The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a nontrinitarian, millenarian, “Christian” restorationism church. I must say that I respect Jehovah’s Witnesses for their dedication to evangelism and that there are issues that Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians agree on. Some of the more important things are that there is one true God and that the Bible is the Word of God. The word of God is more reliable than traditions and folklore. The teachings of Jesus Christ are found in the Bible and constitute what the church should be. They agree that a follower of Christ should set themselves apart from the world, but obey human laws if they do not conflict with the laws of God. They also agree that communication with the dead and praying to or trusting in images or idols is wrong.
However, there are many ways that their teachings differ from the true Word of God. Rather or not these are intentional or simply mistranslations is irrelevant, but it is important to realize that there are differences. While many differences are not necessarily salvation issues, some can be. These differences include the identity of Jesus Christ and our requirements for salvation. The Bible shows that Jesus Christ is God, and your faith in Jesus Christ is required.
1 John 5:7-8 says “For there are three that bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
John 1:1-2 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning.”
John 8:23-24 says “Jesus replied, ‘You people are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world. Thus, I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.’”
1 Timothy 3:16 says “And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”
John 8:58 says “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’”
Exodus 3:14 says “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Isaiah 44:6 says “This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says, their protector, the Lord who commands armies: ‘I am the first and I am the last, there is no God but me.’”
Revelation 1:17-18 says “When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, and the one who lives! I was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades!’”
In reading the Word of God with an unbiased heart, you can clearly see that Jesus Christ is God, and that your salvation rests in having faith in him alone. His bodily resurrection shows his power and divinity, and his acceptance of worship and being called God and Lord show his true identity. Now take a look at the following paragraph taken directly from the Bible which contains all of these features packed into a small selection of text.
John 20:24-30 says “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he replied, ‘Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!’ Eight days later, the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.’ Thomas replied to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
There are seemingly less critical but equally important differences, for when beliefs diverge from true scriptures, the foundation of faith becomes less secure. These differences encompass the Name of God, the method of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, the presence of Jesus Christ in believers (Holy Spirit), details of the millennial kingdom, God’s permanent kingdom on a new Earth, the destruction of the current Earth, the eternal punishment of the wicked, eligibility for salvation, who is controlled by Satan, the nature of Baptism, the celebration of holidays, the existence of man’s spirit, and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
While God has many names, His true name remains unknown to humans, lost over time. The constants forming the tetragrammaton YHWH are all that remain, as the early Hebrews didn’t always use vowel equivalents. However, God provides an answer in Exodus 3:14, “Moses said to God, ‘If I go to the Israelites and tell them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” – what should I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am that I am.’ And he said, ‘You must say this to the Israelites, “I am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, ‘You must say this to the Israelites, “The Lord – the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’”
Concerning Jesus Christ being executed in a manner other than on a cross, John 19:14-19 explains, “Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, ‘Behold, your King!’ So they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, ‘JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.’” (ESV)
Addressing the issue of Jesus Christ not resurrecting in bodily form, John 20:24-30 provides insight, “Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he replied, ‘Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!’ Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.’ Thomas replied to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (ESV)
God/Jesus, as part of the trinity, resides in believers in spirit form, as found in John 14:25-26, “I have spoken these things while staying with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.” (ESV)
The kingdom of God and the second coming of Christ can be points of confusion for some. The truth is found in scripture, as stated in Revelation 20:4-6, “Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (ESV)
This takes place on the current Earth. Afterward, the new earth is described in Revelation 21:1-4, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: ‘Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist anymore – or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” (ESV)
Contrary to the claim by Jehovah’s Witnesses that only 144,000 people will be eligible to spend eternity with God, John 3:16-20 in the Bible clearly states, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. Now, this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.” (ESV)
This point is reiterated in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous by faith will live.’” (ESV)
Concerning the celebration of holidays, Romans 14:5-9 states, “One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this reason, Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” (ESV)
Regarding the belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as separate entities, Exodus 20:3 emphasizes, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Hebrews 1:5-12 further clarifies, “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my son! Today I have fathered you’? And in another place he says, ‘I will be his father and he will be my son.’ But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship him!’ And he says of the angels, ‘He makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,’ but of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.’ And, ‘You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you continue. And they will all grow old like a garment, and like a robe, you will fold them up and like a garment, they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will never run out.’” (ESV)
In conclusion, many views of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are deemed incorrect. However, there is hope for them if they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God and accept His gift of Salvation.