False Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses

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JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: The Watchtower Society

"If they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20)

FALSE TEACHINGS

The Deity of Jesus Christ

Watchtower Doctrine: Jesus was an angel who became a man (Watchtower, 5/15/63, p 307). He was just a man, however -- not God in the flesh (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p 306).

Biblical Doctrine: Jesus is/was fully God and fully man. [See The Deity of Jesus Christ]


The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Watchtower Doctrine: Jesus was only 'spiritually' raised, not physically (Awake, 7/22/73, p 4; Let God be True, p 276).

Biblical Doctrine: Jesus was literally physically raised from the dead. In fact, Scripture teaches Jesus raised Himself from the dead. [See The Resurrection of Jesus Christ]


Eternal Judgment/Hell

Watchtower Doctrine: The doctrine of eternal torment (hell) is not valid. (Let God be True, p.90-90, and p. 94-95) The soul becomes extinct (nonexistent) after death, also known as Annihilationism (Let God be True, p. 74, 75 and p. 99).

Biblical Doctrine: Scripture, in both the Old and New Testament, teaches that the wicked will be eternally tormented in hell. [See The After-life]


Salvation

Watchtower Doctrine: Salvation is by works (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152), through membership in the organization (Watchtower, 2/15/79, p 30).

Biblical Doctrine: Salvation by grace through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. [See Salvation]


The Trinity

Watchtower Doctrine: The doctrine of the "trinity" is an invention of man. (Let God be True, p 100, 101)

Biblical Doctrine: Although the word "trinity" is not in the Bible, the concept of the three-in-one Godhead is given throughout the Old and New Testaments. [see The Godhead]


The Holy Spirit

Watchtower Doctrine: The Holy Spirit is an inanimate force or power. (Watchtower, 6/1/52, p 24; Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp 406, 407)

Biblical Doctrine: The Holy Spirit is a person and is part of the triune Godhead (the Trinity). [See The Holy Spirit]



What does Scripture say about false teachers?

1. It is the personal responsibility of the individual believer to test doctrine (Ephesians 4:14) and see if it is "the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:12), "sound" (I Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1) and "good" (Proverbs 4:2; I Timothy 4:6).


2. Scripture repeatedly warns of the coming of false teachers.
(Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Matthew 5:19; 7:15; 15:2-20; 16:12; 23:2-33; 24:23-26; Mark 8:15; 13:21-23; Luke 11:38-52; Acts 15:11 24; 20:28; Galatians 1:7 ; I Timothy 1:3-7;6:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:13-14; 4:34; Titus 1:10-11; 3:10-11; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 2:1; 2 John 7-10; Jude 1:4; Revelation 2:14-15)

a.) They teach the "doctrines of men" (Matthew 15:9; Mark 7:7; Colossians 2:22) and demons (I Timothy 4:1), not the "doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9).

b.) If it is the "doctrine of God" (Titus 2:10), it will in every aspect correspond with the written Word of God (Isaiah 8:20).

c.) Teachers of "divers and strange doctrines" (Hebrews 13:9), who use the scriptures but twist their meaning (2 Peter 3:16), make no distinction between right and wrong (Ezekiel 22:26). Often their motive in ministry is one of monetary gain (Micah 3:11).

3. Because people without a solid foundation in the Word can so easily be led astray (Matthew 24:24), "handling the Word of God deceitfully" (2 Corinthians 4:2) will be met with severe punishment (James 3:1).

The Watchtower Society

The Jehovah's Witnesses
(Watchtower Society)

Who are The Jehovah's Witnesses and what are their beliefs?

The sect known today as the Jehovah's Witnesses started out in Pennsylvania in 1870 as a Bible class led by Charles Taze Russell. Russell named his group the “Millennial Dawn Bible Study.” Charles T. Russell began writing a series of books he called “The Millennial Dawn,” which stretched to six volumes before his death and contained much of the theology the Jehovah’s Witnesses now hold. After Russell's death in 1916, Judge J. F. Rutherford, Russell's friend and successor, wrote the seventh and final volume of the “Millennial Dawn” series, “The Finished Mystery,” in 1917. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded in 1886 and quickly became the vehicle through which the “Millennial Dawn” movement began distributing their views to others. The group was known as the “Russellites” until 1931 when, due to a split in the organization, it was renamed the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The group from which it split became known as the “Bible students.”

Close scrutiny of their doctrinal position on such subjects as the deity of Christ, salvation, the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and the atonement shows beyond a doubt that they do not hold to orthodox Christian positions on these subjects. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. This contradicts many Scriptures which clearly declare Jesus to be God (John 1:1,14, 8:58, 10:30). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe salvation is obtained by a combination of faith, good works, and obedience. This contradicts countless scriptures which declare salvation to be received by grace through faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity, believing Jesus to be a created being and the Holy Spirit to essentially be the inanimate power of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the concept of Christ’s substitutionary atonement and instead hold to a ransom theory, that Jesus’ death was a ransom payment for Adam’s sin.

How do the Jehovah’s Witnesses justify these unbiblical doctrines? First, they claim that the church has corrupted the Bible over the centuries; thus, they have re-translated the Bible into what they call the New World Translation. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society altered the text of the Bible to make it fit their false doctrine, rather than basing their doctrine on what the Bible actually teaches. The New World Translation has gone through numerous editions, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses discover more and more Scriptures that contradict their doctrines.

The Watchtower bases its beliefs and doctrines on the original and expanded teachings of Charles Taze Russell, Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford, and their successors. The governing body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is the only body in the cult that claims authority to interpret Scripture. In other words, what the governing body says concerning any scriptural passage is viewed as the last word, and independent thinking is strongly discouraged. This is in direct opposition to Paul's admonition to Timothy (and to us as well) to study to be approved by God, so that we need not be ashamed as we correctly handle the Word of God. This admonition, found in 2 Timothy 2:15, is a clear instruction from God to each of His children to be like the Berean Christians, who searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things they were being taught lined up with the Word.

There is probably no religious group that is more faithful than the Jehovah’s Witnesses at getting their message out. Unfortunately, the message is full of distortions, deceptions, and false doctrine. May God open the eyes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to the truth of the gospel and the true teaching of God’s Word.