Monday 10 May 2010

Question for Jehovah's Witnesses: Salvation by Which Name?

Jehovah's Witnesses bear witness to the name Jehovah, one of the names the God of the Hebrews identified himself by. While Christians bear the name of Christ, and witness exclusively to Jesus, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the world needs to learn and use the name Jehovah. To what end is not entirely clear when considering the history of the early believers in Jesus and his name.

The Bible suggests that the name Jesus is above every name. I'll quote from the New World Translation, the version of the Bible authorised by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, and the version used almost exclusively by the Witnesses at their meetings and in their ministry (note: some Witness apologists would claim that the Witnesses are free to use any other translation of the Bible. However, in practise, this rarely, if ever happens. If a Jehovah's Witness were to preach in the Kingdom Hall exclusively from, say, the NIV or the ESV (my personal choice of Bible translation) they would find themselves "counselled" by the elders);

Philippians 2: 9 For this very reason also God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every [other] name, 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground [emphasis added]


The NWT adds the word [other] to the inspired text to suggest that the name Jesus is not above all names. But reading the text without the NWT's additional word renders a different meaning. The context in v10 shows that it's in the name of JESUS that every knee should bend (or "render worship"). Where? On earth and in heaven.


These verses are devastating to Jehovah's Witness doctrine and put into question the choice of name chosen for the sect by the Organisation's second president "Judge" Rutherford.


So, my question for Jehovah's Witnesses is, in whose name are we saved?

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