At a Glance
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Jehovah’s Witnesses
Watchtower authority, works, and Jehovah alone (no Trinity)
GodJehovah only — no Trinity; Jesus is a created being
ScriptureThe New World Translation — deliberately altered
JesusMichael the Archangel — created, not eternally God
Holy SpiritNot a person — merely an active force of Jehovah
SalvationFaith + works + loyalty to the Watchtower organisation
AtonementA ransom for Adam’s sin only; not penal substitution
HellDoes not exist — death is non-existence (soul sleep)
Eternity144,000 to heaven; the rest on a restored paradise earth
BloodRefusal of blood transfusions as a religious obligation
AssuranceImpossible — one can lose salvation by displeasing Jehovah
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Sovereign Grace
God alone saves, by grace alone, through Christ alone
AuthorityScripture alone — Sola Scriptura
GodThe triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
SalvationGrace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
JustificationComplete, instantaneous, eternal — Romans 5:1
AtonementFinished once for all at Calvary — John 19:30
JesusGod the Son, crucified, risen, and reigning
EternityHeaven or hell — by God’s sovereign grace
AssuranceThe believer may and ought to know he is saved — 1 John 5:13
The ChurchAll elect believers; no earthly headquarters
PrayerTo God alone through Christ alone — 1 Tim 2:5
Detailed Doctrine-by-Doctrine Comparison
Topic
Jehovah’s Witnesses Teaches
Scripture Teaches
God & the Trinity
J.W.sJehovah is the one true God. The Trinity is a pagan invention. Jesus is not God but a created being — the first and greatest creation of Jehovah, identified with Michael the Archangel. The Holy Spirit is not a person but an impersonal active force.
GraceThe Scripture teaches the Trinity — one God in three co-equal, co-eternal persons. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (1 John 5:7). The Holy Spirit is a person who can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30) and lied to (Acts 5:3–4).
The Person of Christ
J.W.sJesus Christ is the first and greatest creation of Jehovah — a mighty god (lower-case) but not God Almighty. He pre-existed as Michael the Archangel, became a perfect human, died as a ransom, and was raised as a spirit creature. He is not to be worshipped as God.
GraceJesus Christ is God the Son, eternally co-equal with the Father. I and my Father are one (John 10:30). Thomas worshipped him: My Lord and my God (John 20:28). He is not Michael the Archangel — angels are his servants, and he is worshipped by them (Hebrews 1:6).
The New World Translation
J.W.sThe Watchtower Society produced its own translation of the Bible — the New World Translation — which inserts the name “Jehovah” into the New Testament 237 times and alters key texts to deny Christ’s deity. John 1:1 is rendered “the Word was a god.”
GraceJohn 1:1 in the original Greek reads: and the Word was God — not “a god.” The anarthrous predicate nominative in Greek does not require an indefinite article. Every major Greek scholar has rejected the NWT rendering. The words of the LORD are pure words (Psalm 12:6) — they cannot be improved by revision.
Hell & Judgment
J.W.sHell does not exist as a place of conscious torment. Death is a state of non-existence (soul sleep). The wicked are simply annihilated — they cease to exist. There is no eternal punishment. Gehenna refers only to complete destruction.
GraceHell is a place of conscious, eternal torment. The rich man in hell lifted up his eyes, being in torments (Luke 16:23). Jesus warned, Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). The wicked go away into everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46) — not annihilation.
Salvation & the Organisation
J.W.sSalvation requires faith in Jehovah and Jesus, loyal association with the Watchtower organisation (the only channel of God’s truth), door-to-door preaching, and continuous faithful works. Those who leave the organisation face disfellowshipping and eternal destruction.
GraceSalvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone — with no organisation, no works, and no hierarchy required. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31). No man-made organisation stands between the believer and God.
Heaven & Eternity
J.W.sOnly 144,000 specially chosen Witnesses go to heaven to reign with Christ. The remaining faithful Witnesses will be resurrected to live forever in a paradise earth. The wicked will be annihilated. There is no conscious hell.
GraceScripture promises heaven to all who are in Christ — not merely 144,000. In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:2). The 144,000 of Revelation 7 are the sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel — a specific group in a prophetic context, not a ceiling on salvation.
The Holy Spirit
J.W.sThe Holy Spirit is not a person but an active force — like electricity — that Jehovah uses to accomplish his purposes. He cannot be prayed to, grieved, or blasphemed in any personal sense.
GraceThe Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, co-equal with the Father and the Son. He has intellect (1 Corinthians 2:11), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), and emotion (Ephesians 4:30). He can be blasphemed (Matthew 12:31) — which is impossible if he is merely an impersonal force.