One Lie for Another

One Saturday morning the doorbell rang. I guessed it was a mail carrier delivering some expected books. But the visitors on the front stoop were a young woman and her 12-year-old son. She said that they were going through the neighborhood and asking people how an angel became Satan.

Carolyn invited them in, and we sat down for a talk. As I suspected, Elizabeth was a Jehovah’s Witness. She told us that she had grown up in the Catholic Church. But the priest had failed to give her biblical answers to her questions. We were expected to believe that the Jehovah’s Witnesses did give biblical answers.

Sadly, Elizabeth had exchanged one lie for another. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses are familiar with the scriptures that seem to support their positions, they simply cannot – by pointing to the Bible – answer even some basic questions. Consider the examples below:

–Since Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit with the masculine pronoun “he” (John 16:13), why do Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that the Spirit is an impersonal force?

–Since Peter taught that the earth and all its elements were to be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10), why do Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that heaven is to be enjoyed on earth?

 

–Since a witness is someone who can give a firsthand account of something heard or seen (Acts 10:39-41), why do Jehovah’s Witnesses call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses? Have they seen Jehovah? Have they seen the risen Christ?

I’m not asking such questions to mock or ridicule. Carolyn and I received our unexpected guest warmly, commended her desire to serve God, and invited her to come back for a scheduled Bible study.

I’m sharing these reflections as a warning. We’re never above the temptation to stop searching for the truth. We’re all capable of exchanging one lie for another. This is why it’s imperative that we always maintain a humble spirit and an open mind.