Who Are the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious organization based in the U.S that claims to be a Christian church, yet takes exception with a number of core doctrines of the historic Christian faith.

As of 2023, the group reported approximately 8.6 million members. The organization is directed by a group of elders known as the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which establishes all of the organization’s doctrines. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and the establishment of God’s kingdom over earth is the only solution to all of humanity’s problems. The group emerged in the United States from the Bible Student movement founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell, who also co-founded Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881 to organize and print the movement’s publications. A leadership dispute after Russell’s death resulted in several groups breaking away, with Joseph Franklin Rutherford retaining control of the Watch Tower Society and its properties.  Rutherford made significant organizational and doctrinal changes, including adoption of the name Jehovah’s witnesses in 1931 to distinguish the group from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell’s traditions.

JWs do not refer to their places of worship as churches, but rather as a “Kingdom Hall.” They have no paid clergy, for they believe the “model of first-century Christianity” is one in which “all baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work.” Both men and women can be ministers, though within each congregation “spiritually mature men” serve as “older men,” or elders.” About 20 congregations form a circuit, and congregations receive periodic visits from traveling elders known as circuit overseers. JWs are not required to tithe and no collections are taken at their meetings, though donation boxes are available.

If These are Jehovah’s Witnesses, Who is Jehovah?

Jehovah’s Witnesses focus on God the Father, so their name is taken from the Tetragrammaton, written as YHWH in the Bible  The name “Jehovah” does not appear in the original Hebrew text of the Bible. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the name of God is recorded as YHWH. So, where did the name “Jehovah” come from? Ancient Hebrew did not use vowels in its written form. The vowels were pronounced in spoken Hebrew but were not recorded in written Hebrew. The appropriate vowel sounds of words were passed down orally. As a result, when ancient Hebrew is studied, scholars and linguists often do not know with absolute confidence how certain Hebrew words were pronounced.

Despite much study and debate, it is still not universally agreed upon how the Hebrew name for God YHWH was pronounced, if at all by the ancient Hebrews. Many Hebrews even today consider YHWH to be so holy that it should not be pronounced. They consider it so holy that whenthey come across it in Scripture, they will use the term Lord, Adonai, or Ha Shem (the name). Some prefer “Yahweh” (YAH-way); others prefer “Yehowah,” “Yahuweh,” or “Yahawah”; The Jehovah’s Witnesses argue for the name  “Jehovah.”  Yet  the vast majority of Jewish and Christian biblical scholars and linguists do not believe “Jehovah” to be the proper pronunciation of YHWH. There was no true J sound in ancient Hebrew. Even the Hebrew letter vav, which is transliterated as the W in YHWH is said to have originally had a pronunciation closer to W than the V of Jehovah. Jehovah is essentially a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH. It is the letters of the tetragrammaton, Latinized into JHVH, with vowels inserted. “

“Yahweh” or “Yehowah” is far more likely to be the correct pronunciation. The form Jehovah, though incorrect, is very commonly used. It is used in the King James Version of the Bible (Genesis 22:14; Exodus 6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4). It is also used, and strenuously promoted by the Jehovah’s Witnesses who emphasize the use of Jehovah to the extent that any other name or title for God is viewed as borderline idolatry or outright heresy. 

Important points to note:

• The name Jehovah does not appear anywhere in the original language of the Old or New Testament.  Its is a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH.  
• Contrary to what Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain, it is not crucial to the Christian faith for the proper pronunciation of YHWH to be known.
• Both the Old and New Testaments, inspired by God, use generic terms for “God” and “Lord,” including El, Elohim, and Adonai (Hebrew); and Theos and Kurios (Greek). LORD in all capital letters is often used in place of YHWH. 
• If the authors of Scripture, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were allowed to use these terms, it is not wrong for us to refer to Him as “God” or “Lord,” either. 

In conclusion, it is highly unlikely that “Jehovah” is the correct pronunciation of YHWH. Further, it is far more important to know God through faith in Jesus Christ, than it is to know the correct pronunciation of His name in Hebrew. (from Got Questions.com) 

Do the Jehovah’s Witnesses Use the Same Bible as Christians?  No.

Jehovah’s Witnesses use a Bible translation called the New World Translation. Before this translation was released specifically by and for Jehovah’s Witnesses, most relied on the King James Version. According to TowerWatch.com: “The New World Translation” of the Bible is Jehovah’s Witnesses’ own translation, no other religious group uses this Bible and Jehovah’s Witnesses make very little use of other translations of the Bible. The translators of The New World Translation were: Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas, Fred Franz, and M. Henschel.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the New World Translation (NWT) is the “work of competent scholars.” Conversely, they contend that other Bible translations are corrupted by religious traditions that are rooted in paganism. In reality, the NWT is the work of a Bible Translation Committee with no working knowledge of biblical languages. Their bias is so blatant that Dr. Bruce Metzger, professor of New Testament at Princeton, not only characterized the NWT as a “frightful mistranslation” but as “erroneous,” “pernicious,” and “reprehensible.” Why can we make this statement?

• First, the NWT mistranslates the Greek Scriptures in order to expunge the deity of Jesus Christ. Against all credible scholarship, In the NWT translation, Jesus, the eternal Word of God, is downgraded from God to “a” god in John 1. Since the release of the NT translation in 1950, this version has been criticized for changing the meaning and words of the text to fit JW doctrine.
  • A prime example is John 1:1. Both the ESV and NIV translate that verse as, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
  • The NWT version mistranslates the passage as “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” The addition of the indefinite article “a” is added to avoid the conclusion that Jesus is God. This is clearly changing the written Word of God to fit the organization’s doctrine – that Jesus is not the eternal Word God “made flesh” (John 1:14). Referring to this verse, Bruce M. Metzger wrote in 1953, “It must be stated quite frankly that, if the Jehovah’s Witnesses take this translation seriously, they are polytheists.”
• Jesus is demoted from the Creator of all things to a mere creature who created all other things in Colossians 1. According to the translation committee of the Watchtower Society, as noted above, Jesus was created by God as the archangel Michael, during his earthly sojourn was merely human, and after his crucifixion was recreated an immaterial spirit creature.
  
  
• The NWT has also sought to conform the Bible to their religious traditions by replacing the cross of Christ with a torture stake. Matthew 10:38, for example, has been altered to read, “And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me.” In Watchtower lore, the cross is a pagan symbol adopted by an apostate Christianity when Satan took control of the early church. Jehovah’s Witnesses view wearing a cross as a blatant act of idolatry. Conversely, Christians wear crosses as a reminder of what was at once the most brutal and beautiful act in redemptive history.
  
  
• Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Christian Scriptures have “been tampered with” in order to eliminate the name Jehovah from the text. In reality, it is the Translation Committee of the NWT that can rightly be accused of tampering. In well over two hundred cases the name Jehovah has been gratuitously inserted into the New Testament text. In passages such as Romans 10:13 this is done to obscure the unique deity of Christ. In other passages, it is done under the pretext that referring to God as Lord rather than Jehovah is patently pagan. Ironically, in The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, Watchtower translators themselves fall into this “pagan” practice by translating the Greek word kurios as “Lord” even in cases where it specifically refers to the Father.

For these and a host of other reasons, Greek scholars across the board denounce the NWT. Dr. Julius Mantey, author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, called the NWT a “shocking mistranslation,” and Dr. William Barclay characterized the translators themselves as “intellectually dishonest.” (from the Christian Resea4rch Institute) 

What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?

That The True Christian Faith Died with the Apostles, and Now THEY are the Only True faith

Like Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Christianity died with the last of the apostles. They believe Christianity was not resurrected until their founder, Charles Taze Russell, began organizing the Watchtower Society in the 1870s. In their view the cross is a pagan symbol adopted by an apostate church and salvation is impossible apart from the Watchtower. While the Witnesses on your doorstep consider themselves to be the only authentic expression of Christianity, the Society they serve compromises, confuses, or contradicts essential Christian doctrine.

While it is true that the Christian Church splintered into denominations, the core of what Christians believe today is exactly the same as it was 2,000 years ago.  Foundation beliefs of the first Christians (see the Nicene Creed quoted below) were and still are today:

Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the use God’s name “Jehovah” vital for proper worship

As we discussed earlier in this article, the name Jehovah does not appear anywhere in the original language of the Old or New Testament.  Its is a Germanic pronunciation of the Latinized transliteration of the Hebrew YHWH.  Contrary to what Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain, it is not crucial to the Christian faith for the proper pronunciation of YHWH to be known. Both the Old and New Testaments, inspired by God, use generic terms for “God” and “Lord,” including El, Elohim, and Adonai (Hebrew); and Theos and Kurios (Greek). LORD in all capital letters is often used in place of YHWH. 

If the authors of Scripture, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, were allowed to use these terms, it is not wrong for believers while worshipping or praying to refer to Him as “God” or “Lord,” either. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses Reject the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity, or Triune Nature of God

Jehovah‘s Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. It is one of the major ways in which Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from various Christian denominations.  They hold a unique theological position that rejects the traditional Christian understanding of the Trinity as the belief in one God in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. Instead, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in a unitarian view of God, where God is considered a single divine entity and not a triune being.

Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to the fact that the Bible never explicitly mentions the term “trinity.” They claim this “doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies.” According to Jehovah’s Witness theology:

• God the Father: They believe in one God, Jehovah (whose name is also, never mentioned in the Bible), who is the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the universe.
• Jesus Christ: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ is a separate and distinct created being, not co-equal or co-eternal with God. They view Jesus as the first and highest creation of Jehovah and consider him the Son of God.
• Holy Spirit: They believe that the Holy Spirit is not a person but is God’s active force or power that He uses to accomplish His purposes.

Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) believe Jesus lived in heaven before coming to earth and, after his death and resurrection, he returned to heaven (was not bodily resurrected). They also believe Jesus “gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice” and that through his death and resurrection “make it possible for those exercising faith in him to gain everlasting life.” They assert  that the Holy Spirit is an “active force” and not a person.

What Has Christianity Maintained from its Inception
– That God is a Complex Unity:  One God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The first Christians believed, and the Bible and early church writings, affirmed that God is a Complex Unity – One God, who is manifested in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  While it is true that the term “trinity” is not found in the Bible, the teaching that God is Father, Son and Spirit – a Tri-Unity – is all throughout the Bible, starting with Genesis 1:1, and proceeding through Revelation.  For more on the Scriptural support for the Trinity of Triune nature of God, please visit our article on God”s Complex Unity. The early church fathers also proclaimed, wrote and taught this:

“… But the Son of God is His Word in idea and in actuality; for by Him and through Him all things were made,
the Father and Son being one.  And since the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son 
by the unity and power of the Spirit, the Son of God is the mind and Word of the Father.” (Athenagoras, 177 CE.

There were several “creeds” that developed within the Christian church in the first few centuries, primarily as a response to the growing number of divisive attacks on the early Christian church.  These creeds were a summary of the essence of the “Christian faith”, and what it means to be “a Christian”.  One of the earliest of these “creeds” was the Nicene Creed, agreed to at the council of Nicea, in 325 A.D.  A later version of these was the Anathasian Creed, dated 500 A.D.  These creedsspelled out clearly what one had to believe to call themselves a “Christian”. Although there are many “denominations” of Christians – Catholic, and Protestant sects – all will agree on these basic core tenets of the Christian faith…

The Nicene Creed:

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.  

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man .For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. 
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. 
He has spoken through the Prophets.  We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.”

Jehovah’s Witness Reject the Deity of Jesus Christ

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is not equal to God. They teach that Jesus was created by God and not coexistent with Him. This, of course, is a major diversion from orthodox Christianity. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ is a created being and is not co-eternal or co-equal with God the Father. They consider Jesus to be the first and highest creation of Jehovah God. They do not believe in the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches the deity and co-equality of Jesus with God. They acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, but they emphasize his subordinate role to God the Father. They do not accept the fact that Jesus played a subservient role to God the Father when living on earth during His ministry, and as such He would say “The Father is greater that I” (John 14:28). Thus, they do not believe that Jesus is part of a triune Godhead, but rather a separate and distinct individual created by God.

Christianity has always maintained from the beginning that Jesus is “fully God and full man”.  While Jesus never directly says, “I am God” in the Scriptures, He makes it very clear to those around Him, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, that He is God. John 10:30 says, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus was claiming deity, and, interestingly enough, He did not deny that He was God. Another example is John 20:28, when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” Again, Jesus does not correct Him by saying that He is not God. There are many other examples one can find in the Scriptures regarding Jesus’ rightful place in heaven.

Christians believe Jesus Christ was and is the eternal Son of God, and that He has always existed as the Second Person of the Godhead.  Here is what the Bible has to say:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….
and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us..” (John 1-14).

Jehovah’s Witnesses do NOT believe in the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, but they do not believe in the bodily resurrection. Instead, they teach that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature and that his physical body was disposed of by God.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in history, providing irrefutable evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be – the Son of God. The resurrection was not only the supreme validation of His deity; it also validated the Scriptures, which foretold His coming and resurrection. Moreover, it authenticated Christ’s claims that He would be raised on the third day (John 2:19-21; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Christ’s body was not resurrected, we have no hope that ours will be (1 Corinthians 15:13, 16). In fact, apart from Christ’s bodily resurrection, we have no Savior, no salvation, and no hope of eternal life. As the apostle Paul said, our faith would be “useless” and the life-giving power of the gospel would be altogether eliminated.

Why, some ask, is it important that Christ’s body was resurrected? Couldn’t His resurrection have just been spiritual? Why and how does the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantee the bodily resurrection of believers? Will our resurrected bodies be the same as our earthly bodies? If not, what will they be like? The answers to these questions are found in the fifteenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, a church that he established several years earlier during his second missionary journey.

In the early church there was rampant misunderstanding of some key Christian doctrines, including the resurrection. Although many of the Corinthians accepted that Christ has been resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:1, 11), they had difficulty believing others could or would be resurrected. The continuing influence of Gnostic philosophy, which held that everything spiritual was good whereas everything physical, such as our bodies, was intrinsically evil, was essentially responsible for their confusion regarding their own resurrection. The idea of a detestable corpse being eternally resurrected was, therefore, strongly opposed by some and certainly by the Greek philosophers of the day (Acts 17:32).

The Christians of the early church understood that Christ’s resurrection was bodily and not spiritual. After all, resurrection means “a rising from the dead”; something comes back to life.

• They understood that all souls were immortal and at death immediately went to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Thus, a “spiritual” resurrection would make no sense, as the spirit doesn’t die and therefore cannot be resurrected.
• Additionally, they were aware that the Scriptures, as well as Christ Himself, stated that His body would rise again on the third day. Scripture also made it clear that Christ’s body would see no decay (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27), a charge that would make no sense if His body was not resurrected.
• Lastly, Christ emphatically told His disciples it was His body that was resurrected: “A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). (from Got Questions.org) 

They Believe the Second Coming of Jesus Has Already Happened

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the second coming of Jesus, but in a way very different from what they Bible teaches and most Christians believe: namely that Jesus Christ returned invisibly in 1914 and is currently ruling as king in heaven, directing the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses on earth.

Mainstream Christianity does NOT teach that the Second Coming of Jesus has already happened. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a End Times event that is well supported by Scripture, and has been the consensus of the church throughout history. The Lord’s first coming was 2,000 some years ago, when be came into the world as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world. He will be the “Lion of the tribe Judah” at His second coming, to crush the head of the serpent (the evil one), deliver those who are oppressed, and bring judgement to the wicked.

This did not happen in 1914. And we are not in the Kingdom Age, despite what JWs maintain. The second coming which Scripture refers to is His coming again “As the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” at the end of time to put an end to the evil that has consumed the earth, and to reclaim it and establish His Kingdom on the earth for ever and ever. Zechariah 14 talks about a “day of the Lord”, when all the nations are gathered to fight against Jerusalem.  It has becoming a “stone of stumbling” to the nations, and they are determined to wipe Israel and Jerusalem off the map (sound familiar?).

At that time, the Lord Jesus will return, His feet touching down on the Mount of Olives, and He second coming will truly be as the Lion to bring judgement, and not as the Lamb to be slain. He will bring relief to those believers who remain and are under severe persecution, and He will bring judgement upon the wicked who have killed the saints and wrecked havoc upon the earth.  He will bring judgment, and usher in His Kingdom upon a reclaimed earth. 

Other Beliefs Unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses

JWs have a number of beliefs that are peculiar to their sect:

• While they accept medical treatments and do not practice faith healing, they don’t accept blood transfusions because they believe the “Bible commands that we not ingest blood.” 
• They do not believe in going to war or getting involved in political matters, 
• They do not consider the cross to be a symbol of Christianity, because they claim “the Bible indicates that Jesus did not die on a cross but rather on a simple stake.” (The Gospel Coalition). 

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not Believe in observing Holidays Such as Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or other holidays

I don’t believe this is a major point, but you should be aware that JWs do not celebrate either Christmas or Easter, because they believe the Bible teaches that it’s Jesus death—not his birth or resurrection—that should be celebrated. They also believe that Christmas and Easter are not approved by God because they are rooted in pagan customs and rites. They also do not celebrate birthdays because they believe “such celebrations displease God.” (The Gospel Coalition). 

They Believe in ONLY their own Bible translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

Jehovah’s Witnesses use a Bible translation called the New World Translation. Before this translation was released specifically by and for Jehovah’s Witnesses, most relied on the King James Version. According to TowerWatch.com: “The New World Translation of the Bible is Jehovah’s Witnesses’ own translation. No other religious group uses this Bible and Jehovah’s Witnesses make very little use of other translations of the Bible. The translators of The New World Translation were: Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas, Fred Franz, and M. Henschel.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the New World Translation (NWT) is the “work of competent scholars.” Conversely, they contend that other Bible translations are corrupted by religious traditions that are rooted in paganism. In reality, the NWT is the work of a Bible Translation Committee with no working knowledge of biblical languages. Their bias is so blatant that Dr. Bruce Metzger, professor of New Testament at Princeton, not only characterized the NWT as a “frightful mistranslation” but as “erroneous,” “pernicious,” and “reprehensible.” (more on this earlier in this article).

A Summary of Key Differences with Christianity

Jehovah’s Witnesses commonly call their body of beliefs “The Truth” and consider themselves to be “in the Truth”. They:

• Do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is “fully God and fully man”  ie., God manifested in the flesh
• Do not believe in the bodily resurrections of Jesus Christ from the dead.
• Do not believe that God is a Triunity, or complex unity, that is One God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as other Christians do
• Believe other faiths have become corrupted, and that they are they only truth faith today
• Only use their own translation of the Bible, The New World Translation, which has been rejected as not faithful to the original Biblical Hebrew and Greek  text
• Call themselves Christians, but do not subscribe to the historical core beliefs of Christianity

Jehovah’s Witnesses Say They Are Christians

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim they are Christian for the following reasons:

•  We try to follow closely the teachings and behavior of Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 2:21.
•  We believe that Jesus is the key to salvation, that “there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.”—Acts 4:12.
•  When people become Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are baptized in the name of Jesus.—Matthew 28:18, 19.
•  We offer our prayers in Jesus’ name.—John 15:16.
•  We believe that Jesus is the Head, or the one appointed to have authority, over every man.—1 Corinthians 11:3.

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,..” (JW.org

But Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Really Qualify as “Christians”?

Key Truths to Believe to be called a Christian

The Bible itself reveals what is important and essential to the Christian faith. These essentials are the deity of Christ, salvation by God’s grace and not by works, salvation through Jesus Christ alone, the resurrection of Christ, the Gospel, monotheism and the Holy Trinity. These are the main “essentials” that we should understand and believe if we are followers of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at all of these in a little more detail.

Believe in the Deity of Christ.

Christians believe, quite simply, Jesus is God “come in the flesh (John 1:14), that Gos Himself had come into the worl to become and live as one of us (“Emmanuel”).. While Jesus never directly says, “I am God” in the Scriptures, He makes it very clear to those around Him, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, that He is God. John 10:30 says, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus was claiming deity, and, interestingly enough, He did not deny that He was God. Another example is John 20:28, when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” Again, Jesus does not correct Him by saying that He is not God. There are many other examples one can find in the Scriptures regarding Jesus’ rightful place in heaven.

Do JW’s believe this? NO. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Jesus is God manifested in the Flesh. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is not equal to God. They teach that Jesus was created by God and not coexistent with Him. This, of course, is a major diversion from orthodox Christianity.

Believe that Salvation from sin is by Grace alone. 

Christians believe we are all sinners separated from God from birth, due to the fall of mankind and original sin passed on to all.  as a result, we have been separated from God, stained by a “sin nature”. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for the sins of mankind, giving us access to heaven and an eternal relationship with God. God did not have to do this for us, but He loves us so much that He sacrificed His only Son. This is grace, and it is most definitely undeserved favor. Scripture tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor or gain access to heaven apart from His grace.

Salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

 A truly provocative question to ask someone might be “Do all roads lead to God?” The truth is that all roads do lead to God. Eventually, we are all going to stand before God when we die, no matter what faith we are. It is there that we will be judged for what we have or have not done while we were alive and whether Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. For the majority of people, this will be a terrible occasion, as most will not know Him or be known by Him. For these people, eternal separation from God will be the final destination.

But God in His mercy has provided all of us the only means for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 tells us that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” This passage speaks of the name of Jesus and His saving power. Another example is found in the book of John. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No one gets into heaven except by faith in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ on his or her behalf.

The Resurrection of Christ from the dead

Perhaps no other event in the Bible, aside from Jesus’ appearance here on earth and subsequent death on the cross, is as significant to the Christian faith as that of the resurrection. Why is this event significant? The answer lies in the fact that Jesus died and then after three days came back to life and rose again to reappear to His followers in bodily form. Jesus had already demonstrated His ability to resurrect others such as His friend Lazarus. But now God the Father had resurrected Him to display His awesome power and glory. This amazing fact is what separates the Christian faith from all others. All other religions are based on works or a powerless deity or person. The leaders of all other religions die and remain dead. The Christian faith is based on Christ crucified and resurrected to life. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Lastly, to deny Christ’s bodily resurrection (John 2:19-21) is to deny that Jesus’ work here on earth was a satisfactory offering to God for the sins of mankind.

Do JW’s believe this? NO.  Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, but they do not believe in the bodily resurrection. Instead, they teach that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit creature and that his physical body was disposed of by God. 

Believe in Only One God. 

Quite simply, there is only one God. Exodus 20:3 states very powerfully, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God to be worshiped and served. “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me’” (Isaiah 43:10). Here we see that we are to “believe” and “understand” that God lives and is one. A Christian will know that there is only one God, the God of the Bible.

All other “gods” are false and are no gods at all. “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

• Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Israel:  the LORD our God, the LORD is One!“
• Isa 43:10 “…that you may know, and believe Me, and understand that I am He.  Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me.”

Do JW’s believe this?  Yes, and No.  They believe in one God, but not the God of the Bible.  The God of the Bible is not an “absolute unity, but a compound unity.  One God in three persons – Father, Son and Spirit.  This is what the Bible teaches, and what the church has always affirmed from the very beginning.

Believe that God is Tri-Unity – One God in Three Persons – Father, Son and Spirit. 

While the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible, the triune nature of God is described frequently throughout Scripture. If we look at Matthew 28:19, we see the verse calling out the Trinity: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” While this verse mentions all three Persons of the triune God, it does not call them the Trinity. So to understand the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, we must look at the “totality” of Scripture and glean from it the definition. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, we see how this comes together: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” Again, we see all three Persons being represented but not titled the Holy Trinity.

Other verses through the Bible demonstrate that the one true God is Father, Son and Spirit:

• Colossians 2:8-9: “Christ, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.” Here Scripture is making it very plain that in Jesus all the fullness of God was dwelling in bodily form.  
• The Holy Spirit is referred to as a “person” in a number of cases through the Bible:
• Galatians 4:6:  “God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out “Abba, Father!”. In this Scripture the Bible is making it clear that the Spirit is that of Jesus (ie., the both are one), and that Father God is sending the Spirit of His Son.  All three persons on the triune Godhead are referenced here. 
• Acts 5:3-4 “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your hear to lie to the Holy Spirit…?  ..You have not lied to me but to God.”  Here the Spirit is spoken of as a person that has been lied to.  One does not “lie” to a “force”. 
• Matt 28:19  Jesus told his followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Notice it is in the “name” singular, not plural, but it referring to three persons in that one “name” – Father, Son Holy Spirit. That is the “name” into which we are we are to baptize new believers.  Jehovah’s Witness do not baptize people in this manner – they baptize in the name of Jesus only. 
• For more evidence that Scripture teaches about the triune nature of our God, please see our article on the Holy Trinity. This was also most certainly the belief held by the early church, and the same belief that is encapsulated in the Nicene Creed, the Anathasian Creed, and the Apostles Creed.  

Do JW’s believe this? NO. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. It is one of the major ways in which Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from various Christian denominations.  They hold a unique theological position that rejects the traditional Christian understanding of the Trinity as the belief in one God in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. Instead, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in a unitarian view of God, where God is considered a single divine entity and not a triune being. For more on God’s complex unity as documented in Scripture, please see our article on The Holy Trinity in Scripture. 

Finally, the essentials of Christianity would not be complete without the ingredient that binds everything together—faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). As Christians we live by this verse with the understanding that we believe in a God we cannot see. But we see His work in our lives and all around us in His creation. We do all of this through faith because we know that faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
… from Got Questions.com 

Powerful Story of a Jehovah’s Witness Who Encountered Jesus

What Matters: Believing the Truth, and Knowing Jesus

Do you really know Jesus? I mean, not know “about Him”, but really know Him?  Jesus said in Matt 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’…“

If you do know Jesus, then you have everything to look forward to – in this life, and in the life to come.  Peace with God, joy in your daily life, fulfillment of God’s purpose while here on earth, and life eternal.  You were made for a purpose, and your daily walk with Jesus will help you come to realize His purpose in your life and fulfill it. Its not about how many doors you knock on.  Or how many people your hand out booklets to.

Good works – like sharing the “good news” about Jesus and your personal testimony –  are a natural result of your faith – they come naturally. What’s really important is that you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, for only He is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life”. If you don’t KNOW Jesus in your heart, Give Him a chance! Jesus in recorded as saying in the final book of the Bible:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

Don’t put it off.  Allow Him to come into your life and make you “a new creation”!  You have nothing to loose everything to gain.  Here is a link to Billy Graham’s web site that can show you how you can invite Jesus into your life and be the creation He has always intended you to be:

Yes, I want to really know Jesus. Take Me to Steps to Peace With God ==> http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

Sources:

The Gospel Coalition – Joe Carter – “9 Things You Should Know About Jehovah’s Witnesses – https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-jehovahs-witnesses/

Christianity.com  fs.11 Things to Know About Jehovah’s Witnesses and Their Beliefs: –https://www.christianity.com/church/denominations/10-things-everyone-should-know-about-jehovah-s-witnesses-and-their-beliefs.html

Got Guestions.com – “Is Jehovah the The Name of God? – https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah.html

Christian Research Institute – “Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?” – https://www.equip.org/articles/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christian-3/

Got Questions: “Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and What do they Believe?“ https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovahs-Witnesses.html

Got Questions: “Why is the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus So Important?” – https://www.gotquestions.org/bodily-resurrection-Jesus.html