The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a group that is traditionally known as “Mormonism”. Its members are called “Latter-day Saints” or simply “Mormons”. It was founded in America by Joseph Smith in 1830, who claimed to have seen a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, who purportedly told him to restore the true Church, because all others had become corrupt.

All Christians of every denomination and church, including Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, have never regarded the Latter-day Saints to be Christian because of key differences in each group’s teaching.

Latter-day Saints believe that:

• Joseph Smith restored the fullness of truth.
• There are many gods and goddesses (potentially millions) who rule other planets.
• God the Father was once a man on another planet who became a God by obeying his god’s teachings.
• Jesus is a created being of the Father who ascended to godhood.
• Jesus and Lucifer (Satan) are brothers. Lucifer and God had different plans of salvation; because Lucifer rejected God’s plan, he rebelled and became evil.
• We can become gods and rule other worlds by taking part in temple marriage (a sacred practice in Latter-day Saint teachings) and obeying the teachings of the Church faithfully.

Christians reject all of the above teachings, and instead teach that:

• Jesus Christ protected his Church from losing the fullness of truth (Matthew 16:18).
• There is only one God who created all things and was never himself created (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:6, 8; Revelation 4:11).
• Jesus Christ is not a separate God, but rather one with the Father (John 10:30), the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, a term based on biblical teachings (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14).
• Jesus is not a created being, but the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:16–17). Jesus is Lucifer’s Creator, not brother.
• Lucifer never had humanity’s best intentions in heart. From the very beginning he was a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44).
• No one can become gods or goddesses (Isaiah 44:6, 8). But all people can have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life in Heaven by trusting in Jesus as their only Lord and Saviour as a free gift of God’s grace (Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:13–14).

Ultimately, the Christian verdict is that the Latter-day Saints are not Christian because of these and many other differences in core teachings. To learn more about these profound differences, please see the main article below which explores this question in greater depth from a Christian perspective.

• Is Mormonism Christian? Click here to read more

Related Topics

• Who Is Jesus Christ?
• Was Jesus Created by God?
• What Is a Christian?
• How to Go to Heaven

The post Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “Mormons”) are members of a group called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (or “Mormonism”). It was founded in America by Joseph Smith in 1830.

Christians of all traditions, whether that be Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox, have never considered the Latter-day Saints to be Christians for several important reasons. The first main reason would be that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded upon the premise that all Christian churches fell away from the truth in its early years, and that only Joseph Smith has restored it back to its original truth 1,800 years later. This goes against the Lord Jesus’ promise to all Christians that the gates of Hell will not prevail against his Church (Matthew 16:18).

The second main reason would be that the Latter-day Saints’ view of Jesus is a drastic departure from the Christian view of Jesus. Christians see Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity based upon biblical teachings (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14; John 10:30). The Latter-day Saints, on the other hand, not only believe that Jesus was a created being contrary to this, but they even teach that Jesus ascended to godhood as one God among many gods. They teach that each of these gods are from other planets who also ascended to godhood by obeying their gods’ teachings. Latter-day Saints even believe that God the Father was once a man on another planet who became a God in the same way. Hence, Mormonism departs from Christianity’s strict adherence to monotheism—the belief that there is only one God in all existence who created all things (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:6, 8; Revelation 4:11).

Ultimately, the Christian verdict is that the Latter-day Saints are not Christian because of these and many other differences in core teachings. To learn more about these profound differences, please see the main article below which explores this question in greater depth from a Christian perspective.

• Is Mormonism Christian? Click here to read more

Related Topics

• Who Is Jesus Christ?
• Was Jesus Created by God?
• What Is a Christian?
• How to Go to Heaven

The post Are the Latter-day Saints Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Bible’s Answer

No, the Bible does not prohibit people from receiving blood transfusions. Blood transfusions are a legitimate medical procedure,¹ which save the lives of millions of people each year.² On a relevant note, our Lord Jesus Christ declared:

Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. (Mark 7:14–23, ESVUK)

Jesus clearly said that nothing, not even blood, certain foods, or anything else that people might consider forbidden or unclean, can defile a person by going into their bodies (Mark 7:14–15). The only thing that can defile our bodies are what come out from within us, because these come from our hearts, which are filled with evil thoughts and desires (Mark 7:20–23).

The Letter in Acts 15

In spite of Jesus’ teachings, some non-Christian cult groups, most notably the Jehovah’s Witnesses (members of the Watch Tower Society), prohibit blood transfusions. They claim that their belief is supported by Acts 15:28–29, which says to “abstain from … blood”. The passage says:

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

The above passage is from a letter that the Christian apostles wrote specifically to the Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians living in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia (Acts 15:22–23). Some Jewish Christians were telling them that they had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved (Acts 15:1–5). The apostles wrote that this was not true (Acts 15:24)—for it is only by the grace of Jesus that both Jews and Gentiles are saved (Acts 15:10–13)—and instead laid “no greater burden” on them than the above list of things to abstain from, saying that they “will do well” if they abide by it.

The command to “abstain from … blood” is most likely a reiteration of the law of Moses, since the Apostle James based these requirements on Moses’ writings (Acts 15:20–21), and Moses instructed all people to never drink blood or to eat meat with the blood still in it (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10–12). Ancient pagans, who often worshipped false animal gods, would drink animal blood in the hopes of gaining their power (for blood was associated with life).³ Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that by reiterating this command, the apostles were making Moses’ command binding on all Christians today.

Proof That the Letter of Acts 15 Was Circumstantial

Elsewhere in Scripture, however, the Apostle Paul clearly proves, in accordance with Jesus’ teachings (Mark 7:14–23), that Christians may eat all foods—even food that has been sacrificed to idols—despite the fact that the letter in Acts 15:28–29 clearly prohibited this. Paul said:

Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence”, and that “there is no God but one.” … However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:4, 7–9)

One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgement on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him … Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. (Romans 14:2–3, 20)

This, however, is not a contradiction. In fact, when we are informed by both Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings, the letter in Acts 15:28–29 makes perfect sense. Christians are allowed to eat all foods, even food that has been sacrificed to idols and meat with blood still in it. This is because all the dietary and ceremonial commandments of the old covenant—including Moses’ commandments on blood—have been abrogated by the new covenant, and are thus no longer binding on Christians today (1 Corinthians 11:25–26; Colossians 2:16–17; Hebrews 8:13).

However, Christians are not allowed to use their freedom to eat all foods at the expense of their own conscience (Romans 14:23), the conscience of their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 14:20–21), or to worship idols (e.g. by partaking in pagan blood-drinking rituals; see 1 Corinthians 10:20–21). In other words, eating or abstaining from food are morally neutral actions for Christians; whether or not they become sinful is determined solely by the motive behind it, and the impact it has on yourself and others.

The situation behind the letter of Acts 15 was that there were many Jewish Christians in the churches in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, and because they were not yet used to the customs of the Gentile Christians, they were upset by the fact that they ate certain things that Moses prohibited. To honour their consciences, the Gentiles gave up some of the freedom they had in Christ, according to the apostles’ requirements, for the sake of unity with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Christ. However, in other Christian communities where no brothers or sisters stumbled over what Christians ate, Christians were free to eat whatever they wanted. Thus, the requirements in the letter of Acts 15 are circumstantial. In addition, since sexual immorality is the only item on the list that is expressly forbidden outside of the letter of Acts 15 throughout the New Testament (1 Corinthians 6:9), this means that it is the only item there that is not circumstantial.

Other Observations on the Passage

• An unbiased reading of the command to “abstain from … blood” would not lead anyone to the conclusion that blood transfusions—a medical treatment invented almost two millennia later—are being spoken of here. One has to interpret or read blood transfusions into the text to come to that conclusion, which is an exegetical fallacy. The Bible warns: “Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).
• The command plainly prohibits eating/drinking blood. Common sense tells us that eating/drinking blood is not the same thing as receiving a blood transfusion, both in performance (eating is oral but transfusions are intravenous) and function (eating converts nutrients into energy but transfusions replenish blood supply/components in life-threatening situations).⁴

Warning Against Turning Manmade Traditions into Commandments of God

Jesus warned against people who claim to follow God’s Word, but, in actuality, place their manmade traditions above the Word of God at the expense of others. In Matthew 15:1–9, we read:

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honour his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, because they took one of God’s commands, to give God offerings, and twisted it so that they no longer had to provide for their parents, at the expense of the command to “Honour your father and your mother”. The Governing Body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have done the same thing but even worse. They took a circumstantial command of the apostles, to abstain from blood, and twisted it into “abstain from any blood-related medical treatment always”, at the expense of the command “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:39–40). As a result of this, thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses have died.⁵ Here is another relevant Bible passage:

And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. (Matthew 12:10–14)

Jesus asked the rhetorical question of whether the Pharisees would rescue their sheep from a pit on the Sabbath, to highlight that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath”, even though their traditions had made the Sabbath a burden by not even allowing a person to be healed on that day. Jehovah’s Witnesses need to ask themselves the same kind of question. If their son/daughter (or other family member) is dying, and medical experts tell them the only way they can be saved is via blood transfusion, which is more valuable: the life of their precious child, or their manmade tradition, which is an unbiblical burden that kills rather than saves lives?

Conclusion

Acts 15:28–29 does not prohibit blood transfusions. The passage in Acts 15:28–29 was a letter written to Gentile Christians in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, which instructed them to abstain from food that was strangled or sacrificed to idols, drinking blood/eating meat with blood in it, and sexual immorality. This was to preserve Christian unity amongst the Jewish and Gentile believers. Christians are free to eat all food, however, not if this causes a fellow brother or sister to stumble. The Watch Tower Society has twisted the circumstantial command of abstaining from blood into a command to refuse blood transfusions, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands.

The Bible warns that God’s wrath burns against false doctrines and those who teach and uphold them—especially when they cause harm to others. The Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society is fully guilty concerning the deaths of all those who died needlessly when they could have been prevented by blood transfusions. Yet God is compassionate, and willing to forgive everyone who repents of their sins, and accepts Jesus as their Saviour and God (John 20:28; Titus 2:13–14). Through genuine repentance, God will even forgive those who, under the influence of false doctrines, had in the past refused to give their loved ones necessary health treatments, or taught against it (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 1:9).

To learn about the the good news of salvation (gospel) concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, please read the below article.

• What Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Notes

1. University of Rochester Medical Center Staff, “Blood Transfusions in Adults.”
2. World Health Organization Staff, “World Blood Donor Day 2020.”
3. Michuta, “Why did the Old Covenant forbid blood?”
4. Unitek College Staff, “A Step-by-Step Guide to Blood Transfusions.”
5. Chua R, “Will “no blood” kill Jehovah Witnesses?,” 997.

Bibliography

Chua R, Tham K F. “Will “no blood” kill Jehovah Witnesses?” Singapore Med J 47, no.11 (2006). Accessed 4/ July 2021. http://www.smj.org.sg/sites/default/files/4711/4711me2.pdf.

Michuta, Gary. “Why did the Old Covenant forbid blood?” Detroit Catholic, 24 July 2014. Accessed 5 July 2021. https://detroitcatholic.com/news/gary-michuta/why-did-the-old-covenant-forbid-blood.

Unitek College Staff. “A Step-by-Step Guide to Blood Transfusions.” Unitek College, 25 January 2021. Accessed 4 July 2021. https://www.unitekcollege.edu/blog/a-step-by-step-guide-to-blood-transfusion/.

University of Rochester Medical Center Staff. “Blood Transfusions in Adults.” University of Rochester Medical Center, n.d.. Accessed 4 July 2021. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=135&contentid=315.

World Health Organization Staff. “World Blood Donor Day 2020.” World Health Organization, n.d.. Accessed 4 July 2021. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-blood-donor-day/2020/key-messages.

See Also

• Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian?
• Did the Last Days Begin in 1914?
• Rebuttal to JW.ORG: Jesus’ Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection?
• Is Jesus God?
• In What Sense Is Jesus the Son of God?

The post Does the Bible Prohibit Blood Transfusions? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Introduction

No, Jehovah’s Witnesses, also known as members of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, are not Christian. Understandably, this answer may trouble some people. After all, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Bible is God’s Word, worship only one God, and believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. How could such a group not be Christian? The reason why is that the Watch Tower Society rejects key biblical teachings of Christianity, teachings which Christians have held since the time of the apostles.

Central Biblical Teachings

There are certain biblical doctrines that one must believe in order to be a Christian; they focus primarily on Christology (who Jesus is) and soteriology (how one is saved or gets to Heaven). In order to be a Christian, one has to believe in the biblical Jesus; he is the Second Person of the Trinity, of one being with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 10:27–33), and the only God in all existence (Isaiah 44:8), who created all things from nothing and was never himself created (John 1:1–3, 14). A Jesus who was created, or who is an archangel rather than truly God and truly human (Colossians 2:9), is not the Jesus of the Bible and, therefore, such a Jesus cannot save.

Furthermore, one has to believe in the biblical gospel (that is, the message of salvation). The biblical gospel is that Jesus died for all our sins and rose again bodily (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). He did this so that whoever believes in this and accepts him as their only Saviour (Acts 4:12) will inherit life in Heaven forever. We are saved by his grace and works alone, without us having to do a single thing to earn it (Ephesians 2:8–10). A gospel which requires one to join a church or group to be saved, or which teaches that one must do good works in order to be saved, is not the gospel of the Bible and, therefore, such a gospel cannot save anyone. As we will see in this article, the Watch Tower Society rejects central biblical teachings in both the areas of Christology and soteriology, as well as other important doctrines.

Are All Christian Churches Apostate?

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that a mass apostasy (that is, a falling away from Christian truth) took place in the church soon after the deaths of Jesus’ apostles¹ and that, during this time, the Christian church “was held captive by Babylon the Great” (that is, Satan).² Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God (whom they call Jehovah) used Charles Taze Russell—who founded the Watch Tower Society in 1874³—and his associates, known as the Millennial Dawnists, to restore biblical truths that were lost in the apostasy.⁴ They claim that Russell and his associates were “the only body of genuine Christians in a vast field of imitations.”⁵ To this day, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that salvation cannot be found outside the Watch Tower Society⁶ and claim that every Christian outside of it “is wholly a part of Satan’s system of things.”⁷

In contrast, Jesus promised Christians this: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, ESVUK). If the situation really were so bad that the church was held captive by Satan, so bad that Russell and his small group alone restored lost biblical truths in the late 1800s, then the gates of Hell would indeed have prevailed against the church for almost two millennia. The Bible declares that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:30–31) by his precious blood alone (1 Peter 1:18–19), not by our good works or anything we do (Acts 16:30–31; Ephesians 2:8–9).

Salvation, therefore, has nothing to do with joining an organisation; rather, it has to do with believing in biblical doctrine. Because Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that their group is “the only body of genuine Christians” and that, before Russell restored them, biblical truths were lost for 1,900 years, Christians—who have been worshipping God faithfully for two millennia before Russell founded the Watch Tower Society—have rightfully never considered Jehovah’s Witnesses to be another Christian denomination. Rather, they consider it to be a cult.⁸

Can We Only Understand the Bible through the Watch Tower Society?

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that, in 1919, Jesus appointed the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society (WTS)—the “faithful and discreet slave” organisation—over Jehovah’s Witnesses to give them spiritual food.⁹ Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that, today, God directly teaches the Bible to humankind through this organisation alone;¹⁰ unless we “keep in touch” with it, “we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do”¹¹ (note that Jehovah’s Witnesses use a fraudulent translation of the Bible called the New World Translation).¹² The punishment for Jehovah’s Witnesses who disobey the WTS’s instructions—even on minor matters—is being disfellowshipped and shunned.¹³

There is a major problem with the above claims, though: if Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot “progress along the road to life” by reading the Bible without WTS literature, and if all those who disagree with the WTS’s instructions are disfellowshipped, how can Jehovah’s Witnesses verify whether or not the society’s literature is, in fact, biblical? In this way, the Watch Tower Society destroys all trust in the Bible and places it entirely on its own literature. The Bible’s main message is simple enough for a child to understand and, by believing in it, receive salvation. Paul taught that the sacred writings (that is, Scripture) “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Furthermore, God does not teach humanity through one earthly organisation, but rather, he teaches through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10–14), who indwells every true Christian (Ephesians 1:13–14). Rather than unquestioningly believing in everything a human organisation says, the Bible encourages Spirit-filled Christians to test all teachings by Scripture alone (1 Thessalonians 5:20–21; Acts 17:10–11).

Is God a Trinity?

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Michael the Archangel is the Son of God (that is, Jesus) in his pre-existence, who became “Jesus Christ” while on Earth and resumed service as Michael after Jesus’ resurrection¹⁴ (by “resurrection,” they mean God recreated Michael¹⁵). They teach that Michael is God’s first created being and that, through Michael, God created all other things in existence.¹⁶ Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity doctrine and teach that, while Jesus is “inferior” to the Father and the Holy Spirit is God’s “active force,” not a person, the Father alone is the true God.¹⁷

Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that the only true God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three Persons of the one Being. The biblical justification for this is that the Bible calls the Father, Jesus (Romans 10:9–13), and Holy Spirit God¹⁸ (Hebrews 10:15–18), and it says that there is only one God (Isaiah 44:8). Thus, just as the Trinity teaches, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit must be the one God. But what about Jesus being Michael and God’s first creation, or the Holy Spirit being God’s active force? The Bible teaches that God never said to the angels: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; he said this only to Jesus (Hebrews 1:5). Therefore, because Michael is an angel, he cannot be the Son of God. Also, because Jesus created “all things,” he himself could never have been created (John 1:1–3). Furthermore, Jesus denied that the Holy Spirit is only God’s active force when he said that the Father “will give you another Helper, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him” (John 14:16–17). If the Holy Spirit were just a force, he could not be “another Helper” like Jesus, nor would Jesus have called him a “he” rather than an “it.” How can Jehovah’s Witnesses be considered Christian when they do not worship the Triune God of the Bible?

Was Jesus’ Body Raised from Death?

Charles Taze Russel said: “It could not be that the man Jesus is the Second Adam, the new father of the race instead of Adam; for the man Jesus is dead, forever dead.”¹⁹ The Watch Tower Society denies that Jesus’ body was raised on the third day after his death (which, they believe, happened on a stake rather than a cross²⁰). Instead, they teach that he was raised as “a spirit creature” (that is, Michael the Archangel).²¹ One Watchtower publication says that Jesus’ body was “disposed of by Jehovah God, dissolved into its constituent elements or atoms.”²² The society teaches that, as a spirit creature, “the resurrected Jesus materialized different bodies to suit the occasion,” including ones which looked like the body in which he was nailed to the “stake.”²³ Accordingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is “[n]o longer a human”²⁴ and that he surrendered his human nature to offer “the required sacrifice.”²⁵

The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that Jesus’ body was raised from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Jesus himself taught that he would raise up “the temple of his body” in three days, which demonstrates his omnipotence (John 2:19–21). Furthermore, the Bible teaches that Jesus appeared to his disciples in the same body in which he died, not as “a spirit”:

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. (Luke 24:36–39)

Finally, the Bible rejects the notion that Jesus had to “surrender his human nature” to make the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. Decades after Jesus died, rose, and ascended to Heaven, Paul wrote: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5–6). According to Paul, Jesus was still a man after his ascension to Heaven, and he is still a man today—only his body is now glorified²⁶ (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). The Bible declares that if Jesus were not resurrected, we would still be in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). How can Jehovah’s Witnesses be considered Christian when they deny that Jesus’ body was resurrected from death?

Did Jesus Return to the Earth Invisibly in 1914?

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in a “spiritual” second coming of Jesus²⁷ and teach that he has already returned to Earth invisibly²⁸ and is currently “invisibly present.”²⁹ Their logic is that, since Jesus was raised from death as an invisible spirit creature (which was refuted above), Jesus will return as one rather than as a human.³⁰ Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus’ second advent happened in the year 1914, when they believe Jesus “was installed as God’s heavenly King”³¹ and began “ruling from his heavenly throne.”³² They teach that Jesus’ return is not literal³³ and that it just means “he has turned his attention to the affairs of the earth at God’s due time,” for he is still in Heaven.³⁴ They also teach that Jesus’ invisible presence in 1914 marks the beginning of the last days and acts as a sign that the day of judgement is close at hand.³⁵

Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that Jesus Christ will come again visibly, on a day and at an hour no one knows or will expect (Matthew 24:44). Jesus said: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30; italics added). Furthermore, Jesus’ second coming will be the final day of judgement (2 Timothy 4:1). On that day, he will raise the dead (John 5:28–29) and “come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27). In addition, The Bible rejects the notion that Jesus only began to reign as King in 1914, for as early as the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Nathaniel declared to Jesus: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). Jesus has always been reigning as King, and he is not just confined to Heaven, but he is omnipresent (Matthew 28:20). Finally, the Bible declares that Jesus’ first coming initiated “the end of the ages,” which means that the last days began 2,000 years ago, not in 1914 (Hebrews 9:26). The day of judgement has been close at hand ever since Jesus’ first coming. Jesus taught that those who claim that he has returned before his second coming are false prophets (Matthew 24:23–27), which means that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christian; they are false prophets.

What Is the Gospel?

One Watchtower publication defines the gospel (that is, the “good news”) this way: “This ‘good news’ is primarily the message that salvation or everlasting life is possible on the basis of genuine faith in the atoning benefits of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, and that God’s kingdom by Christ will bring all things on earth into perfect unity with the holy heavens” (italics added).³⁶ Therefore, the gospel for Jehovah’s Witnesses is not that faith in Christ gives people salvation; rather, it is that faith in Christ makes salvation possible. Another Watchtower publication says that faith in Christ is not enough for salvation: when a person believes in Jesus, “he can consider himself as being on the way to salvation. It would be a mistake for him to think that he is now saved and cannot fall. He must show by his endurance in the Christian faith that he is worthy of salvation” (italics added).³⁷ Yet another says that “those who are saved do not steal from another person, do not live immoral lives, do not lie or defraud one another. Our eternal salvation depends on obedience to God in such things” (italics added).³⁸

It is clear that Jehovah’s Witnesses have a works-based gospel. Christianity, however, teaches a gospel of grace. The Apostle Paul defines the gospel this way:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, … (1 Corinthians 15:1–4)

In other words, according to the biblical gospel, Jesus’ atonement on the cross accomplished everything that is necessary for our salvation. Therefore, Paul could say: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Faith in Jesus is, in fact, sufficient for salvation. True, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul mentioned that Christians are “being saved” by holding fast to the gospel. However, in this context, “being saved” just refers to us coming closer to entering our heavenly home (2 Corinthians 5:1–3), whereas in Ephesians 2, “have been saved” refers to us being guaranteed God’s inheritance of eternal life by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14).

If God’s grace alone were not sufficient for salvation and works were required, as the Watch Tower Society teaches, then “grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6), for grace is undeserved and unmerited favour and kindness. The Apostle John declared that all those who believe in Jesus “may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13; italics added). Christians can be assured of their salvation the moment they believe. Of course, while faith alone saves (Romans 3:28), genuine faith always produces the fruits of the Spirit (James 2:26), for the Holy Spirit indwells all true Christians (1 Corinthians 3:16–17). However, these good works are never done to achieve salvation, but rather, they come as a result of being saved (1 John 4:19). Because the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ gospel is that Jesus only opened the way to salvation for those who believe, whereas Paul’s gospel is that Jesus has saved those who believe in him, what can we conclude other than that the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ gospel is not Paul’s gospel? Paul warned that those who promote a different gospel to the one he preached are “accursed” (Galatians 1:8–9).

Conclusion

In conclusion, although Jehovah’s Witnesses appear to be Christian on the outside, they are actually not Christian, because of their unbiblical teachings. Not only does every Christian denomination consider Jehovah’s Witnesses to be a non-Christian cult, but the Watch Tower Society also denies central biblical doctrines of the Christian faith, doctrines so fundamental to Christianity that they cannot be considered Christian.

Notes

1. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Called Out of Darkness,” The Watchtower—Study Edition, November 2016, 23, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-november-2016/called-out-of-darkness/.

2. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower—Study Edition, March 2016, 30, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-march-2016/questions-from-readers/.

3. Wilbur Lingle, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know: A Glimpse Behind the Walls of the Kingdom Halls (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2009), 20.

4. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Kingdom Is Born in Heaven,” God’s Kingdom Rules!, 2014, 14, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/gods-kingdom/the-kingdom-is-born-in-heaven/.

5. Ibid.

6. Wilbur Lingle, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know, 181.

7. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Hour of God’s Judgment Has Arrived,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1989, April 1, 1989, 17, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989245.

8. According to Dr. Charles Braden, a cult is “any religious group which differs significantly in one or more respects as to belief or practice from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative expressions of religion in our total culture” (Martin 2019, 13). Moreover, Dr. Walter Martin says that a cult can be defined as “a group of people gathered about a specific person or person’s misinterpretation of the Bible. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses are, for the most part, followers of the interpretations of Charles T. Russel and J. F. Rutherford” (Martin 2019, 13–14).

9. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower—Study Edition, March 2016, 29, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-march-2016/questions-from-readers/; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?” The Watchtower—Study Edition, July 2013, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/w20130715/who-is-faithful-discreet-slave/.

10. Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, eds., World Religions and Cults: Counterfeits of Christianity (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2015), 205.

11. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1981, December 1, 1981, 27, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1981889#h=6; Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness (Irvine, CA: Harvest House, 2001), 11.

12. The Watch Tower Society (WTS) produced a fraudulent translation of the Bible in 1961, titled “The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures” (NWT). The NWT is fraudulent because the people who produced it did not speak or know the original biblical languages, nor did they have any university-level education, hence the reason why it cannot be found in any public bookstore (Martin 2019, 99–100).

The authors of the NWT even intentionally mistranslated certain passages to conform to WTS doctrine; they have therefore invoked upon themselves God’s curses of Revelation 22:18–19. For example, the Hebrew word YHWH, Yahweh (which the WTS incorrectly transliterates as Jehovah (Lingle 2009, 150–51)), is not found anywhere in the New Testament, which was written in Greek. However, the authors of the NWT inserted that word 237 times into the New Testament because of their belief that Jehovah is God’s true name (Hodge and Patterson 2015, 207).

13. Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness, 12; Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, World Religions and Cults, 197; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Penssylvania, “Maintain Your Faith and Spiritual Health,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1989, October 1, 1989, 19, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989725?q=w99+3%2F1&p=doc#h=19.

14. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Michael,” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, 1988, 393–94,  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003035#h=4; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Is Jesus the Archangel Michael?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—2010, April 1, 2010, 19, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2010250#h=10; Hodge and Patterson, eds., World Religions and Cults, 200.

15. Wilbur Lingle, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know, 154–55.

16. Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness, 41; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Creation,” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, 1988, 527, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001061#h=7.

17. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Accurate Knowledge Leads to Life,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1964, March 1, 1964, 136, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1964161#h=28.

18. Notice how in Romans 10:9–13 and Hebrews 10:15–18, the Bible attributes God’s divine name, Yahweh, to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, by applying Old Testament prophecies to them.

19. Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults: the Definitive Work on the Subject, 6th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2019), 83.

20. Trevor R. Allin, “Did Christ die on a cross or a stake?” bethinking.org, updated July 17, 2014, https://www.bethinking.org/jehovahs-witnesses/did-christ-die-on-a-cross-or-a-stake; The historical record shows that the Romans actually crucified their victims, which involved nailing their hands and feet to wooden vertical and horizontal beams and raising the cross up, eventually killing the victims who are no longer able to hold their body up by asphyxiation.

Dr. Trevor R. Allin wrote that in addition to linguistic and textual evidence, there is also archaeological evidence to show that the Romans crucified their victims. He said: “For instance, nails have been found that not only attached the condemned person to the cross, but also fixed the horizontal beam to the upper part of the vertical one” (Allin 2014). Jehovah’s Witnesses prove that they are an unscholarly group by denying this historical fact.

21. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1953, July 15, 1953, 447, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1953529; Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness, 42.

22. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Fleshly Body of Jesus,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1953, September 1, 1953, 518,  https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1953641&srctype=wol&srcid=share&par=11.

23. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Identifying the Resurrected,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1963, April 15, 1963, 236, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1963282.

24. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Who Is Michael the Archangel?,” Awake!—2002, February 8, 2002, 17, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102002085.

25. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1975, August 1, 1975, 479, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1975571.

26. Note that nowhere in the Bible does it teach that “glorified” bodies are “non-physical” bodies. A glorified or spiritual body, according to the biblical testimony, is a restored and perfected body (1 Corinthians 15:42–44).

27. Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness, 42; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—Will You See It?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1966, January 1, 1966, 3, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1966000#h=5.

28. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—How Seen?,” You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982, 146, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989107#h=16; Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults, 133–34.

29. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—What Does It Mean for You?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1969, August 15, 1969, 484, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1969600#h=12.

30. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—How Seen?,” You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982, 146, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989107#h=16.

31. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “1914​—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy,” What Does the Bible Really Teach?, 2005, 217, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-teach/1914-significant-year-bible-prophecy/.

32. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Meaning of Christ’s Return,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1966, February 1, 1966, 70, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1966081#h=13.

33. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “The Meaning of Christ’s Return,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1966, February 1, 1966, 70, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1966081#h=11.

34. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—What Does It Mean for You?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1969, August 15, 1969, 485, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1969600#h=24.

35. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “1914​—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy,” What Does the Bible Really Teach?, 2005, 217, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-teach/1914-significant-year-bible-prophecy/; Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Christ’s Return—Will You See It?,” Awake!—1973, July 22, 1973, 5, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101973520#h=22.

36. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “How Powerful Is The Good News?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1979, December 15, 1979, 5–6, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1979922#h=2.

37. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “What Is God’s Way to Salvation?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1960, March 1, 1960, 134, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1960161#h=21.

38. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “Jesus Saves the World—How?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1983, August 15, 1983, 8, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1983601#h=19.

Bibliography

Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, eds., World Religions and Cults: Counterfeits of Christianity (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2015).

Ron Rhodes, The 10 Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness (Irvine, CA: Harvest House, 2001).

Trevor R. Allin, “Did Christ die on a cross or a stake?” bethinking.org, updated July 17, 2014, https://www.bethinking.org/jehovahs-witnesses/did-christ-die-on-a-cross-or-a-stake.

Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults: the Definitive Work on the Subject, 6th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2019).

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, “1914​—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy,” What Does the Bible Really Teach?, 2005, https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-teach/1914-significant-year-bible-prophecy/.

———, “Accurate Knowledge Leads to Life,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1964, March 1, 1964, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1964161#h=28.

———, “Called Out of Darkness,” The Watchtower—Study Edition, November 2016, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-november-2016/called-out-of-darkness/.

———, “Christ’s Return—How Seen?,” You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989107#h=16.

———, “Christ’s Return—What Does It Mean for You?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1969, August 15, 1969, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1969600#h=12.

———, “Christ’s Return—Will You See It?,” Awake!—1973, July 22, 1973, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101973520#h=22.

———, “Christ’s Return—Will You See It?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1966, January 1, 1966, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1966000#h=5.

———, “Creation,” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 1, 1988, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001061#h=7.

———, “How Powerful Is The Good News?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1979, December 15, 1979, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1979922#h=2.

———, “Identifying the Resurrected,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1963, April 15, 1963, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1963282.

———, “Is Jesus the Archangel Michael?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—2010, April 1, 2010, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2010250#h=10.

———, “Jesus Saves the World—How?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1983, August 15, 1983, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1983601#h=19.

———, “Maintain Your Faith and Spiritual Health,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1989, October 1, 1989, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989725?q=w99+3%2F1&p=doc#h=19.

———, “Michael,” Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, 1988, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003035#h=4.

——— “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1953, July 15, 1953, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1953529.

———, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1975, August 1, 1975, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1975571.

———, “Questions From Readers,” The Watchtower—Study Edition, March 2016, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-march-2016/questions-from-readers/.

———, “The Fleshly Body of Jesus,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1953, September 1, 1953, https://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&docid=1953641&srctype=wol&srcid=share&par=11.

———, “The Hour of God’s Judgment Has Arrived,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1989, April 1, 1989, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1989245.

———, “The Kingdom Is Born in Heaven,” God’s Kingdom Rules!, 2014,  https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/gods-kingdom/the-kingdom-is-born-in-heaven/.

———, “The Meaning of Christ’s Return,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1966, February 1, 1966, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1966081#h=13.

———, “The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1981, December 1, 1981, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1981889#h=6.

———, “What Is God’s Way to Salvation?,” The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1960, March 1, 1960, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1960161#h=21.

———, “Who Is Michael the Archangel?,” Awake!—2002, February 8, 2002, https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102002085.

———, “Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?” The Watchtower—Study Edition, July 2013, https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/w20130715/who-is-faithful-discreet-slave/.

Wilbur Lingle, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know: A Glimpse Behind the Walls of the Kingdom Halls (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2009).

The post Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Introduction

No, Mormonism, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is not Christian. Understandably, this answer may trouble some people. After all, Mormons believe they are Christians, regard the Bible as scripture, and even believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Saviour of the world. How could such a group not be Christian? The reason why Mormonism is not Christian is that it denies central biblical teachings of Christianity, which Christians have believed for the past 2,000 years.

Central Biblical Teachings

There are certain biblical doctrines that one must believe in order to be a Christian; they focus primarily on Christology (who is Jesus) and soteriology (how does one get to Heaven). In order to be a Christian, one has to believe in the biblical Jesus; he is the Second Person of the Trinity, of one being with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, ESVUK), the only God in all existence (Isaiah 44:8), who created all things from nothing and was never himself created (John 1:1–3, 14). A Jesus who was created, or who is one God amongst many, is not the Jesus of the Bible, and therefore such a Jesus cannot save.

Furthermore, one has to believe in the biblical gospel (message of salvation). The biblical gospel is that Jesus died for all our sins and rose again bodily (1 Corinthians 15:1–4), so that whoever believes in this, and accepts him as their only Saviour (Acts 4:12), will inherit life in Heaven forever by his grace and works alone, without us having to do a single thing to earn it (Ephesians 2:8–10). A gospel which requires one to join a church or group to be saved, or which requires one to follow laws and ordinances to be saved and ascend to godhood, is not the gospel of the Bible, and therefore such a gospel cannot save. As we will see in this article, Mormonism rejects central biblical teachings in both the areas of Christology and soteriology, as well as other important doctrines.

Are All Christian Churches Apostate?

Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder, claimed that, in 1820, when he was 14 years old, he had a vision of Jesus Christ and God the Father in the woods of Sharon, Vermont, while praying about which church to join.¹ In this vision, Jesus purportedly told him not to join any of the Christian churches, because they were all apostate (i.e. they all fell away from Christian truth).² Through this and other alleged experiences, Mormons claim that God chose Joseph Smith to restore the true church and gospel,³ both of which were lost in a universal apostasy shortly after the deaths of Jesus’ apostles.⁴ In 1830, Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church.⁵

When one considers the fact, however, that Mormonism was only founded in the 1800s, whereas Christians have been around since the first century AD, this raises several crucial questions. For instance, why would Jesus abandon his followers for 1,800 years when he promised he would be with them always (Matthew 28:20)? Did Jesus really fail in his promise of protecting the church from the gates of Hell for almost two millennia before Joseph Smith finally restored it (Matthew 16:18)? What evidence is there to suggest that every Christian church is apostate, except for the testimony of a single eyewitness? Mormonism was founded upon the claim that all Christian churches are illegitimate and false and that the Mormon Church alone is the true one. This is a valid reason for why Christians, who have been faithfully worshipping Christ for centuries before Mormonism was even founded, have never considered Mormonism to be another Christian denomination, but rather, a cult.⁶

Is the Bible Alone Scripture? Was It Corrupted?

Christians have always regarded the Bible alone as scripture and believe it is the Word of God. Mormons regard not only the Bible as scripture, though, but also the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants (note that Mormons only use the King James Version of the Bible, because they believe it is the most accurate English translation).⁷ Mormons teach that the Bible is the Word of God ‘as far as it is translated correctly’ and that some parts of it were changed or corrupted over time from the original message.⁸ For Mormons, in order to properly understand the Bible and its pure, incorrupt teachings, they must read the additional Mormon scriptures or listen to a Mormon president’s teachings—whose words carry the same authority as scripture in Mormonism.⁹ Joseph Smith taught that the Book of Mormon is ‘the most correct book on earth’ and, therefore, more correct than the Bible itself.¹⁰

There is a clear problem with these claims, though: if a Mormon ever encounters something in the Bible that contradicts Mormon theology or teachings, he or she can simply dismiss it as being a corrupted part and, instead, refer to the other Mormon scriptures or a Mormon president’s teachings. This makes it impossible to verify the claims of Mormonism against biblical teachings and destroys all trust in the Bible, placing it entirely on Mormon scriptures and prophets instead, which alone contain ‘the fullness of truth’. How can Mormonism be considered Christian when it attacks Christian scripture in such a way? Furthermore, how can Mormons claim the Bible was corrupted when Jesus himself said that ‘Scripture cannot be broken’ (John 10:35)?¹¹

How Many Gods Are There?

Mormonism teaches that there are millions of gods and goddesses who rule their own worlds¹² and that God the Father has a goddess wife, whom they call the Heavenly Mother.¹³ Mormonism is, therefore, a polytheistic religion—the belief that more than one God exists. Mormons believe that God the Father himself was once a man on another planet, created by another god;¹⁴ he and his wife became the god and goddess of our world by following their god’s commandments.¹⁵ Mormonism teaches that all Mormons, likewise, have the ability to become gods and goddesses and to rule over their own worlds, provided they marry in a Mormon temple and follow the teachings of the Mormon Church faithfully.¹⁶

In contrast, Christianity teaches that there is only one God in existence and rejects the notions that God the Father has a wife and that humans can become gods. Christianity is a monotheistic religion—the belief that only one God exists, who is supreme over all. In Isaiah 43:10, God said: ‘Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me’. Moreover, the God of the Bible is the creator of all things: ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created’ (Revelation 4:11). Creation must have begun at some point, and since the Bible teaches that God created all things, God must have existed forever. Moses said: ‘Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God’ (Psalm 90:2). How can Mormonism be considered Christian when it teaches that millions of gods exist, whereas Christianity teaches that only the God of Scripture exists?

Is God Triune or Not?

Mormons reject the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods, who are united in purpose, but not being.¹⁷ Christians, on the other hand, believe in the Trinity, which teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal, co-eternal, and one in both purpose and being and, therefore, three Persons in one God. The scriptural justification for this is that the Bible calls the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit God (e.g. 1 Corinthians 1:3; John 20:28; Acts 5:3–4) and, at the same time, teaches that there is only one God (e.g. Isaiah 45:5).

Since the beginning of church history, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity has not only always been a central aspect of Christian belief, but also the primary belief by which Christians have always distinguished between orthodoxy and heresy. As the Athanasian Creed¹⁸ states: ‘Whosoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic¹⁹ faith. Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally. And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance’.²⁰ By rejecting the Trinity, Mormons have made a significant departure from historic Christianity.

How Is Jesus God’s Son?

Mormonism teaches that all humans once pre-existed in Heaven before coming to Earth and that God the Father and his wife, the Heavenly Mother, created (and still create) all humans and angels through procreation²¹—including Jesus Christ and Satan.²² According to Mormons, Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the same way we are: by being created as God’s spirit offspring.²³ For Mormons, Christ is special in that he was the heavenly parents’ firstborn spirit child.²⁴

Christians, however, do not believe Jesus is a Son of God, like the Mormons; they believe he is the Son of God (1 John 4:15). The Bible teaches that, in contrast to Jesus, who is God’s only Son (John 3:16), Christians only become God’s sons and daughters when he converts them to the faith through adoption by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14–16); we were, therefore, not once God’s spirit children in Heaven (see also 1 Corinthians 15:42–46). On the other hand, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God in flesh, the 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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1–3)

Jesus Christ is, therefore, God’s Son in the sense that he is fully God by nature, and because he is the creator of all things, Jesus was never himself created; he is God’s natural and eternal Son. To further confirm this, the Bible says Jesus ‘was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God’ (John 5:18). When Mormons say Jesus is the Son of God, it does not mean the same thing as when Christians and the Bible call him the Son of God.

Have Christians Lost the Gospel or the Fullness of It?

Mormons teach that Joseph Smith restored the gospel (from the Greek word euangelion, meaning ‘good news’), which Christians have lost, and that the Mormon Church alone contains the fullness of the gospel. This begs the question, though: how could Christians have ‘lost the gospel’ or ‘the fullness of it’ when the gospel message itself is contained in the Bible, and Christians have always had the Bible? In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul defines what the gospel is:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, … (1 Corinthians 15:1–4)

Here we see the good news (gospel) is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead for our salvation. Paul taught that Jesus died for us so that we may ‘live with him’ in Heaven forever (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10) and that we inherit eternal life by grace through faith in Christ, ‘not a result of works’ (Ephesians 2:8–9). Since the very beginning, Christians have always believed in this, so how could Christians have lost the gospel or its fullness?

In contrast, Mormons teach that the ‘Gospel of the Son of God that has been revealed is a plan or system of laws and ordinances, by strict obedience to which the people who inhabit this earth are assured that they may return again into the presence of the Father and the Son’.²⁵ Mormons also teach that exaltation to godhood in the Celestial Kingdom²⁶ is ‘available through the Atonement of Christ, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel’.²⁷ Of course, this gospel—which is polytheistic and based on human works, rather than Christ’s works and grace alone—is not the same as the one Paul taught in the Bible. So, what can we conclude other than that the Mormon gospel is not Paul’s gospel? Paul warned:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8–9)

Conclusion

Not only do all Christian denominations and churches regard Mormonism to be a cult, but Mormonism even rejects basic and fundamental Christian and Bible teachings that Christians have always held. There are many other issues with Mormonism that this article has not discussed, but the conclusion is clear: although Mormonism looks and acts like Christianity, it is not Christian. It is a cult that was founded upon the belief that all Christian churches are corrupt and false and that the Mormon Church alone is the one true religion.

Footnotes

1. R. Philip Roberts, Mormonism unmasked: confronting the contradictions between Mormon beliefs and true Christianity (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1998), 28.

2. Roberts, Mormonism unmasked, 28–29.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Joseph Smith,’ Gospel Topics, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/joseph-smith?lang=eng.

4. Russel M. Nelson, ‘The restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ: a bicentennial proclamation to the world,’ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5 April 2020. Accessed 27 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng.

5. Roberts, Mormonism unmasked, 33.

6. According to Dr. Charles Braden, a cult is “any religious group which differs significantly in one or more respects as to belief or practice from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative expressions of religion in our total culture” (Martin 2019, 13). Moreover, Dr. Walter Martin says that a cult can be defined as “a group of people gathered about a specific person or person’s misinterpretation of the Bible. … The Mormons, by their own admission, adhere to those interpretations found in the writings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young” (Martin 2019, 13–14).

7. Because most modern English translations of the Bible are based on even earlier, and more numerous, biblical manuscripts than those which the King James Version (KJV) is based on, it is unscholarly to say that the KJV is ‘the most accurate’ translation. Note that while Christians will still say that the KJV is the Word of God, Mormons cannot even say that, because of their belief that parts of the Bible have been corrupted, hence they only believe it contains the Word of God.

8. Bodie Hodge and Roger Patterson, eds., World religions and cults: counterfeits of Christianity (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2015), 257–58.

9. Hodge and Patterson, World religions and cults, 238–39.

10. Walter Martin, The kingdom of the cults: the definitive work on the subject, 6th ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2019), 223.

11. When Jesus said that Scripture cannot be broken in that context, he was teaching the Jews that no part of Scripture can be changed or corrupted, and so they must accept its authority. This refutes the Mormon claim that parts of the Bible have been corrupted by Christians.

12. Roberts, Mormonism unmasked, 46–7.

13. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Mother in Heaven,’ Gospel Topics Essays, October 2015. Accessed 27 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/mother-in-heaven?lang=eng.

14. Martin, The kingdom of the cults, 272–75.

15. Hodge and Patterson, World religions and cults, 241–43.

16. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Chapter 47: exaltation,’ Gospel Principles, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-47-exaltation?lang=eng.

17. Hodge and Patterson, World religions and cults, 240–41.

18. The Athanasian Creed is an important Christian statement of faith which outlines and explains clearly the doctrine of the Trinity and was written to combat the Arian heresy (Arianism rejects Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit’s deity). Its authorship and date of origin remain unknown (it was named after Athanasius of Alexandria, the 20th bishop of Alexandria in the Copic Orthodox Church, who formulated the Nicene Creed in 325 AD to defend the Trinity), but it is widely accepted by most Western churches and has been used since the sixth century.

19. ‘Catholic’ here means ‘universal’. It does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church.

20. Paul T. McCain et al., eds., Concordia: the Lutheran confessions: a reader’s edition of the Book of Concord, 2nd ed., trans. William H. T. Dau and Gerhard F. Bente (St Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2007).

21. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Chapter 2: our heavenly family,’ Gospel Principles, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-2-our-heavenly-family?lang=eng.

22. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Premortality,’ Gospel Topics, n.d. Accessed 28 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/premortality?lang=eng.

23. Roberts, Mormonism unmasked, 66.

24. Roberts, Mormonism unmasked, 66.

25. Noel B. Reynolds, ‘Gospel of Jesus Christ,’ The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 1: 556–60 (New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992). Accessed 29 December 2020, https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Gospel_of_Jesus_Christ.

26. In Mormonism, the Celestial Kingdom is the highest of the three levels of Heaven, in which Mormons are exalted to godhood, rule their own worlds with their spouses, and populate them with spirit children. The Bible does not teach this.

27. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘Becoming like God,’ Gospel Topics Essays, February 2014. Accessed 26 December 2020, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/becoming-like-god?lang=eng.

Bibliography

Hodge, Bodie and Roger Patterson, eds. World religions and cults: counterfeits of Christianity. Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2015.

Martin, Walter. The kingdom of the cults: the definitive work on the subject. 6th ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers, 2019.

McCain, Paul T., Edward A. Engelbrecht, Robert C. Baker, and Gene E. Veith, eds. Concordia: the Lutheran confessions: a reader’s edition of the Book of Concord. 2nd ed. Translated by William H. T. Dau and Gerhard F. Bente. St Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2007.

Nelson, Russel M. ‘The restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ: a bicentennial proclamation to the world.’ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5 April 2020. Accessed 27 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-restoration-of-the-fulness-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ/a-bicentennial-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng.

Reynolds, Noel B. ‘Gospel of Jesus Christ.’ In The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 1: 556–60. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992. Accessed 29 December 2020. https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Gospel_of_Jesus_Christ.

Roberts, R. Philip. Mormonism unmasked: confronting the contradictions between Mormon beliefs and true Christianity. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman, 1998.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ‘Becoming like God.’ Gospel Topics Essays, February 2014. Accessed 26 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/becoming-like-god?lang=eng.

———. ‘Chapter 2: our heavenly family.’ Gospel Principles, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-2-our-heavenly-family?lang=eng.

———. ‘Chapter 47: exaltation.’ Gospel Principles, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-47-exaltation?lang=eng.

———. ‘Joseph Smith.’ Gospel Topics, n.d. Accessed 27 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/joseph-smith?lang=eng.

———. ‘Mother in Heaven.’ Gospel Topics Essays, October 2015. Accessed 27 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/mother-in-heaven?lang=eng.

———. ‘Premortality.’ Gospel Topics, n.d. Accessed 28 December 2020. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/premortality?lang=eng.

The post Is Mormonism Christian? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Bible’s Answer

Introduction

According to an official Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower article published in August 2015, titled “Watch Your Associations in These Last Days”, the following was said:

1. In what time period are we now living? WE ARE living in very difficult times. The Bible calls the era that began in 1914 “the last days.” These “critical times hard to deal with” are marked by conditions that are far worse than any experienced by mankind prior to that climactic year. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Moreover, the world will continue to deteriorate, for Bible prophecy foretold that “wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse.”—2 Tim. 3:13.¹

According to the Watch Tower Society, the “last days” began in the year 1914, during which they claim Christ was enthroned and returned to the earth invisibly*. But was the year 1914 actually when the last days began?

When the Last Days Began

The Bible answers this for us:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

This Bible passage makes it clear that the “last days” began not in 1914, but 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ walked the earth. In biblical usage, the “last days” refer to the Messianic era, which began with Christ’s first coming, and will finish when he comes again to judge the living at the dead, which could happen at any moment now (James 5:7–9; John 6:40, 12:48). This is why the author of Hebrews wrote that Jesus came to the earth “at the end of the ages”, i.e. the last days, to put away sin by his sacrifice on the cross:

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

This is also why the apostle Peter wrote “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7) 2,000 years ago, another clear reference to the fact that the New Testament Christians were also living in the last days. Furthermore, after the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Christians on the Day of Pentecost, Peter again said:

Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:14–21)

Here, we clearly see that in the Scripture which Peter quoted, the prophet Joel taught that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would happen “in the last days”, and that this was fulfilled 2,000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost. This again clearly teaches that the last days began 2,000 years ago.

When the Greatest Era of Tribulation Took Place

In addition, the Watch Tower Society said that the year 1914 marked the beginning of conditions “far worse than any experienced by mankind prior to that climactic year.” Yet the Lord Jesus said:

But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. (Mark 13:14–19) (See also Matthew 24:15–21)

Jesus’ own words prove that the greatest era of tribulation began when “the abomination of desolation” took place, which was when the temple in Jerusalem was desecrated and destroyed by the Romans 2,000 years ago in 70 AD (See Daniel 9:26–27, Mark 13:1–5 and Luke 21:20–24). In fact, the Watch Tower Society even misquoted 2 Timothy 2:1–5 to support their teaching that the last days began in 1914, even though the passage says no such thing:

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 2:1–5)

Conclusion

Because the Watch Tower Society teaches that the last days began in 1914, even though the Bible so clearly teaches that they actually began in the first century 2,000 years ago, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watch Tower Society are therefore unbiblical and false prophets. Furthermore, because an honest reading of the above Scriptures would never lead anyone to the conclusion that the last days began in 1914, this shows that this teaching is a deliberate twisting of the Scriptures. It therefore makes one wonder: since they have mishandled such a clear and simple Bible teaching, how many more Bible teachings have they mishandled?

Notes

* The Bible refutes the notion that Jesus was only enthroned in 1914 because it teaches that he has always been reigning as King, before (Zechariah 9:9 & John 12:15; John 17:5), during (Matthew 2:2; John 1:49; John 18:36–37), and after his earthly ministry (1 Corinthians 15:25; Colossians 3:1; Revelation 17:14). It also teaches that he will continue to reign as King for all eternity (Hebrews 1:8). The Bible also refutes the belief that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914, because Jesus said that when he returns, everyone will see him and know about it (Matthew 24:23–27; Matthew 24:29–31), and that on that day he will judge the world (Matthew 25:31–32). He also taught that no one can know the day or hour of when he will come again (Mark 13:32–37; Matthew 24:36), and that no one will expect it (Matthew 24:44, 48–50; Luke 12:39–40).

References

1. Watch Your Associations in These Last Days, The Watchtower—Study Edition  |  August 2015, www.jw.org, last accessed on 17 Dec 2019, <https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/w20150815/watch-associations-last-days/#?insight[search_id]=28dffc11-f547-4d9d-b290-b4881885fc33&insight[search_result_index]=92>

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Introduction

Adherents of Judaism claim that Jesus of Nazareth cannot be the Jewish Messiah because he is not a direct descendant of Solomon’s lineage. In Jesus’ genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that he is in fact a descendant of Solomon, however, this was only from his step-father’s side of the family, Joseph (Matthew 1:6–7, 16).

Since Jesus is Mary’s biological son (by the Holy Spirit), not Joseph’s, they point out that Jesus therefore can’t be Solomon’s descendant. They then quote the following Scriptures to support their claim that the Messiah has to be descended from Solomon:

He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel for ever. (1 Chronicles 22:10)

… then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel. (2 Chronicles 7:18) ¹

The idea is that since Solomon’s throne will continue forever, the Messiah must be his descendant to take his place and carry on his rule. This, however, is incorrect. To find out what was actually meant in these passages, we need to look at the original covenant God made, which was with David.

David’s Throne—Eternal; Solomon’s—Conditional

God said to David through the prophet Nathan:

Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me. Your throne shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:11–16)

Here, we see in verse 16 that God promised David that his house, kingdom, and throne would be made sure and established forever. This makes it clear that the Messiah has to be a descendant of David, not Solomon. Verse 13 tells us that Solomon’s throne would last forever only in the sense that he would be reigning in his father’s stead, but the throne that he is sitting upon is still David’s everlasting throne.

This is further supported by the fact that in 2 Chronicles 7:17–18, God told Solomon that his throne would be established forever, but only if he followed all of his commands, statutes, and rules, as David did:

And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel. (2 Chronicles 7:17–18)

God’s promise to David that his throne would be established forever in 2 Samuel 7:16 was absolute. But his promise to Solomon here was conditional. If he failed to be faithful in serving the Lord, God would cast him out of the land and forsake his house (2 Chronicles 7:19–22). This again shows that Solomon would only be continuing David’s rule, not ruling his own new kingdom.

Solomon Only Continued David’s Reign

In addition, after Solomon not only disobeyed God’s commands by marrying many foreign, pagan women, but even abandoned God himself by worshipping and serving his wives’ false gods instead, and built alters to sacrifice to them (1 Kings 11:1–8), God punished Solomon:

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. (1 Kings 11:9–13)

What’s significant about this is that as punishment for Solomon’s sins, God divided the kingdom of Israel and took away from his son, Rehoboam, all the tribes of Israel except for Judah. But the only reason why God saved one tribe for him was not so that he could keep his covenant with Solomon, since he broke the covenant, but so that he could keep his original covenant with David, who kept the covenant. This again shows that God’s ultimate promise was that king David’s throne would last forever, and that Solomon was only tasked with continuing his reign, in accordance with 2 Samuel 7:11, 16.

The Messiah Rules upon David’s Throne—Not Solomon’s

In fact, this is the reason why after the accounts of David and Solomon from 1 Samuel to 2 Chronicles, the Messianic prophecies teach that the Messiah would one day rule upon David’s throne, not Solomon’s:

Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 His offspring shall endure for ever, his throne as long as the sun before me. 37 Like the moon it shall be established for ever, a faithful witness in the skies. (Psalm 89:35–37) (See also Psalm 89:3–4 & Psalm 132:11–12)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6–7) (See also Isaiah 11:1–10)

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:5–6) (See also Jeremiah 33:14–18) ²

And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken. (Ezekiel 34:23–24) (See also Ezekiel 37:24–25)

Even the Jewish scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day knew that the Messiah would descend from David’s lineage, in spite of their constant opposition towards him (Matthew 22:41–42). The cumulative Scriptural evidence proves that the Messiah must be a biological descendant of David, not Solomon. Could he be a descendant of Solomon? Yes, he could, but he could also be a descendant of any of David’s other children, too.

Jesus Is a Descendent of King David

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is a descendant of king David through his mother, Mary:

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, … 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, … (Luke 3:23, 31) *

This is proof that Jesus is David’s biological heir. As for Matthew’s Gospel, even though Joseph is only Jesus’ step-father, Jesus is still the legal heir of David and Solomon from Joseph’s side through adoption. So the fact that Jesus is David’s biological descendant through Mary, and his legal heir through Joseph, only serves to strengthen the fact that Jesus is the Messiah; he meets the Messianic criteria of being a descendant of David.

The apostle Paul, who was a Pharisee and expert on the Old Testament Scriptures before converting to Christianity, stressed the importance that Jesus is David’s offspring in his letters:

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! (2 Timothy 2:8–9) **

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, … (Romans 1:1–4)

Being an expert on the Scriptures, he knew that the Messiah had to be a descendant of David to take his throne.

Jesus—the Sinless King Who Rules on David’s Throne Forever

Unlike all the kings after David who were not capable of continuing his rule forever because of their sins, Jesus, who is the promised Messiah, was without sin, and he upheld God’s Law perfectly throughout his entire life (Matthew 5:17):

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. (Acts 2:34–36)

As God’s sinless Anointed One (Messiah), Jesus was the only one fit to fulfil God’s covenant promise to David. Through his innocent suffering, his atoning death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus saved the world from sin and its consequences, and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Mark 16:19), where he rules an everlasting kingdom upon David’s throne forever:

But of the Son he [the Father] says, “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. (Hebrews 1:8–9)

Everyone who draws near to God through the Lord Jesus will be saved from sin’s curse, eternal punishment, and share in his kingly reign forever in the life to come:

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. — Jesus Christ (Revelation 3:21) 

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. — Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:16)

Notes

* Joseph was most likely Heli’s son-in-law, hence, Heli would have been Mary’s father. Joseph would have been mentioned instead of Mary since Jewish genealogies were only traced through the fathers. In addition, there was no Hebrew word at the time to describe an in-law. This best explains the different genealogies presented in Matthew and Luke.^3–5

** Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. When Paul said “Jesus Christ” he was saying “Jesus the Messiah”.

References

1. Was Jesus the Messiah?, JewsforJudaism, <https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/was-is-jesus-the-messiah>, last accessed on 3 Nov 2019

2. The Messiah would be a descendant of David, JewsforJesus, <https://jewsforjesus.org/jewish-resources/messianic-prophecy/the-messiah-would-be-a-descendant-of-david/>, last accessed on 3 Nov 2019

3. Ted M. Montgomery, Is Jesus a descendant of both David and Solomon?, TedMontgomery.com, <http://www.tedmontgomery.com/bblovrvw/emails/JesusDavidSolomon.html>, last accessed on 3 Nov 2019

4. Doug Bookman, Why Are Matthew’s and Luke’s Genealogies Different?, Christianity.com, <https://www.christianity.com/jesus/birth-of-jesus/genealogy-and-jewish-heritage/why-are-matthews-and-lukes-genealogies-different.html>, last accessed on 3 Nov 2019

5. Why are Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke so different?, GotQuestions, <https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-genealogy.html>, last accessed on 3 Nov 2019

The post Can Jesus Be the Messiah If He Is Not Solomon’s Biological Descendant? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

JW.ORG Part 1

The Bible says that Jesus “was put to death in the flesh but made alive [resurrected] in the spirit.”—1 Peter 3:18; Acts 13:34; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 5:16. Jesus’ own words showed that he would not be resurrected with his flesh-and-blood body.

Biblical Response Part 1

The author begins by demonstrating an incorrect understanding of resurrections, and then by assuming that being “made alive in the spirit” is the equivalent of having a non-physical, “spirit body”. Let’s first look at the definition of the word “resurrect”. The Oxford Dictionary defines “resurrect” as:

1. Restore (a dead person) to life. 2. Revive or revitalize (something that is inactive, disused, or forgotten).¹

In other words, in order for something to be resurrected, it must first be dead, and then made alive again. The author of the article is arguing that Christ’s body, which died, wasn’t made alive again, but that he was rather given another body (a spirit one) to return to the earth in. That is not a resurrection. But what about Christ’s spirit (or soul), then? Because spirits do not die, Christ’s spirit couldn’t have been made alive again, either. Upon death, our spirits leave our bodies and return to the Lord, either to be punished, due to rejecting Jesus, or rewarded, for believing in him, as we await the final day of judgement and resurrection (Luke 16:19–31; Luke  23:43, 46; Acts 7:59–60; 2 Corinthians 5:6–9).

According to official Jehovah’s Witness doctrine, upon death, the spirit (or the soul) dies with the body—they are inseparable (in contradiction to the Bible’s teachings). In their own words: “At death a person ceases to exist“.² They also teach that when Jesus died, his body dissolved into gases, never to be seen again.³ So the question remains: If Jesus ceased to exist bodily and spiritually, then what exactly was raised or restored to life? Therefore, even according to their own doctrine, God didn’t raise Jesus again from death, but he instead recreated Michael the Archangel entirely anew as a spirit creature, and then gave him a temporary spirit body to return to the earth in (for the Witnesses falsely believe that Michael is Jesus*).⁴

Whether the soul is immortal or not is beside the point here; either way, the Watch Tower Society denies the resurrection of Jesus. According to the Bible, if any individual or group denies Christ’s resurrection, they are still in their sins, and their faith is futile:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. … 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17, ESVUK)

In regards to Jesus being “made alive in the spirit”, this does not mean that Jesus was given a different, spirit body, as the Witnesses argue, but it could mean one of two things:

• 1. The “spirit” is actually the “Spirit” with a capital “s”, referring to the Holy Spirit. In this case, it means that Jesus was made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is taught in Romans 8:11, which says: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
• 2. It could mean that when Jesus was raised, his body was glorified. It was still the same body that he died in, but of a higher degree of glory. This is supported in 1 Corinthians 15:40, which says: “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.”

Whichever one it could mean, one thing for sure is that the passage definitely does not teach that Jesus came back to life in a different, non-physical, spirit body. The only other similar passage that the author quoted was 1 Corinthians 15:45, which says:

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)

However, this passage isn’t talking about Jesus’ resurrection. It’s comparing Jesus to the breath of life that God breathed into Adam to make him a living being. In the same way that humans can only stay alive as long as the breath of life is in them, a human can only be spiritually alive if they receive the life-giving atonement that Jesus provided for them on the cross.

JW.ORG Part 2

He said that he would give his “flesh in behalf of the life of the world,” as a ransom for mankind. (John 6:51; Matthew 20:28) If he had taken back his flesh when he was resurrected, he would have canceled that ransom sacrifice. This could not have happened, though, for the Bible says that he sacrificed his flesh and blood “once for all time.”—Hebrews 9:11, 12.

Biblical Response Part 2

The author then argues that because Jesus gave his flesh as a ransom for the world, that if he had “taken it back” when he was raised, the ransom would have been cancelled. The problem with this, is that the Bible does not teach anywhere that if Jesus’ body was raised, the ransom would be cancelled. To the contrary, Jesus’ body had to have been raised in order for it to have been a resurrection. The notion that the ransom would have been cancelled is something that the author has added, simply because it makes sense according to his/her logic. Jesus refutes such worldly logic, by teaching that he would raise himself from the dead in the same body he died in:

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. (John 2:19–21)

Whenever the Bible refutes our own reasoning or logic, we must accept it as truth, rather than twist it to suit our own logic. Jesus clearly taught that he was raised in the same body he died in. In addition, Jesus directly refutes the notion that he came back in a spirit body when he visited the disciples in Jerusalem:

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marvelling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. (Luke 24:36–43)

Jesus clearly said “Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” He really did come back in the flesh, not as a spirit. Notice how the passage says nothing about him temporarily taking on flesh, or taking on another form, but it simply says that that he appeared to them physically, not as a spirit. Notice also how Jesus showed them his hands and his feet, because in them were still the marks from the nails of his crucifixion (see also John 20:25, 27). This is conclusive proof that Jesus was raised in the same body he died in.

But what about Jesus’ ransom sacrifice? The Bible teaches that Jesus suffered the punishment every sinner in the world deserved by bearing our sins in his body and dying on the cross (Galatians 3:10, 13; Hebrews 9:28). Jesus had fulfilled the requirements of the divine law on our behalf through his perfect obedience (Matthew 5:17; Romans 5:19), and had satisfied God’s justice by making perfect payment for the world’s sins in our place on the cross (Colossians 2:13–14; 1 Peter 3:18). Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christ’s body would be kept and disposed of by God the Father in order for the ransom to be effective, because Christ had already made complete atonement once and for all by his sacrificial death on the cross (John 19:30; see also Revelation 5:9).

To say that the Father had to keep Jesus’ body or destroy it afterwards in order for his atonement to be effective is blasphemous, because that’s the equivalent of saying that Jesus’ sacrifice in and of itself was not perfect payment. When Christ entered “once for all” into heaven, it’s saying that heaven was the place where he presented his sacrifice to the Father, not that that’s where his body would be kept or destroyed forever.

… he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)

JW.ORG Part 3

If Jesus was raised up with a spirit body, how could his disciples see him?

• Spirit creatures can take on human form. For example, angels who did this in the past even ate and drank with humans. (Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-3) However, they still were spirit creatures and could leave the physical realm.—Judges 13:15-21.

Biblical Response Part 3

No response is needed here, because the author has given nothing new to support their argument.

JW.ORG Part 4

• After his resurrection, Jesus also assumed human form temporarily, just as angels had previously done. As a spirit creature, though, he was able to appear and disappear suddenly. (Luke 24:31; John 20:19, 26) The fleshly bodies that he materialized were not identical from one appearance to the next. Thus, even Jesus’ close friends recognized him only by what he said or did.—Luke 24:30, 31, 35; John 20:14-16; 21:6, 7.

Biblical Response Part 4

Here, the author asserts that Jesus only assumed human form temporarily after his resurrection, but that he was really in a different, non-physical, spirit body. However, as we have noted before, the Bible teaches that Jesus really was resurrected—his body that died really was raised back to life. But did Jesus then lose his body after he ascended into heaven, and become a spirit creature? Not according to the Bible, because Jesus is a man right now. Long after Jesus was raised from the dead, Paul wrote concerning him:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, … (1 Timothy 2:5)

Paul still considered Jesus to be a man after he ascended into heaven. In addition, the Bible says that Jesus had to became a man in every respect in order to become a high priest in God’s service:

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)

This clearly teaches that only men can be high priests. Furthermore, because Jesus’ high priesthood continues forever, and he always lives to make intercession for us, Jesus will remain a man forever:

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19–20)

… but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:24–25)

Therefore, Jesus didn’t just “temporarily” appear as a man — he was raised in the same body he died in, and will remain a man forever and ever. Also, the fact that Jesus could appear and disappear suddenly does not in any way prove that he was raised in a different, non-physical, spirit body. When Jesus was raised from the dead, he was in a glorified state. Being in a glorified state, all of his earthly limitations that he had put upon himself when he came into the world through the virgin Mary (Philippians 2:5–7), were now gone. This is more than sufficient to explain why he was able to do this.

Jesus being in a glorified state could also just as easily explain why his disciples didn’t recognise him at first. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain with him and was transfigured before their eyes, his appearance changed, yet this didn’t mean that he somehow had a different, non-physical, “spirit” body:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:1–2)

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1:16–18)

He was still in the very same, physical body when he was transfigured. All that happened was that he changed from being in an ordinary state, to a glorified state. The same thing applies to when he was raised from the dead in the same body he died in: he was in a glorified state, and that’s why the disciples didn’t recognise him straight away. He probably wouldn’t have been shining like in the transfiguration, since he seemed like just another person, but there was still something a little different about him. To say anything else is to go beyond what the Word of God actually says, and is unbiblical.

JW.ORG Part 5

• When Jesus appeared to the apostle Thomas, he took on a body with wound marks. He did this to bolster Thomas’ faith, since Thomas doubted that Jesus had been raised up.—John 20:24-29.

Biblical Response Part 5

Although this may not have been the intent of the author, by making this argument, the author has made Jesus out to be a liar. In the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ narrative, Jesus’ body wasn’t raised back to life, but stayed dead, and was disposed of by God the Father. The Father then recreated Michael the Archangel as a spirit creature. Then, in order to try and convince the disciples that the Father had accepted this ransom, he came back onto the earth in different, temporary bodies, including one that had crucifixion marks, deceiving people into thinking that Jesus’ body really had been raised back up, so that they would believe. This is false.

According to the Bible, however, Jesus was not a liar. Jesus really was raised in the same body that he died in, just like he said (John 2:19–21), and just like the Scriptures prophesied (Luke 24:46). When he showed Thomas the wounds in his hands, feet, and side, he was really showing him the actual wounds in his real body that he had suffered from while on the cross, so that Thomas could know that Jesus really was brought back to life, and that he was not just pretending to use the same body, or that he was some spirit assuming a temporary body, as the disciples mistakenly thought at first in Luke 24:36–43, and as the Witnesses falsely argue.

Conclusion

To answer the question that the author originally posed in the title of his/her article, the Bible’s answer is: Jesus’ body was flesh, because it was resurrected. To resurrect means to restore something that was once dead back to life again. Since the Bible says that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and that he appeared to many people bodily, talking with them, eating food with them, and showing them the marks from the nails in his hands and feet, it is clear that his body, which was once dead, came back to life again. Because the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society denies Christ’s resurrection, it is a non-Christian cult that cannot save anyone.

Notes

* The Bible refutes the idea that Michael the Archangel is Jesus. One of the places in the Bible that teaches this is Hebrews chapter 1. Verses 5 to 9 say:

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” 8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:5–9)

By saying that God the Father never said to any of the angels “You are my Son”, this is conclusive proof that Jesus is neither an angel nor an archangel, since God does call Jesus his Son. Furthermore, as God’s Son, Jesus receives worship from the angels, meaning that he is equal with God since God also receives worship from the angels.

Rebuttal to the following Jehovah’s Witness article

Jesus’ Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection?, jw.org, accessed on 14 October 2018, <https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/jesus-body/>

References

1. Resurrect, Oxford Dictionaries, accessed on 14 October 2018, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/resurrect>

2. Myth 1: The Soul Is Immortal, jw.org, accessed on 14 October 2018, <https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20091101/myth-the-soul-is-immortal/#?insight[search_id]=d45f414a-18a3-45ee-84fd-d5ae6d08c955&insight[search_result_index]=0>

3. Lingle, W 2009, What the Watchtower Society Doesn’t Want You to Know, CLC Publications, PA, pp. 153-154

4. The Archangel Michael—Who Is He?, jw.org, accessed on 18 March 2019, <https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/archangel-michael/>

The post Rebuttal to JW.ORG: Jesus’ Body—Was It Flesh or Spirit After His Resurrection? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

Introduction

Although Jesus holds a central position in Christianity, he also holds a high position in Islam, too. But who is Jesus according to Islam? And is he the same Jesus as the historical Jesus of the Bible? To find out the answer, let’s compare the Jesus of the Qur’an with the Jesus of the Bible.

Points of Agreement

Born of the Virgin Mary

First of all, there are a number of similarities between Jesus in Christianity and Islam. For example, the Qur’an teaches that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and that he was “pure” (some translations say “faultless”).¹,²,⁶ Surah 19 verses 19–22 says:

He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy.” 20 She said, “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?” 21 He said, “Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.'” 22 So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. (Qur’an 19:19–22) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁶⁰⁾

The Messiah and Word of God

The Qur’an also calls Jesus the Messiah and a word from Allah.³ Surah 3 verse 45 teaches:

[And mention] when the angels said, “O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary – distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah ]. (Qur’an 3:45) ²,³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁵⁹⁾

Miracle Worker

Furthermore, the Qur’an teaches that Jesus performed many miracles in his life, such as curing the blind, lepers, and raising the dead.¹,²,⁴ Surah 3 verse 49 says:

And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah. And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers. (Qur’an 3:49) ¹,⁴

Righteous

The Qur’an also teaches that Jesus was among the righteous. Surah 6 verses 84–85 says:

And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good. 85 And Zechariah and John and Jesus and Elias – and all were of the righteous. (Qur’an 6:84–85) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁶⁵⁾

Prophet

Moreover, the Qur’an teaches that Jesus was a prophet who knew the Scriptures, and who was blessed wherever he went. Surah 19 verses 29–31 teaches:

So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?” 30 [Jesus] said, “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. 31 And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive (Qur’an 19:29–31) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁶⁴⁾

This is all in agreement with the teachings of the Bible concerning Jesus (with the exception of Jesus speaking in the cradle and breathing life into clay birds). However, there are certain points in which the Qur’an differs significantly from the historical, biblical Jesus.

Points of Disagreement

Introduction

Islam teaches that Jesus was a Muslim prophet, and that all the prophets who came before him, such as David, Solomon, Abraham, and Moses, were also Muslims.⁵ In fact, according to Islam, all people are born Muslims, and the only reason why some people are of different religions and worldviews is because they chose to reject the message of Muhammad.⁵ As a Muslim, Jesus would have to agree with the basic teachings of the Qur’an. But does he actually? What does the Bible have to say about Jesus?

Eternal Creator or Creation of God

According to surah 3 verse 59 of the Qur’an, Jesus was created just like Adam:

Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, “Be,” and he was. (Qur’an 3:59) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁵⁸⁾

However, the Bible teaches that Jesus was never created. In John 1:3, it is taught that all created things in the universe were made by Jesus:

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

This, of course, excludes Jesus from everything “that was made”, and he is therefore eternal. Another Bible passage which teaches this is Colossians 1:16–17, which says:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16–17)

Jesus is the eternal creator of the universe who is before all things according to this passage. Jesus himself made it clear that he eternally pre-existed at the Father’s side when he said:

And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. (John 17:5)

So, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus was never created, and that he is the creator of all things in existence, in opposition to the Qur’an’s teaching that God created him.

Son of God or Not

Another major point of disagreement over Jesus between the Qur’an and the Bible, is that according to the Qur’an, Jesus is not the Son of God, and Allah has no son at all.² The Qur’an teaches:

[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing. (Qur’an 6:101) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁵⁵⁾

The Jews say, “Ezra is the son of Allah “; and the Christians say, “The Messiah is the son of Allah.” That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded? (Qur’an 9:30) ⁷

To the contrary, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God. After being questioned who he truly was while on trial, Jesus clearly confessed to being God’s Son:

But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. (Mark 14:61–62)

When Jesus asked his disciples who they believed he was, Scripture tells us:

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:16–17)

Jesus not only affirmed Peter’s declaration of him being the Son of God, he also said that it was God the Father who had revealed this truth to him. On the mountain where Jesus was transfigured before his disciples, we are told:

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him! (Luke 9:48)

Contrary to what Allah says in the Qur’an, in the Bible God tells us that Jesus is his Son and his Chosen One whom we should listen to. The Bible teaches that Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that he is equal with God (John 5:18) and shares his divine nature (Hebrews 1:3); not in the sense that God had sexual relations with a companion.

Hypostatic Union or Merely Human

The Qur’an also strongly opposes the deity of Christ, which is an essential doctrine of Christianity. Surah 5 verse 116 says:

They have certainly disbelieved who say, “Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary” while the Messiah has said, “O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Indeed, he who associates others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. (Qur’an 5:72) ¹⁰

But the Bible, on the other hand, teaches that Jesus is truly God and truly man; he has both a divine and a human nature. The prologue of John clearly teaches this, saying:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)

The passage is clear that Jesus is the Word made flesh, who was with God in the beginning, and who was God. Here, we see the divine nature of Jesus, “the Word was God”, and the human nature of Jesus, “And the Word became flesh”. This passage also tells us that Jesus is distinct from the Father, because “the Word was with God”. Thus the Bible teaches that they share a oneness of essence, not personhood. A similar passage is Colossians 2:9, which says:

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, … (Colossians 2:9)

This passage confirms that Jesus is God incarnate. In him was “the whole fullness of deity”, so he is 100% God, and it dwelt “bodily”, so he is simultaneously 100% human; his deity and humanity did not cancel one another out. Isaiah recognised Jesus as “Mighty God” long before he was even born:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

And God the Father called Jesus God in Hebrews 1:8, saying:

But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of your kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8)

Jesus himself claimed to be God by calling himself “the first and the last”:

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17–18)

There is no doubt that Jesus is God according to the Bible. He and the Father aren’t the same person, but they are of the same essence. In this regard, the teachings of the Qur’an are radically different from those of the Bible.

Crucified & Resurrected or Saved from Death

Another serious departure from biblical truth is the Qur’an’s denial of Jesus’ crucifixion and death, and consequently, his resurrection, too.⁶ Instead, it teaches that someone else was crucified who “was made to resemble him”, but that Allah took him up into Heaven to save him from death. The Qur’an teaches:

And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander, 157 And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. 158 Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (Qur’an 4:156–158) ³ ⁽ᵖᵃᵍᵉ ⁶⁶⁾

The traditional interpretation of this is that Judas Iscariot was mistaken to be Jesus, and he was crucified instead.⁵ Other interpretations say it was Simon of Cyrene, a Roman soldier, or a rabbi.⁵ However, according to the Bible, Jesus was crucified, died, and raised again from the dead on the third day. In Matthew 17:22–23, Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection, saying:

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. (Matthew 17:22–23)

Jesus was crucified and died on the day after the Passover meal in the third year of his ministry, at Golgotha:

So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. … When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished”, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:16–18, 30)

But three days later, he rose again, and appeared to his disciples alive:

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. (Matthew 28:5–9)

Thus, God’s Word makes it clear that Jesus was crucified and resurrected. He was not rescued from death and taken up into Heaven immediately.

Saviour of the World or Not

The Qur’an teaches that no one has any need of a Saviour, because Allah doesn’t demand perfection from this followers, and allows us to merit eternal life through faith and good works even if we have sinned. It says:

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. “Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people. (Qur’an 2:286) ²

The Jesus of the Qur’an is seen as nothing more than a messenger who set a good example, because he had no need to save anyone according to Islamic theology. Surah 43 verses 57–59 says:

And when the son of Mary was presented as an example, immediately your people laughed aloud. 58 And they said, “Are our gods better, or is he?” They did not present the comparison except for [mere] argument. But, [in fact], they are a people prone to dispute. 59 Jesus was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel. (Qur’an 43:57–59) ⁶

However, according to the Bible, Jesus is the Saviour of the world. 1 John 4:14 teaches that God the Father sent his Son into the world to be its Saviour:

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)

Jesus’ mission was to save us from our sins:

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

In the Bible, God’s standards for eternal life are perfection (Matthew 5:48). Sinning against God incurs an infinite punishment because of God’s infinite holiness (Matthew 25:41–43, 46). A perfect ransom for sin, therefore, had to be paid to reconcile sinful humanity to God. Jesus said that he came to provide that ransom:

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

According to the Bible, the crucifixion of Jesus was an event of cosmic importance. When Christ hung upon the cross, he took upon himself the sins of the world, and died as our substitute, to put away sin once and for all. The Bible says:

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:26–28)

Jesus’ sacrifice to the Father was a perfect ransom for sin, and satisfied God’s righteous judgement against us and his condemnation of sin. Whoever trusts in what he has done for us on the cross, and believes that God rose him from the dead on the third day, will be saved (Romans 3:23–26, 10:9).

Final Judge or Islamic Jihadi

According to Islam, Jesus will come to the earth a second time just like the Bible says. Many Muslims believe that surah 43 verse 61 predicts Christ’s second coming:

And indeed, Jesus will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path. (Qur’an 43:61) ⁷

However, the purpose of Jesus’ second coming in the Islamic view is very different from the Bible’s. Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 37, Number 4310 says that Jesus will come back as a jihadi who will fight in the way of Islam, break the crosses (to show that he wasn’t crucified), kill the swine (to abolish the consumption of pork), slay the antichrist, and abolish the Jizyah, because Islam will be enforced on everyone. Then, he will die on earth:

There is no prophet between me and him [Jesus Christ]. He shall descend, so recognize him when you see him. He is a man of medium height, [his complexion] is between reddish and white, he will be [dressed] in two yellowish garments. His head looks as if it is dripping water even though it is not wet. He will fight people in the way of Islam, will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the annual tax [Jizyah]. Allah will put an end to all religions except Islam during his time. He will slay the Antichrist and he will stay on Earth for forty years. Then, he will die and the Muslims will perform the funeral prayer over him. (Sunan Abu Dawud Book 37, Number 4310) ⁸,⁹

To the contrary, the Bible teaches that Jesus will return to the earth as the final judge of the living and the dead. He will take all Christians who have waited for him to Heaven, to enjoy his presence forever:

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. … 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16–17)

However, he will inflict vengeance on all non-Christians who disbelieved, and will send them away from his presence forever:

… and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, … (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9)

Jesus himself claimed to be the final judge of the world when he said that on the final day he would separate the Christians from the non-Christians, and send the Christians to his kingdom, and the non-Christians to the eternal fire:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. … 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:31–34, 41)

Therefore, according to the Bible, when Jesus will come again, everyone will be judged by whether or not they believed in Christ for salvation; the believers will go to eternal life, but the non-believers to eternal damnation. When Jesus comes, he will initiate the end of the world, send us to our eternal dwelling places, and then God will create all things new (Revelation 21:1, 5). He will not enforce Islam, fight in the way of Islam, kill the swine, or break the crosses.

Conclusion

After examining the evidence, it is clear that Jesus was not a Muslim prophet, and that he in no way endorsed Islam. A lot of what the biblical Jesus said and did goes completely against the Qur’an’s portrayal of him, and, would even be considered blasphemous by Muslim standards. Muslims may have a prophet called Jesus in their faith, and highly regard him, but their faith isn’t in the biblical Jesus of history whom Christians have always believed in. Islam presents us with a counterfeit Jesus, one who isn’t the eternal and divine Son of God, the crucified and risen Saviour of the world, and the final judge, and the Bible warns us of religious systems or individuals that do this (2 Corinthians 11:3–4). Islam cannot offer salvation; only the biblical Jesus can.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1–2) *

Notes

* Propitiation is a theological term in Christianity which means “payment”, and is used in regards to Jesus’ perfect obedience and sacrifice on the cross as the perfect payment that satisfied God’s wrath against sinners and fulfilled the legal demands of his law.

References

1. El-Naggar, M 2008, THE STORY OF JESUS IN BRIEF, The Religion of Islam, accessed on 23 June 2018, <https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1185/story-of-jesus-in-brief/>

2. Khan, S 2017, Jesus in Islam, Islami City, accessed on 23 June 2018, <https://www.islamicity.org/5797/jesus-in-islam/>

3. Richter, R 2011, Comparing the Qur’an and the Bible: What They Really Say about Jesus, Jihad, and More, BakerBooks, MI

4. What Do Muslims Believe about Jesus?, Islam Guide, last accessed on 23 June 2018, <https://www.islam-guide.com/ch3-10.htm>

5. 2018, What is the Qur’an? What do Muslims Believe about Jesus?, Answering Muslims, accessed on 23 June 2018, <http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2018/06/what-is-quran-what-do-muslims-believe.html>

6. Slick, M, What does Islam and the Quran say about Jesus?, the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, accessed on 24 June 2018, <https://carm.org/what-does-islam-and-quran-say-about-jesus>

7. Second Coming, Wikipedia, accessed on 24 June 2018, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Coming#Islam>

8. 2016, When Jesus Comes Again to This World Will He Come as a Follower of Prophet Muhammad?, SeekersGuidance, accessed on 25 June 2018, <http://seekershub.org/ans-blog/2016/10/24/jesus-peace-upon-comes-world-will-come-follower-prophet-muhammad-peace-upon/>

9. JESUS IN HADITH, Muslims for Jesus, accessed on 25 June 2018, <http://www.muslimsforjesus.org/Jesus%20in%20Hadith/jesusinhadith.htm>

10. Fatoohi, L 2010, The Qur’anic Verses that Refute the Divinity of Jesus, Qur’anic Studies, accessed on 25 June 2018, <http://www.quranicstudies.com/historical-jesus/the-quranic-verses-that-refute-the-divinity-of-jesus/>

All passages of the Qur’an are taken from the Sahih International translation.

All passages of the Bible are taken from the English Standard Version.

The post Is Jesus a Muslim Prophet? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.

The Bible’s Answer

Introduction

The Bible’s answer to this question is no, Jesus did not have a sinful nature (Hebrews 4:15; 7:26). The non-Christian cult known as Christadelphianism, however, teaches that Jesus was born with a sinful nature that he inherited from Adam, and that because of this he needed to be saved just like the rest of us.¹,²,³ Below are some Christadelphian quotes which clearly teach this position:

Sin could not have been condemned in the body of Jesus if it had not existed there. (Elpis Israel, page 128) ⁴

Sinful flesh being the hereditary nature of the Lord Jesus, he was a fit and proper sacrifice for sin. (Elpis Israel, page 128) ⁴

Jesus was the sin-nature, or sinful flesh of Adam, that sin being THUS laid upon him, he might die for it. (Christadelphian, 1873:407) ⁴

It is testified that he was ‘made sin for us’ (2 Cor. 5:21). As he was not of sinful character, this could only apply to his physical nature, drawn from the veins of Mary. (Christadelphian, 1869:83) ⁴

And it was for that very reason—being a member of a sinful race— that the Lord Jesus himself needed salvation (Psalm xci. 16; Heb. v. 7). (Christadelphian Answers, p. 24) ⁵

Christ did not come into the world to save himself; he came into the world to save “us”. … But it is equally true that, being “made sin for us” (2 Cor. v. 21), he himself required a sin offering; in other words, he sacrificed himself, for himself, that he might save us. Or, in other words, he saved himself in order to save us. He was brought from the dead “through the blood of the everlasting Covenant” (Heb. xiii. 20). That Christ needed salvation is seen from Psalm xci. 16. It is also clearly taught in Heb. ix. 12. (Christadelphian Answers, p. 24) ⁵

Jesus Have a Sin Nature?

In opposition to these quotes, the Bible is absolutely clear that Jesus did not have a sinful nature. The Bible says that in his life, Jesus was “without sin”, “committed no sin”, and that “in him there is no sin”:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, ESVUK)

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. (1 Peter 2:21–22)

You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. (1 John 3:5) ⁸

Jesus was sinless in every sense of the word according to these passages. There was nothing about him morally or physically that was defected or fallen like us. A person’s nature makes them what they are. If Jesus had a sinful nature, as the Christadelphians teach, then this necessarily makes him a sinful man who fell short of God the Father’s glory. Thankfully, the above Bible passages refute such a twisted and warped teaching.

Was Jesus Sinful Physically, Not Morally?

It should be noted, as seen in one of the quotes at the top, that the Christadelphians believe Jesus was sinful physically, not morally. However, the Bible refutes this as well. It teaches that Jesus is not only holy now, but that he was also holy during his life on Earth, too:

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:68–69)

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26)

… but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, … (1 Peter 3:15)

What’s especially significant here is that Jesus was holy not only as an adult, but the moment he was born. To be holy means to be separated from sin. Since Jesus was separated from sin throughout his entire life on Earth, this necessarily entails that sin was separated not only from his moral character, but also his physical body. Christadelphian beliefs, therefore, teach that Jesus was not truly holy. Their belief is also refuted because of the fact that Jesus offered his body to God “without blemish” or “spot”:

… how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)

… knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18–19) ⁹

These passages clearly tell us that Jesus’ body was a perfect sacrifice. If his body were unclean, defected, or sinful, then it wouldn’t have sufficed as the perfect payment for sins, since God’s standards are perfection. In fact, the mere notion that God would actually accept a fallen, blemished sacrifice for the sins of the world is an insult to him. God is far too holy and righteous for that.

Did Jesus Need to Be Saved?

Since the Bible is clear that Jesus didn’t have a sinful nature, this proves that he didn’t need to be saved. Furthermore, there is not a single passage in the entire Bible saying that Jesus needed salvation—it is a completely fictional idea. To the contrary, Jesus is the righteous one who suffered for the unrighteous:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, … (1 Peter 3:18)

The holy, innocent, and righteous one had no need to redeem himself, because there is nothing that can be redeemed in righteousness. It’s like trying to clean a pure, flawless stone that has been perfectly preserved in a grand gallery—what’s there to clean? He gave up his righteous life to redeem the unrighteous. The Bible also says:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)

This clearly tells us that Christ’s mission on Earth was “to save sinners”, not “himself”. The latter wasn’t even part of the mission. Only the perfect, sinless Messiah could save fallen, sinful humanity. In addition, if he really had to save himself, then he must be counted among the sinners that this passage talks about. However, the Bible has already proven that Jesus was not a sinner.

Bible Passages

Like all non-Christian cults, Christadelphians attempt to back up their false doctrines by quoting passages from the Bible. Some common passages that are used include Psalm 91:16, Romans 8:3,¹,⁶ 2 Corinthians 5:21,⁵ Hebrews 2:17, 4:15, 5:7, 7:27, and 9:12.⁴,⁶,⁷ Let’s examine each of them and see if they really teach that Jesus had a sinful nature and needed salvation, or if that’s what’s simply being imposed on the text.

Psalm 91:16

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. (Psalm 91:16)

This passage does not say that Jesus had to be saved because of a sinful nature. All it says is that God the Father will show Jesus his salvation. The word for “salvation” in the Old Testament can mean “to save, help in distress, rescue, deliver, set free”,¹¹ or “victory”,¹² and is usually material in nature, but sometimes it can be spiritual. In this case, in clearly refers to the former, as evident from the context: “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him,” (Psalm 91:14–15). God showed Jesus his “victory” (salvation) over death, or his “deliverance” (salvation) from it by raising him from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, and seating him at his right hand. Nowhere does this passage suggest that Jesus was saved from a sinful nature.

Romans 8:3

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, … (Romans 8:3)

The fact that Christ was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh does not mean that he had a sinful nature. The keyword here is “likeness”—Jesus simply had the appearance of “sinful flesh”. Jesus came to the Earth as a true human just like us, except unlike us he was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). God condemning sin in the flesh refers to the fact that the power or authority that sin had over us was disposed of by Jesus through his sacrificial death on the cross.¹⁰

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20–21)

Christ being “made sin” has nothing to do with him having a sinful nature. To the contrary, Jesus was “made sin” in the sense that on the cross he bore all the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:24). He received our unrighteousness. Whoever is “in him”, on the other hand, becomes “the righteousness of God”; that is to say, we receive his righteousness that he merited on our behalf.

Hebrews 2:17

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)

It is clear that being “made like his brothers in every respect” refers to the fact that Jesus came to the Earth as a true human, not that he inherited a sinful nature. This is because only men could be high priests. As our high priest, Jesus was able to “make propitiation” for our sins because he was “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners” and therefore his body was the perfect vessel for such a task (Hebrews 7:26). If he had a sinful nature, even if just physically as the Christadelphians teach, he could not have done this.

Hebrews 4:15 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Christadelphians argue that because Jesus was tempted, this proves that he had a sinful nature inside of him, because this also happens to every sinful person. This, however, is nothing more than mere speculation. Jesus suffered temptations because he was a human being, nothing more, nothing less. To suggest anything else is adding to the biblical text what isn’t there. As a man, Jesus had to cope with the limitations and weaknesses that we have. As the Son of God, he was perfect, holy, and sinless. To have human weaknesses is not the same thing as having a sinful nature. To the contrary, the very fact that Jesus was “tempted”, “yet without sin”, is proof that he didn’t have a sinful nature, because one’s nature makes us what we are.

Hebrews 5:7

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. (Hebrews 5:7)

When this passage says that God “was able to save him from death”, it is talking about the agonising physical death that Jesus knew he was going to die on the cross. We can see this when Jesus was praying to his Heavenly Father on the Mount of Olives, saying “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:41–42). It is not talking about a spiritual death as a consequence of sinfulness.

Hebrews 7:27

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. (Hebrews 7:27)

Christadelphians argue that when it says “first for his own sins and then for those of the people”, it refers to Jesus, but this is a misreading of the text; it actually refers to the high priests of the Old Testament. The passage is contrasting the daily, imperfect sacrifices of the high priests with the single, perfect sacrifice of Jesus once for all. The part which says “first for his own sins and then for those of the people” serves purely to explain why the high priests had to offer daily sacrifices; there was no sinless high priest who could provide a perfect sacrifice. Notice, on the other hand, how in the beginning it says that Jesus had no need to offer daily sacrifices. Why? Because Jesus was sinless, and therefore he could provide the perfect sacrifice—himself, instead of animals. The previous verse supports this reading, saying that Christ as our high priest is “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens”.

Hebrews 9:12

… he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)

The passage simply says that Jesus secured an eternal redemption; it doesn’t say that he did this for himself. Verse 14 makes it clear that the redemption was for us, not Jesus: “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). The reference to him entering into the “holy places” by his own blood doesn’t say that he was saved by his own blood—it’s saying that Heaven was the place where Christ presented his perfect sacrifice to the Father for us.

Conclusion

Therefore, because of all the biblical evidence, it is clear that Jesus did not inherit a sinful nature from Adam, or that he needed to be saved from the consequences of sin just like the rest of us. If such a belief were true, then Christ was not truly holy, he fell short of the Father’s glory, and his sacrifice on the cross was insufficient to pay for the sins of the world because it was unclean and defected. Such a belief is blasphemous and insulting to both Christ and God the Father, even if the Christadelphians don’t intend it to be such. Jesus was perfect, flawless, and pure both physically and morally in his life on Earth. The belief that Jesus had a sinful nature and needed salvation is an anti-biblical heresy that should be rejected at all costs.

References

1. Study 8: The Nature of Jesus, www.christadelphians.com, accessed on 11 June 2018, <http://www.christadelphians.com/biblebasics/0803natureofjesus.html>

2. Sin In The Flesh (The Deceitful Heart), The Christadelphian Advocate, accessed on 11 June 2018, <http://www.christadelphian-advocate.org/features/concerning/TC-v02n04.html>

3. Christ died for our sins – What does this really mean?, Pershore Christadelphians, accessed on 11 June 2018, <https://pershore-christadelphians.org/event/christ-died-our-sins-–-what-does-really-mean-2017-08-27-170000>

4. The Purifying of The Heavenly, antipas.org, accessed on 12 June 2018, <http://www.antipas.org/books/purifying_heavenly/christ_sin.html>

5. Jannaway, F G, Christadelphian Answers, p. 24

6. The Sacrifice of Christ, christadelphian-origin.org, accessed on 12 June 2018, <https://www.christadelphian-origin.org/the-sacrifice-of-christ/>

7. CHRIST WAS SAVED BY HIS OWN SACRIFICE, Angelfire, accessed on 12 June 2018, <http://www.angelfire.com/bc2/Bereans/BASF/ownsacrifice.html>

8. Sinless Jesus, All About Jesus Christ, accessed on 12 June 2018, <https://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/sinless-jesus-faq.htm>

9. Wilson, Ralph F, 6. Jesus the Lamb of God, Holy and Righteous One, JesusWalk, accessed on 12 June 2018, <http://www.jesuswalk.com/names-jesus/06_lamb.htm>

10. Romans 8:3, BibleHub, accessed on 13 June 2018, <http://biblehub.com/romans/8-3.htm>

11. Salvation, Bible Study Tools, accessed on 13 June 2018, <https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/salvation.html>

12. Key Terms and Phrases in the Psalms, The Lutheran Study Bible, p. 843

Bibliography

Slick, M 2002, Did Jesus have a sin nature as the Christadelphians teach?, The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, accessed on 12 June 2018, <https://carm.org/did-jesus-have-sin-nature-christadelphians-teach>

The post Did Jesus Have a Sinful Nature as Christadelphianism Teaches? appeared first on Redemption of Humanity.