Romans 8:34
Romans 8:3434Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
Watchtower commentary takes as describing the ongoing intercessory work Christ performs at Jehovah's right hand. After his resurrection, Jesus returned to heaven as Michael the Archangel — a spirit creature — and pleads for those who trust in his ransom. The verse fits the Watchtower's framework where Christ continues serving as Jehovah's appointed agent.
raises the Melchizedek-priesthood problem for JW Christology. says Jesus "always lives to make intercession" as our high priest. says he had to be made like his brothers "in every way" to be a merciful high priest. If the resurrection returned Jesus to spirit-creature status (Michael the Archangel), he is no longer human — and a spirit creature cannot represent humanity before God. No man = no priest = no intercession. says he "is at the right hand of God and who also pleads for us" — present tense, ongoing. He is not pleading as Michael; he is pleading as the resurrected God-man at the Father's right hand. The Watchtower's Christology severs the priestly mediation promises.
The NWT renders entynchanei as "pleads" — consensus reads "intercedes" (ESV/NASB/KJV) or "is also interceding" (NIV). The same softening recurs at Rom 8:26 of the Spirit. "Pleads" carries a sense of advocating in distress rather than the official, authoritative intercession of a high priest at the Father's right hand. The Greek verb is the technical priestly intercession-verb that uses; the NWT's looser "pleads" subtly diminishes Christ's priestly office.