I’ve recently been meeting with a few local Jehovah’s Witnesses who’ve been coming to my home to evangelize me. It’s really been a wonderful process I’d like to share with you. I’d also like to give you some tools in this column that will help you when, and if, these well intentioned folks come to your door. Please, invite them in!
Talk with them about the Bible and the Catholic faith! I quickly learned that traditional Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ although they use the Bible as the foundation of their faith. Instead, they believe that Jesus was a type of “highest creature,” and, therefore, merely the firstborn human son of God. (They use some of the following Biblical texts to support this limiting claim: Jn. 14:28; 1 Cor. 11:3; Col. 1:15-17; Mt. 3:17 and Jn. 20:17) I also learned that traditional Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Holy Trinity, or the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the central event of the Bible. Let’s take a few of these profound Biblical principles and give a brief defense of our Catholic Faith which, on these three key issues, Christian denominations share in common belief. Here we’ll specifically look at those places were Jesus Christ speaks and acts in the very person of God which simultaneously asserts the doctrine of the Holy Trinity (One God, in three Divine Persons) and the doctrine of the Incarnation (Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine):
Mt. 28:19 – Jesus commands his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Mk. 2:5-9; Lk. 5:17-26; Lk. 7:48; Jn. 1:29 – Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. Who but God alone has this authority?
Mt. 25: 31-46 – Jesus is the one who will judge the world. This prerogative belongs to God alone according to Genesis 18:25 and Joel 3:12.
Jn. 11: 1-44; Mk. 5:21-43 and Lk. 7:11-17 - Jesus raises three people from the dead (Lazarus, Jarius’s daughter and the widow’s son); a divine power alone.
Jn. 8:24, 58; 13:19; 18:5-6 – Jesus refers to Himself in the Divine Name: “Before Abraham was, I AM…” Without divine authority, this is blasphemy (see Ex. 3:14).
Mt. 10:37; Lk. 14:26 – “Unless you love me more than your mother and father, you are not worthy of me,” Jesus says. What person could say this coherently, save the one who is the greatest good of all – God Himself?
Mt. 5:21-28 – “You have heard it said…but I say to you…”. Here Jesus claims authority over the Torah. But, who could claim authority over the Torah, save the Author of the Torah Himself?
Jn. 5:18; 10:30-33 – Jesus makes Himself equal to the Father, which caused the Jews to desire to kill Him.
Jn. 1:1-14 – “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh.”
Jn. 20:28 – Doubting Thomas experiences the resurrected Jesus for the first time, as he returned to the community of believing Apostles and declares: “My Lord and My God.” Jesus did not correct Thomas here.
1 Cor. 15:55-57; 1 Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 1 Cor. 1:2-3; Col. 2:9 – There are multiple accounts that St. Paul refers to Jesus as Lord, Savior and God.
Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3; Acts 20:28; 7:59; 1 Pet. 1:1; Phil. 2:6-11; Jn. 14:6-10; Lk. 1:68-79 – You’ll have to look these up and see for yourself!
So keep studying the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church! This is not an exhaustive list by any means. I mean for it to be a help to you when your time comes to give hospitality and have a conversation about those central Biblical principles with anyone who comes to your door.
33 Days to Morning Glory Retreat
A Marian Consecration with Fr. Mike Gaitely
Tuesday’s in the Commons 7:00—8:30 pm
May 24, 31, June 7, 14, 21, 28
Cost: $3 per book / $20 per packet
Registration: bdarnell@stcharleskc.com, or catholicwarrior2020@gmail.com or 436-0880
Upcoming Bishop Helmsing Class:
Catholic Apologetics
Wednesday’s in the Commons 6:30—9:00 pm
May 4, 11, 18 and 25 $25.00, register at www.bhi.com or bdanrell@stcharleskc.com / 436-0880
~Benjamin Darnell