On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, I posted the following to my Facebook page. Here is the unedited version:
What is on my mind? Well, truth is I had no plan to write a post in Facebook today since there are other pressing things on my plate. But, after some reading and hearing of God's Word, right now I am ruminating on the similarities of Arian Christianity and some contemporary/modern denominations such as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. I will understand if you choose to block or mute me for a while, but I had to write this.
Arius was a priest and ascetic in the third and fourth centuries. He promoted a belief that would come to be called Arianism, i.e., a view held by him and other scholars that Jesus, the Son of God, was created by God the Father. Such creation would relegate him to "a god" subordinate to God the Father, rather than "God" and co-equal to the Father. The documented historicity of the belief for Jehovah's Witnesses (actual documents and statements made by the Watchtower society) goes back to when the Watch Tower society was chartered in 1884. In its charter, the society was incorporated to develop and publish Bible literature, to educate men and women to be ministers and missionaries, teachers and instructors in the Bible and Bible literature, "and for public Christian worship of Almighty God and Christ Jesus." While they put forward the practice of worshiping Christ Jesus, they also believe that He was a being created by Almighty God. They rely on the scripture at Colossians 1:15 that says Jesus was "the firstborn of creation" as the basis and proof of Jesus being a creature and not God. If He was a "firstborn" of creation, who was His mother, and why is it believed that this concept does not conflict with John 1:2-3? In verse 18 of Colossians 1, Christ is also referred to as the "firstborn from the dead". So does that mean that no one was resurrected before Jesus was resurrected? Well that would be hard to prove since the Gospels explicitly state accounts of Jesus Christ himself raising people from the dead during His earthly ministry! Therefore, how should we understand the English translation of "firstborn" being used in those passages? The original Greek used there and translated "firstborn" is "prototokos", which means, in addition to a natural birth from a woman or the order of birth, also carries the meaning of referring to priority, rank or position. That is, positionally, Jesus position of Head of creation takes priority over all other things created, and that His position of firstborn from the dead by resurrection from the dead makes His resurrection rank as the first in importance, in rank and priority, rather than the first in order, since as the Bible clearly shows that individuals in the Old Testament and New Testament prior to Jesus' death and resurrection were raised back to life! Therefore, the scriptural argument for Christ being the first person made or created when examined is weakened when using scripture to prove scripture. Further, adding words to scripture to use as the basis of one's stated belief is not proof; instead, it is dangerous! (Revelation 22:18; Jeremiah 14:14-15; Matthew 7:21-23)
From 1884 to 1954 the worship of Christ Jesus was doctrine for Jehovah's Witnesses. In the 1950s, there was a growing concern that since Jesus was considered or believed by Jehovah's Witness to be a creature per their core belief, that worshiping Christ Jesus -- although the founders and key leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses strongly advocated it, members of the society would begin to question the appropriateness of "worship" of Christ Jesus, indicating that to worship Him, even though the leaders cited scriptural bases for that practice, would be considered idolatry. A number of amendments to the charter would eventually remove the doctrine of worshiping Christ Jesus, reserving all worship for Jehovah God, despite Biblical evidence to the contrary. When the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, the translation created by the Watchtower society, was amended, all references to the worship of Christ were removed, and phraseology would be incorporated to show Jesus as being a created being who was "a god". The New World Translation is virtually the only version of the Christian Bible that alters the word "worship" relative to worshiping Christ. None of the foregoing concerning the stated beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization is my own opinion! No! What I have expressed regarding the Witnesses' beliefs and how they evolved over time are all documented within their own literature.
It would be a foolish error to assume only one or two Christian denominations or organizations are outliers when it comes to Christianity, for many groups - even mainline denominations - put a unique spin on what they say they believe based on their "Biblical" perspective. It is true that there are many, if not, significant differences throughout Christendom in how people identify, worship the God of the Bible and understand His Word and commandments, principles, etc. How does one sort through this? In Acts 17, in an almost obscure passage at verses 10-12, we learn that the hearers of the gospel message being preached by Paul and his companions, did not take what they were hearing at face value, but, instead verified what was being spoken by examining the scriptures - not "scripture" but scriptures, cross-referencing them and locating supporting accounts to verify that what they were hearing was the truth.
I think Dr. Charles Stanley once noted, as he spoke about the many denominations that profess Christianity nowadays, that while the original designation of "The Way" which was the earliest reference to the following of Christ in the Bible by people who shared a common understanding of the teachings of Christ and His apostles, and which would formally come to be called "Christian" (Acts 11:26 and Acts 24:14), the number of named/distinct denominations that arose over the centuries were most often based on human interpretation of what Christianity is and how it should be practiced.
Yet to deny the validity of Christ Jesus, the Gospel accounts, Christ's words and prophecies pertaining to Him, to deny His very existence and sacrificial death and resurrection based on errors that denominations in Christendom have made, or who may have injected their own viewpoints and interpretation is a great mistake. Many people are more comfortable depending on a preacher's words rather than the Word of God. Even the Israel nation when released from slavery in Egypt told Moses, "we don't want to hear from God - you (Moses) talk to us!" Can we be more like the people of Beroea and go to our Bibles and ask God to show us, reveal to us in scripture, His truth, then pursue it, and examine a church or denomination that most closely teaches that truth?
I daresay that everyone of those denominations believe they are teaching the truth of the Gospel. The Bible tells us that the "truth" will become evident when clarified by God the Holy Spirit, and as it becomes proven by God on "The Day." (1 Corinthians 3:10-13; Luke 11:34-35; 1 Corinthians 4:5)
