Infrequently I hear people say that Jehovah’s Witnesses are
not Christian. Since that is a lie or at very least a misconception, I work
hard to explain the facts and truth of the matter. Normally, I end up going
into a lengthily explanation. For decades I’ve struggled to find a brief
explanation. I think I finally hit on it….
We believe what Acts 4:12 says about Jesus: “There is no
other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get
saved.” Indeed, Jesus is the designated savior of sinful mankind, which
includes all humans. But now focus on the part that says “has been given.” Who did
the giving of Jesus’ name? The answer is found at John 12:49 where
we read that “the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about
what to say and what to speak.” Yes, the one Jesus taught us to pray to at Matthew 6:9 with the words
“Our Father in the heavens,” God himself, is the one that pointed to Jesus in
prophecies as being the Messiah.
Does God, “our Father” have a name? At Psalms
83:18 we read: “May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High
over all the earth.” (Other
translations) Yes, the Father’s name is Jehovah and that is why we
primarily call ourselves Jehovah’s Witnesses—because the Father, Jehovah, is
the one that Jesus
himself directed that we should pray to and worship.
In short, then, Jesus is God's means for saving mankind from sin and death. He is God's spokesman (John 1:1, "the Word"), and, as the "son of God," is second in command.
