[Evangelist]

Has Jehovah performed the greatest act of love?

According to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, God is not a Trinity and Jesus is not God in flesh. Because of their position, I sometimes ask the question “Has Jehovah performed the greatest act of love?”. I get different answers but because they have not been indoctrinated by the Watchtower Magazine, they often actually think on their own instead of repeating what the Watchtower says. Of course, the Jehovah's Witness almost always says that the greatest act of love performed by God was sending His Son to die for us. This is a good answer, but is it correct? I then quote them what Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (NASB). The KJV says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The Jehovah's Witness Bible, the NWT says, “No one has love greater than this, that someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends.”
We can see that the greatest act of love is to sacrifice one's own life for another. Note that Jesus said that this self sacrifice is the greatest act of love. I then again ask the Jehovah's Witness, “Has Jehovah performed the greatest act of love?”. That is when the problem arises for the Jehovah's Witness.
I tell them that as a Trinitarian, my Lord has performed the greatest act of love. Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1,14). Therefore, God has laid His life down for a friend; He has performed the greatest act of love that someone can do — just as Jesus said. I then ask the Jehovah's Witness, “Why do you want me to give up the greatest act of love performed by my God, for your God who cannot perform the greatest act of love?” The conversation can take many turns at this point. But it is always good to focus on God's love for us on the cross.
Following is an outline that helps clarify the issue as it quotes scripture.

God is love

1 John 4:16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

The New World Translation says, “And we ourselves have come to know and have believed the love that God has in our case. God is love, and he that remains in love remains in union with God and God remains in union with him.”

God demonstrates the greatest love

He is infinite, holy, loving, and no one can demonstrate these qualities better than God Himself.

God has full ability to demonstrate His own nature.

Can anyone “out do” God in love?

Jesus accurately represents the Father

Heb. 1:3, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (NASB).

The New World Translation says, “He is the reflection of [his] glory and the exact representation of his very being. And he sustains all things by the word of his power; and after he had made purification of sins he sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty places.”

John 14:9, “. . . Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. . .”

The New World Translation says, “. . . He that has seen me has seen the Father [also]. . .”

Jesus said, . . .

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

(The NWT says, “No one has love greater than this, that someone should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends.”)

Conclusion

If Jesus is not God and He laid down His life, then He is doing something greater than the Father can do.

If Jesus is God and He laid down His life, then God is performing the greatest act of love.

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