While Jehovah’s Witnesses hold distinctive beliefs, some teachings diverge from orthodox Christianity. Below are seven key topics with Bible verses that challenge core teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and affirm biblical truth. Each section includes an explanation and corresponding verses.
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Jesus is God, Not Merely a Created Being
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God but a created being. However, Scripture consistently affirms the deity of Christ. Jesus is fully God, sharing in the divine essence and nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Bible leaves no doubt about Jesus’ eternal existence and equality with God.
John 1:1
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Colossians 2:9
“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”
Isaiah 9:6
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
John 10:30
“The Father and I are one.”
Titus 2:13
“While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.”
The Holy Spirit is a Person, Not an Impersonal Force
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Holy Spirit is merely God’s active force, not a distinct person. The Bible, however, teaches that the Holy Spirit is a personal being with attributes like a mind, will, and emotions. The Spirit speaks, teaches, and intercedes on behalf of believers.
John 14:26
“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
Romans 8:26
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”
Acts 13:2
“One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.'”
1 Corinthians 12:11
“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
Ephesians 4:30
“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”
Salvation by Grace, Not Works
Jehovah’s Witnesses emphasize works as essential to salvation, but the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a gift of grace through faith. No one can earn eternal life through good deeds; it is solely by trusting in Jesus Christ that we are saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Romans 11:6
“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”
Titus 3:5
“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”
John 3:16
“For this is how 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.”
Romans 3:24
“Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
Jesus’ Bodily Resurrection
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature, not bodily. However, the Bible explicitly teaches that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. He showed his wounds, ate food, and proved his physical resurrection to his disciples.
Luke 24:39
“Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”
John 20:27
“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!'”
Acts 2:31
“David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.”
1 Corinthians 15:4
“He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
Philippians 3:21
“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.”
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One Mediator Between God and Humanity
Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that only a select group, the “anointed,” can partake in Christ’s mediatory work. The Bible, however, emphasizes that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and all humanity, offering access to salvation and reconciliation to everyone who believes in him.
1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 9:15
“That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.”
John 14:6
“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'”
Hebrews 7:25
“Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”
Romans 8:34
“Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”
Hell is Real and Eternal
Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the traditional view of hell, teaching that it is merely the grave. The Bible, however, describes hell as a real place of eternal separation from God, reserved for those who reject him. Scripture provides clear warnings about the reality of hell.
Matthew 25:46
“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Revelation 20:10
“Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Mark 9:48
“Where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.”
2 Thessalonians 1:9
“They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.”
Luke 16:23
“And he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.”
The Kingdom of God is Both Present and Future
Jehovah’s Witnesses emphasize a future earthly kingdom, denying the present reality of God’s reign. The Bible teaches that God’s kingdom is both a present spiritual reality and a future physical manifestation, encompassing both heaven and earth.
Luke 17:21
“You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
Matthew 6:10
“May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Colossians 1:13
“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.”
Revelation 11:15
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.'”
Matthew 25:34
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.’”