How can JWs think that one true God cannot be the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirt?

Question

( they do not believe in Trinity ) and yet they believe that Jesus is "a god" among other gods ( that is polytheistic view ), Jesus is an archangel Michael, Jesus is a man, Jesus is a son of God and Jesus is also Savior?

True Christians believe that there is only one true God and there are no other gods.

JW= Jehovah's Witnesses

Line Dancer: Oh, this is what you believe Trinity is. Do not listen your organization's explanation on what is Trinity. Trinity is not believing in three gods. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit = one true God, three godheads.

Line Dancer: You are right, the Trinity is the co-existence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the unity of the Godhead ( divine nature or essence ).

Before I submitted my added detail I submitted my work by mistake. I meant to try to find a word for Finnish word "Kolmiyhteinen" and that is why I used mistakenly three godheads ( and I cannot find it from my dictionary). And I realized that I do not have time to correct it plus I cannot edit details.

However, I am happy for this mishap because now we are on the same page what Trinity is. The doctrine of Trinity means that within the being and activity of the one God there are three distinct PERSONS: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Although the word 'trinity" does not appear in the Bible, the " trinitarian formula " is mentioned in the Great Commission ( Matt 28:19) and in the benediction of the apostle Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians ( 2 Cor 13:14 )

In the New Testament , God revealed that He is not only one but a family of persons -eternal, inexhaustible, and dynamic triune Family Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are one in will and purpose, love and righteousness.

The relationship of Father and Son is prominent in the Gospels because Jesus, the eternal Son, who takes on human flesh, is most visible to us as He strikes a responisive chord through the Father-Son relationship. All while the Holy Spirit is in the background, serving as our eyes of faith.

Read Jesus' trinitarian teaching in John 14-16. The triune family cooperates as one in bringing the lost person home again into a redeemed family of believers.

Father gives all the authority to the Son and bears witness to Him, as does Jesus to Himself in John 8:18.

Yet the Son claims nothing for Himself; He gives all the glory to the Father who has sent Him ( John 12:49-50 ) They are always at one another's disposal.

The Father serves the Son; the Son serves the Father; Father and Son defer to the Holy Spirit, who in turn, serves and defers to the Father and Son in a oneness that is eternally dynamic and inexhaustible. The mutual love of the triune persons spills over into the creation and is seen in the generous cooperation in saving the lost ( John 14:15-17, 25-26 )

Following His ressurection, Jesus sent the disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19 ) The fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy as spokesman for the Father and the Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:4-8) occurred at Pentecost. This continued throughout the Book of Acts when the Holy Spirit inspired Peter and the apostles to preach a trinitarian gospel of Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Acts 2:32 -33, 5:29-32 10:38 )

This encourages the members of God's family to acknowledge the generosity originating in the Father, expressed by Son, and energized by the Holy Spirit.

Moises_Frias: Psalm 82:1 About gods. The Hebrew word may refer to the true God or false gods. Here it is the judges of the earth, see also v 6. Asaph uses this honorific term sarcastically to express his contemt for the evil judges.

Psalm 82:6 'You are gods': Jesus, inquoting thisphrase in Jn 10:34, supported the interpretation that the "gods" were human beings. In a play of words, He claims that if human leaders can be called "gods", certainly Messiah can be called God.

sons of the Most High: Created by God for noble life.

Job 1:6 sons of God were celestial beings or angels who were creatd by Him ad who serve Him as his "holy ones". Job's life is about to be caught up in heavenly strategies as the scene movesfrom earth to heaven, where God is holding council with His heavenly court. Neithr Job nor his friends knew about this.

Compare the expression "sons of God" in Gen 6:1, where the phrase is used of angels who were enemies of the Lord. The imagery seemingly indicates a heavenly council over which the Lord sits as Supreme King. Strictly speaking. Satan may be a tittle rather than the personal name of the leader of all evil forces. The Hebrew word was not clearly used as a proper name until 1 Chr 21:1, chronologically one of the last Old Testament written. Nevertheless, the characteristics of the "Adversary" in the Book of Job imply that he was in fact Satan. He answered God's questions in antagonistic manner and accused Job of ulterior motives.

Like Judas was with Apostles, Satan was with angels

About Rev 10:1 This mighty angel could be the "strong angel of 5:2 but the identity of this angel is uncertain, but it t may refer to Gabriel which, whose name means "stength of God" ( Da 8:16 ) or 18:1 where the fifth bowl will have pluged the world into darkness and agains that backdrop, the sudden, blazing appearnce of another angel ( not the same as in 17:1, 7, 15 ) will certanly rivet the world's attention on hin and on his message of judgment on Babylon.

It is unlikely that this angel is Michael.

Many commentators understand this another strong angel to be Jesus Christ. But the GR. word translated "another" means one of the same kind, that is created being. This is not one of the 7 angels responsible for sounding the trumpets in 8:2, but one of the highest ranking in heaven, filled with splendor, greatness and strenght

Line Dancer: John 17:3 is not denying the deity of Christ. I think you are trying to point out that Jesus called the "Father "the only true God" and made a distinction between "you, the only true God" and "the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ"

If Jesus' reference to the Father as "the only true God" were meant to exculde the Son from deity, then the same principle of interpretation would have to apply to Jude 4, where Jesus Chrst is called "our ONLY owner and Lord" ( NWT ) This would have to exclude the Father from the Lordship and Ownership.

JWs speak of the Father as " the Lord Jehovah", even though Jude 4 calls Jesus "only" Lord. And Holy Spirit is called "Lord" at 2 Cor 3:17.

Obviously, then, neither use of the word only is exclusive with references to the Father the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus being called our "only" Lord does not exclude the Son and the Holy Spirit from deity.

Exodus 4:16 As Moses was prophet of God,so Aaron was to be a prophet of Moses ( 7:1).Moses would be AS God to Aaron because he would tell him what to say, just as God would tell Moses what to say.

Luke 4:3:" If you are the Son of God" Satan was saying "Let's assume for the sake of argument that You are the Son of God". In fact, Satan was challenging Jesus' identity and authority.

You need to remember that Jesus withstood every aspect of the test.

I Speak Truth: 2 Timothy 3:-
I understand that JWs will express a strong agreement with this passage. However, in practice they really do not believe that latter part of it. They do not believe that the man of God is fully competent and comletely equipped, unless they have the Watchtower Organization's books and magazines. The Bible alone is not enough.

I understand that JWs believe that they must have their organization's literature in order to be saved.

The Watchtower 12/1/81, page 27
" But Jehovah's God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up spirit-anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do"

So what happens to the JWs when they start to read the Bible alone, without the Watchtower magazines and books?

The organization made an amazing admission about this, when it stated the following about their ex-members:

"They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading" they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago....The Watchtower 8/15/81, pages 28-29.

So the Watchtower magazine itself admits that JWs who begun reading the Bible alone stop believing WT doctrines and return to the doctrines taught in Christian churches. So whose doctrines then are based on the Bible The answer is obvious, by the Society's own admission.

Answer 1

SEETHELIGHT, I would talk to your Pastor or youth leader about this, as they would give you better answers to questions like this one than the kind of people who respond on answers.yahoo.com.

There are many people in the world that believe many things, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God is different than You or I believe, but that is just what they think. They chose to disregard the chapters in the Bible that confirm the accuracy of the theology we hold as the Trinity.
(John 3:16, The Creation -let US make man in OUR OWN image-)


To critique the previous responses, the Bible is not something that can be "interpreted". The Bible is the one and only standard that can be used to determine right or wrong. It is clearly read. You cannot take a constitutional law prohibiting murder and interpret it to say, only murder if you have a good cause, or, the writer was primitive in his view.
The bible is the ultimate standard, and cannot be disregarded in part or in whole.

Also, the Trinity is not a Polytheistic belief. Polytheism is beliveing in many Gods, when the trinity is a belief in one God, who is expressed in and known as three beings, all of which are referred to in scripture as the one true God. Think of it this way. God is the Father, Jesus is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the father and the son. The spirit makes them one, although the are known as two seperate beings, and then now, after Jesus' sacrifice, the Holy spirit is available to us. Three manifestations, three views, of one spirit being, God.

kid with an idea...

Answer 2

Belief within the Trinity existed previous to the life of the written textual content of the New Testament. Any connection with the 'Persons' of the Trinity as discovered within the New Testament first existed in vocal type.For illustration,and given the narrative of the Annunciation and of the Baptism of Jesus exhibit naturally the revelation of the Trinity except the Divinity of Jesus is lost sight of.Being Christian consistent with the Mind of Christ, the Son of God includes perception ion the Trinity from the time of His notion. It is greater than fair to be given that Mary narrated her revel in with the Angel Gabriel for the period of which: God is stated, the Spirit is stated and the Son of the Most High is stated. Moreover access into the Kingdom of Heaven is an induction into Triitarian perception within the ritual of Baptism.

Answer 3

If,what you are saying was true that God was a trinity, then, it should be expected to be thoroughly explained in the Bible for all to understand, considering this verse in(2Timothy3:16) says:'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.' But since the trinity is not explained or even mentioned in the Bible we do not believe in the trinity. So, then, what is the origin of the trinity?
The New Encyclopedia Britanica says:"Neither the word"trinity", nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament:Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord(Deutronomy6:4....The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies....By the end of the 4th century...the doctrine of the trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.")1976),Micropedia Vol XPage126.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states:|The formulation 'one God in three Persons' was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title Trinitarian dogma. Among the apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective."(1967)VolXIV, Page299
In the Encyclopedia Americana we read:"Christianity derived from Judaism was strictly Unitarian(believeng that God is one person). The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrasry, a deviation from this teaching."(1956)Vol XXVII Page2941.

According to the Noveau Dictionaire Universel,:
"The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian Churches....This Greek philosopher's [Plato,fourth century B.C.E.] conception of the divine trinity....can be found in all the ancient[pagan] religions.(Paris 1865-1870) edited bu M. Lachatre, Vol2 Page1467.
Yes Jesus is the son of God and by his sacrifice of his life a saviour but,
Jehovah's Witnesses do not follow pagan philosophies, nor doctrines formulated by men. Rather we follow God's Word the Bible which tells us that God is one person and Jesus his son is another person seperately existing from God.There are also many Scriptures that show that Jesus is not God and therefore no part of a trinity.

Answer 4

2 Cor 4: 4in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Who is the god of this world?
What is the glory of Christ?
Who are the unbelievers?

If we believe Jesus is greater than an image of God, then we have been blinded by Satan the god of this world.

If we believe Jesus is greater than an image of God, then we are an UNbeliever.

You choose, who do you want to believe,

God who said this is my Son,
Jesus who said I am God's Son.

Or Satan?

Since I know Jehovah can not lie, and since he said Jesus is his Son.

Why would I want to call God a liar, by disagreeing with Him?

When did it become acceptable to worship images?

Even you know there can be 'one' true God.

Who did Paul tell us that would be?

1 Cor 8:5For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords,

6yet for us there is but one God, the Father,

Jesus is my Lord and Master, But Jehovah is my God.

.

Answer 5

The only Scripture which refers to "the only true God" makes it incredibly obvious that Jesus is a person distinct from "the only true God"!

(John 17:3) This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus (the Son) was "sent forth" on an assignment from "the only true God", the two cannot be the same person. Interestingly, the verse even teaches that God is superior to Jesus (since Jesus the Son directs prayer to and performs the work assigned by God the Father).


Meanwhile, it is sad when anti-Witnesses imply that Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus to be "false".

None of the Scriptures which have been translated to refer to Jehovah as "true" actually uses a term which is strictly an antonym of "false". Instead, in both Hebrew and Greek the terms convey the sense of being an "absolute" or "genuine" god in comparison with other so-called "gods". Almighty Jehovah has no peer among so-called "gods" such as Baal and Molech, Zeus and Jupiter.

Interestingly, the Scriptures nine times refer to Jehovah as "the true Lord". Yet the word "lord" is used dozens of times in reference to kings, dignitaries, masters, angels, and (of course) Jesus Christ. Would this questioner pretend that all of these "lords" must be "false" or else also be part of a single mysterious multi-personalitied "true Lord"?

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/200602b/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19990208/article_03.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20040122/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_03.htm

http://watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_05.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_03.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/dg/index.htm?article=article_03.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_04.htm

Answer 6

Why should they believe in the Trinity? It is not a biblical doctrine; it is Catholic heresy. But then again, neither does the Bible teach that Jesus was Michael.

The Bible does teach that Jesus was God and with God (John 1:1), and that they are in unison, but distinct individuals (just as a human father is distinct from his son, yet both of one family).

True Christians believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is that they can be born into the family of God as sons of God, and will be like their brother Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

FYI, the trinity is polytheism. It teaches that God is composed of a separate God the Father, a separate God the Son, and a separate God the holy spirit. If you can do simple addition, how many gods is that? I count THREE. How many do YOU count. Why don't JW's think that the true God cannot be the Father, Son, and holy spirit? Because the Bible says otherwise. Instead of including himself and the holy spirit as being part of God, Jesus said at John 17:3 that his Father, Jehovah is the ONLY true God. Does that not put a dagger in the heart of the trinity doctrine that says the Father AND the Son AND the holy spirit make God?

Moises_Frias is correct about those called "gods" in the Bible. Imperfect human judges, faithful angels, and Jesus are called "gods." Even Moses was called "God" at Ex, 4:16 by Almighty God. Is that polytheism? No, because they were not RIVALS to Almighty God's rulership. They did not compete with him for his right to rule like the false god Satan. (2Cor. 4:4) If you will notice that at Ps. 82:6, it is Jehovah God himself that called men "gods."

So, Jehovah's Witnesses are not guilty of polytheism. Trinity believers are.

Incidentally, there is not one verse in the Bible where Jesus said God is triune and that he was God the Son, the second person of the trinity. NOT ONE!

Tell me, were you born with the belief that the Father, Son, and the holy spirit are all co-equal, co-eternal, almighty, and that they are all called God, but that they are not three Gods but on God, or did someone else fill your head with that nonsense? We both know the answer to that question, don't we? The Bible does not support the trinity. It is a falsehood.

If you feel I am mistaken, SHOW ME the trinity concept in the Bible.

It is so sad that you choose to blind your eyes to the truth. You just can't see that Jesus said CLEARLY that his Father is the ONLY true God at John 17:3. While you are looking up "polytheism," you can also look up the word "only" as well.

Nina below also shows a lack of Bible understanding. She says: "Even Satan knows Jesus is God and believes in Him." Was that true? No! At Luke 4:3, 9, Satan said to Jesus: "If thou be the SON OF GOD, command this stone that it be made bread. If thou be the SON OF GOD, cast thyself down from hence."

If Satan knew Jesus were God, do you think he had a chance of bribing God with all the kingdoms of the world if God would do one act of worship to Satan?

Nina adds to her confusion by saying: "Everyone who does not believe Jesus is God has bought the lie from Satan." Satan lied about many things, but he knew that Jesus was the Son of God, NOT God himself. The demons knew it too. At Luke 4:40, 41, it says: "Demons also would come out of many, crying out and saying: 'You are the Son of God.' But, rebuking them, he would not permit them to speak, because they knew him to be the Christ."

Apparently, you don't know much about the trinity either, because according to the doctrine, the Father, Son, and holy spirit make up ONE godhead, NOT THREE GODHEADS!

Believing in the trinity throws common sense down the toilet! And you have flushed that toilet many times.

Answer 8

JWs believe in God the Father, his Son, Jesus and God’s holy spirit.

But please look at these Bible texts.

Gen 17:1 states “, then Jehovah appeared to A´bram and said to him: “I am God Almighty”

Now, please use your understanding,

Do you use the phrase “I am” for THREE persons or you only use it for ONE Person?
If God is composed of THREE persons, God should have said “WE ARE God” but you cannot find that it the Bible, don’t you?

You never use the phrase “I am” for THREE Persons. I am is only used for one person.

JESUS said to the Father also in John 17:3, that the Father is the “ONLY True God”, this means there is one and only one person who is God, the Father. and this is confirmed in 1 Cor 8:5 where is states “6 there is actually to us one God the FATHER”.Notice the Father only. Notice also in John 17:3 Jesus excluded himself as the only true God. Instead of saying “We are the only true God” JESUS said “YOU (referring to the Father), and not US” as the only true God. Now are you against Jesus?

Now, if the Son is Jehovah, the Father is Jehovah and the holy spirit is Jehovah according to the Trinity doctrine, then these THREE PERSONS, are THREE Jehovah.

But the Bible says in Deut 6:4 Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.

There is ONLY ONE JEHOVAH, who is God Almighty.

Answer 9

The result is always the same, a new cult forms and the personal opinions of the founder/founders is taken to be the word of God when in fact it is usually a distorted version.
I found this interesting site for you to check out;
http://www.newadvent.org/library/almanac_thisrock92.htm

Answer 10

EXPLANATION OF REVELATION 10:1 at the end

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE BIBLE AND can´t tell you something as simple as what date Jesus died? it is not only having the bible it is understanding it.
Jesus said that the exact knowledge of his father and him is the one that give you eternal life (John 17:3), how many people have the bible and don´t have the knowledge the literature that we have just tell us where in the bible says what we are learning, but the bible is the center of the information.

BY THE WAY Abraham was called "LORD" and that doesn´t mean he was Jehovah.

REVELATION 10:1 "And I saw another strong angel descending from heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun, and his feet were as fiery pillars, 2 and he had in his hand a little scroll opened. And he set his right foot upon the sea, but his left one upon the earth, 3 and he cried out with a loud voice just as when a lion roars. And when he cried out, the seven thunders uttered their own voices.

"And I saw another strong angel" compare that with Daniel 10:21, Judas 9 and Revelation 12:7.

"descending from heaven, arrayed with a cloud" compare it with Daniel 7:13 and Revelation 1:7

"and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as the sun" compare it with Malachi 4:2 and Matthew 17:2

"and his feet were as fiery pillars" compare with Revelation 1:7
and he had in his hand a little scroll opened. And he set his right foot upon the sea, but his left one upon the earth" compare with Hebrew 2:8.

"and he cried out with a loud voice just as when a lion roars" compare it with Proverbs 20:2 and Revelation 5:5.