Pray for more Faith

A historical look at how the baptism questions of Jehovah’s Witnesses changed over time

Baptism is one of the most important acts of faith in Christianity. In the New Testament it represents a person’s appeal to God for forgiveness and a clean conscience through faith in Jesus Christ.

“Baptism… now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but the appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 3:21

Understanding the identity of God’s witnesses requires beginning with the structure and purpose of the Bible itself.

The Bible is divided into two major sections. The first is the Old Testament, often called the Hebrew Scriptures. The second is the New Testament, which Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures.

The Hebrew Scriptures record Jehovah’s dealings with the nation of Israel. They contain the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, and the historical account of God’s covenant people. Through these writings we learn about Jehovah’s character, his purposes for mankind, and the moral standards he expected Israel to follow.

The Ganges Analogy: A Tale of Two Waters

Picture this: the Ganges River in India, revered as sacred yet tragically recognized as the second most polluted waterway on Earth. Now imagine you're desperately thirsty and have two choices for a drink.

• Option One: The waters flowing through Kanpur, where industrial runoff mingles with human waste and decomposing bodies create a toxic cocktail that would poison anyone brave enough to taste it.
• Option Two: The pristine glacial source high in the Himalayas at 13,000 feet, where crystal-clear water emerges blue-white from ancient ice, carrying only the pure essence of ground rock from millennia of glacial action.

...let God be found true, even if every man be found a liar - Romans 3:4

This biblical principle became my guiding light in late 2024, after decades of wrestling with failed prophecies, the 1975 disappointment, and the ever-shifting doctrine of "overlapping generations." As someone baptized in 1963 and raised within the Jehovah's Witness organization, I had known only the New World Translation my entire life.

In the October 2025 study edition of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Study Article 33 focused on “Accept Jehovah’s Love.”

At first glance, it seemed like a standard article. But if you read carefully—especially paragraphs 14–16—a profound truth emerges. Here are key quotes from that article:

• para 13 Jesus wants us to see Jehovah as he does. In the Gospels, Jesus referred to Jehovah as “Father” over 160 times. And when speaking to his followers, he used such expressions as “your Father” or “your heavenly Father.”
• para 15 Our loving heavenly Father continues to see the good in you that you may not see in yourself.
• para 16 By describing Jehovah as our Father, Jesus is, in a sense, telling us: “Jehovah is not just my Father; he is your Father too.

“Did anyone notice it? Did you catch the point?” This truth has major implications for how we understand our relationship with God.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

--New International Version

First, I want to be clear: I have no hidden agenda. I am not trying to convert you to another religion, nor am I telling you to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. My only goal is for you to understand what the Bible itself says. While the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society claims to interpret the scriptures for you, I am begging you to look at the evidence for yourself.