Jesus the Mediator?

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5,6

After reading that, how can there be any confusion as to who our mediator is? There are other scriptures I will add to this one later on. But the Watchtower society has made a very serious claim about the role of Jesus as a mediator. Rather than attempt to explain them, I will let the quotes from JW literature speak for themselves. 

w79 4/1 31  Questions from Readers 
At a time when God was selecting those to be taken into that new covenant, the apostle Paul wrote that Christ was the “one mediator between God and men.” (1 Tim. 2:5) Reasonably Paul was here using the word “mediator” in the same way he did the other five times, which occurred before the writing of 1 Timothy 2:5, referring to those then being taken into the new covenant for which Christ is “mediator.” So in this strict Biblical sense Jesus is the “mediator” only for anointed Christians.

That isn't what Paul wrote.

 w79 11/15 26  Benefiting from "One Mediator Between God and Men" 
20 What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.

Not all men? See how they twist the scripture to fit their doctrine?

 w89 8/15 30  Questions From Readers 
Clearly, then, the new covenant is not a loose arrangement open to all mankind. It is a carefully arranged legal provision involving God and anointed Christians.

Legal provision?

 w89 8/15 31  Questions From Readers 
 The people of all nations who have the hope of everlasting life on earth benefit even now from Jesus’ services. Though he is not their legal Mediator, for they are not in the new covenant, he is their means of approaching Jehovah.

He is not their legal Mediator, but he is their means of approaching Jehovah? Isn't that a blatant contradiction?

  w89 8/15 31  Questions From Readers
 Consequently, 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 is not using “mediator” in the broad sense common in many languages. It is not saying that Jesus is a mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, it refers to Christ as legal Mediator (or, “attorney”) of the new covenant, this being the restricted way in which the Bible uses the term.

Now they are twisting the meaning of the word "mediator".

 w89 12/15 30  Do You Remember? 
  In what sense does Paul use the term “mediator” when referring to Jesus at 1 Timothy 2:5, 6? In this text, Paul uses the Greek word me·si'tes for “mediator,” which term has a legal significance, so he is not using this word in the broad sense common in many languages. Hence, Paul is not saying that Jesus is Mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, he is referring to Christ as legal Mediator of the new covenant, which laid the basis for Christ’s anointed followers to share with him in his heavenly Kingdom. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 5; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Hebrews 8:7-13)—8/15, pages 30, 31.

We have already seen what Paul wrote, applying it to all men. Here they are trying to toss in a Greek word to support their claim.The definition of me-si'tes is: 

1. one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant
2. a medium of communication, arbitrator                                                                                     

 Does the word have legal significance? Or is it simply a go between?


 w84 7/15 14-15  Organized to Serve Jehovah 
 There must be agreement among all true Christians, a unified message, if people are to hear what is correct, put genuine faith in the true God and call upon Jehovah’s name with the prospect of being saved. Moreover, one spirit-directed organization must be used in connection with the sending forth of those truthful preachers of the “good news.”—Romans 10:11-15.

Spirit directed organization....that claims to not be inspired by God. 

Survival into a New Earth p. 65 
"With Christ they make up the agency by means of which blessings will be extended to all other obedient ones among mankind. Appreciation of this is a key to understanding the Bible."

Now they elevate themselves to be with Christ.


Maybe we should check out a few scriptures and compare them to these claims.

Acts 13:38-39--"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.


Ephesians 1:7 "By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of [our] trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness."

 Romans 6:23 "For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord."

 Hebrews 7:25 "Consequently he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them."

Hebrews 8:10-12 "'For this is the covenant that I shall covenant with the house of Israel after those days,' says Jehovah. 'I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I shall write them. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people. ¹¹ "'And they will by no means teach each one his fellow citizen and each one his brother, saying: "Know Jehovah!" For they will all know me, from [the] least one to [the] greatest one of them. ¹² For I shall be merciful to their unrighteous deeds, and I shall by no means call their sins to mind anymore.'"
 Isn't it obvious at this point that Jesus is the Mediator for everyone, and not just a select few?

Furthermore, if Jehovah puts His laws into their minds and hearts, how can they possibly attempt to explain away past mistakes by stating that it is a gradual understanding?  After all, if Jesus is supposedly mediating between God and them, wouldn't this be a claim of direct guidance? Yet they attempt to cover over those errors and sweep them under the carpet.

Another mistake made is the attempt to parallel the great crowd with the alien residents under the law covenant. They write: Watchtower 1995 Jul 1 p.17 "The Israel of God" and the "Great Crowd

 "Since a number of these faithful foreigners, or alien residents, are viewed as foreshadowing the great crowd today, their situation is of interest to us.
Such ones were proselytes, dedicated worshipers of Jehovah under the Mosaic Law who were separated from the nations along with the Israelites. (Leviticus 24:22) They offered sacrifices, kept clear of false worship, and abstained from blood, just as the Israelites did."

Did you catch the error? The alien residents were included in the law covenant. So if they are foreshadowing the great crowd, that would mean that the great crowd will be included into the new covenant.

This is a very blatant attempt to control the masses. In essence, what the are saying is that if you do not follow their instructions, accept their teachings without question, you will not make it through Armageddon and live on in an earthly paradise. They shove Jesus out of the picture, since the claim is that he is not the mediator for all of us, only them. They do this by twisting words, adding their own words to verses, and going well beyond what is written.

Maybe they should read this verse, and think about what they are doing.

Galations 1:8--But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!

JW Bashing?

     I have been asked a few questions by current JWs, as well as friends that are non-believers in the jw religion, as to why I continually hound the witnesses. Here are the most common remarks that I will address here.

1) Why do you bash the JWs? You must really hate them.

2) Wouldn't you rather spend your time doing something worthwhile?

3)  They seem to be happy. Why interfere with that?

4)  Why don't you just move on with your life? Get over it.


     Let's start with the first one. Why do I bash the JWs? To answer this in the most simple response, I don't bash the JWs. People are free to believe in what they choose. If they are convinced that what they are placing their faith in is, in a manner of speaking, the right path, I have no problem with that at all.

     My main focus is on what they teach. If I see something that I feel is incorrect, is it wrong to ask questions in order to gain clarification? If I see something that I know for a fact is wrong, why can't I point that out?

     Even the Watchtower itself agreed with me in the past.

"It is important to examine one's religion; there is nothing to fear from such an examination." Truth p.13

"It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false." wt 11/15/1963  p. 688

"Examine the evidence. Reasonable persons want to examine both sides of a matter. That is how one arrives at the truth."  A 10/22/1973 p. 6

"Regarding the Roman Catholic Church: Any organization that claims to be the way of salvation should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism."

If there is nothing to fear, and it is not persecution, and it is the way to find truth, then why is it considered bashing when someone decides to investigate their teachings, and then call out any mistakes that are found? And if you substitute Jehovah's Witnesses with the Roman Catholic Church in the last quote, they should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism, since they make the same claim.

But that isn't what happens at all. Nowadays, if you question any of their teachings, you are slapped with the title of an Apostate. Once given that title, all current JWs will not even consider anything you have to say as valid. It is the easiest way to control the masses. And if you were never a JW, yet you question their beliefs, well, you are under the control of Satan, who is busy misleading the entire world, minus the JWs.

     The second one: Wouldn't you rather spend your time doing something worthwhile?  This is based on the assumption that I spend ALL of my time refuting JW teachings. It really doesn't take very long to accomplish that.

I do, however, consider it worthwhile, as many folks are wandering around lost in life, since they recently departed from the JW religion. I've been told by several individuals that they appreciate reading my opinions here on my blog page. Many of them were asking the same questions that I asked several years ago. So if my small contribution is able to help anyone out, that is very worthwhile from my perspective.

     The third one: They seem to be happy. Why interfere with that? The ones that are truly happy won't bother with anything that I have to say. But I do feel that it is within my right to ask questions if the JWs confront me at my home, or at my workplace. Qualified preachers should be prepared when someone asks them questions. Sadly, most of the encounters I have had with them ended in back-door escape from them to end the conversation.

     And finally:  Why don't you just move on with your life? Get over it. I've heard this from current JWs, XJWs, and outsiders that don't know the specifics from within the JW realm. People always make the mistake of assuming that this is all that I do with my time. They do not realize that it does not take me very long to write a blog, offer advice or support in a recovery group, or other things related to my refuting JW teachings. Most of the things that I do in life are for my benefit, but I choose to spend some time to help others find happiness in their lives as well. I can tell you that when you achieve this, when you see someone that was literally down and out on life, and they came to you for support, and you were able to help them get back to enjoying life again, it is a great feeling. Why would I want to move on from that?

     So I would like to ask my accusers a question in closing. Who is really doing the bashing?

"False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used "the faithful and discreet slave" to convey to us "sayings of everlasting life," why should we ever want to look anywhere else?" Watchtower 1987 Nov 1 p.20

 "The world is filled with unhappiness, and people generally have a gloomy outlook on the future. However, we have a bright outlook, knowing that one day all sadness will be a thing of the past." Kingdom Ministry Feb 2002 p.1

 "From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah's people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching ..." Watchtower 1981 Aug 15 p.29

 "Apostates “quietly” bring their ideas into the congregation, like criminals who secretly bring things into a country. ... The Bible says that apostates are mentally diseased and that they use their teachings to make others think like them. (1 Timothy 6:3, 4) Jehovah is like that good doctor. He clearly tells us to stay away from false teachers. We must always be determined to follow his warning. ... We do not speak to them or invite them into our houses. We also do not read their books, watch them on television, read what they write on the Internet, or add our own comments about what they write on the Internet." Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 p.11

 "It would be a mistake to think that you need to listen to apostates or to read their writings to refute their arguments. Their twisted, poisonous reasoning can cause spiritual harm and can contaminate your faith like rapidly spreading gangrene." Watchtower 2004 Feb 15 p.28

 "For one thing, some of the apostate literature presents falsehoods by means of "smooth talk" and "counterfeit words." ... Those who have continued to feed at Satan's spiritual table, the table of demons, will be forced to attend a literal meal, no, not as partakers, but as the main course-to their destruction!" Watchtower 1994 Jul 1 p.12

 "What is often the motive of those who criticize the Society or those taking the lead? Is it not often that some application of Scripture affects them personally? Rather than conform to sound doctrine and direction, they want the organization to change. Let us illustrate this with a few examples: A brother insists on some extreme clothing or grooming style. The elders feel that he is not a good example and do not extend to him certain privileges, such as appearing on the platform to give instruction. He becomes resentful, claiming that others are trying to take away his Christian freedom. But what is behind such reasoning? Is it not usually pride, an independent attitude, or a rather childish desire to have one's own way?" Occasionally you may hear someone question whether the Scriptural prohibition against eating blood really applies to transfusions. But what is behind that reasoning? Is it fear-fear of possibly losing one's present life or the life of a loved one? Is hope in the resurrection fading? ... Finally, we might consider what the Society has published in the past on chronology. Some opposers claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are false prophets. These opponents say that dates have been set, but nothing has happened. Again we ask, What is the motive of these critics? Are they encouraging wakefulness on the part of God's people, or are they, rather, trying to justify themselves for falling back into sleepy inactivity?" Watchtower 1986 Mar 15 p.18 Allow No Place for the Devil!


Wouldn't any of these quotes be considered bashing?