All scriptural citations taken from the 2013 revision of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition).

The inspired Scriptures are clear that no human being can ransom another individual, let alone a multitude of human souls:

“None of them can ever redeem a brother Or give to God a ransom for him, (The ransom price for their life is so precious That it is always beyond their reach); That he should live forever and not see the pit… They are assigned like sheep to the Grave. Death will shepherd them; The upright will rule over them in the morning. Every trace of them will fade away; The Grave rather than a palace will be their home. But God will redeem me from the power of the Grave, For he will take hold of me. (Selah)” Psalm 49:7-9, 14-15

In fact, God was so appalled that he couldn’t find anyone good enough to accomplish this work of salvation that he had no other choice but to do it himself:

“Truth has vanished, And anyone who turns away from bad is plundered. Jehovah saw this and was displeased, For there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And he was astonished that no one interceded, So his own arm brought about salvation, And his own righteousness supported him. Then he put on righteousness like a coat of mail And the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the garments of vengeance as his clothing And wrapped himself with zeal like a coat. He will reward them for what they have done: Wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies. And to the islands he will repay their due. From the sunset they will fear the name of Jehovah And from the sunrise his glory, For he will come in like a rushing river, Which the spirit of Jehovah drives along. ‘To Zion the Repurchaser will come, To those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares Jehovah.” Isaiah 59:15-20

“I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one offered support. So my arm brought me salvation, And my own wrath supported me.” Isaiah 63:5

Jesus himself emphatically affirms that it is impossible for humans to save themselves, which is why God alone is able to save anyone:

“When the disciples heard that, they were greatly astounded, saying: ‘Who really can be saved?’ Looking at them intently, Jesus said to them: ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Matthew 19:25-26 – Cf. Mark 10:26-27; Luke 18:26-27

And yet Christ is able to do it that which is humanly impossible, namely, save the world by offering his own soul to ransom a host of human lives that are so numerous that they cannot even be counted!

“Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.” Matthew 20:28 – Cf. Mark 10:45; 14:22-24

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him. Whoever exercises faith in him is not to be judged. Whoever does not exercise faith has been judged already, because he has not exercised faith in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

“But if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I came, not to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—this is what is to be witnessed to in its own due time.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6

“In addition, we ourselves have seen and are bearing witness that the Father has sent his Son as savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14

“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.’” Revelation 5:8-10

Astonishingly, Christ is even described as being the Source of salvation,

“And after he had been made perfect, he became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him,” Hebrews 5:9

“After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep shouting with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ All the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshipped God, saying: ‘Amen! Let the praise and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ In response one of the elders said to me: ‘These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?’ So right away I said to him: “My lord, you are the one who knows.’ And he said to me: ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will hunger no more nor thirst anymore, neither will the sun beat down on them nor any scorching heat, because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17

A characteristic that the Hebrew Bible ascribes to Jehovah alone:

“Salvation belongs to Jehovah. Your blessing is upon your people. (Selah)” Psalm 3:8

“But as for me, with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed, I will pay. Salvation is from Jehovah.” Jonah 2:9

In fact, the [O]ld [T]estament emphasizes the point that all human beings are in need of Jehovah’s forgiveness since all of them are sinners worthy of condemnation, and are therefore completely dependent upon Jehovah to redeem them from their iniquities:

“If errors were what you watch, O Jah, Then who, O Jehovah, could stand? For with you there is true forgiveness, So that you may be held in awe… Let Israel keep waiting for Jehovah, For Jehovah is loyal in his love, And he has great power to redeem. He will redeem Israel from all their errors.” Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8

And yet the [N]ew [T]estament proclaims that Jesus came into the world that he created for the express purpose of saving it from its sin, and to grant forgiveness to all who would put their trust in him:

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

“As they continued eating, Jesus took a loaf, and after saying a blessing, he broke it, and giving it to the disciples, he said: ‘Take, eat. This means my body.’ And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, saying: ‘Drink out of it, all of you, for this means my “blood of the covenant,” which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28 – Cf. Luke 22:19-20

“The true light that gives light to every sort of man was about to come into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him, but the world did not know him. He came to his own home, but his own people did not accept him. However, to all who did receive him, he gave authority to become God’s children, because they were exercising faith in his name. And they were born, not from blood or from a fleshly will or from man’s will, but from God. So the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only-begotten son from a father; and he was full of divine favor and truth.” John 1:9-14

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said: ‘See, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29

“This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever; and for a fact, the bread that I will give is my flesh in behalf of the life of the world.” John 6:50-51

“namely, that God was by means of Christ reconciling a world to himself, not counting their offenses against them, and he entrusted to us the message of the reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors substituting for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us. As substitutes for Christ, we beg: ‘Become reconciled to God.’ The one who did not know sin, he made to be sin for us, so that by means of him we might become God’s righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 5:19-21

“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these, I am foremost.” 1 Timothy 2:5 

“while we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to set us free from every sort of lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people who are his own special possession, zealous for fine works.” Titus 2:13-14

“He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact representation of his very being, and he sustains all things by the word of his power. And after he had made a purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3

“But we do see Jesus, who was made a little lower than angels, now crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, so that by God’s undeserved kindness he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that the one for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the Chief Agent of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both the one who is sanctifying and those who are being sanctified all stem from one, and for this reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers, as he says: ‘I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you with song.’ And again: ‘I will put my trust in him.’ And again: ‘Look! I and the young children, whom Jehovah gave me.’ Therefore, since the ‘young children’ are sharers of blood and flesh, he also similarly shared in the same things, so that through his death he might bring to nothing the one having the means to cause death, that is, the Devil, and that he might set free all those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. For it is not really angels he is assisting, but he is assisting Abraham’s offspring.  Consequently, he had to become like his ‘brothers’ in all respects, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to offer a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the people. Since he himself has suffered when being put to the test, he is able to come to the aid of those who are being put to the test.” Hebrews 2:9-18

“Furthermore, many had to become priests in succession because death prevented them from continuing as such, but because he continues alive forever, his priesthood has no successors. So he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them. For it is fitting for us to have such a high priest who is loyal, innocent, undefiled, separated from the sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike those high priests, he does not need to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, because he did this once for all time when he offered himself up. For the Law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath sworn after the Law appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews 7:23-28

“However, when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have already taken place, he passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. He entered into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and of young bulls, but with his own blood, once for all time, and obtained an everlasting deliverance for us. For if the blood of goats and of bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled sanctifies for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Christ, who through an everlasting spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we may render sacred service to the living God? That is why he is a mediator of a new covenant, in order that because a death has occurred for their release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance… Yes, according to the Law nearly all things are cleansed with blood, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place. Therefore, it was necessary for the typical representations of the things in the heavens to be cleansed by these means, but the heavenly things require far better sacrifices. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven itself, so that he now appears before God on our behalf. This was not done to offer himself often, as when the high priest enters into the holy place from year to year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, he would have to suffer often from the founding of the world. But now he has manifested himself once for all time at the conclusion of the systems of things to do away with sin through the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is reserved for men to die once for all time, but after this to receive a judgment, so also the Christ was offered once for all time to bear the sins of many; and the second time that he appears it will be apart from sin, and he will be seen by those earnestly looking for him for their salvation.” Hebrews 9:11-15, 22-28

“So when he comes into the world, he says: ‘“Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you prepared a body for me. You did not approve of whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.” Then I said: “Look! I have come (in the scroll it is written about me) to do your will, O God.”’ After first saying: ‘You did not want nor did you approve of sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin offerings’—sacrifices that are offered according to the Law—then he says: ‘Look! I have come to do your will.’ He does away with what is first in order to establish what is second. By this ‘will’ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Also, every priest takes his station day after day to offer holy service and to make the same sacrifices often, which can never take sins away completely. But this man offered one sacrifice for sins for all time and sat down at the right hand of God, from then on waiting until his enemies should be placed as a stool for his feet. For it is by one sacrificial offering that he has made those who are being sanctified perfect for all time. Moreover, the holy spirit also bears witness to us, for after it has said: ‘“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says Jehovah. “I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.”’ Then it says: ‘And I will no longer call their sins and their lawless deeds to mind.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:5-18

“However, if we are walking in the light as he himself is in the light, we do have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.” 1 John 2:1-2

“By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

“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

To sum up the biblical proclamation:

1. Jehovah alone is able to save anyone from their sins, since salvation is a work that is impossible for any human being to accomplish.
2. Jesus became the Source of salvation by entering into the world for the express purpose of offering his life as a ransom to save human beings from all their sins.
3. Since Jesus does what is humanly impossible to do, which only Jehovah God is able to accomplish, Christ must therefore be Jehovah God Almighty in the flesh.
4. And yet Jesus is not the Father or the Holy Spirit, which means that the one true God Jehovah isn’t a single divine Person. Rather, Jehovah eternally subsists as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  

FURTHER READING

Jesus Christ and JWs: Who is the Jehovah That Saves?

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