Sharing a Role Is Not Sharing Who God Is
Christians often argue: "Only Jehovah does X. Jesus does X. So Jesus is
Jehovah." Witnesses and biblical Unitarians answer that the Bible's
"God alone" statements are not absolute, so the argument proves
nothing. They give three reasons.
(1) God is the judge, yet Paul says "the holy ones will judge the
world" and "we will judge angels" (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). If "God alone
judges" leaves room for others to judge, "Jehovah alone created" leaves
room for Jesus to create as his agent.
(2) Job 38:7 says the "sons of God" shouted in applause when God founded
the earth. So angels were there at creation, and "by myself" can't mean
nobody else was involved.
(3) The New Testament constantly reuses Old Testament texts in new
ways. Matthew applies Hosea 11:1 (about Israel) to Jesus, and Paul
applies Isaiah 49:6 (about the Servant) to himself and Barnabas in Acts
13:47. So when a Yahweh text is applied to Jesus, it only shows that
Jesus represents Jehovah. Treating it as proof that Jesus is Jehovah
is special pleading.
Agree first: God does share some of his work, and "alone" can mean different things. Then draw one distinction and keep coming back to it. Sharing in God's rule under him is different from doing the act the Bible uses to mark out who God is. The saints will judge, but with Christ and under him (; ). That is delegated rule, and God promises it. Creation is different. The NWT reads : "I am Jehovah, who made everything. I stretched out the heavens by myself, And I spread out the earth. Who was with me?" That is a finished act, and the question rules out a co-worker, not an audience. Job 38 agrees: "Where were you when I founded the earth?" (verse 4). The angels of verse 7 cheer; they don't lay the cornerstone. Then turn to , where God says to the Son, "At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands." That is , a prayer to Jehovah, now addressed to the Son. If nobody was "with" Jehovah, the Son is not a helper standing beside him. He is the Lord whose hands made the heavens.
God shares his rule, but not who he is. Saints will judge under Christ and angels watched creation, but nobody helped Jehovah stretch out the heavens, and says the Son laid the earth's foundations.
God alone is judge, yet 1 Corinthians 6:2 says the holy ones will judge the world. So 'alone' texts allow sharing, and Isaiah 44:24 does too.
Fair point, and I agree God shares judging. But look at how he shares it. The saints judge in the future, as a gift, and with Christ. Jesus says that when "the Son of man sits down on his glorious throne," his followers "will sit on 12 thrones" (), and says the one who conquers will "sit down with me on my throne." That's rule given out under someone. is a different kind of statement. It's about something already done, and Jehovah adds, "Who was with me?" He isn't saying "I'll share this later." He's saying "Nobody did this with me." Can you show me a verse where Jehovah says of judging, "I judged by myself; who was with me?" That would be a fair parallel. Until then, isn't creation in a different category?
Job 38:7 says the sons of God were shouting in applause at creation. So someone was with Jehovah, and 'by myself' isn't absolute.
Let's read from verse 4: "Where were you when I founded the earth?" The whole chapter makes every creature a bystander. Then verse 7 says that when the cornerstone was laid, "the morning stars joyfully cried out together." They cheered; they didn't build. "By myself" doesn't mean nobody was watching. It means nobody was working with him. If even the angels only watched, which creature helped? And yet says the Son laid the foundations of the earth. So was the Son one of the spectators, or the builder?
Jehovah created through Jesus as his agent. Saying 'I did it' is still true if your agent did it.
In everyday speech, yes, a king "builds" a road his workers build. But Isaiah closes that gap deliberately with "by myself" and "Who was with me?" An agent would be exactly the person "with" him. also doesn't call the Son the worker the Lord used. It calls the Son "Lord" and says the heavens are "the works of your hands." It's , which was spoken to Jehovah, now spoken to the Son. And says all things were created "for him." In Paul says we exist "for" the Father. Do we exist for a tool?
The New Testament reuses Old Testament texts all the time. Hosea 11:1 was about Israel, and Matthew applies it to Jesus. Applying a Yahweh text to Jesus doesn't make him Yahweh.
You're right that the New Testament reads some passages as patterns, and is a good example. Jesus relives Israel's story, but faithfully. That works because there is a real link: Jesus is the true Israel. So what is the link when the text is about something only Jehovah can be or do? says, "By myself I have sworn ... To me every knee will bend." Paul takes that oath and says that "in the name of Jesus every knee should bend" (). says, "I give my glory to no one else." If a text that says "no one else" can be passed to someone else, what could the text have said to stop that? What principle do you use to decide when it's "just reuse"?
Philippians 2:11 says it's 'to the glory of God the Father,' so the worship goes through Jesus to Jehovah. Jesus is just the channel.
I'm happy to say honouring the Son glorifies the Father. That's exactly what Jesus says in : all should "honor the Son just as they honor the Father." But look at what Isaiah 45 says goes to Jehovah alone: the bent knee and the sworn tongue. Paul doesn't say knees bend to the Father while Jesus' name is mentioned. He says "in the name of Jesus every knee should bend," and every tongue acknowledges that "Jesus Christ is Lord." If the bowing that Isaiah reserves for Jehovah now goes to Jesus and the Father is glorified by it, doesn't that put Jesus inside the "me" of ?
Don't deny that God shares anything. He shares judging, ruling and priesthood with his people, and the JW knows the verses. Your case is stronger once you admit it. Don't claim every Old Testament quotation about God that is applied to Jesus proves his deity. Some are typology, and pretending otherwise loses credibility. Rest the case on texts with exclusion markers ("by myself", "who was with me?", "no one else"). Don't make the "why would God use a hammer?" point (why create an agent to create?) your proof. God often works through means, so on its own it proves little; use it only as a way into Isaiah 44:24. Don't lecture on "divine identity" as a technical term at the door; say "who God is" and read the verses. Don't hop to another subject when the conversation slows; stay with Isaiah 44:24 and Hebrews 1:10 until they have been read. The Witness is a friend thinking it through with you, not an opponent to beat, so keep the tone of a shared puzzle, not a trap.
(1) Read in the NWT until you can quote "by myself" and "Who was with me?" from memory, and read the whole of 44:6-24 so you know it is about Jehovah as the only God, not just about Israel. (2) Read and practise saying, "They cheered; they didn't build." (3) Open , and together and be ready to agree that saints really will judge, under Christ. (4) Put next to , and next to , and mark the matching "for him". (5) For the reuse objection, compare with and . Practise asking, "What principle tells us when it's just reuse?" (6) Practise the doorstep question aloud. Rehearse your reply to "Jesus was the agent": "An agent would be the one 'with' him."