to worship Jesus.
So Jesus being worshiped by people and angels is something that truly elevates His status to God’s. The question that needs to be asked is that if Christ as Michael the archangel as claimed by Jehovah’s Witness in His preexistence state, how could have He received worship from angels while angels are not even allowed to receive worship since they are just created beings (Revelation 19:10)?
Worshiping any created being – whether man, angel, heavenly body, or some other things pertaining to nature (mountain, ocean, rock, etc…) is constituted as idolatry in the sight of God (Romans 1:25; Revelation 9:20; Exodus 20:3-6; Deuteronomy 6:13-15). By the way, created beings are created to worship the creator who is worthy of eternal praise.
Conclusion
It’s unmistakably clear that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have the wrong Jesus Christ. So their Christ is Michael the archangel, not the authentic One. Their Christ, in essence, cannot provide salvation, and how they conceive the true One automatically renders Him totally incapable and unfit to carry out His promises to those who’ve trusted Him as Savior and Lord. The danger is that having the wrong Christ is as damnable as rejecting Him.
The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:22-23).
Seeing or believing Jesus as less than what Scriptures claim Himself to be, or as someone else isn’t God-honoring. By the way, your reception from God will be based on your acknowledgment of His Son. How you treat Christ is precisely how you treat God Himself. The contempt or belittling being done to Christ is felt equally by God. Lastly, even Satan knows that Christ is God (Luke 4:12-13).
Notes
- Christiananswers.net – “How do Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings about Christ compare with Scriptures?“
- Gospelway.com – “Jesus Deserves the Worship and Glory That Are Uniquely God’s.”
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