Chris: Hi, John.

John: Hi, Chris.

Chris: John, have you had a chance to look into the reason why the New World Translation changes the meaning of Colossians chapter 1 by inserting the word other four times into the text?

John: Well, I thought about it some and I still think that it makes no difference. After all, we know that Jehovah created Jesus as His first and greatest spirit creature and after that Jesus helped Jehovah create the world.

Chris: John, can you read John 1:3?

John: Sure, it says, “All things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into existence”.

Chris: Did you see that, John? The bible says apart from Jesus not even one thing was created. Don’t you think this is in harmony with Colossians 1 where it says, “by means of him, all things were created in the heavens and upon the earth”? The New Testament doesn’t say Jesus is God’s helper in creation, it says Jesus is the Creator.

John: But, Chris, Colossians 1:15 says Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. You see, right there it says Jesus was the first created being of Jehovah.

Chris: The word firstborn, doesn’t mean first-created, John. The New Testament uses the word firstborn about 7 times when referring to Jesus, but not once does the bible use the word first-created to refer to him. They are two completely different Greek words. Any good Greek language student will tell you that. If the writer of Colossians wanted to say that Jesus was the first-created being, he would have used another Greek word.

John: Well, then what does Colossians 1:15 mean?

Chris: It means that Jesus is the pre-eminent one over all creation, the first in rank. For example, king David was the last one born to his father, Jesse, but Psalm 89:27 says that God placed him as firstborn, the most high of the kings of the earth, meaning that he was the chief one, the first in rank. If you read Colossians 1 in context you’ll see that this is exactly what the passage is conveying about Jesus.

John: But how can Jesus be the Sovereign Creator when The Watchtower, April 15, 2002, says on page 15 that Jesus is a creature himself, an angel?

Chris: John, look at Revelation 5. Can you read verse 13?

John: “And every creature that is in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and all the things in them, I heard 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’.

Chris: John, do you see it speaks of every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in and on the sea? That covers all created beings, don’t you think?

John: Sure, it looks like it.

Chris: And do you see it speaks of the Lamb, Jesus, as a separate being apart from all these creatures?

John: Well, yeah, it does.

Chris: Then how can Jesus be a creature when Revelation 5 excludes Him from this category?

John: Chris, you seem to know your bible pretty well, but you need further information. The Watchtower Society has publications that can explain all this to you. They have done extensive research into all these very important teachings. The Watchtower makes it clear that Jehovah is the Sovereign Creator and to Him alone we should render worship.

Chris: I’m glad you brought that up. Can you read again what all these creatures mentioned in Revelation 5 are doing?

John: Sure. They all say, “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’. And the four living creatures went saying: ‘Amen’! and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Chris: John, why do all the created beings in this verse give both Jehovah and Jesus the same worship?

John: I never saw that before, Chris. I don’t know.

Chris: Does the Watchtower teach you to give Jesus the same honor as Jehovah? Christians have been doing this for years.

John: No, we honor Jehovah above all things.

Chris: Maybe you can read another verse, Chris. It’s John 5:23.

John: It says, “in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him”.

Chris: Why does the bible say that Jesus deserves the same honor as the Father? Why would a created being merit the same honor as the Creator?

John: I’ll think about it, Chris. See you next week.

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