The views of Charles Taze Russell and subsequent Jehovah’s Witness leaders regarding the doctrines of Biblical Christianity are not new; for the most part, they are recent spins on the Arian heresy of the early 4th century and other more recent heretical views. Specifically, every Christian should reject the Watchtower’s claims to be the only true church because of its numerous unbiblical views. Ten false doctrines of the Watchtower will be highlighted in this and following posts. The first three are listed in Part 1 of this study.

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JW False Doctrine 1: The Trinity denied.

What the Watchtower says:

• “The clergy’s God is plainly not Jehovah but the ancient deity, hoary with the iniquity of the ages – Baal, the Devil Himself” (Charles Taze Russell, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 7, p. 410).
•  “The obvious conclusion is, therefore, that Satan is the originator of the trinity doctrine” (Let God Be True, p. 101).
• “What comes through very clearly to an impartial reader (of the Bible) is that God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, separate and distinct from anyone else, and that Jesus, even in his prehuman existence, is also separate and distinct, a created being, subordinate to God” (“Should You Believe in the Trinity?” http://www.watchtower.org/).

What the Bible teaches:

• Three distinct, divine persons of the Trinity are specifically mentioned in John 14:26, 15:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; and 1 Peter 1:2). The Father, Son and Holy Spirit each is referred to as deity in Scripture (John 1:1-3, 10, 14, 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:13; 1 Peter 1:2).
• The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are described as deity using similar terms: Omniscient (Matt. 9:4; Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 2:10); God (John 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Peter 1:2); Lord (Luke 2:11; Rom. 10:12; 2 Cor. 3:17); almighty (Gen. 17:1; Rom. 15:19; Rev. 1:8); truth (John 7:28; 1 John 5:6; Rev. 3:7);  eternal (Ps. 90:2; Micah 5:2; Heb. 9:14);  powerful (Jer. 32:17; Matt. 28:18; Luke 1:35; Rom. 15:19; Heb. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:5).

JW False Doctrine 2: Christ’s deity denied.

What the Watchtower says:

• Jesus is the first creation of Jehovah; Jesus then made all “other” things (see Col. 1:16 in the New World Translation).
• “… the Bible plainly states that in his prehuman existence, Jesus was a created spirit being, just as angels were spirit beings created by God…. The fact is that Jesus is not God and never claimed to be.” (Should You Believe in the Trinity? pp. 14, 20)
• “In other words, he was the first and direct creation of Jehovah God.” (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 47)
• “… Jesus was conceived by a sinless, perfect Father, Jehovah God … Jehovah took the perfect life of his only-begotten Son and transferred it from heaven to … the womb of the unmarried girl Mary … Thus God’s Son was conceived or given a start as a human creature … Jesus’ birth on earth was not an incarnation.”  (From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, pp. 126-27; What Has Religion Done for Mankind? p. 231)
• “… the true Scriptures speak of God’s Son, the Word, as ‘a god.’  He is a ‘mighty god,’ but not the Almighty God, who is Jehovah.”  (The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 47)
• JW’s say Jesus had been the archangel Michael in heaven before He came to Earth. Michael supposedly gave up his “godlike” characteristics, leaving only his “life force.” Jehovah then placed the “life force” of Michael in the womb of the virgin Mary so Jesus could be born a human being. While on Earth, the JW’s say, Jesus was a perfect man but nothing more than that. After dying on a torture stake, His humanity was annihilated; then He was raised as y an immortal spirit who returned to heaven to become once again the archangel Michael.
• JW’s tamper with John 1:1-5 and Colossians 1:15-19 to “prove” Jesus was a created being.

What the Bible teaches:

• Jesus is the virgin-born Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:35). He is eternal God, the Creator, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Holy Spirit (John 1:1-3, 10, 14; 10:30; Col. 1:15-20; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:1-3).

JW False Doctrine 3: The Holy Spirit’s personhood and deity denied.

What the Watchtower says:

• “… The holy spirit is the invisible active force of Almighty God that moves his servants to do his will.” (Let God Be True, p. 108).
• “The Scriptures themselves unite to show that God’s holy spirit is not a person but is God’s active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will.” (Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 1543).
• “As for the ‘Holy Spirit,’ the so-called ‘third Person of the Trinity,’ we have already seen that it is not a person, but God’s active force.”  (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, p. 24).

What the Bible teaches:

• The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the triune Godhead (Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19-20).
• The Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son (Acts 5:1-11).

Next Week: More of the 10 false doctrines of the Watchtower.

Download PDFs:

Overview of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Comparing Christianity to the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Key Mistranslations of the New World Translation