In this episode Jason goes over what is true forgiveness and why the deity of Christ is a requirement for true forgiveness. Jason then goes into the Gospel. We go into the bad news first and then into what is the good news (Gospel). All of the Gospel, both the justice and mercy of God, flows from the perfect goodness of God.
Articles:
http://logicalbelief.org/the-gospel/
Video Podcast:
Audio Podcast:
I want to explore and address this question from a Biblical perspective. This is a question I have been asked by people in the past. I have been told “JW’s love Jesus, doesn’t that make them Christian?” This is the first objection I will address.
When a Jehovah’s Witness says they love Jesus they are referring to a created being (Michael the Archangel) not the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Triune God. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has resurrected a centuries old heresy known as Arianism. Arianism denies the deity of Christ and says that Christ was a created being. Arianism was condemned as a heresy by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Scripture tells us that when a person denies the deity of Christ they are denying Christ. 1 John 2:23 says that those that deny the Son do not have the Father. Those who do not have the Father are not Christians. Those that deny the deity of Christ are dishonoring Jesus and in doing so they dishonor the Father (John 5:23). Someone can name a totem pole in their back yard Jesus and worship it, but that does not make them a Christian. They have redefined Jesus and are bestowing his name upon something or someone who is not Jesus and giving love and obeisance to it. JW’s do the same thing. Michael the Archangel is not Jesus, Jesus is not a created being. God’s Word reveals the nature, being and actions of Jesus Christ, anyone who worships or gives obeisance to a Jesus created in the imaginations of men is engaging in idolatry (Ex 20:3). The Jesus of the Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot save a single person because he does not exist.
I have only had a few encounters with Mormons. In those encounters I asked them some of the questions below. We pray for Holy Spirit to work with those questions and hopefully that encounters with other Christians will bring them to repentance and faith and a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 2:24-25). I am not an expert on Mormonism but I like to be as prepared as possible for encountering any world view. I have outlined some basic questions to ask them. Hopefully this can be of some assistance to you if you encounter them.
Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is one of the easier pseudo Christian cults to deal with as Mormonism is rife with logical inconsistencies and impossibilities. Mormonism was founded by a man named Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet of God who experienced an appearance of the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith claimed that all churches had apostatized and that he was restoring the true Church. Mormonism is the most polytheistic religion on the planet. It purports that there are an infinite number of gods in the Universe and that we ourselves have the possibility of becoming gods some day. They teach that “God” (Heavenly Father, Elohim) lives on the planet Kolab, has a body of flesh and bone and was once a man himself who worshiped the God of his planet till he was exalted to godhood. This is in stark contrast to the monotheism of Biblical Christianity and the Biblical God who is immutable, transcendent, eternal and infinite. Mormonism teaches that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers and are the offspring of Elohim and one of his goddess wives. They would teach that we can be exalted one day to the position of godhood and have our own planet. Their doctrine of salvation is the typical non-Christian treadmill system of works with God’s Grace covering what we do not accomplish ourselves. It is a doctrine of despair.
In my encounters with Jehovah’s Witnesses I have compiled together some questions that I ask them. I have had these in a Word document that I have used for these times so I have decided to share then in a blog post for the benefit of others. Most of these are the result of my own research and the rest I have heard used by other Brothers in dialogues with JWs.
However before we get to the questions we can ask them I want to prepare you for some questions they may ask you. JW’s will most often question you about the Trinity. You should be well versed in the doctrine of the Trinity (CARM Trinity article) to ensure that you do not give answers that spin off into the heresy of Modalism (CARM Modalism article). Many well meaning Christians will give modalistic type answers when questioned about the Trinity since they do not understand the doctrine well enough themselves. JWs usually do not have a good understanding either about what Christians actually believe about the Trinity and therefore will ask questions that assume Modalism or Unitarianism (CARM Unitarianism Article). A clear understanding of the Hypostatic Union is also necessary to ensure you are clear in giving Biblical orthodox Christian answers to questions. (CARM Hypostatic Union Article).
The modern evangelical church is plagued with a man-centered Gospel. There is no absolute truth and tolerance rules the day. They are absolutely certain there is no absolute truth and they will not tolerate the intolerant. Scripture has been reduced to “what does that verse mean for you”? They have replaced the work of the Holy Spirit with music shows and self help sermons. The Gospel has been watered down to “look what Jesus can do for you” instead of the Biblical declaration “what will Jesus do with you”. The former is more appealing to the unregenerate heart. The unregenerate heart will not entertain the idea that Christ is sovereign over them so the modern Gospel cannot preach God’s Sovereignty. They preach half truths to convince people to come to the Truth denying that Salvation is a work of God alone. The Biblical Gospel is to preach the whole Truth and the Spirit of God does the regeneration.
A life changing and convicting message by Paris Reidhead.
On the evening of November 8th (Friday) of this year, a friend of mine and I went to downtown Lakewood Ranch here in Florida and witnessed to 7 people that night. Here is one of the witnessing encounters. This is with a man and a woman where the man claims to have become a Christian several years ago but doesn’t attend Church any longer. Remember to pray for these people.
An open air street evangelist proclaims the gospel in the open air of a busy transit station in Ottawa. One man, David, is particularly struck by the truth in the message he is hearing. Three weeks later, something happens to David that would change his life, as he knew it, forever.
This is a must see movie, especially for those who put blind faith and trust in evolution hoping they will not have to meet the God they know exists. Another amazing production by Living Waters and Ray Comfort.
Evolution Vs. God – The Movie
