If, as a Christian, you’ve ever encountered Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs), you know they can be somewhat challenging to reach. The good news is that we never have to worry about the results of such an encounter (rf. 1 Cor. 3:6-7); we just have to be faithful. Yet, if we’re concerned with their salvation and the truth, then we do want to understand their position. What better way to understand it than to read some of their literature. This is not a task I’d recommend for everyone and certainly not one to pursue if you’re not grounded in faith. Nevertheless, I recently received a personalized letter from a JW (I assume with the pandemic of COVID, they’ve reduced their physical door-to-door witnessing presence and opted to use personalized mailers.). This post is a brief analysis of its content.
Heavy on “Scripture,” Light on Jesus
The foremost thing that stood out to me about the magazine was their heavy use of “scripture.” To be sure, the Watchtower magazine leverages general American awareness of the Bible and subtly introduces their beliefs through comforting and encouraging messages. It’s a shrewd approach, and their reliance on “scripture” is something I wish more Christians would do with the true Scriptures. Most of the references were OT. Those that were from the NT were clearly slanted, derived from their New World Translation (NWT), and either de-emphasized Jesus or removed Him altogether.
The most flagrant omission of Jesus comes from their reference to Phil. 4:6-7. On the topic of marital unfaithfulness, a JW spouse shared this “scripture” with the magazine and how it provided her with peace amidst that difficult time. From the magazine, it read:
“Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication…let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts.”
(The Watchtower, No. 2 2019, p. 8; NWT, not a standard orthodox Bible translation)
Hmmm, isn’t something missing from that verse? Isn’t there a part of that verse that tells you the means by which God provides that peace? Isn’t the conduit of that peace critical to Paul’s writing? “Yes” is the answer to all of those questions. It’s missing the final three words: “in Christ Jesus” or “εν Χριστώ Ιησού.” This is critical to the text, found in both the Textus Receptus and Nestle-Aland 28th edition Greek New Testaments; there’s no excuse for its omission other than the clear bias of the NWT and the Watchtower Society.
Christianity Lite Won’t Save
The JWs seek to be as close as they can to Christianity without actually being Christian. Much like the “lite” version of a smartphone app, JW theology reads like Christianity lite. It gives you a nice dose of feel-good messages from an “almost-bible” without including any power or salvation. To prove this point, the last page of this magazine points to future hope and includes a reference to John 3:16 (Yes, you read that correctly). Yet, this is how it reads:
“God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”
(Ibid., p. 15; NWT, not a standard orthodox Bible translation)
Their comment afterwards?
“You are so dear to God that he willingly gave his Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice on your behalf. This sacrifice gives you the prospect of living a happy and purposeful life forever.”
(Ibid.)
Imagine having knowledge, religion, encouragement, and even possessing a version of Jesus that won’t save. Notice that in JW theology Jesus only gives the prospect of salvation, He doesn’t actually secure it. This is likely due to JW’s emphasis on works for establishing righteousness. It’s like their eyes are blinded to the truth.
In contrast to JW theology however, Jesus established real salvation and secured it for all who believe. When He said, “It is finished” it really was finished. Christians—and I believe this is consistent with true Scripture (rf. Eph. 2:8-9)—work because of God’s forgiveness and redemption; they don’t work for God’s forgiveness and redemption. That may seem like “splitting hairs,” but it’s an important distinction for Christians.
Conclusion
Do I despise this individual, the one who dropped off the magazine? No. I don’t like the manipulative ways in which their organization distorts truth, but I also realize many involved are sincere. They need truth, but they also need a loving witness, relief from the arduous task of trying to earn God’s approval through works, and they need our prayers, sincere ones. Ultimately, they need the real Jesus proclaimed in the historical, orthodox Scriptures. The Watchtower magazine provides an encouraging message of hope, but it’s false hope, it’s a hope that’s devoid of truth, power, and salvation.