Hello everyone. We’re continuing our study of the doctrine of the Trinity this evening and tonight, we’re moving ahead to Romans 14. If anyone has a copy of the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I recommend getting it so you can highlight these verses if you’re one to do such a thing. We’re going to be looking at Romans 14:5-12. First, we post it from the NIV:
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:
” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’ ” 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Now the NWT of the Jehovah’s Witnesses:
5 One [man] judges one day as above another; another [man] judges one day as all others; let each [man] be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day observes it to Jehovah. Also, he who eats, eats to Jehovah, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not eat does not eat to Jehovah, and yet gives thanks to God. 7 None of us, in fact, lives with regard to himself only, and no one dies with regard to himself only; 8 for both if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. Therefore both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah. 9 For to this end Christ died and came to life again, that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written: “‘As I live,’ says Jehovah, ‘to me every knee will bend down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.’” 12 So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God.
As I usually do, I posted more than I wanted to comment on so my readers could be sure I was giving the proper context to the passages. Our first point to be pointed out will be that there is an interesting exchange between Jehovah and Lord in the New World Translation. They change the word “Lord” to Jehovah throughout, however what happens when we get to verse 9? All of a sudden, the Lord is no longer Jehovah.
Yet throughout the chapter, we have no reason to believe the Lord is anyone other than Jesus. The New World Translation however is not translating based on the text but on their own bias. (Especially since Jehovah is not found in the Greek manuscripts and you can be sure that they don’t in Romans 10:9. (Although they suddenly change that in Romans 10:13.)
However, consider also the quotation of Isaiah 45:23 in verse 11. Let’s look at that verse in Isaiah.
23 By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
Paul uses this passage later on in Philippians 2:9-11, a passage we will enjoy looking at later.
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
In Isaiah, there is no doubt YHWH is talking about himself, but in this passage, it is talking about Jesus. Consider what the NWT says however. All will bow down to Jehovah. Naturally, while Philippians 2:11 says Jesus is Lord, the NWT does not translate that as “Jesus is Jehovah.”
The NWT is trying to avoid the obvious implication. Jesus is to be Lord over the dead and the living. He is the Lord of life. He is the Lord of life for he is fully God. The inconsistency of the NWT is quite revealing at this point. Perchance we should consider that if the NWT translators have to change the text this much, maybe it’s because that if it’s translated correctly, it does honestly teach that which the Watchtower denies.
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