The Eternal Nature of God, the Son
In a publication put out by the Watchtower organization, the group's very
unscriptural view of the nature of the Son of God is touted and the following
statement is made: "Being God's first creation, he was with the Father in heaven
from the beginning of all creation. Jehovah God used him in the creating of all
other things that have been created." This view tells us that the Son is not
deity, not eternal, and not the creator of all things, but rather of "all other
things." But how can He have been created if He was "with the Father in heaven
from the beginning of creation"? If He was God's first creation, then He wasn't
with God from the beginning of creation, but from after the beginning!
The Watchtower Bible and tract Society is the publishing arm of the Jehovah's
Witnesses. While there are many unscriptural doctrines brought forth on its
pages, we shall be considering the organization's false teaching about the
nature of God, the Son., whom the Bible represents as eternal and possessing the
nature, or essence, of God. He is deity, one of the Godhead, and possesses all
the characteristics of Deity. He is worthy of our worship as God. He is the
Creator of all, co-existent in eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The Son as Creator of All Things
"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 came into being by Him, and apart
from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." (John 1:1-3).
This "Word" is described with a personal pronoun ("He" ) showing that He is a
person, and responsible for the creation of "all" (not "all other" as suggested
by the Watchtower) things without exception. Apart from His creative acts,
"nothing" has come into being. It also says He co-existed with God and was God
from the beginning. He was not "a god" as Jehovah's Witnesses suggest. He was
"God." Later, the passage says He became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14).
For more on His role in creating all things, see also Colossians 1:16).
Passages About God Applied to Jesus
There are many Scriptural references about God that are applied to Jesus,
including assigning to Jesus names and characteristics which belong only to the
true and eternal living God. This shows very clearly that Jesus is Deity by
ascribing to Him things that can only be said of God.
Knowing the hearts of others. Who knows what is in the hearts of others? God
does! The Scriptures say, "... then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and
forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou
knowest, for Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men" (1 Kings
8:39). Does anyone else other than God share this knowledge? No! God "alone"
does. This means if Jesus knows the hearts of others, then He must be God! The
Bible says, "But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He
knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man
for He Himself knew what was in man." (John 2:24,25; see also Revelation 2:23).
The Lord God in the wilderness. The prophet Isaiah described the ministry of
John this way: "A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the Lord in the
wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3).
Clearly, this has its fulfillment in Jesus as the Lord building His ministry on
the work of John. The New testament confirms that this is so. "For this is the
one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!'" (Matthew
3:3).
The "Lord of lords". Who is the "Lord of Lords"? And how many "Lords of lords"
are there? There is one and it is God. "For the Lord your God is the God of gods
and the Lord of lords," (Deuteronomy 10:17). Jesus, the Lamb, deserves and wears
this title which may only be properly used of God. "These will wage war against
the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King
of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
(Revelation 17:14).
Only Creator. Some would say that God created the first creature and then the
creature created everything else. But the Bible says that God had no help from
any creature in the work of creation. God says, "I, the Lord, am the maker of
all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth
all alone." (Isaiah 44:24). Did God create all alone, or did He have help. He
says He did it alone. The Watchtower says He had help.
The foundation of the earth. Very clearly, in a prayer to God, the Psalmist
credits Him with "laying the foundation of the earth." Notice the 102nd Psalm, a
prayer unto God. The later part of the prayer reads this way: "O my God, do not
take me away in the midst of my days, Thy years are throughout all generations.
Of old Thou didst found the earth; And the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
Even they will perish, but Thou dost endure; And all of them will wear out like
a garment; Like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But
Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end." (Psalm 102:24-27).
However, in the New Testament, we see very plainly that this all has reference
to the Son of God (Hebrews 1:8-12). Of course, He is God!
The One who descended. The Psalmist spoke of a time when the Lord God would be
among us. He wrote, "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands;
The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness. Thou hast ascended on high,
Thou hast led captive Thy captives; Thou hast received gifts among men, Even
among the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there. Blessed be the
Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah." (Psalm
68:17-19). Everyone understands that this is referring to God. It is a prophecy
of what God, the Son will do (and now, has done, with his ascension). The New
Testament explains, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the
measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, 'When He ascended on high, He led
captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.' (Now this expression, 'He
ascended,' what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower
parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above
all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)" (Ephesians 4:7-10). Clearly,
Jesus is God.
By Jon W. Quinn
From Expository Files 14.4; April 2007
