Destroying the Mediatorship of Christ
The Watchtower Society always has tried to downgrade the person Jesus Christ
and the atoning work of His death. Jehovah's Witnesses proclaim their belief
that Jesus is not God but "a god" who was Michael the Archangel and possessed
only some of the divine attributes.1
Since Witnesses believe Jesus is not God, they consider Him unworthy of their
worship. While every Witnesses is taught to view God the Son in this manner,
many Watchtower followers are surprised to learn of what former Jehovah's
Witnesses Duane Magnani calls a "secret doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses": the
teaching that Jesus Christ is not the savior and mediator for most
Watchtower.2
Although hidden during earlier times, the Society's teaching on Christ's
mediation now has become clearer.
First, the Watchtower claims that Jesus did not come on Earth as Christ the
savior, but was given this role at age 30. The Watchtower book (Things In
Which It Is Impossible For God To Lie) says on page 211: "As regards to
Jesus, according to the angel's announcement at His birth in Bethlehem he was
to become a `Savior, who is Christ the Lord.' When did he become Christ or
`Anointed One?' ... Not at birth, but at thirty years of age Jesus became
Christ or Anointed One." Watchtower writers have given a new meaning to the
angel's announcement by adding to the biblical text the word "become." Luke
2:11 clearly states that the angel announced "for to you is born this day in
the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Scripture testifies that
at his birth Jesus already was the Christ, not that he was to become the
Christ.
However, the Nov. 15, 1979, Watchtower emphasizes on pages 24-27 that Jesus
Christ acts as a mediator only for a select few: those the Watchtower regards
as the 144,000 anointed Christians. Members of this group, who also are
referred to as "spiritual Israelites," are those who, according to Witness
teaching, will reign in the heavenly kingdom. The April 1, 1979, Watchtower
stresses on page 31 that in a "strict Biblical sense Jesus is the `mediator'
only for anointed Christians."
As one would expect, the Society must twist God's Word to support this
doctrine. Two distinct examples of how the organization has changed God's
word are found in separate citations of 1 Timothy 2:5,6. Watchtower writers
said on page 26 of the Nov. 15, 1979, Watchtower: "For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a
corresponding ransom for all (or, for all kinds of people, margin) - this is
what is to be witnessed to at its own particular time." Again, in the same
article, the passages is cited and made to state, "There is one God, and one
mediator between God and men (not all men), a man, Christ Jesus, who gave
himself a corresponding ransom for all."
As the Society becomes more outspoken and dogmatic in its claim to be the sole
channel for biblical truth, it also seeks to keep from its followers the fact
that its founder, Charles T. Russell, openly taught that all Watchtower
adherents belonged to this "anointed" group. Russell asserted: "Here I first
saw that the great privilege of becoming joint-heirs with Christ and partakers
with him of the divine nature was confirmed exclusively to those who would
share with him in self sacrifice in the service of the truth."3
Hidden also from present-day Witnesses is Russell's teaching that Watchtower
adherents would inherit the same divine nature possessed by Jesus. The
October-November 1881 edition of Zion's Watch Tower says on page 297:
We see then, that the Divine nature comes to the church, as to Jesus, as a
reward from the Father Jehovah for the race of faith well run, for the
crucifixion - sacrifice, of human nature ... We conclude then that the titles,
Mighty God and Everlasting Father, are titles which fully understood, are very
appropriate to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And we might add that so perfectly is
his bride - body - church, associated with him, both in filling up the measure
of the sufferings - being joined in sacrifice and also in Glory that shall
follow, that the same titles are applicable to the Church as his body - for
`He that hath freely given us Christ, shall he not with him also freely give
us all things?' `Therefore all things are yours, and ye are Christ's and
Christ is God's (el - powerful one) to rule and bless the nations - and the
body with the head, shall share in the work of restoring the life lost in
Adam, and therefore be members of that company which as a whole will be the
Everlasting Father to the restored race.
Russell, in the following issue of his publication, again elevated his
followers to Godhood. Announcing, "Ye are Gods," he concluded that "When we
claim on the scriptural warrant, that we are begotten of a divine nature and
Jehovah is thus our father, it is claiming that we are divine beings - hence
all such are Gods." Absent from Russell's assertion that we can become gods
is any reminder of Satan's lie to eve in the Garden, "You will become like
God!" (Genesis 3:5), Lucifer's fall from glory for wishing to be as God
(Isaiah 14:14ff) and words from Yahweh Himself, stating that "The gods that
did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from
under the heavens" (Jeremiah 10:11).
When membership began to increase during the late 1930's, the Watchtower
Society began to stray from Russell's teaching of who belonged to the
anointed. By the time the Aug. 15, 1945, issue of the Watchtower was
published, Witnesses were told that they could not all currently be regarded
as children of God. On page 253 of that issue, it was written: "he is not
yet giving the `other sheep' the standing of sons of his, sons of `The
everlasting Father' (Isaiah 9:6). But these faithful ones will become such
during his thousand-year reign after Armageddon; and now, by virtue of the
prospect of eventually becoming Jehovah's perfect sons, they address him
prospectively as `Our Father.'"
The Watchtower demonstrates its departure from biblical Christianity in its
offering of little hope and no security of eternal life for the average
Jehovah's Witness. With Christ Jesus' role as mediator greatly reduced and
more than 2.5 million Jehovah's Witnesses in need of a Savior, the Society can
conveniently maintain its teaching of a "Christ class," an entire group of
mediators. This doctrine was clearly warned against by Jesus when he
cautioned that false Christs would arise (Matthew 24:24).
In light of current Watchtower doctrine, the unanointed Jehovah's Witness must
look elsewhere for his salvation and for someone to intercede for him.
Unanointed Witnesses are taught they will get these blessings from the "Christ
class" - the remnant ofthe 144,000 now living on Earth today.4 The Nov. 15,
1979, Watchtower magazine says on page 27, "To keep in relationship with `our
Savior, God,' the `great crowd' (made up of other Jehovah's Witnesses) needs
to remain united with the remnant of spiritual Israelites." The Aug. 1, 1981,
Watchtower then addresses and defines the conditions for eternal life. On page
26, it states, "Your attitude toward the `wheatlike anointed brothers' of
Christ and the treatment you accord them, will be the determining factor as to
whether you go into `everlasting cutting-off' or receive `everlasting life.'"
Further, a false basis for this "Christ class" teaching has been smuggled into
God's Word by the twisted rendering of Scripture in the Society's New World
Translation. 2 Corinthians 5:20 has been distorted to say: "We are therefore
ambassadors substituting for Christ, as though God were making entreaty
through us. As substitutes for Christ we beg: `Become reconciled to God.'".
The in-house Watchtower publication Organized To Accomplish Our Ministry on
page 6 quotes this twisted passage and seeks to establish in the minds of
Jehovah's Witnesses that the anointed brothers" - seeks to keep rank-and-file
Jehovah's Witnesses enslaved to its wishes and direction. The Society's
leaders again have demonstrated that they will stop at nothing to propagate
their "doctrines of demons."
The Bibles is clear in its message. One does not need an organization to
interpret God's Word, nor does anyone need to add to it to clarify its
meaning. The eternal God, creator of the universe, became man and dwelt among
us. He freely offered his human life, shedding his blood in atonement for our
sins. The Apostle Paul clearly proclaims the Gospel: that Christ was
crucified, died, was buried and on the third day arose from the grave. The
sacrifice that Jesus made and his present mediatorship is not limited to a
small number, but is available to all, with the added security that these have
eternal life (John 5:24, 10:27,28). Scripture is clear that there is only one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5,6). The
Watchtower claims the man Jesus is dead and the Society's leaders must
substitute for him.5 Jesus is not dead, but fully alive and able to save
completely those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).
1 The Watchtower, December 15, 1984, pp. 26-29. Let God Be True (Second
Edition), pp. 31-41.
2 For photocopies of key Watchtower quotes concerning this doctrine,
write: Duane Magnani, Witness, Inc., P.O. Box 597, Clayton, CA 94517.
Please include $2.50 for printing and postage costs.
3 The Watch Tower, April 25, 1984 (special issue), pg. 111.
4 Current statistics show 9,081 of the anointed still alive. This
figure is based on the number of Memorial Partakers - those who
partake of communion when it is served yearly to the local Watchtower
congregations - during 1984 as recorded in the 1985 Yearbook of
Jehovah's Witnesses, pg. 31. See also Watchtower, January 1, 1985,
pg. 25. For more information on the Watchtower's annual Memorial, see
PFO Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 2, pg.4.
5 Russell, Charles T., Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 5, pg. 454.
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