Why Trust the Bible? - Part 13 by Dr. Joe L. Mott on Dec. 29, 2025

References: (1) The New Compact Topical Bible gives over 70 categories related to the divinity of Jesus Christ with multiple scripture references to each category. I estimate that there are over 350 such NT references. There is another section identified as the divine sonship of Jesus with multiple references to those that testify to that fact. (2) Once we understand what the apostle John meant by the term WORD, it becomes DIFFICULT to read anything else into this passage without first concluding Jesus’ deity. (3) For one thing I have said the Jehovah’s Witnesses think the Bible has been corrupted. The Bible says the word was God; that is clearly and emphatically indicated. (4) In the Jehovah’s Witnesses New World translation they say that the Word is “a” God. I intend to show that the Jehovah’s Witnesses interpretation can be refuted. That suggestion results from an UNSCHOLARLY INTERPRETATION of the fact that the Greek word theos for God appears in John 1:1 without the definite article for “the.” There are 2 problems with the Jehovah’s Witnesses interpretation. First, the NT refers to God 282 times where the definite article is missing. In fact, Jehovah’s Witnesses translates in 94% of the 281 times other than John 1:1 the same phrase as “God.” To be consistent they should translate that as “a god.” Should John 1:18 be translated “No one has seen ‘a god’ at any time”? No, that is too big a stretch for anybody who has an open mind. (5) We need to clearly identify that Jesus of Nazareth is the Word mentioned in John 1:1. I do this by saying Verses 17 and 18 SEALS THE DEAL that Jesus is the Word: “For the law was given through MOSES, but grace and truth came through JESUS CHRIST. No one has seen God at any time. The only BEGOTTEN of the Father He has declared Him, fully explained Him, and exegeted Him.” (6) We all understand that a son has the same nature as the father. If the Heavenly Father is divine, we must conclude that the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, too is divine. This is episode 256.