Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?

Jehovah’s Witnesses say they are Christians. They follow Jesus, baptize in his name, and pray in his name, and they say he is the Son of God and not Almighty God. The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God, of one being with the Father. Using the name Christian does not make the two confessions the same.

Key points

• Their FAQ answers “Yes.” They try to follow Jesus, they say there is no other name by which people must be saved, they baptize in his name, they pray in his name, and they say he is Head over every man.
• The same FAQ says they differ from other groups called Christian: Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity. They deny an immortal soul, everlasting torment, and religious titles that elevate leaders.
• Their beliefs page says they have learned that Jesus is not Almighty God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), renders John 1:1 “the Word was a god.” The King James, and the Greek, say the Word was God.
• They do believe in Jesus, as Savior, ransom, and Son. They do not believe he is God. John 1 and the Word The Deity of Christ
• Acts 11:26CloseAnd when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.Acts 11:26 · King James VersionOpen source says the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. The name was given to people who confessed the Jesus the apostles preached, whom Thomas calls Lord and God. John 20:28CloseAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source

Why they say they are Christians

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians? opens with yes. They try to follow the teachings and behavior of Jesus. They believe Jesus is the key to salvation and quote Acts 4:12, that there is not another name under heaven by which people must be saved. They are baptized in the name of Jesus. They pray in Jesus’ name. They say Jesus is the Head over every man.

Acts 4:12CloseNeither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.Acts 4:12 · King James VersionOpen source does say there is no other name. Christians agree with that sentence. The question is who that Jesus is. Their next paragraph states the difference:

However, in a number of ways, we are different from other religious groups that are called Christian. For example, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, not part of a Trinity. ( Mark 12:29 ) We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?

Mark 12:29CloseAnd Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:Mark 12:29 · King James VersionOpen source quotes the Shema: the Lord our God is one Lord. Jesus is reciting Israel’s confession. The verse does not say the Son is excluded from that one God. The Trinity is the confession that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

They are right that Christians have disagreed with them about the soul, about hell, and about clergy titles. Those differences are real. They are not the difference that decides whether the confession is the Nicene one. The deciding sentence is the one about the Trinity.

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus?

Yes. They believe he is the Christ, the Savior, the ransom, and the Son of God. Their beliefs page says they honor him as Savior and Son of God, and then says he is not Almighty God and that the Trinity has no Scriptural basis. They cite John 14:28CloseYe have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.John 14:28 · King James VersionOpen source, where Jesus says, “my Father is greater than I.” Christians read that line as the Son speaking as man, sent by the Father, not as a denial that the Word was God.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), changes the last clause of John 1:1. New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.John 1:1 · New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)Open source says the Word was “a god.” John 1:1CloseIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (King James Version):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1 · King James Version

“A god” and “God” are the difference. John 1 and the Word sets the Greek beside both translations. The other pages on who they say Jesus is: Is Jesus the Creator or a Creature? Is Jesus Michael the Archangel? Should Jesus Be Worshipped? What Does Firstborn of All Creation Mean? Who Is the Alpha and the Omega? Was Jesus Raised Bodily? Is the Holy Spirit a Person? Does the Trinity Depend on 1 John 5:7?

John 20:28CloseAnd Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.John 20:28 · King James VersionOpen source records Thomas saying to the risen Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” That is the Christian answer to the question whether they believe in Jesus. They believe in him as a Son who is not God. Christians believe in him as Lord and God.

How the hope of heaven differs

Their FAQ denies that the soul is immortal and that God tortures people in an everlasting hell. Their beliefs page says the dead pass out of existence, that 144,000 are raised to heaven, and that other obedient people live forever on earth. What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? quotes their sentences and the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible, the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Revelation 5:10, “rule as kings over the earth,” beside the King James, “we shall reign on the earth.”

What Is Armageddon? is the war they say destroys the wicked, and the date 1914. Matthew 24:34CloseVerily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.Matthew 24:34 · King James VersionOpen source, “This generation shall not pass,” is a verse they have explained in more than one way. The successive wordings are in How Have Watchtower Teachings Changed?

What Christians confess

Christians confess that Jesus is truly God and truly human, that he was crucified and raised, and that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity The Deity of Christ Is Jesus God? The Resurrection of Jesus

Matthew 28:19CloseGo ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Matthew 28:19 · King James VersionOpen source sends the church to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Their FAQ says they are baptized in the name of Jesus. Both sentences are on the record. The baptismal name in Matthew 28:19 is the three.

The organization, the 1931 name, and Russell’s role are in Who Founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses? Russell wrote in 1888 that the name Christian was enough. The teaching that Jesus is not Almighty God is the point at which that name no longer names the same confession.

Frequently asked questions

Do we sleep after death or go to heaven?

They teach that death is passing out of existence, that 144,000 go to heaven, and that the great crowd’s hope is earthly life. The Christian hope is resurrection, and the confession that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. John 11:25CloseJesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:John 11:25 · King James VersionOpen source Was Jesus Raised Bodily?

What generation will not pass away?

Matthew 24:34CloseVerily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.Matthew 24:34 · King James VersionOpen source. Their published explanations of who that generation is have changed. The quotations are on How Have Watchtower Teachings Changed?

How did the religion start, and what are the rules?

Who Founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses? Blood transfusions, birthdays, Christmas, and the Memorial are in Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Take Blood? and Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas? Marriage, on their beliefs page, is one man and one woman. What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?

What can’t they eat?

The practice they publish as a command is the refusal of blood transfusions, from Acts 15. The page for that teaching is Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Take Blood? This page does not invent a longer food list.