Vol. 6, No. 11, 1989

Articles on Jehovah's Witnesses

Fred Russell

Often while talking to a Jehovah's Witness the subject of the deity of Jesus Christ will be discussed. One of the most effective ways of sharing the Gospel with a Jehovah's Witness is by using photocopies of their own books and magazines. By doing so the Jehovah's Witness is more likely to hear what is being said. It can also effectively demonstrate that the Watchtower Bible and Tract society is a false prophet organization. Until this confidence in the cult's authority is undermined the deceived cultist will usually be unable to truly hear what is being said about God and the Bible. These powerful witnessing materials are available through Watchman Fellowship.

When talking to a Jehovah's Witness about the deity of Christ they will almost always turn to Colossians 1:15 which says: "...who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature," (emphasis mine). They will then boldly declare that it is obvious that Jesus Christ never was, and is not now God because this verse plainly states that He is God's "firstborn." To a Jehovah's Witness this verse reinforces what they are repeatedly taught by the Watchtower, e.g., that Jesus Christ is "the first and highest creation of God," and thus cannot be the Eternal Second Person of the Triune God (Reasoning From The Scripture, p. 409)

To someone new in the faith or not grounded in the Word of God this may seem like a plausible interpretation of this passage. But in reality this type of teaching is just the old Arian heresy resurrected. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have only added to this heretical doctrine that Jesus Christ is in reality Michael the Archangel. But ask a Jehovah's Witness to show one verse which proves this blasphemous doctrine and watch them look in vain (Reasoning From The Scriptures, pp. 408-409)!

The key word in Colossians 1:15 is the word "firstborn" which is the Greek word PROTOTOKOS. This word is only found seven times in the New Testament and is "...rare outside the Bible and does not occur prior to the LXX," (LXX refers to the Septuagent a Greek translation of the Old Testament around 200 B.C.). So it is important that great care is exercised to see how this word is used contextually in the Bible. Comparison of other passages of Scripture that use this word should also be considered and Greek authorities consulted (Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament, p. 967). The highly acclaimed Greek manual entitled, The Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament says that this word "...emphasizes the pre-existence and uniqueness of Christ as well as His superiority over creation. The term does not indicate that Christ was a creation or a created being," (p. 567).

If further research is done on this Greek word it will be discovered that this is the same meaning that other Greek grammars and lexicons give. That the meaning of this word is "preeminence" is plainly shown by reading verses seventeen and eighteen of Colossians chapter one. These verses say: "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (or, "hold together"). And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence," (emphasis mine). Only the omnipresent, omnipotent God Almighty is able to hold all things together.

It is also stated that He "is before all things" and "is the beginning." This shows Christ's eternality. No mere "spirit creature" could have such power attributed to him! Only the God of the universe, Who came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ and is risen from the dead with preeminence over "all things," could be extolled in such majestic words! He alone as God deserves all worship and praise just as the angels do in heaven!! (Heb. 1:6; cf. Lk. 4:8)

It is equally important to note that God calls Ephraim, the son of Joseph, His "firstborn" in Jeremiah 31:9. Since Ephraim was Joseph's second son born after Manasseh, it is evident again how the Scriptures use this concept. As in Colossians 1:15, the meaning is "preeminence" and does not refer to a literal firstborn son. Compare this verse with Genesis 48:14 where Israel put his right hand on Ephraim's head and not Manasseh's when he was about to bless them. In the Septuagent, this same Greek word, PROTOTOKOS, is used in Jeremiah 31:9. So the Bible gives its own definition of this word regardless of any other source.

One other thing that is crucial to point out is that neither the Jehovah's Witnesses nor theologians understand this word to be a literal meaning of "firstborn." Who is the literal "firstborn" person according to the Bible? It is not Jesus Christ but on the contrary Cain the son of Adam and Eve! So both groups understand this important Greek word metaphorically.

The Watchtower Society claims that it means Jesus is the "first created" of God without any Biblical or reputable scholarly support (Reasoning From The Scriptures, pp. 408-409). The Christian church on the other hand has uniformly taught that the term means "preeminent" or "superior" with support from virtually all linguistic authorities and the Scriptures themselves. It must be concluded therefore that the correct understanding of this Greek word must be "preeminent" and not "first created."