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Has
Jehovah performed the greatest act of love?
According to the Watchtower Bible and
Tract Society, God is not a Trinity and Jesus is not God in flesh.
Because of their position, I sometimes ask the question "Has Jehovah
performed the greatest act of love?". I get different answers
but because they have not been indoctrinated by the Watchtower Magazine,
they often actually think on their own instead of repeating what the
Watchtower says. Of course, the Jehovah's Witness almost always says
that the greatest act of love performed by God was sending His Son to die
for us. This is a good answer, but is it correct? I then quote
them what Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than
this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (NASB).
The KJV says, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends." The Jehovah's Witness
Bible, the NWT says, "No one has love greater than this, that
someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends."
We can see that the greatest act of love is to
sacrifice one's own life for another. Note that Jesus said that
this self sacrifice is the greatest act of love. I then again
ask the Jehovah's Witness, "Has Jehovah performed the greatest act of
love?". That is when the problem arises for the Jehovah's
Witness.
I tell them that as a Trinitarian, my Lord has
performed the greatest act of love. Jesus is God in flesh (John
1:1,14). Therefore, God has laid His life down for a friend;
He has performed the greatest act of love that someone can do --
just as Jesus said. I then ask the Jehovah's Witness, "Why do
you want me to give up the greatest act of love performed by my God, for
your God who cannot perform the greatest act of love?" The
conversation can take many turns at this point. But it is always good
to focus on God's love for us on the cross.
Following is an outline that helps clarify
the issue as it quotes scripture.
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God is love
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1 John 4:16,
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is
love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
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The New
World Translation says, "And
we ourselves have come to know and have believed the love that
God has in our case. God is love, and he that remains in love
remains in union with God and God remains in union with
him."
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God
demonstrates the greatest love
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He is infinite,
holy, loving, and no one can demonstrate these qualities better
than God Himself.
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God has full
ability to demonstrate His own nature.
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Can anyone "out
do" God in love?
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Jesus
accurately represents the Father
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Heb. 1:3,
"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact
representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word
of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty on high," (NASB).
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The New
World Translation says,
"He is the reflection of [his] glory and the exact
representation of his very being. And he sustains all things
by the word of his power; and after he had made purification
of sins he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty
places."
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John
14:9, ".
. . Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. . ."
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The New
World Translation says,
". . . He that has seen me has seen the Father [also]. .
."
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Jesus
said, . . .
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John 15:13,
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his
life for his friends."
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(The NWT
says, "No one has love
greater than this, that someone should surrender his soul in
behalf of his friends.")
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Conclusion
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If Jesus is not God
and He laid down His life, then He is doing something greater than
the Father can do.
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If Jesus is God and
He laid down His life, then God is performing the greatest act of
love.
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