Apologetics 101: How do you Deal with JWs at your Door on a Saturday?
Sure, you can just tell them to get off your porch or lawn
But what if you actually believe what the Bible says about salvation and Christ?
In this case, think we ought to consider ourselves obligated to engage not for our sake but for theirs peradventure to free their minds from the vice-like jaws of falsehood present in any work-righteousness false religious systems. People can believe a lot of falsehood in this day and age but, if you are ordained to die believing a falsehood concerning the person of Jesus and His blood...
You're toast. (On the last day)
No, not that kind of toast. This kind
Yea, on that last day, the only "currency" the Father accepts is the righteousness of His Son appropriated through the regeneration airdrop. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune Godhead, will let you know if you are eligible. The transaction MUST be signed and sealed by the Holy Spirit else the block with your transaction will not be accepted by the Miner aka The Father.
Have you received the Righteousness Airdrop? It's ongoing.
Let's put a few things on the table which I know some may use my personal failings that could prompt the Scribes and Pharisees to attack my credulity. It's a bit of a disclaimer about my person to pre-empt naysaying of the claims of truth I bring.
I am a wretch but have been redeemed. Not be my merit as one can plainly see. I sin often in thought and in deed.
There isn't anything righteous about my flesh. It still afflicts me like that rest. (also under the Adamic curse)
I think that is sufficient. So, that Saturday morning after submitting my dev post, I got a ring on the doorbell. If they were merely soliciting for selling solar panels or floor cleaning, I likely would have told them to be on their merry way as I am much too busy for a sales pitch but these were solicitors of another sort.
They were pitching WatchTower theology
How does one deal with that? I was surprised myself but the words came to me just in time. One can even say... it was pre-destined (Sorry!). I was already reasonable aware of the problem areas of JW theology so I had an idea where to start. If you are ever in the same boat, may be a good place to begin. Every situation is different though so use your judgment.
Here's how it went.
After the initial pleasantries, I confronted them with a bit of a syllogism after establishing they do not believe Jesus is God.
- God is the only being capable of moral perfection.
- The sacrifice of Christ is perfect.
- Therefore, Christ must be God.
When confronted with the propositions of this syllogism and the biblical support. They assented to 1 and 2 but not 3. I didn't stop there. The conversation meandered into a talk about the Holy Spirit which JW's affirm is an impersonal force vs a person.
The problem is that the Scriptures use language that indicates the personhood of the Holy Spirit. For instance.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30 KJV
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; John 14:16 KJV
So, let's think about this. The manner in which their leader discussed the Holy Spirit was akin to a force that is used like a tool if you will. When you think about the language the biblical authors employed in the Scriptures, it just doesn't fit. There is a often a reason particular diction is used in literature and this case is no different.
If I use the word helper or advocate, it is used to describe a quality about a person, not an inanimate object or impersonal force. If I am working in a tool shop and my brother is handing me a tool to assist, my brother is, in that moment, my helper. It would also make sense, if I accidentally dropped the hammer on his foot, for him to feel grieved. People are helpers and have feelings. Not forces.
In summation, Jehovah's witnesses will deny the divinity to Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and (perhaps indirectly) the sufficiency of the atonement. By showing them that they are inconsistent with biblical theology plainly understood, this may pave the way for them to hear the truth. Will they accept it? That's His business, not ours. But remember Jesus' words:
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.
I don’t get many JW’s anymore or Mormons. The Holy Spirit will guide your words when you are encountered by their false doctrines. I grew up Mormon and I am no longer. Gods word chews up their Book of Mormon and spits it out 😉. I personally haven’t had to encounter the JW’s but Mama Splatts has and I take it by their absence that she got her point across and they weren’t open to receive it. Their eyes will be opened one day.
@jlsplatts, I haven't had the privilege of witnessing to a Mormon yet but you're right. There isn't any way for the book of Mormon to flush with the Scriptures when they are understood contextually.
I think this YT video would probably be a good resource for Mormonism. I wonder how one of their elders would respond. 🤔
Good on Mama Splatts for engaging. Sometimes, this is just the case. They'll agree to disagree and move on but you never know just what might happen when they open that Bible again. Either way, we know this is true.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
As a child I never really learned of Elohim. Maybe that comes when you earn you fancy underwear.
Not sure if you have seen this, but uh ya. It’s long but pretty interesting. Lots of demonic and witchcraft involved in Mormonism.
There is another of hidden camera footage inside the Mormon temple. Exposing all their weird secret handshakes and rituals. The guy made a whole series of them. After watching a few, I wanted to call my dad and ask him what kind of crap he is into. I became pretty angry and felt like lashing out. God straightened me out real fast. So instead I just pray for them.
“He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed”
You have done well to put these together. Their arguments on the personality of the Holy Spirit dont stand and the scripture is plain as you quoted:
The problem is that the Scriptures use language that indicates the personhood of the Holy Spirit. For instance.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30 KJV
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; John 14:16
@praise-eu
This was really interesting to read. I've long been interested in theology, and for some reason particularly drawn to "cults", which from my bare bones research I would definitely say JWs are deserving of that label. I'm an outsider looking in though, as I class myself as a "humanist", but it was genuinely fascinating to read about how their beliefs stack up against actual biblical scripture.
I had a couple of interactions with both JWs and Mormons when I lived in a city a few years back, and my takeaway was basically that it was saddening to see people who came across as genuinely good, nice people becoming prey for this group. I worked with a woman who, I guess was in the transition of leaving but hadn't told any other members of her church yet. She had a severely autistic son, and long story short their lack of understanding of such a condition made both her and her sons lives torturous. She'd been raised as a JW, and to think that she never had a choice in her beliefs is heartbreaking to think about.
Am I right in thinking they started off as a doomsday cult?
On a little side note, a friend at school had a rather funny story about their granddad and JWs. They'd knocked on his door, he welcomed them in, slyly locked the door behind them, reached for his shotgun over the mantelpiece, and basically told them not to turn up again. No idea how true it is, but certainly speaks volumes about how welcoming small rural communities can be to outsiders!
(you hear an engine rev and horn honk)
MEEP! MEEP!
(the window on the humvee rolls down to reveal a warm smiling face)
"Hello! I'm @shadow3scalpel and with the help of my protege, @chairborne, we are actively assisting veterans, retirees and active servicemen and women here on Steemit. We feel it is our 'duty' to support each other. Any questions or comments you may have, simply respond to this comment, thank you!"
(the window rolls up and the engine roars as it drives to the next person on the list)
Comment by @killerwhale. This is a opt-in bot.