10 Questions to ask Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
I have come up with 10 questions to ask Mormons and JWs:
(1) What does one of Jesus’ names ‘Emanuel’ mean? Answer: God with us!
(2) Complete the Bible passage from Isaiah: He (Jesus) will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty G.., Everlasting F….., Prince of Peace. Answer: Mighty God! and Everlasting Father! (Isaiah 9:6)
(3) Why did the Jews try to stone Jesus in John 10? Answer: For alleged ‘blasphemy’, because Jesus claimed to be God!
(4) God’s 10 commandments include “You shall have no other gods before me” and elsewhere we are commanded not to worship any other God’s. Given that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, why then in Daniel does He give Jesus authority, glory and sovereign power and in His presence allow ‘all people’s, nations and men of every language’ to worship Jesus? (Daniel 7:14) Answer: can only be because Jesus is God!
(5) If God is the only one who can give life – why did Jesus claim ‘I am THE way, THE truth and THE LIFE’ Answer: see (4) above.
(6) Can you complete the following sentence: Jesus said “ . am the resurrection and the Life” Answer: “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!”
(7) Complete the following sentence: “The Son (Jesus) is the radiance of God’s glory and THE E…. representation of his being, sustaining all things …” (Hebrews 1:3) Answer: EXACT REPRESENTATION
(8) Can you complete the following verse: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature G..”? (Philippians 2: 6) Answer: God!
(9) Thomas (John 20), having felt the scars of the resurrected Jesus called Jesus “MY LORD AND MY GOD” (the highest form of worship) why did Jesus not say “Hang on a minute Thomas – you are jumping from the frying pan of disbelief into the fire of blasphemy?” – why instead did Jesus say … “how slow you are to believe”? Answer: because Jesus claims to be God!
(10) WHY THEN CAN’T YOU SEE THAT THE BIBLE IS CLAIMING THAT JESUS IS GOD?
Can you think of any more?
Remember though:
“Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians: 4:6)
Comments
It is a pleasure - please use it as you will (preferably down by the local kingdom hall).
God bless you and your ministry.
Neil
I have found a couple more important pieces of scripture to this end:
(1) Hebrews 1:8 :-
"But about the Son, he says,
'Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever ...'"
(2) Colossians 2:9 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
(3) To those who through the righteousness of OUR GOD and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.
I know there is much more!
Neil
I find it ironic that these battles of the Scriptures still take place when so few Bible believing Christians show much knowledge of how these Scriptures came into being and many have an inability to read these Scriptures in anything but translation. The Letter to the Hebrews is a good example. Hebrews is written by someone with a very good knowledge of Greek, it is some of the best Greek in the NT (and much of the Greek in the NT is very crude – and I can’t really read Hebrews in Greek myself nowadays). The letter is attempting to demonstrate from Scripture that this Joshua fellow (aka Jesus in Greek) is also God – this the author does by using illustrations from Scripture. Yet there is a problem as it is evident the author of Hebrews is not using the Hebrew texts to do this; the author in fact uses the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. Hence some of the author’s illustrations work while others don’t, because the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament differ; if you have an annotated copy of the NIV you will notice throughout Hebrews that the footnotes refer you to the Septuagint again and again. This is of little consequence you may argue, but then have you read the Septuagint? The nearest translation which exists in English is the New Jerusalem Bible, used by the Roman Catholic Church (though the Hebrew text is preferred when there are divergences of meaning between the Greek and the Hebrew originals).
The RC Church and The Eastern Orthodox Churches allow for a good deal more books in their respective versions of sacred scripture than many Protestant Churches. Indeed some within the Catholic Churches would see many of the Protestant Churches as heretical. Who is right and who is a heretic? The Bible alone cannot provide all the answers because it is at best vague and at worst contradictory about the nature of Jesus and many other things. I am sure you will be able to thumb through your Bible and find many verses of Scripture to vindicate your position, but then so could a RC or a Greek Orthodox, or a JW for that matter. What in reality is happening is that we tend to gravitate to the place where Scripture and the religion built upon it (of whatever flavour) best meets our individual needs – be they psychological, emotional, cultural or whatever. The fact the Mormons and the JWs are gaining coverts well in access of the attempts of more orthodox (note the small ‘o’) religions suggests they are able to fulfil these needs.
If Scripture really did present itself as a universal, self-evident, truth; there would be no need for all the efforts in trying to gain converts and nor would there be sects and factions. The Holy Spirit should be able to open the eyes of those called without the need for 10 questions; without the need for drama groups, nor sentimental ego-centric choruses; nor rousing feats of logical or emotive preaching. For this is what happens in the Gospels – it is only later the need for debate, argument and persuasion comes in.
But what we really like is to be in a tribe – it is fundamental to human nature, we need to belong to one cause or identity or another. The ten questions may very well be constructed to show the validity of Trinitarian Christianity (or Christocentric Christianity at least); but in reality what these questions are attempting to define is to what gang you belong. Are you in my gang or not? The fact so many would-be converts appear to be joining another gang perhaps says something about the nature of your own, rather than anything so sublime as truth and orthodoxy...
Thanks for your opinions - it would be useful if you would reveal your identity - although I think I know who you are.
Your arguments seem to fall into line with post modern thinking in that there is I think an implication that there is not an absolute truth. I obviously disagree with your analysis about 'defining which gang you belong to' I am more interested in truth. EITHER JESUS IS GOD OR HE ISN'T. For me the overwhelming evidence is that the Bible clearly claims that He is God - and I happen to believe the Bible. This is not based purely on my interpretation of the texts - but the reading of scholarly works. Of course having read these works I have to use my limited vocabulary as I put my beliefs into my ow words.
God bless
Neil
"Theirs are the patriarchs and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, WHO IS GOD OVERALL, FOREVER PRAISED! AMEN" (Romans 9:5)