And The Worship Due to Jesus

In this post, I will prove that Jesus is to be worshiped as Jehovah God from the very Bible versions employed by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which can be accessed on their own website for free: Online Bible.

I will be primarily using the 2013 revision of their New World Translation (NWT): New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 Revision). I will only employ a different version when the NWT is unclear or inaccurately renders the original languages of the Holy Scriptures.

According to the inspired Christian writings, the Father not only glorifies and honors his unique Son,

“Jesus answered: ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, the one who you say is your God.’” John 8:54

“When, therefore, he had gone out, Jesus said: ‘Now the Son of man is glorified, and God is glorified in connection with him. God himself will glorify him, and he will glorify him immediately.’” John 13:31-32

“Jesus spoke these things, and raising his eyes to heaven, he said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son so that your son may glorify you,’” John 17:1

The Father also demands that everyone honor the Son in the exact same way that are to honor him:

“For the Father judges no one at all, but he has entrusted all the judging to the Son, so that all may honor the Son JUST AS they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” John 5:22-23

This explains why the God-breathed Scriptures portray Christ as receiving the exact same worship that Jehovah God Almighty receives.

For instance, like God,

“As for you, you will be called the priests of Jehovah; They will call you the ministers of our God. You will eat the resources of the nations, And about their glory you will boast.” Isaiah 61:6

“A son honors a father, and a servant his master. So if I am a father, where is the honor due me? And if I am a master, where is the fear due me? Jehovah of armies says to you priests who are despising my name. But you say: ‘How have we despised your name?’ ‘By presenting polluted food on my altar.’ And you say: ‘How have we polluted you? By saying: ‘The table of Jehovah is something to be despised.’ And when you present a blind animal as a sacrifice, you say: ‘It is nothing bad.’ And when you present a lame animal or a sick one: ‘It is nothing bad.’ Try presenting them, please, to your governor. Will he be pleased with you or receive you with favor? says Jehovah of armies. And now, please, appeal to God, that he may show us favor. With such offerings from your own hand, will he receive any of you with favor? says Jehovah of armies. And who among you is willing to shut the doors? For you will not even light my altar without charge. I find no delight in you, says Jehovah of armies, and I take no pleasure in any gift offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations. In every place sacrifices will be made to smoke, and offerings will be made to my name, as a pure gift; because my name will be great among the nations, says Jehovah of armies. But you are profaning it by saying, ‘The table of Jehovah is polluted, and its fruit, its food, is to be despised.’ You also say, ‘Look! How tiresome!’ and you sniff scornfully at it, says Jehovah of armies. And you bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. Yes, you bring such things as a gift! Should I accept it from your hand? says Jehovah. Cursed is the cunning one who has a sound male animal in his flock, but he makes a vow and sacrifices a blemished one to Jehovah. For I am a great King, says Jehovah of armies, and my name will be awe-inspiring among the nations.” Malachi 1:6-14

Jesus has priests and servants who fear/revere and minister to him:

“But I write the more boldly unto you in some measure, as putting you again in remembrance, because of the grace that was given me of God,  that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:15-16 American Standard Version (ASV)

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Christ, so that each one may be repaid according to the things he has practiced while in the body, whether good or bad. Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we keep persuading men, but we are well-known to God. However, I hope that we are well-known also to your consciences.” 2 Corinthians 5:10-11

“Be in subjection to one another in fear of Christ.” Ephesians 5:21

“Slaves, be obedient to your human masters, with fear and trembling in the sincerity of your hearts, as to the Christ, not only when being watched, just to please men, but as Christ’s slaves doing the will of God whole-souled.” Ephesians 6:5-6

“Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” Colossians 3:22-25 ASV

“Masters, render unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.” Colossians 4:1 ASV

“Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death+ has no authority, but they will be priests of God AND OF THE CHRIST, and they will rule as kings with him for the 1,000 years.” Revelation 20:6

Like God,

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Jehovah. All the families of the nations will bow down before you. For the kingship belongs to Jehovah; He rules over the nations. All the prosperous ones of the earth will eat and will bow down; All those going down to the dust will kneel before him; None of them can preserve their lives. Their descendants will serve him; The generation to come will be told about Jehovah.” Psalm 22:27-30

“There is none like you among the gods, O Jehovah, There are no works like yours. All the nations that you made Will come and bow down before you, O Jehovah, And they will give glory to your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; You are God, you alone.” Psalm 86:8-10

“By myself I have sworn; The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, And it will not return: To me every knee will bend, Every tongue will swear loyalty.” Isaiah 45:23

“And from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, All flesh will come in to bow down before me, says Jehovah.” Isaiah 66:23

All peoples, in fact, every created thing in existence, shall kneel and bow down to Jesus:

“for which very reason God raised him supremely high and granted him the name above every name,  that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE of what is in heaven and what is on earth and what is underground should bend and EVERY TONGUE acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 The Bible in Living English (BYINGTON)

“When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, and each one had a harp and golden bowls that were full of incense. (The incense means the prayers of the holy ones.) And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.’ And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, and they were saying with a loud voice: ‘The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’ And I heard EVERY CREATURE in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and all the things in them, saying: ‘To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.’ The four living creatures were saying: ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.” Revelation 5:8-14

Like God,

“They exchanged the truth of God for the lie and venerated and rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.” Romans 1:25

“Now to the King of eternity, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

Doxologies or ascriptions of praise are offered to and through Christ:

“to God, who alone is wise, be the glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” Romans 16:26

“If anyone speaks, let him do so as speaking pronouncements from God; if anyone ministers, let him do so as depending on the strength that God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. The glory and the might are his forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

“to observe the commandment in a spotless and irreprehensible way until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which the happy and only Potentate will show in its own appointed times. He is the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, the one alone having immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal might. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:14-16

“I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his manifestation and his Kingdom… From this time on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me as a reward in that day, yet not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his manifestation… The Lord will rescue me from every wicked work and will save me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:1, 8, 18

“No, but go on growing in the undeserved kindness and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

“and from Jesus Christ, ‘the Faithful Witness,’ ‘the firstborn from the dead,’ and ‘the Ruler of the kings of the earth.’ To him who loves us and who set us free from our sins by means of his own blood—and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6

Like God,

“After that he planted a tamarisk tree at Beʹer-sheʹba, and there he called on the name of Jehovah, the everlasting God.” Genesis 21:33

“Exalt Jehovah our God and bow down at his footstool; He is holy. Moses and Aaron were among his priests, And Samuel was among those calling on his name. They would call to Jehovah, And he would answer them.  He would speak to them from the pillar of cloud. They kept his reminders and the decree that he gave to them.” Psalm 99:5-7

“I love Jehovah Because he hears my voice, my pleas for help. For he inclines his ear to me, And I will call on him as long as I live. The ropes of death encircled me; The Grave had me in its grip. I was overcome by distress and grief. But I called on the name of Jehovah: ‘O Jehovah, rescue me!’… I will take up the cup of salvation, And I will call on the name of Jehovah… I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving; I will call on the name of Jehovah.” Psalm 116:1-4, 13, 17

All true believers call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ:

“There was a disciple named An·a·niʹas in Damascus, and the Lord said to him in a vision: ‘An·a·niʹas!’ He said: ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him: ‘Get up, go to the street called Straight, and look for a man named Saul, from Tarsus, at the house of Judas. For look! he is praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named An·a·niʹas come in and lay his hands on him so that he may recover sight.’ But An·a·niʹas answered: ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, about all the harm he did to YOUR holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all those calling on YOUR name.’ But the Lord said to him: ‘Go! because this man is a chosen vessel to ME to bear MY name to the nations as well as to kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him plainly how many things he must suffer for MY name.’ So An·a·niʹas went and entered the house, and he laid his hands on him and said: ‘Saul, brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road along which you were coming, has sent me so that you may recover sight and be filled with holy spirit.’  And immediately, what looked like scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his sight. He then got up and was baptized, and he ate some food and gained strength. He stayed for some days with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately in the synagogues he began to preach about Jesus, that this one is the Son of God. But all those hearing him were astonished and were saying: ‘Is this not the man who ravaged those in Jerusalem who call on THIS name? Did he not come here for the purpose of arresting them and taking them to the chief priests?’” Acts 9:10-21

“to the congregation of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus, called to be holy ones, together with all those everywhere who are calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:” 1 Corinthians 1:2

“So flee from youthful desires, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a clean heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22

In light of this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jesus is said to have personally existed alongside the Father in the same divine glory from before the creation of the world,

“So now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was… Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am, in order that they may look upon my glory that you have given me, because you loved me before the founding of the world.” John 17:5, 24

Even though such glory is never to be given to any created thing. Instead, creatures are required to ascribe such glory to Jehovah alone:

“Sons of deity, give to Jehovah, give to Jehovah glory and might. Give to Jehovah the glory that belongs to his name; do reverence to Jehovah in stately sacred garb.” Psalm 29:1-2 BYINGTON

“For my own sake, for my own sake I will act For how could I let myself be profaned? I give my glory to no one else.” Isaiah 48:11

Further Reading

To the Glory of God the Son: Refuting A Common Arian Canard Pt. 1

To the Glory of God the Son: Refuting A Common Arian Canard Pt. 2

To the Glory of God the Son: Refuting A Common Arian Canard Pt. 3

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