My fiancé is a Jehovah’s Witness. What can I do to convince her of the truth?
None of us can convince someone of the truth of Scripture through means of persuasion, arguments, or eloquence. God’s truth must be REVEALED to each person by the Holy Spirit. As we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9-11, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
Part of the role of the Holy Spirit is to convict each of us of our sin. John 16:8 is speaking about the Holy Spirit. This verse reads, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (NASB). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Your fiancé needs to repent of her sins and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for her sins on the cross. As we read in Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” We cannot earn our salvation through good works. As we read in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The moment that your fiancé is saved, she receives the Holy Spirit. As we read in Ephesians 1:13, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (NASB).
When your fiancé is truly saved, then the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to guide her into all truth. As we read in John 16:13-14, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” The Holy Spirit focuses our attention on Christ instead of Himself. He reveals to us the truth of Christ as found in the Scriptures.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have many false beliefs. One of their errors is that Jesus Christ is not Jehovah God but is only the first begotten son of the Father. We read in Hebrews 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” God the Father calls the Son God in this verse! Jesus Christ is God! Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe that Jesus Christ is not one God with the Father. However, we read in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” They believe that only the Father is God, but this verse states plainly that there is one God. We already saw from Hebrews 1:8 that the Father declares that the Son is God. Therefore, both the Father and the Son are God!
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Holy Spirit is merely the active force or projected energy of God the Father. However, when we read Acts 5:1-4, we see that the Holy Spirit is God. These verses state, “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” In verse 3 Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Ghost and in verse 4 Peter tells Ananias that he lied to God, thus equating the Holy Spirit with God. Also, it is impossible to lie to a force. It is only possible to lie to a person. The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force.
Therefore, there are three persons of the Godhead: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is only one God but there are three persons of the Godhead. All praise to our wonderful God! This is wonderful truth and it is foundational truth about God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of your fiancé to see and believe the truth of Scripture and be delivered from the false teaching of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. (323.6) (DJ)