Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the John 1.1 does not teach that Jesus is God and that the verse is properly translated with "a god." One of the arguments they make is from the wording and context of the passage:
These objections are not difficult for anyone with a basic and accurate understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. First of all, orthodox Christianity has always held that Jesus Christ was born with two natures, that is, that he is both fully God and fully man. The nature of God is immaterial and invisible, while the nature of man is material and visible. It is this unique situation of Christ, as the perfect God-man, which allows him to be both visible to us as a man, but also be the immortal, invisible God.
The next few sentences of Jehovah's Witnesses' argument betray either a complete ignorance of the accurate doctrine of the Trinity or a willing disregard for it. Trinitarians do not have to explain how an individiual can "be with someone and at the same time be that person" because that is not what Trinitarians believe. Trinitarians believe that the Father is a separate person from the Son but that the Father and the Son share the same essence or nature. The Father is not the same person as the Son, but they are both fully God. The Word described in John 1.1 is"with God" in the sense that the Son is with the Father, and the Word "is God" in the sense that he shares in the same divine nature as the Father. Such a concept may be difficult to understand, but it is not a logical contradiction, unlike the straw man argument to which the Jehovah's Witnesses are objecting.
Regarding the last statement in the paragraph quoted above, it should be noted that the emphasis on the title "Son of God" in the Fourth Gospel is not an implicit denial of the doctrine of the Trinity, but rather an important introduction to it. By focusing on this unique Father-Son relationship, the Evangelist is able to express that the Father and the Son are different persons while also indicating that they share the same nature, just as a human father and a human son share the same nature -- the human nature.
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Consider what John further writes in chapter 1, verse 18: "No man has seen [Almighty] God at any time." However, humans have seen Jesus, the Son, for John says: "The Word [Jesus] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory." (John 1:14 KJ ) How, then, could the Son be part of Almighty God? John also states that the Word was "with God." But how can an individual be with someone and at the same time be that person? Moreover, as recorded at John 17:3, Jesus makes a clear distinction between himself and his heavenly Father. He calls his Father "the only true God." And toward the end of his Gospel, John sums up matters by saying: "These have been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God." (John 20:31) Notice that Jesus is called, not God, but the Son of God. This shows how John 1:1 should be understood. Jesus, the Word, is "a god" in the sense that he has a high position but is not the same as Almighty God. [1, p.203]
These objections are not difficult for anyone with a basic and accurate understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity. First of all, orthodox Christianity has always held that Jesus Christ was born with two natures, that is, that he is both fully God and fully man. The nature of God is immaterial and invisible, while the nature of man is material and visible. It is this unique situation of Christ, as the perfect God-man, which allows him to be both visible to us as a man, but also be the immortal, invisible God.
The next few sentences of Jehovah's Witnesses' argument betray either a complete ignorance of the accurate doctrine of the Trinity or a willing disregard for it. Trinitarians do not have to explain how an individiual can "be with someone and at the same time be that person" because that is not what Trinitarians believe. Trinitarians believe that the Father is a separate person from the Son but that the Father and the Son share the same essence or nature. The Father is not the same person as the Son, but they are both fully God. The Word described in John 1.1 is"with God" in the sense that the Son is with the Father, and the Word "is God" in the sense that he shares in the same divine nature as the Father. Such a concept may be difficult to understand, but it is not a logical contradiction, unlike the straw man argument to which the Jehovah's Witnesses are objecting.
Regarding the last statement in the paragraph quoted above, it should be noted that the emphasis on the title "Son of God" in the Fourth Gospel is not an implicit denial of the doctrine of the Trinity, but rather an important introduction to it. By focusing on this unique Father-Son relationship, the Evangelist is able to express that the Father and the Son are different persons while also indicating that they share the same nature, just as a human father and a human son share the same nature -- the human nature.
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What does the bible really teach?
From the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, New York, 2005.
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