Jehovah's Witness
Out of context: Reply #32
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- discipler0
Hey fusion,
I'd be interested in knowing what specific beliefs are misrepresented in that treatment. It may be that the Watchtower has revised more of their doctrines since that was written.
The Watchtower has led you to believe, via their constant reinforcement and repetition in the Watchtower magazines, that the early believers held to Watchtower beliefs. This is categorically false. As the treatment I've linked demonstrates from legitimate history. In fact, you don't encounter anything even remotely similar to a single JW deviant doctrine until the 4th century when Arius of Alexandria began espousing that Christ was a creature.
Did the early church believers believe Christ was God? Let's take a look at some direct quotes (keep in mind that many of these church leaders were direct disciples of the apostles - second and third generation Christians and well before the council of Nicea):
Ignatius -
"The source of your unity and election is genuine suffering which you undergo by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ our God."
"There is one only physician — of flesh yet spiritual, born yet unbegotten, God incarnate, genuine life in the midst of death, sprung from Mary as well as God...Jesus Christ our Lord."
"For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived in the womb by Mary...of the Holy Ghost."
Polycarp (direct disciple of John the Apostle) -
"May He grant unto you a lot and a portion among His saints...who shall believe in our Lord and God Jesus Christ and in His Father that raised Him from the dead."
Irenaeus -
"He is Himself in His own right God and Lord and Eternal King and Only begotten and Incarnate Word, proclaimed as such by all the Prophets and by the Apostles and by the Spirit Himself...The Scriptures would not have borne witness to these things concerning Him, if, like everyone else, He were mere man."
... these are just a few of many many excerpts from the early church leaders. I'll now share where the Bible clearly teaches that Christ is God...