Introduction to Jehovah's Witnesses
The Jehovah Witnesses religion founded by Charles Taze Russell in the early 1900s. Russell's diverse religious history begins with his inability to reconcile the Presbyterian and Congregationalist Church's view of an eternal Hell and a merciful God. As Russell states

A God that would use his power to create human beings whom he foreknew and predestinated should be eternally tormented, could be neither wise, just nor loving. His standard would be lower than that of many men.^[1]

He immediately adopted an annihilationist position that God would cause the wicked to perish but not suffer eternally. Russell had a brief following of the Seventh Day Adventist movement in the late 1800s. His original attraction to the Adventist movement appears to have revolved around a common belief in annihilation and an interest in predicting end-times events by means of Scriptural queues. Of particular interest to the Adventist movement was prediction of Christ's return.  This exact subject matter greatly interested Russell and he quickly became involved in rigorous study often presenting his ideas to prominent Adventist figures such as Jonas Wendell.  To the credit of the Adventists, he was quickly recognized as holding heretical beliefs and eventually rejected from having any relations with the church.

Now on his own, Russell began to tend to the task of propagating his notions and predictions.  One of his first predictions was surprising claim that Christ's appearance was going to begin in the 1874. The prophecy, of course, turned out to be false. Not to be discouraged, Russell refined his theological views later calling the 1874 prophecy the beginning of Christ's "invisible presence."^[2]  Russell added to this prediction that the end of the world would being in 1910 with the rapture of Christ's elect followed by the end of the world in 1914.^[3] 1914 was the beginning of World War I and many other changes occurring throughout the world. Although Christ didn’t visibly appear in 1914, Russell was adamant that his interpretation of Scripture was correct and that the current world troubles were evidence of this. With a few slight modifications, Russell claimed that Christ was not supposed to appear physically but rather spiritually. This spiritual presence or spiritual second coming of Christ is the belief that most Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to this day. In support of his claim, Russell altered one of the most important doctrines held by orthodox Christianity--the physical resurrection of Christ body. Russell denied that Christ was raised physically at all.  It is significant to note that Witness resurrection doctrine postdates Russell's failed prediction; it is a point that should lead one to suspect the motives for the establishment of this doctrine. To Russell, the resurrection of Christ did occur, but with a twist--he claimed the Christ was raised spiritually and without his physical body.  How did Russell explain verses in Luke where the resurrected Christ says, "a spirit does not have flesh and blood as you see that I have"? Russell read this to mean that Christ attempted to appear physical in appearance but was in reality just the spiritual being. This belief had the added benefit in that it went well with his claim of Christ's returning in 1914. This belief persists within Witness literature to this day.  In more recent literature

Two lines of evidence point to that [1914] year: (1) Bible chronology and (2) the events since 1914 in fulfillment of prophecy.
(Reasoning From the Scriptures, p. 95)

What happened in 1914?  The Witness explains

Jehovah entrusted rulership over mankind to his own Son, Jesus Christ, glorified in the heavens.--Dan. 7:13, 14.
(Reasoning From the Scriptures, p. 97)

Among other doctrinal differences, Russell also claimed that there was no Trinity. To Russell, the Father alone was God making the Son the Father’s first creation. Christ’s role in creation is that he created "all other things." The Holy Spirit was also given a difference status. To Russell the Holy Spirit represented God’s power. Instead of a "he" the Holy Spirit became an "it." Another doctrinal difference is the atonement for sin. To the Witness, Christ's death is simply the "exact payment" required by God for the sins of man, as opposed to the orthodox Christian view that Christ's atonement "overflowed" the many sins. The doctrine of Hell changed from a place of eternal conscious torment to simply represent God's final and complete destruction of the wicked.* Judgment Day was interpreted by Russell represent the Millennial Rule of Christ. These are just some of the doctrinal differences.
*We hold that Hell is a place of eternal conscious torment, but we do not treat the subject matter in depth as other ministries may.

The main headquarters for the Jehovah's Witness religion today is know as the Watch Tower Bible and Track Society or Watch Tower for short.  The name has its origins in publications by Russell such as Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. It is impossible to study the Witness religion without seeing the traces of Russell literally everywhere.

Why is this background important? First, it is helpful to better understanding the origins of Witness beliefs. It also helps to provide insight into possible motives for theological stances the Witnesses hold today.  However, not a single Jehovah Witness I've known has ever been persuaded to reconsider their beliefs simply by pointing out Russell’s character or history. What will carry greater importance to today’s Witness is how you explain Scripture. It is the solid conviction of most witnesses that, despite Russell, anyone reading the Scriptures with care and honest management of the facts will draw the same theological conclusions. Most witnesses today are by nature very sincere, very logical and quite knowledgeable in their presentation of Jehovah’s Witness faith. Many Witnesses (if not most) were once former Christians themselves. Some have explained that they converted simply because "no one ever explain the Scriptures quite as clearly as the Jehovah’s Witnesses do." The direction of this study, then, is to meet witnesses on the ground of where they currently are theologically--if it was a clear explanation of Scripture that led these people to become witnesses, we must be willing to offer an even clearer explanation of the truth in order to win them back 

Many witnesses came from churches where emphasis on scriptural training was not important. This has severely tainted their view of what most Christians are. Despite the high level of education among church leaders, most Witness' only perception of the church is that of the laypeople. A basic opinion of the average Christian is that they lack training and understanding.  The solution may be to bring about a reform within these churches where teaching is not a priority or it may be that other churches pick up where the others have left off.  Whichever, the need for more reliable and clearly explained theology remains.

Basic Jehovah’s Witness Doctrines
The doctrines of the Witness are completely opposite those of the Christian church on almost every theological point.  A brief side-by-side doctrinal comparison will demonstrate this effectively
 

These are just a few of the theological chasms that exist between Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Christian Church.  Fortunately, defending Christian doctrine is much easier than the Witness would lead us to believe. The most complex of these doctrines is that of the Trinity. This is partly because one must understand how to properly apply all biblical texts that bear on the subject and partly the number of details involved.
 

How the Witness is Trained
A Witness spends every Sunday and at least one other day in the week studying how to answer questions and defend their faith.  Sunday services in a Kingdom Hall (the Jehovah’s Witness church building) are comprised of the usual hymns and sermon time, but it also trains each individual for the upcoming week’s topic.  Weekly lessons are printed in a magazine format called “The Watchtower” and are published simultaneously in dozens of languages.  What an American Kingdom Hall teaches for the week, a Kingdom Hall in France is teaching as well.  From here, the Witness meets with other believers during the week regularly training for the task of door-to-door ministry. 

The organization responsible for preparing these lessons is called The Watchtower Organization.  The organization accomplishes no small task.  Hundreds of books and thousands of magazines are published in languages around the world reaching an audience of ten of millions.  For Christians interested in studying the organization, a visit to the local Kingdom Hall to pick up books such as Reasoning From the Scriptures, or The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived would provide excellent insights as to the exact theological explanations offered by the religion.  Smaller publications, such as the “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” brochure are essential must-reads for any Christian wanting to learn the Jehovah Witness point of view.  Keep in mind that all three of these publications are Witness publications and that in reading them, you should have regular contact with your pastor or resources like this as you study them.

How to Prepare for Dialogue with the Witness
The average Witness has memorized nearly all of the arguments you will find in these publications.  If you don’t have a response to at least the major points of doctrinal contention, your answers will have a minimal-to-none impact on persuading a Witness to reconsider their faith.  A single topic can involve a lot of rabbit trails. For example, the Witness objects to the Trinity on several fronts and has memorized literally dozens of references to back up their point. On just this issue alone, be prepared to discuss: the human nature of Christ; why Jesus is called “firstborn”; why Jesus is called “the beginning of creation”; John 1:1 in Greek; the meaning of death; the book of Ecclesiastes; the required price of atonement; the nature of the human spirit; the doctrine of hell; early church writings (see my response to the early church fathers).  And that’s just some of the trails discussions can take.

The best way to prepare defending the Christian view is to memorize Scripture and memorize your response.  It is impossible to understate this point.  If you don’t have a response to the Witness, they will only leave convinced in the solidity of their faith.  Issues intertwine as well.  The doctrine of death can affect the outcome of the Trinity.  If, as the Witness asserts, death means that one ceases to exist then Jesus couldn’t be God—how can God cease to exist? Thus a thorough understanding of all major doctrinal issues would be helpful. 

Creating doubts and allowing for one’s own beliefs to be challenged is an essential part of the Christian faith.  One common point I mention to Witnesses is that we are to test everything and hold only to those things that prove true (1 Thessalonians 5:21).  If a person is not willing to question their beliefs and see them challenged, then one must begin to worry about the validity of their beliefs.  It is impossible to know that your faith is true if you do not allow it to be tested against those refuting it.  Only the truth stands firm against opposition.  Typically the Witness will respond saying that we are not to waiver and be tossed about by varying philosophies.  But there is distinct difference between standing firm and allowing one’s faith to be tested.  I often ask them, “So if a Mormon tells you that they shouldn’t test their faith, how then will they ever come to know the truth?  And if I’m not to test my faith, how am I to ever know it is true?  And if you are wrong in what you believe, how will you ever come to the truth?”  Thus it is impossible to be a true Christian and to be faithful to God unless you are willing to test what you believe.  It is by testing that we refine what we ought to believe.  No one is so perfect that they are above the need for refinement.  The Witness must be persuaded that the principle “don’t test, don’t challenge” is not a valid principle. If it is valid, then we are all hopelessly trapped in our deceptions and beyond repair.

A quick word of encouragement is required at this point.  You do not have to be a Greek scholar or formally trained in theological matters to reach out to the Witness.  Though some persistence and discipline is required to learn the materials, the average person can effectively refute Witness doctrine in less time than the Witness learns to refute Christian doctrine.  You do not have to learn all responses to Witness doctrine.  If you can manage to effectively pin down your points on key passages your work will be more than sufficient to creating seeds of truth in the Witness’ mind.  Your goal is to demonstrate the certainty with which Christian doctrine can be explained and the uncertain ground on which the Witness walks.  It is also essential that we pray.  Jesus promises that when we are under trial, he will “give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” (Luke 21:15)  So be encouraged--you're on God's team!

Proper Approach to the Scriptures
Because we believe that the written word of God is inerrant, we do not place greater emphasis on one passage versus another. Instead we draw from the whole of Scripture in order to bring forth conclusions in harmony with what we read.  There are three basic principles of biblical interpretation we follow in our expository of Scripture:
 

1. We know something to be true if the Scriptures plainly state it to be true.
2. We know something to be true if it can be conclusively inferred as the only logical explanation of the facts.
3. No conclusion should be drawn from Scripture that may contradict passages in another area.

One of the most common errors the Witness makes is on the third point.  Many conversations go something like a ping-pong match of, “This verse says this,” and the Witness reply of, “Yes, but this verse says this.”  In a conversation I had with an JW elder about John 5:18 which plainly states that Jesus was “making himself equal with God.”  The elder replied, “Yes, but this verse [1 Corinthians 15:28] says that Jesus will submit even himself to the Father.”  The problem this elder demonstrated was a tendency to show preference to one passage over another.  The point is this: if Scripture is inerrant and it says both that (1) Jesus is equal to the Father and (2) that Jesus submits to the Father, then both must be true at the same time. By the way, the explanation for this is that Jesus is both God and man at the same time.  While in his God-nature Jesus is equal to God, in his human nature he is beneath the Father.  Another angle is to understand that one can be equal in nature but not equal in their role.  For example, the President is greater than I am, but in his human nature he is identical.  The president and I are the same in nature, yet he is greater than I in his role.  In the same way, Jesus submits to the Father who performs a greater role.  This is not a contradiction in anyway to saying that Jesus shares the same nature as God the Father.  It is an explanation that satisfies and explains how both verses can be true at the same time.  When I asked the elder if he believed that Scripture is inerrant, he said yes.  I also asked him if we must draw conclusions from the Scripture that bring perfect harmony to all passages.  Again he said yes.  By laying this groundwork I was then able to ask, “How can John 5:18 and 1 Corinthians 15:28 be true at the same time?”  At first he said that John 5:18 was the Jew’s false belief that Jesus was making himself equal to God, but when I pointed out that John doesn’t say, “the Jews thought he was making himself equal with God,” but simply, “he was making himself equal with God,” the elder admitted, “I don’t really have a response.”  Be consistent in how you handle your interpretation of the Scriptures.

Final Thoughts
Dealing with Witnesses can be a delight and (as are some Christians) a burden.  A delight because they are very logical and honest in their approach to Scripture; a burden, because despite their excellent understanding of logic and proper ways to think, they sometimes (well...usually) resort to dogmatic knee-jerk responses.  This is simply human nature regardless of religious background, so be patient.  Understand that the Witness is a real person just like you.

Within our study, you will find a comprehensive verse-for-verse, doctrine-for-doctrine response to the Witness.  If you are currently involved in a debate with a Witness, you may freely print this material and share it with them.  If they are willing, you may even direct them to this study online.  We also suggest that you become familiar with a number of other ministries aimed at helping Jehovah’s Witnesses understand Christian doctrine.  Author David Reed, a former Jehovah’s Witness, is an excellent resource as is Alpha and Omega Ministries founded by Dr. James White* who I highly recommend.

*This ministry is not affiliated with David Reed or James White, though we do encourage support their excellent ministries.

2. Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 3 (Allegheny, Pennsylvania: Watch Tower, 1891) (1903 edition), 362-64.
3. Ibid.