JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES:
WHO IS YOUR
"MEDIATOR?"
THE BIBLICAL VIEW OF CHRIST AS MEDIATOR
To really understand this issue one must first have a clear understanding of the biblical view of
the Mediatorship of Christ, and of the covenant which He mediates.
According to the Bible, Christ is the ONLY mediator between God and man. (I Timothy
2:5). The covenant which He mediates is through His blood, i.e., through His death. (Matthew 20:28; Mark
10:45; Colossians 1:20-22; Hebrews 9:15-17, 25-28)
This covenant offers certain blessings to all those who enter into the covenant. First of all, the
new covenant provides forgiveness of sins. (Romans 3:24,25; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7;
Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17)
Forgiveness is required because man has sinned against God. Forgiveness that upholds God's
law cannot exist without atonement for sin.
Atonement requires a PERFECT sacrifice. Therefore, there is nothing that an imperfect, sinful
man can do to atone for his own sin.
A mediator is necessary. Under the old covenant, the work of the High Priests was to mediate for
the people by offering sacrifices for sin. However, this role was only a type of the Mediator who would come.
In the new covenant, Jesus became our permanent High Priest, mediating for us by offering the
perfect sacrifice of His own sinless life in atonement for our sin, thus providing forgiveness of sins.
In the new covenant God promises that He Himself will write His laws on our
hearts.(Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10, 10:16) He is at work for all those brought into the new covenant to
change their innermost being. Believers can be assured that He is going to conform them to the image of His Son. (Romans
8:28,29)
The new covenant provides eternal life with God. It is sin that brought about death (Romans
5:12; 6:23) and put a barrier between man and God (Proverbs 28:9; Isaiah 59:2). In the new covenant God
has promised to both forgive and remove sin from our lives.
By His resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven Jesus demonstrated that His
sacrifice had been accepted. Sin had been successfully atoned for. (Romans 4:25) The wages of sin - death - was now
abolished for all those in the new covenant; they can now enter the presence of God and live. (Romans 6:23; II
Timothy 1:10, 2:10; John 14:2,3; Jeremiah 31:33,34; Hebrews 8:10,11, 10:19-22)
It must be pointed out that the roles of Christ as Mediator and as High Priest CANNOT be
arbitrarily separated. They are virtually one and the same thing. The function of the high priest - his job - was to mediate.
Christ is our Mediator because He is our High Priest. Mediation for man before God - fully and
inexorably effective for bringing in all the blessings of the covenant - that is what Jesus does as High Priest.(Hebrews 8:1, 9:11-
15, 24-28)
The Scriptures speak of no work of Christ or blessings provided by Him as High Priest, other
than those provided by Him as Mediator. The blessings of the atonement and the blessings of the new covenant are one and the
same, mediated to us by our High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Similarly, the Bible speaks of no one receiving covenant blessings without being adopted into
the covenant. To receive covenant blessings is to be adopted into the covenant, and vice versa.
It cannot be stated too clearly or too often: forgiveness of sins cannot exist, nor eternal life be
given, apart from a Mediator.
THE WATCHTOWER'S VIEW OF CHRIST AS MEDIATOR
What does the Watchtower teach of the mediatorship of Christ? First, the Watchtower teaches
that Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant. (). Out of all human history, those who are in the covenant, "spiritual Israel," are supposed to number
only 144,000.(Insight, Vol. 2, p.362) And Watchtower material says expressly,
"Jesus' mediatorship operated solely toward those in the new covenant."(Insight, Vol. 2, p.
362)
They also state:
"Are the 144,000 there mentioned
( Rev. 7: 3-8) only natural Jews? ...Definitely not, they are members of the spiritual Israel of God, all of
them associates with Christ in the spiritual seed of Abraham." WT 2-1-95 p. 10
This is a glaring misunderstanding of the Biblical view of 'the seed of Abraham.'
Galatians 3:16 expressly states that there is only ONE seed - Jesus Christ:
"Now to Abraham and his seed
were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ."
Jesus is Mediator, then, for only those 144,000. And only they will ever be together with
Jesus in heaven. For it is only "by means of his covenant [that] it became possible for them to gain heavenly life with Christ."
(Survival Into a New Earth, p.72) Out of the several million currently registered
Jehovah's Witnesses organization, only a few thousand are considered to be among the 144,000 of the new covenant, with a
"heavenly hope."
Thus, it is expressly declared for the great mass of Watchtower members, Jesus is NOT their
mediator and they can never expect to be with him in heaven:
"...Jesus is the "mediator" only
for anointed Christians...The "great crowd" of "other sheep" that is forming today is not in that new
covenant." WT 4-1-79 p.31
"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. (I Tim. 2: 5,6)" WT 11-15-
79 p.26
(Notice the WT imposed words "not all men" in brackets. This is done to reinforce their teaching that Jesus is the mediator for only
the 144,000. But also note the word "corresponding" which is NOT placed in brackets. The word is not in the original Greek text so
it also reflects a Watchtower bias towards its belief that Jesus died just for Adam's sins.)
"Today, 1900 years later,
there is a remnant of "the Israel of God" whose members give evidence of having been taken into the new
covenant..." WT 9-1-84 p. 14
"He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the
nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members." Worldwide Security Under the Prince of
Peace, 1986, p.10
JESUS CHRIST IS BOTH MEDIATOR AND HIGH PRIEST
Watchtower leaders have arbitrarily and unscripturally separated Jesus Christ's being Mediator
from His being High Priest (Insight, Vol. 2, pp. 362,363).
Forgiveness of sins and eternal life, blessings the Scripture declares are integral to the new
covenant, are then said to be available to those outside the covenant.
The possibility of forgiveness of sins and eternal life for those in the covenant is the result of
Christ's work as Mediator. The possibility of the same for those outside the covenant is said to be the result of His work as High
Priest.(Insight, p.362,363)
The idea that forgiveness of sins (a blessing of the covenant) can be obtained by those outside
the covenant is promulgated by the Watchtower's use of I John 2:2.
But when the scripture says that Jesus "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world," it is not saying that forgiveness of sins is available for people outside the new covenant. Rather,
it means the value of the atonement was of infinite worth. People presently outside the covenant can still be adopted into the
covenant, and thus receive forgiveness of sins.
According to the Watchtower, the "other sheep" referred to by Jesus in John ch. 10
"are persons who are not in the covenant...who...are being gathered within Jehovah's provision for eternal life on the basis of their
faith in the sacrificial value of Jesus' blood. They are the same as the "great crowd" of Revelation 7:9,10,14 and so they
have the prospect of surviving the coming great tribulation...they are included in the great crowd of prospective survivors of the
coming day of great wrath." (Survival, pp. 73,80) They are said to be "putting
faith in the merit of his ransom sacrifice."(Insight, Vol. 2, p.363) These, of course,
are the Jehovah's Witnesses not included in the 144,000.
Speaking of "putting faith in the merit of his ransom sacrifice" and "the sacrificial value of
Jesus' blood" not only gives the appearance of being Christian, it naturally leads many Jehovah's Witnesses to falsely suppose that
Jesus is their Mediator. But if the Watchtower is correct, Jesus cannot be their Mediator unless they are part of the 144,000.
That so many Jehovah's Witnesses think of Jesus as their Mediator is, in fact, testimony to the
real truth that forgiveness of sins cannot exist nor eternal life be given apart from a Mediator. Those are provisions of the covenant,
mediated by Jesus' blood, the "blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
(Matthew 26:28)
Speaking of Christ providing these blessings as High Priest and not as Mediator totally ignores
all the biblical facts concerning the role of the High Priest and the nature of his work - to mediate.
It also contravenes the Jehovah's Witnesses' own definition of a mediator: "One who interposes
between two parties who are at variance to reconcile them; an intercessor; an intermediary agent or go-between."
(Insight, Vol. 2, p.360)
If Jesus forgives the sins of ordinary Jehovah's Witnesses, those who are in the "great crowd,"
then, He certainly has "interposed between" them and God, "two parties at variance to reconcile them. He has become their
"intercessor." By their own definition, this makes Him their Mediator.
Yet they say, "...Jesus' mediatorship operates solely toward those in the new covenant, i.e., the
144,000.(Insight, Vol. 2, p.362) This is actually to deny the possibility of
forgiveness of sins for all others. To claim forgiveness of sins for the "great crowd" is to deny that Christ is the Mediator for only the
144,000. Forgiveness is impossible without a Mediator.
Already, the Jehovah's Witness is faced with a choice. He can believe that the Watchtower's
teaching is true, or he can have forgiveness of sins through the Mediator of the new covenant. He cannot rationally believe the
former and at the same time hope for the latter, unless he is part of the 144,000. But this morass of confusion is still not the worst of
Watchtower doctrine on the subject.
THE 144,000 AS MEDIATORS
Since it denies that Jesus is the mediator for all but the 144,000, Watchtower doctrine has
elevated these 144,000 to the position of being mediators themselves. Note carefully again the last phrase of the Watchtower's
definition of a mediator: "an intermediary agent or go-between." Then read the following statement about the 144,000:
"With Christ they make up the agency by means of which blessings will extended to all other
obedient ones among mankind." (Survival, p.65)
"Being made kings and priests by reason of the new covenant that he [Jesus] mediated, they will share in administering the blessings
of Jesus' sacrifice [such as forgiveness of sins] and of his Kingdom rule to all the nations of the earth. Christ's mediatorship, having
accomplished its purpose by bringing the 'Israel of God' into this position [as "intermediary agents"] thus results in benefits and
blessings to all mankind." (Insight, Vol. 2, p.363)
In direct and blasphemous contradiction to the word of God (I Timothy 2:5), these
statements unequivocally class the 144,000 as mediators for the rest of humanity surviving Armageddon.
THE WATCHTOWER AS MEDIATOR
It might seem that 144,000 mediators would be enough. But there is still an additional group of
leaders: the Watchtower Society itself. To be sure, the leaders don't dare call themselves mediators; rather, "the faithful slave class."
However, their role is as "an intermediary agent or go-between," providing "meat in due season." According to them, meat in due
season means teaching and instruction the Jehovah's Witnesses cannot do without if he is to be "reconciled" to Jehovah God: "All
who want to be marked as having God's approval must accept the instruction that Jehovah is providing through that 'slave' class and
become true worshippers of Jehovah." (Survival, p.96) The role they have
assigned to themselves unmistakably qualifies as a "mediator' according to their own definitions:
"To keep in relationship with
"our Savior, God," the "great crowd" needs to remain united with the spiritual remnant of Israelites."
WT 11-15-79 p. 27
"Just as the anointed "branches" of the "true vine" must remain in
union with Christ, the "other sheep" must remain in close union with "the faithful and discreet slave,"
Christ's anointed "brothers." Only thus can they hope to inherit the Kingdom prepared for them from
the founding of the world." WT 8-15-83 p. 23
The teachings of the Watchtower Society regarding the mediatorship of Christ are radically
at odds with the Bible. And surprisingly as it may be to many Jehovah's Witnesses, the Watchtower's teachings, if true, leave
virtually all living Jehovah's Witnesses without a mediator, and therefore without hope of forgiveness of sins and life
everlasting.
THE FINAL IRONY
When Christ alone is not enough, the multiplication of those things deemed necessary to obtain
salvation becomes endless.
As was noted earlier, the great majority of Jehovah's Witnesses, the other sheep, are only
"prospective survivors" of Armageddon. (Survival, p.80) Whether or not they will
be actual survivors depends upon their own attributes (virtues), attitudes (values) and achievements (works).
Jehovah's Witnesses can never know for certain in this life if they have been good enough, or
done enough, to inherit life everlasting.
THE WITNESSES MUST SAVE THEMSELVES
Shamefully and erroneously, the Society teaches that the average Jehovah's Witness is not
adopted into the new covenant and into God's family as one of His sons until some time during the millennial period:
"That is, he is not yet giving
the "other sheep" the standing of sons of his, ... But these will become such during the thousand-year
reign after Armageddon..." WT 8-15-45 p.253
"The "great crowd" of survivors of the "war of the great day of God the
Almighty" will then be on their way to gaining absolute righteousness and perfection in the flesh....For
this reason they will not be justified or declared righteous either now or then as the 144,000 heavenly
joint heirs..." "Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p. 391
Notice from the above quote that the Jehovah's Witness must GAIN their own salvation. The
"great crowd" of mankind will be declared righteous at the end of the Millennium as a result of their own merit - a system of "works
righteousness.":
"To get ones name written in
that book of life will depend on one's works..." WT 7-1-47 p.204
"Hence, before adopting them
as his free sons through Jesus Christ, Jehovah God will subject all these perfected human creatures to a
thorough test for all time." Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p.398
"Jehovah God will justify,
declare righteous, on the basis of their own merit, all perfected humans who have withstood that final
decisive test of mankind." Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p.400
"Will they be worthy to have God grant them the right to everlasting
life? ...the kingdom subjects will be tested..." The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, 1968, p.112
Section Title: "Working Hard For The Reward of Eternal Life" WT
8-15-72 p.491
"However, more than faith is needed. There must also be works to
demonstrate what your true feelings are about Jehovah." You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1982,
p.250
"Thereafter, when the final test is past and all those then rebelling have
been destroyed, Jehovah will lovingly adopt as his sons through Christ all perfected humans who have
proved loyal." WT 2-1-84 p.17
"God has arranged for the "good news of the kingdom" to be proclaimed
so that each individual will have the opportunity to work out his own salvation." WT 2-1-85 p.5
"These of the "great crowd" are also tested as to their integrity. Their
continued faithfulness now and on through the Thousand Year Reign and the final test will result in
Jehovah declaring them righteous as perfect humans." WT 10-15-85 p.31
(Keywords of behavioral expectations):
"holy acts," "deeds," "warrant," "done more," "work hard enough."
WT 9-15-91 p.18