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Did Jesus need to be born again?
Did Jesus need to be born
again? The Watchtower's answer is "yes". They say that it
was necessary for Jesus to be born again in order to become
a spiritual son of God. In the Insight on the Scriptures
Vol. 2 pages 1000-1001, the Watchtower says "Jesus of
course, continued to be God's son when born as a human, even
as he had been in his prehuman existence...However, about 30
years after his birth as a human, when he was immersed by
John the Baptizer, God's spirit came upon Jesus and God
spoke, saying, "You are my Son, the beloved; I have approved
you"...Evidently Jesus, the man, was then "born again" to be
a spiritual Son with the hope of returning to life in
heaven, and he was anointed by spirit to be God's appointed
king and high priest."
These statements by the
Watchtower are in keeping with their teaching that Jesus was
not born the Christ but became the Christ at his baptism.
When he was baptized, the Watchtower says that Jesus
received his approval as the Christ
and therefore as a spiritual son of God. As proof of this,
the Watchtower has their New World Translation saying "You
are my Son, the beloved; I have
approved you", yet in their Kingdom
Interlinear Translation, the English under the Greek does
not agree with the Watchtower. It says "This is the Son of
me the beloved, in whom I found good
pleasure." So, at Jesus' baptism Jehovah God
said that he was pleased with his
Son. 2 Peter 1:17 confirms that Jesus received honor and
glory from his Father at his baptism not sonship.
What about Jesus' inheritance?
Jesus did not need to be
born again to go to heaven as the Watchtower teaches,
because Jesus already received the kingdom of God by
inheritance. Hebrews 1:1, 2 says in the New World
Translation "God, who long ago spoke on many occasions and
in many ways to our forefathers by means of the prophets,
has at the end of these days spoken to us by means of a Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he made the systems of things." He did not
need to become a spiritual son of God, he already had the
sonship by inheritance. He did not need to become the Christ
at his baptism, he already was the Christ at his birth. The
very best witness to this fact was the angel's testimony at
Jesus' birth and Jehovah's angel has never been impeached!
Luke 2:10-11 in the New World Translation says "... Have no
fear, for, look! I am declaring to YOU good news of a great
joy that all the people will have, because there was born to
YOU today a Savior, who is
Christ (the) Lord..." So Jesus
is Christ even at his birth!
Since the prophecy about the
coming of the Messiah predicted the birth of a baby, not the
baptism of a man, why does the Watchtower insist that Jesus
was not the Christ until his baptism? Why does the
Watchtower deny that Jesus was the Christ at his birth? Why
do they deny that he was the Christ the day before
his baptism? Their denial is in essence because they deny
that the Christ, or anointed one is a person, instead they
claim that it is a title that a person or group of people
can claim for themselves. They are the anointed (or
Christ class as they previously called themselves).
They are equal with Jesus and have his authority.
They are the ones to be followed. They are the
truth. Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, 5. "Look out that nobody
deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying 'I am
the Christ (or Christ-class or the anointed),' and deceive
many.'"
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