Summary of Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses vs. The Bible

Jehovah’s Witnesses

This sect was begun in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell. Like Joseph Smith before Him, Russell was a product of a perversion of Christianity that was prevalent at the time. The movement, called Restorationism (or primitivism) sought to return the modern church to the beliefs of the early church. Specifically, Russell was influenced by the Millerites, a sect that predicted (falsely) the return of Jesus Christ to the earth in 1843. He began a Bible Study with his father and several others in 1870 to discover the origins of doctrine, creed, and traditions. In this Bible study, attended by several prominent Millerites, the group came to the conclusion that several Christian doctrines, including the doctrine of hell and the trinity, were not supported by the scripture.  

As the movement grew, the Bible Studies grew, and the need for the publication of study materials grew. In 1881, in part to establish a consistency in the teaching of his doctrine, he established Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. He published his findings from the scriptures, books, sermons, and tracts. Today the publishing firm produces 100,000 books and 800,000 copies of its two magazines every single day. These same books are used in weekly studies hosted around the world. Most Christians are terrified to meet a Jehovah’s Witness because of the way that they are so sure of their beliefs. This is due to continued indoctrination within the weekly Bible Studies (in their New World Translation of the Bible), and the reading and studying of the publications that reinforce their teachings.

Summary of Beliefs

The major problem with the Jehovah’s Witnesses is how they deal with God. Like all cultic beliefs, they have an incorrect view of God. Specifically, the Jehovah’s witnesses believe that God (called Jehovah) is God in one person. They deny the trinity , and the deity of both the Holy Spirit and of Jesus Christ. The Jesus of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a created being, the Archangel Michael who was a perfect man, not God in the flesh. He was killed on a stake, resurrected as a spirit separate from his body, and began his invisible reign over the earth in 1914. Salvation is found in the Jehovah’s Witnesses church alone, as the church is the only source of truth, and the self- proclaimed prophet of God. In addition to following the teachings of the church, a member must do good works, which include attending all services, Bible studies, and door-to-door evangelism. There is no real assurance of salvation, a Jehovah’s Witness only knows if they are ‘born again’ if they actually reach heaven.

Another significant part of the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is on their view of Eschatology. As mentioned above, they believe that Jesus Christ has been ruling in heaven as a king since 1914 (a date that they claim to have arrived at from prophecy found in scripture based on some faulty history) and that we have been in the last days since 1799, 1844, or 1914 (depending on which prophesy you hold to). The problem is that their leadership has nailed down several different dates for the return of Christ, all of which have proven false.  The resurrection of the 144,000 saints happened either in 1878 or 1918, the judgment of religion in 1878 or 1919. In 1975, many JW’s sold their homes, businesses, and spent wildly on their credit cards thinking that Armageddon was going to happen and the millennium was going to begin. This was also predicted in 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, within the generation of 1914, or generations that touched those born in 1914. In 1995, the JW’s, after countless wrong predictions about Armageddon and the Millennium, finally settled on the return of Christ being imminent.

Perhaps the most significant part of eschatology is personal eschatology, or what happens when a Jehovah’s Witness dies. They teach that all people, like Adam, return to dust and cease to exist. But that is not necessarily the end. Many millions will be resurrected to live life on earth- even evil people. The people who are evil will have a second chance to respond to Christ. Only those evil people who might respond to Christ are allowed to be resurrected. The rest are in Gehenna. There are 144,000 saints who were resurrected in 1878 or 1918, or else there is 9000 around on the earth still that can participate in the annual communion celebration. Only the 9000 ‘chosen’ know that they are the ‘chosen’. Those who are part of the 144,000 are the ones who are presently in heaven or will be to rule with Christ. Finally, those who do not respond to Christ now or after the earthly resurrection will be annihilated. There is no eternal, conscious torment in a place called hell. The penalty for sin is simply death. The sinner just ceases to exist.

Biblical View

There is no shortage of evidence on the Jehovah’s Witnesses theological stands. The difficulty does not lie in showing the differences between Biblical Christianity and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, rather, it is in communicating it to those who are sucked in by this cult. The average Jehovah’s Witness is more adept at using his Bible (the NWTB translation) and more knowledgeable of his theology than even most Christian seminary students. This is due to the high level of indoctrination tied into their salvation. They believe that the more they work and study the scriptures, the more likely they will be part of the 144,000 that go to heaven. In other words, they take very seriously the knowledge of their faith because it is part of determining whether or not they are saved. The problem of spiritual abuse is rampant in such belief systems. Those in leadership can indicate that the faithful are not giving or doing enough to merit the grace of God. This type of pressure to do more, along with verbal manipulation and threats - even shunning of certain members- can destroy those who have put their hope in this type of system.

The primary distortion of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is on the nature of God. The Bible is very clear about the nature of God. God is a Spirit, and God is One in three distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The following verses give support to the doctrine of the trinity:

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Matthew 28:19 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Also see Romans 14:17-18; 15:16;1 Corinthians 2:2-5; 6:11; 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18-22; 3:14-19; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 1:3-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14;       Titus 3:4-6

In the Old Testament, the idea of the Trinity is not as clearly stated as it is in the New Testament, however, when God is spoken about in Genesis 1, the word ELOHIM is used. Elohim is a plural term that Bible translators translate as God. In Genesis 1:26, God was not speaking to angels, he was communicating within Himself. In Genesis 1:1-2,  John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16-17, we get clarity about the nature of God in creation:

Genesis 1:1-2 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

   John 1:1-3 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Since the very nature of God is distorted, it is no surprise that the nature and work of Jesus Christ is also distorted by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many of these distortions were listed above. The table below illustrates the most glaring differences between the Jesus of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Jesus of the Bible:

Jehovah’s Witness Jesus	Biblical Jesus
not deity	Fully God (John 1:1-4, John 10:30, Hebrews 13:8, John 8:58, Colossians 1:16-17, Revelation 1:8 (cf Isaiah 44:6) 22:12-13)
no bodily resurrection	bodily resurrection (John 2:19-22, 20:27, Luke 24:39)
created	always existed (John 1:1-4, 14; 3:13, 6:33,38; 8:23, 58-59; 10:30, 17:5, Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 13:8, Colossians 1:17, 1 John 1:2, Revelation 1:8,
archangel Michael	above the angels (Hebrews 1:5-8) THE Son of God (Hebrews 1:8, Matthew 4:3-6) Created all things (including Michael- Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:1-4)

Jehovah’s witnesses, like other false religions, have a false view of what it means to please God enough to be saved. For example:

“Christians are in a saved condition. They have the prospect of everlasting life because they are in an approved position before God. As a group, their salvation from Adamic sin and all its consequences is sure. But individually they will be saved to eternal life only if they continue to adhere to all of God's requirements. Jesus emphasized this when he likened himself to a vine and his disciples to branches in that vine. He said: Every branch in me not bearing fruit [God] takes away . . . If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is cast out as a branch and is dried up; and men gather those branches up and pitch them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:2, 6; Hebrews 6:4-6) Those losing faith in Jesus also lose everlasting life."

The Jehovah’s Witnesses, along with all the other aberrant faith groups, believe that the Bible’s clear teaching is that salvation is a gift of God that is given to those who respond to God’s call to repentance from sin and trusting in Jesus Christ alone through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10, Acts 4:12, Galatians 2:16,20-21). The threat for those who simply put their faith in Christ and do no works is that they will be ‘burned up’.

Finally, the eschatology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is contrasted by the clear teaching of scripture. The second coming of Christ is not spiritual, it is physical and visible (See Acts 1:11, Revelation 1:7). He is going to return as a lion, bringing judgment to the earth. Only those who repent and trust in Him before the day of judgment will be saved. The idea that we die and either cease to exist or are later resurrected and given a second chance during the millennium to respond to Christ appropriately flies in the face of scripture. Man dies once and after this is the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Those who believe in Him are not under condemnation, but those who do not believe are condemned already (John 3:18) and under the wrath of God (John 3:36). This wrath is eternal and conscious, as Jesus taught. Interestingly enough, Jesus taught more about hell than He taught about heaven. Let us look on Jesus’ teachings on Hell:

Conscious

Matthew 13: 40-42  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 8:11-12 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Hell is a place of fire

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 18:8-9  Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Eternal

Matthew 25:41,46  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

John the Revelator also has a number of teachings on Hell that bear listing here as they directly contradict the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Revelation 14:9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:  11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Punishment in Lake of Fire  called ‘Second Death’

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Revelation 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Summary of Beliefs:Roman Catholics vs. The Bible

Roman Catholicism

The inclusion of Roman Catholicism in this paper is purposeful. Like any other religion, it is a false doctrine of works, and a false combination of the teachings of man and the Word of God, the Bible. It has always been a marriage of the world systems of government and religion. In history, Roman Catholics have sought (and in some cases gained)  much political power and influence. The Roman Catholic system of religion allows them to control their followers, because the Church ‘holds the keys’ of heaven and hell. They have this control over all of their followers, who have included many princes and rulers. They claim to be Christian, but Paul’s letter to the Galatians calls them out as those to be anathema (damned) because they bastardize the Gospel by adding works and the tradition of man.

Short History

According to Catholics, their faith was established by Jesus, and built upon Peter (Matthew 16:18) who was the first ‘Pope’.

"Jesus entrusted a specific authority to Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The "power of the keys" designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confirmed this mandate after his Resurrection: "Feed my sheep." The power to "bind and loose" connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church. Jesus entrusted this authority to the Church through the ministry of the apostles and in particular through the ministry of Peter, the only one to whom he specifically entrusted the keys of the kingdom."

The history of the early church has been adopted by the Catholic Church as their own with some legendary changes. The most significant claims of Peter being the first Pope beginning the line of apostolic succession is not even supported by secular or Biblical history. For example, Peter was never in Rome, and was not even seen as a prominent leader in the early church after Acts 10, and he aligned himself as just one of the apostles, not the chief apostle or Pope (1 Peter 1:1). The legend of Peter as the ‘rock’ upon which the church is built is needed for the church to claim the unbroken apostolic authority to exercise control as the True Church.  

What really separates Roman Catholicism from the rest of the Biblical underground church is the adoption of Roman traditions for church government as well as adopting some traditions of their communities that they were a part of. Ultimately, the Catholic Church was formalized and standardized in 313 as Constantine legalized Christianity and took over as the head of the Roman Church. They formalized position of bishops and the bishop of Rome (the Pope) Leo 1 was likely the first pope in Rome around 440 AD.

Summary of Beliefs

The Catholic Church believes much like we do when it comes to Jesus Christ. They hold that Jesus is eternal God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. They believe that Jesus was born of a virgin. They hold to his death, burial, and resurrection as historical fact. Unfortunately, the official position of the Church views justification purchased at the cross as incomplete. In fact, in the Catholic view if one agrees with the Bible that justification is by faith alone, that person is damned:

"If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema".

"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are affected; let him be anathema,".

If not by faith alone, how is one justified? According to the Catholic church, we must have works, specifically the sacraments, to add enough merit to gain eternal life:

"Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods”.

"...Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life."

"The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for Christians and that the justified man is still bound to keep them; the Second Vatican Council confirms: "The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism, and the observance of the Commandments."

Even if you gain enough merit, you can lose your justification. You need to regain it from the church through works (sacraments):  

“Justification can be lost by sinning. To regain the grace of justification you must participate in the sacraments and perform penance”.

The Roman Catholic belief is that tradition is equal to Scripture (which only the Magisterium can interpret) so they are able to justify the adoption of tradition from the variety of pagan faiths that were around at the time of its legalization by Constantine. These traditions include the veneration of Mary, and her role as a co-mediator with Jesus Christ. The Catholics simply renamed the pagan female deities, and imitated the worship of these deities, elevating the human sinner Mary to god-like status. They also got traditions like the confessional, church government, and the ‘sacrifice of the Mass’ by adopting various pagan religious practices.

The Biblical View

Many of these practices mentioned above seem innocuous to the faithful Catholic, but as we study the origins and understand the scripture, the traditions are seen as tools to make the Catholic Church herself as the Savior, and not King Jesus. Martin Luther in his Commentary on Galatians was very direct in addressing the shortcomings of the Catholic Church specifically on the theme of justification:

“The nefarious opinion of the papists, which attributes the merit of grace and the remission of sins to works, must here be emphatically rejected. The papists say that a good work performed before grace has been obtained, is able to secure grace for a person, because it is no more than right that God should reward a good deed. When grace has already been obtained, any good work deserves everlasting life as a due payment and reward for merit. For the first, God is no debtor, they say; but because God is good and just, it is no more than right (they say) that He should reward a good work by granting grace for the service. But when grace has already been obtained, they continue, God is in the position of a debtor, and is in duty bound to reward a good work with the gift of eternal life. This is the wicked teaching of the papacy.

Now, if I could perform any work acceptable to God and deserving of grace, and once having obtained grace my good works would continue to earn for me the right and reward of eternal life, why should I stand in need of the grace of God and the suffering and death of Christ? Christ would be of no benefit to me. Christ's mercy would be of no use to me.”

In other words, Roman Catholicism is a perversion of the Gospel. Paul himself calls it thus; anything else than the simple repentance from sin and trust in Christ alone is another gospel resulting in damnation:

Galatians 1: 6-9 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Roman Catholics, like the Judaizers in the New Testament, desire there to be a connection to the Church that requires reliance on the church and tradition in order to gain salvation. This control is gained by making the church, the priesthood and the sacraments the only vehicle by which man can be saved. In the middle ages ignorance of the scripture allowed this control to extend from the peasants all the way to governments and kings. In the modern day, this willful ignorance of the masses has allowed the Catholic Church to pull the wool over the eyes of other Christian denominations and Christian leaders. This is accomplished by changing terminology related to salvation to match biblical terms. The use of the terms grace, born again, justification, and receiving Christ are examples of salvation terms that Roman Catholic leadership has co-opted for their purpose.

Term	Roman Catholic Meaning	Biblical Meaning
Born Again	Baptism (mostly infant)- means that infant is now a member of the church and part of the body of Christ- and can receive the grace of God via the sacraments and works. This removes original sin and actual sin.	A gracious act of God by which He imputes Jesus’ righteousness to repentant sinners. Based on the grace of God not the merit of any work.  (John 1:12-13, 3:3, 5, 16-18, Acts 4:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17,21 1 Peter 1:23)
Receive Christ	The Eucharist, or the sacrifice of the Mass (Lord’s Supper), Where the Catholic believes the elements of wine and wafer are changed into the actual body and blood of Jesus	A colloquialism, taken from John 1:12-13, the idea that when we repent and place trust in Jesus we ‘receive Him’ into our lives. Upon repentance and faith we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
grace	Is a gift, granted to those who are baptized, and infused into the Catholic through doing good works and receiving the different sacraments	It is a gift, received by faith- not of works (Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9) It is because of this that we are saved from sin and brought into the life of God allowing us to be born again (2 Timothy 1:8-10, Acts 15:11)
justification	The process of Justification is begun with baptism, and continued (even regained) through participation in the sacraments of the church and the doing of good works	Justification is by faith, it is a one time judicial declaration of “NOT GUILTY” by God over the repentant sinner, based on His grace and the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Titus 3:7 John 1:12, Isaiah 53:12; 1 Pet. 2:24, Rom. 3:20,24, 28; 4:5; 5:1,9; Eph. 2:8-9

In conclusion, the Roman Catholic Church’s Jesus is another Jesus, one who looks very similar to the Biblical Jesus, but is a stripped down version needing the help of the Church and good works to complete salvation in the lives of believers. The Catholic Jesus needs the help of his mother to mediate between Him and His followers. He also needs priests, bishops, archbishops, and popes to assist Him in completing the task of saving and leading the church. The Bible, however, is clear that salvation is something that is both initiated and completed by God (John 1:12-13, 3:3-14, 10:27-30, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 2:4-5,8-10). And that Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18) and is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, 5:23, Colossians 1:18). It is Jesus alone who is our advocate (1 John 2:1) with God the Father. And while Jesus’ followers are called and created in Christ to do good works (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17) these works are the result and evidence of the change that has been wrought in Christ. Outside of Christ’s work in salvation, none of our works are good (morally excellent) (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:12) nor can they save us (Romans 3:20). Martin Luther says it best:

“With Paul we absolutely deny the possibility of self merit. God never yet gave to any person grace and everlasting life as a reward for merit. The opinions of the papists are the intellectual pipe-dreams of idle pates, that serve no other purpose but to draw men away from the true worship of God. The papacy is founded upon hallucinations.”By the term "flesh" Paul does not understand manifest vices. Such sins he usually calls by their proper names, as adultery, fornication, etc. By "flesh" Paul understands what Jesus meant in the third chapter of John, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh". (John 3:6.) "Flesh" here means the whole nature of man, inclusive of reason and instincts. "This flesh," says Paul, "is not justified by the works of the law."The papists do not believe this. They say, "A person who performs this good deed or that, deserves the forgiveness of his sins. A person who joins this or that holy order, has the promise of everlasting life."

To me it is a miracle that the Church, so long surrounded by vicious sects, has been able to survive at all. God must have been able to call a few who in their failure to discover any good in themselves to cite against the wrath and judgment of God, simply took to the suffering and death of Christ, and were saved by this simple faith.Nevertheless God has punished the contempt of the Gospel and of Christ on the part of the papists, by turning them over to a reprobate state of mind in which they reject the Gospel, and receive with gusto the abominable rules, ordinances, and traditions of men in preference to the Word of God, until they went so far as to forbid marriage. God punished them justly, because they blasphemed the only Son of God.This is, then, our general conclusion: "By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."”