After being told on a couple of occasions by an elder and members of the JW organisation, that Jesus is a created being, a god, not God; I started compiling a list of verses I’d found which represent the truth from God’s Word that Jesus is in fact God. I shared these verses along with argument to the JW’s text from their New World Translation book (NWT) which they use as a basis of their doctrine. I didn’t receive a response but it was certainly good for me to spend time in the Word considering the glory of God in and through Christ Jesus.

The following range of Bible verses shown in italics testify that Jesus is God,
the yellow highlight text expresses this within the verse.
My comments after this paragraph are in purple text, and I’ve applied blue highlight to some examples of the JW organisations corrupt text which they’ve written in their NWT.

Belief in the deity of Christ is essential to receiving eternal salvation, everyone who dies without belief in Christ’s deity will be eternally separated from God, the importance of this essential belief in relation to the eternal destiny of people, is expressed in 1 John ,which states that those who teach that Christ is not God are antichrist.
To teach that Jesus is “the Christ”, is to affirm that Jesus is the “anointed”, the Messiah* (in Hebrew “Mashiach”): “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord* and Christ.” (Acts 2:36), so to acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah sent by God, but then to say that He is not God, is to say that Jesus the Messiah lied when He said of Himself that He is God, and to say that the Messiah is a liar is to deny that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) because God the Messiah does not lie, but there is a created being who is called the father of liar’s:

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.
He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
(John 8:44)

And of similar nature, we’re told in 1 John 2:22 that lies are characteristic of the antichrist .

Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ?
He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son.
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
(1 John 2:22-23)

Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.
9  Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God.
Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
10  If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching,
do not receive him into your home or even greet him*.
11  Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.
(2 John 1:8)

Note: The phrase “greet him” is translated from the Greek words legō chairō which I paraphrase as meaning: “to greet them in a manor of speaking respectfully in wishing them well, such as saying ‘good day’ or shaking their hand on meeting or parting”, any one who comes to you with teaching of this type is formally opposed to God, to respect them is to disrespect God “sharing in their evil deeds“, by respecting their person you’d be respecting all that they corruptly teach from the spirit of antichrist.

And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, which you have heard that it should come; and even now already it is in the world.
(1 John 4:3)

The existence of One God including God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, is presented in scripture:

For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.
(1 John 5:7)

This biblical doctrine is not accepted by the JW organisation and other organisations such as the “Latter Day Saints (Mormon’s)” who teach “Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are two separate beings but, along with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), are one in will, purpose and love.“, despite Holy scripture stating that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One being not just one in will, purpose and love.

The following verses from the Revelation of Jesus express Christ’s deity as they each tell of Him and as He talks of Himself directly in the text:

  1. (Revelation 1):
    10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
    11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book,…
    12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden lampstands;
    13  And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girded about the breast with a golden belt.
    14  His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
    15  And his feet like unto fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
    16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in its strength.
    17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
    18  I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hades and of death.
  2. (Revelation 2:8) …These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
    • Only God is “the First and the Last“, This is Jesus “who died and came to life again.“
  3. (Revelation 3:1) “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars…”
    • Only God “holds the seven Spirits of God”, Jesus holds them.
  4. (Revelation 3:5) “…And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life,”
    • Only God can decide not to “blot out“ names “from the Book of Life.”, This is what Jesus can do.
  5. (Revelation 3:14) …These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation. 
    • Only God can create out of nothing, Jesus created out of nothing, He is “the Originator of God’s creation.” : (Colossians 1:15)  “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16  For in Him all things were created, things 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.

We’re told in Philippians 2:7 that Jesus put aside His glory as God to fulfil the responsibility The Father had for Him as a suffering servant to redeem mortals, and Hebrews 1:1-2 tells of the authority that God the Father gave to God the Son:

1 God, who at many times and in various manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, 

Hebrews 1:8 identifies Jesus the Son as God:

But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the sceptre of Your kingdom.

  • (NWT But about the Son, he says: “God is your throne forever and ever, and the scepter of your Kingdom is the scepter of uprightness.)
  • The NWT corrupt text teaches a distinct difference in the beings of God the Father & God the Son by editing the biblical text to express in their book that God said to Jesus that God is His throne, so distancing Jesus from the direct attribution of Him being God, as declared by God the Father when He said to Jesus “Your throne, O God“.

In Exodus 20 God commands that...

3 You shall have no other gods before me.
5 You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Then in Hebrews 1:6 we read of the angels being told to worship Jesus:

God And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world, he says,
And let all the angels of God worship him. 

We’re also told in Revelation 5:13 that all created beings spoke saying “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to him that sits on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever“, which is equal worship of God the Father and Jesus Who is referred to here as “the Lamb“.

Exodus 20 tells that worshiping any being apart from God is the sin of idolatry, so based on their belief and doctrine that Jesus is not God, there’s a conflict in the teaching of the JW’s, because they confirm in their book that Hebrews 1:6 says Jesus (who they say is a created being) is to be worshiped by the angels.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 
14 and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…” 
(John 1:1-4,14)

  • (NWT: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. 
    [JW’s teach that there are many god’s, this is known as polytheism]
    2  This one was in the beginning with God.
    3  All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence. What has come into existence 
    4  by means of him was life, and the life was the light of men.
    14 So the Word became flesh and resided among us,… )
  • The JW’s textual corruption here teaches against the deity of Jesus Christ by saying He is “a god” denoting that He is one of many “god’s”, they also use a lower case “g” to express their view of Him as a lesser being than God, and their polytheistic teaching is continued where they refer to Him as “This one“, which is another blasphemous statement in designating Jesus to be one of many created beings who are referred to as “gods”.

No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. (John 1:18)

  • (NWT: No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is at the Father’s side is the one who has explained Him.)
  • This JW corruption of text presents another blasphemous diminution of Jesus deity firstly by presenting Him irreverently as an elevated created being, then secondly it corruptly expresses that Jesus is a messenger who  “explained” God, this is also a blasphemous diminution of Jesus Words inclusive of (John 14:9) Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 
    Jesus’ Holy Words and actions “declared” the Father, He didn’t explain Him.

then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me.
But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”
(John 10:36-38)

  • (NWT): 36 do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37  If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38  But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, …so that you may come to know and may continue knowing that the Father is in union with me and I am in union with the Father.”)
  • This JW text again presents a corrupted doctrine by removing the intrinsic text “in the Father” and replacing it with the diminishing phrase “in union with…“, which blasphemously states that the relationship of Jesus and God the Father is of them being distinctly separate beings, again denying Jesus Christ’s deity.

When Thomas spoke to Jesus in John 20:28 he said …“My Lord and my God!”.

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our own image, according to Our likeness.’
(Genesis 1:26)

Notice He didn’t say, “Let Me make man in My own image and after My likeness.” He said, “Let us make…”! This clearly proclaims plurality in God’s singularity, which is a fact only able to be partially comprehended by using terms and examples within man’s knowledge, such as water (liquid), Ice (solid) and steam (gas) are all H2O but neither of these visible elements are any of the others, no example in all creation can describe God, He is eternally incomprehensible yet He has been declared and revealed by Jesus Christ.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
(Colossians 1:15-19)

  • (NWT: 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
    16 because by means o f him all other things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have been created through him and for him.
    19 because God was pleased to have all fullness to dwell in him,
  • This JW textual corruption presents Jesus as a created being and likens Him to “all other things”, then they write that these things were created by “means of” him, whereas in fact “all things were created by him,“. Then they discard the fact of the fullness of God Himself being in the person of the Christ by stating “all fullness” Instead of acknowledging what is written of Jesus in Philippians 2:7 “…emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.”,
    Colossians 1:19 “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,“

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
(1 Timothy 3:16)

  • (NWT Indeed, the sacred secret of this godly devotion is admittedly great: ‘He was made manifest in flesh, …’ )
  • In this JW corruption of the text from Timothy 3:16 they’ve replaced most of the original text that had been imparted to Timothy by God, with their own text, which denies the deity of Christ, where the title “He” is used rather than the translation from the Greek θεός, which is God (Theos) “God was manifest in the flesh,“

…as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
(Titus 2:13)

  • (NWT while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ,)
  • This more contemporary styled corruption of the text in the JW book again denies the deity of Christ by substituting the original words with others to teach that God the Father is the primary One to appear and that He will be with Jesus, rather than as the Word states that Jesus is the one Who will appear and that He is “our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ“.

Jesus said unto them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
(John 8:58)

  • (NWT Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”)
  • This corruption of the text denies the deity of Christ by removing Jesus’s statement that He is self existent; the term “I am” can only be used by God and inclusively represents that He has neither beginning or end, but is eternally self existent, which is why He said “Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus created time, He isn’t governed by it, He governs it, but the JW text teaches that He is subject to time, in that the Son of God came into existence at a point in time and didn’t exist before that point.

The denial of Jesus’s deity is not a new heresy, some of the Jews held this heresy over 2000 years ago:

I and my Father are one.
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy;
and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.
(John 10:30,33)

In the following verse Jesus states that All The Father’s possessions are His own;
What created being could claim this?

All that belongs to the Father is mine.
That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
(John 16:15)

Then in Luke 23 & Matthew 20, Jesus is spoken of as possessing a heavenly kingdom:

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
(Luke 23:42)

What kingdom does any man have after death, or what kingdom does a created being possess? None. Do angels or any other heavenly beings possess kingdoms? No, but Christ Jesus does:

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favour of him.21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
(Matthew 20:20-21)

The following verse is another account of Christ’s incarnation, where He’s written of as taking on the form of a servant. The humility of God the Son in putting aside His power and glory so as to teach mankind and then suffer for those the Father gave to Him and then to bear the penalty of their sin, is beyond our present ability to fully comprehend:

For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

(Hebrews 2:16)

Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. 

(Romans 9:5)
  • (NWT: To them the forefathers belong, and from them the Christ descended according to the flesh. God, who is over all, be praised forever. Amen.)
  • The NWT author’s have changed the arrangement of text and added a full stop after the word “flesh” to change the Biblical statement which says that Christ “who is over all, God blessed forever.“, is in their book represented as Christ coming as a man, then they insert a full stop so as to begin a new sentence states that God is to be praised forever, in doing this they teach that Christ is one entity and God is a distinctly separate/different entity.

Regarding the terms of reference used to distinguish relative authority within the Godhead; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 speaks of “Christ Jesus” as being Lord rather than speaking of Him as being God, and the Word speaks of The Father being the one God, this is an example of scripture distinguishing the difference in responsibilities that each has taken in relation to creation, though Jesus body died at Calvary and He suffered the pains of death until He gave up His spirit to the Father, God didn’t and cannot die, this dynamic of Jesus being God in flesh is further considered in the doctrine of the “hypostatic union” which describes and considers the facts of Jesus being truly God and truly man.

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols:
We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father,
from whom all things came and for whom we live;
and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things came and through whom we live.

(1 Corinthians 8:4-6)

Hebrews 2:9 reiterates the relative position of the Son of God when He became a little lower than the angels in His earthly appearance in the person of Christ Jesus the Messiah:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Jesus also spoke of His submissive position in John 14 and 1 Corinthians 15:

You heard Me say, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I’m going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.

(John 14:28)

For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him.
And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.

(1 Corinthians 15:27-28)

17 But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
18  Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
19  So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
Jesus here again, through His Words, clearly states to the understanding of the Jews, that He is God.
(John 5:17-19)

21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
22 For the Father judges no man, but has given all judgment to the Son,
23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him.
(John 5: 21-23)

  • v21: Which being other than God can impart eternal life to a man? None
  • v23: Which created being should be honoured as the Father is? None

The following 4 verses again state the deity of Christ Jesus:

1. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true–even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
(1 John 5:20)

2. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:28-30)

3. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.
(Colossians 2:9)

4. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

Just as every Child of God has been created by God with purpose to express His glory “to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.” (Eph. 3:9-12), so also every Word of God’s has also been recorded to reveal His glory; Consider for example (Isaiah 7:14) “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (H410)“:

H410 Original: אל
Transliteration: ‘êl
Phonetic: ale
BDB Definition: God, the one true God, YHWH
(I’ve discarded the definitions that are not in context, but they can be viewed by clicking here)

The JW organisation teaches a “gospel” opposed to The Gospel of Christ which was delivered by the Apostles, and Galatians 1 presents a sobering warning from God to any who do this, which if it is not obeyed or repented of before death, will have eternal result of penalty in the “lake of fire”:
6  I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another (as there is only one true gospel); but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed*.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed*.

*ἀνάθεμα
Transliteration: anathema
Thayer Definition: A thing devoted to God without hope of being redeemed, and if an animal, to be slain; therefore a person or thing doomed to destruction
: a man accursed, devoted to the direst of woes.

14 For the love of the Christ constrains us, having judged this: that one died for all, then all have died;
15 And that he died for all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves,
but to him who died for them, and rose again.
16 Therefore from now on we know no man after the flesh:
yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh,
yet from now on we know him no more.

(2 Corinthians 5:14-16)

Even some or maybe all the disciples had trouble comprehending that Jesus was God as seen in the above verse and also:
“Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?” (John 16:31)

But God (Holy Spirit) works in those the Father has chosen to receive eternal life, He grants them faith and repentance so that they become new creations. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37)

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 
And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 
That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
For he has made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

(2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Jesus said to Philip: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?
He who has seen Me has seen the Father;
so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
(John 14:9)

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