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QUESTIONS FOR JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ON SPIRITUAL ADOPTION —Presenting the Gospel of Salvation

1.  What does a person have to do before he can understand the things of God?

• 1 Corinthians 2:14-15: “But a physical man does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know [them], because they are examined spiritually. However, the spiritual man examines indeed all things...” **  

2.  According to Romans 8:9, how does a person change from “physical” to “spiritual”?

• Romans 8:9a: “However, YOU are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in YOU.”

3.  How does one receive the indwelling of God’s Spirit?

• Galatians 4:5-6: “…that we, in turn, might receive the adoption as sons. Now because YOU are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into our hearts and it cries out: ‘Abba, Father!’ ”

4.  Are you adopted as a spiritual child of God?

• “God does not adopt them as spiritual sons, as he does the 144,000.” —The Watchtower, February 1, 1998,  p. 20

5.  Since you’re not adopted, how can you understand the things of God? How can you please God or belong to Christ?

• Romans 8:8-9: “So those who are in harmony with the flesh cannot please God. However, YOU are in harmony, not with the flesh, but with the spirit, if God’s spirit truly dwells in YOU. But if anyone does not have Christ’s spirit, this one does not belong to him.”

6.  If you’re not adopted, how can you be led by God’s Spirit at all?

• Romans 8:14: “For all who are led by God’s spirit, these are God’s sons.”  

7.  Can you show me a single verse in the Bible that says that spiritual adoption is only for 144,000 people?  Does the phrase “everyone believing” leave anyone out? 

• 1 John 5:1: “Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God.”

• NOTE: Since Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that heaven is limited to only 144,000 people, they believe that only 144,000 are spiritually adopted into the New Covenant and the born again experience. Since most Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe they will go to heaven, most believe they are outside the New Covenant and are destined for paradise earth.  While it is true that people will live eternally in both a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:11-13), there is nothing in Scripture that limits heaven and the New Covenant to only 144,000 people.  The only Scriptures that Jehovah’s Witnesses appeal to for support are Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5, where a list of 144,000 Jewish people are sealed during the Great Tribulation to reign with Christ upon the earth.  Yet, there is nothing in Scripture that limits heaven and the New Covenant to only 144,000 people. In fact, to the contrary, Scripture specifically states that a “great multitude” of people are in heaven (Revelation 7:9-10, 15-17; 19:1).

8. Why don’t you ask God to give you His Holy Spirit?

• Luke 11:13: “… how much more so will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those asking him!”

9. What did Jesus say we must do to gain eternal life?  Have you “come” to Jesus? Have you asked Jesus to forgive your sins?

• John 5:39-40: “YOU are searching the Scriptures, because YOU think that by means of them YOU will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones that bear witness about me. And yet YOU do not want to come to me that YOU may have life.”

10. How can you listen to Jesus’ voice if you’re not allowed to talk to Him in prayer?  How can you ask Him to forgive your sins and give you eternal life if you’re not able to pray to Him?

• John 10:27-28: “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them everlasting life...”

11. What does it mean to “call upon” the name of Jehovah for salvation? Doesn’t that mean to pray to Him?

• Joel 2:32: “And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe.”

12.  So if calling upon Jehovah means we are to pray to Him.  What do you think it means to “call upon” the name of Jesus for salvation?

• 1 Corinthians 1:2: “…called to be holy ones, together with all who everywhere are calling upon the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours”

• Acts 4:12: “Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” 

• NOTE: Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that they pray “through Jesus’ name,” but they will not pray directly to Jesus because they believe prayer is a form of worship reserved only for God.  Since they don’t believe Jesus is God, they argue that we should pray “through” Jesus to the Father, not directly TO Jesus.  Explain that Jesus’ disciples had to be cleansed from their sins (John 13:10) before they could pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9). Thus, we must go “through” Jesus, by dealing directly with Him before we can come to God (John 14:6).

13.  Why does Jesus say, “ask Me” anything? Since He wants us to “ask” Him our requests, doesn’t this indicate He wants us to pray directly to Him?  Since Jesus is the One who is answering our prayers, doesn’t this indicate that He is the One listening to our requests?

• John 14:14: “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
  —New American Standard Bible

• NOTE: Note there is a textual variance in the manuscripts of this passage. Some manuscripts do not have the “me” in this passage (like the KJV and NKJV Bibles), however the oldest and best Greek manuscripts that we have available today contain the “me. Even though the Greek text that the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witness Bible) is based upon contains the “Me” in the phrase “ask Me,” it specifically removes the “Me” because this translation is biased against the Deity of Jesus Christ.  You can prove their Bible’s bias by comparing their translation to their own Greek / English Interlinear that the Watchtower published called, The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures.

14.  Who did Stephen pray to?

• Acts 7:59: “And they went on casting stones at Stephen as he made appeal and said: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

• NOTE: Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that Stephen saw Jesus in a vision, so he wasn’t praying to Jesus.  It is true Stephen saw Jesus in a vision (verses 55-56), but that was BEFORE he was thrown out of the city (verse 58). So he was truly praying to Jesus at this point.

15.  Who did Paul pray to?

• 2 Corinthians 12:8-9: “In this behalf I three times entreated the Lord that it might depart from me; and yet he really said to me: ‘My undeserved kindness is sufficient for you; for [my] power is being made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast as respects my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may like a tent remain over me.”

16.  Who is worshipped along with the Father?

• Revelation 5:13-14: “And every creature…I heard saying: ‘To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor…’ …and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

** Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are quoted from the New World Translation.