Last summer, we took a quick road trip to the other side of the state, and as we would drive through various towns, I would see a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall, and wish I had an applicable tract to slide under their door. I decided to write one, and anyone is free to download it and pass it out. It prints 2 tracts per 8.5×11 sheet, front and back. I also plan to stop and talk to Jehovah’s Witnesses when I see them out witnessing, so I’m going to keep a few copies in a secure place in the car, along with a Bible.
The topic of the tract is about being born again, and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that only the 144,000 people who will go to heaven are born again. The rest of them aren’t born again, but believe this is only relevant for determining whether they go to heaven, or paradise on earth. They illustrate their lack of understanding of biblical topics when they want to argue that point. After discussing this topic with a few Jehovah’s Witnesses, and reading some Watchtower articles, courtesy of a commenter on this blog, it’s clear that they don’t have an answer for this line of reasoning. So you can download it here: jwflyer.doc, and read it below.
A Choice for Life
What does “born again” mean for us?
According to the Bible, all people are born dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1-5, Colossians 2:13, Luke 15:24, 32, John 1:12-13, Romans 6:13, 8:14-17, 1 John 3:14), unable to obtain righteousness. Something must happen for us to be raised to life so that we can have arelationship with a holy God and live forever with Him.
This is where the term born again comes in. We are born once from our mothers, and then we are born again spiritually. At this point, God sees us as righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins; He adopts us as His very child.
Whether we spend eternity in heaven or on paradise earth is not the question. Those who are not alive spiritually are dead in their sins—and they will go to neither place. Those who are not born into God’s family as a child of God remain a child of the devil.
1 John 5:1 (NWT) says, “Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God…”
Even though Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus Christ, most say that they are not born again (w68 12/1, pp. 733-735 What it Means to be Born Again). Why aren’t most Jehovah’s Witnesses born again? Is it possible that they believe in the wrong Jesus—one who isn’t capable of fulfilling the promise found in 1 John 5:1?
Maybe you don’t believe you were born dead in your sin. Take a moment and consider the Ten Commandments. If you’re like me and the rest of the world, you’ve told a lie and are a liar. If you’ve ever stolen anything, regardless of value or how long ago it was, you’re a thief. Jesus said that if you’ve ever looked at a woman with lust, you’ve committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28). The Bible is clear that these sins will not be ignored by Jehovah (Revelation 21:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). No one has to teach us how to break His law—it’s our very nature. There is no one who hasn’t broken it; we are all born dead in our sins.
If the Jesus you believe in can’t bring you from the death of sin to life with Him, the Bible says you are still spiritually dead. Please carefully consider the verses I mention. If you like, try to prove me wrong. As you do, remember the Bible is inspired (2 Tim. 3:16); by its own admission, the Watchtower is not (Awake! Mar. 22, 1993, pg. 4; see other side). As the Bereans were commended for verifying what Paul said to be true, so God will commend us for verifying the Watchtower’s teaching with the Bible (Acts 17:11). Present yourself to God as an approved workman who correctly handles His Word (2 Timothy 2:15).
This is your life and your choice, but I implore you to repent and trust in Christ alone so that you won’t die in your sins (John 8:24). Remember, you’re either born again, or you’re still dead in your sin.
