Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

The Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious organization which had its beginning in the early twentieth century. It was founded by Charles Taze Russell in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Through the years, this religious group has been characterized by a missionary zeal which is commendable. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach several major false doctrines; hence, in their missionary work, they confuse people who have little or no Bible knowledge. Most of us have been confronted by the Witnesses on one or more occasions; we need to know their doctrines and how to refute them.

Cardinal Tenets of the Witnesses

There are several key doctrines which the Witnesses hold. If anyone does not agree with these doctrines, the Witnesses believe him to be in a false church. Here are several of their major tenets:

1. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Jesus Christ. The Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). The apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1: 11). In commenting on this verse, the Witnesses state that “the Word was a powerful godlike one” (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 24), but deny that He was God. They teach that Jesus is a created being, not having the same deity as God the Father.

A number of Bible verses show the deity of Jesus. The child to be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) was to be called, “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Thomas confessed Jesus saying, “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28). Paul said that in Jesus “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). He stated that Jesus existed on an equality with God prior to coming to this earth (Phil. 2:5-9). Jesus was “God manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:15; Jn. 1:1,14).

One of the reasons for concluding that the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a false religion is that they deny that Jesus is God. By making Him a lesser God, they teach a polytheistic concept of deity (a pantheon of gods with some having greater power than others).

2. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of the Holy Spirit. The personality of the Holy Spirit is denied by the Witnesses. They describe Him as “God’s active force” (see Let God Be True, p. 108; The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, p. 24). Hence, they deny that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constitute the Godhead by teaching that neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit is God. With reference to Jesus, they affirm that He was a created being; with reference to the Holy Spirit, they assert that He is merely “God’s active force,” denying that He is a separate personality from the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit has personality. He speaks (1 Tim. 4: 1), witnesses (Jn. 15:26), teaches (Jn. 14:26), and guides.(Jn. 16:12-13). He has mind (Rom. 8:27), knowledge (1 Cor. 2: 11), affection (Rom. 15:30), and will (1 Cor. 12: 11). He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30), despised (Heb. 10:29), blasphemed (Matt. 12:31-32), resisted (Acts 7:5 1), and lied to (Acts 5:3). He has all of the attributes of personality; He is not an impersonal, active force.

He has the attributes of deity, including eternity (Heb. 9:14), omniscience (1 Cor. 2: 10-11), omnipotence (Mic. 3:8), and omnipresence (Psa. 139:7-10). He is called God in Acts 5:3. By denying the deity of the Holy Spirit, the Witnesses teach a false doctrine about God. By denying the deity of both the Son and the Holy Spirit, they are fundamentally wrong in their concept of God, just like the pagans are.

3. The Witnesses deny that man has an immortal soul. They believe that when a person dies, no part of him continues to live. They believe that the dead are not conscious (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, p. 41). However, the Bible teaches that man has a soul which survives the death of his body (cf. Matt. 10:28; Acts 127; Rev. 6:9; 20:4; Jas. 5:20).

Jesus taught the lesson of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-3 1). In that lesson, the soul survived the death of the body. Some souls were rewarded with heavenly bliss and others were punished with everlasting destruction in torment after the death of the body. Hence, the soul survived the death of the body.

The Scriptures reveal that a person can be “absent from the body but at home with God” (2 Cor. 4:16-5: 10). Paul actually desired to die in order that he might be at home with Christ (Phil. 1:21-24). Jesus described Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “living,” in spite of the fact that their bodies had been dead for centuries (Matt. 22:32). Peter said (1 Pet. 3:4) that man has an incorruptible (Greek: aptharto) spirit; the word used there is translated “immortal” in 1 Timothy 1:17 when applied to God. The Witnesses deny that man has an immortal spirit.

4. The Witnesses deny the existence of Hell (cf. The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 41,44). Jesus spoke about Hell more than any other person in the Bible. He used it in Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; Mark 9:43,45,47; and Luke 12:5. The place of eternal torment of which Jesus spoke is described as follows: (a) a place of outer darkness (Matt. 8:12; 22:13); (b) a place of pain (Rom. 2:5, 8-9); (c) a place of fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8); (d) a fate worse than death without mercy (Heb. 10:29); and (e) a place of torment (Rev. 14:11).

There is a place of eternal torment prepared for those who disobey God. Wicked men are not annihilated at death; rather, they will be raised from the dead (Jn. 5:28-29) and judged (Matt. 25:31-36). The wicked will be placed in hell to be punished forever and ever. By denying the existence of hell, the Witnesses find themselves in conflict with the word of God.

Other False Doctrines

1. The plan of salvation. When Witnesses come to the door, they generally have a set lesson which they plan to present. If they get off that set lesson, generally they are not as skilled in their presentation. Witnesses do not know how to deal with the subject of salvation. They generally flounder and flutter around trying to get back to some of their more familiar (to them) topics. One of the more effective ways to study with Witnesses is to discuss “What must I do to be saved?”

Like many other denominations do, the Witnesses deny that water baptism has anything to do with salvation. Here is what they teach:

What, then does Christian baptism signify? It is not a washing away of one’s sins, because cleansing from sin comes only through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7). Rather, it is a public demonstration, testifying that one has made a solemn dedication to Jehovah God and is presenting himself to do His will (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 183-184).

The Bible teaches that baptism in water is a condition for receiving remission of sins (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21).

2. The organization of the church. The Lord revealed the organization of the church. The church in the Bible which was fully organized had elders and deacons (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3). Each church was fully autonomous; there was no ecclesiastical organization which tied all of the local churches together, legislating over the churches or overseeing brotherhood works.

The Jehovah’s Witness organization is under the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This is an organization over each local “Kingdom Hall.” It has power over the churches, dictating policy and work. Where could we read about this organization in the Scriptures? What are its offices? What are the qualifications for those who hold those offices? What are its powers? This organization is totally unknown to the word of God and is unauthorized. It is an addition to God’s revealed pattern for the church and, therefore, stands condemned (Rev. 22:18-19; 2 Jn. 9-11; Gal. 1:6-9).

Under the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, there are regional servants, zone servants or district superintendents (see Frank S. Mead, Handbook of Denominations In The United States, pp. 100-101). What are the qualifications and job descriptions of the regional servants, zone servants or district superintendents? Where could we read of them in the Bible? These are offices as totally unknown to the Scriptures as are the offices of pope and cardinal.

3. The establishment of the kingdom of God. Witnesses teach that the kingdom of God was not established on earth until 1914 (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, pp. 87, 99). Jesus said that the kingdom of God would be established within the lifetime of those who heard Him speak (Mk. 9: 1). Jesus was not in error when He promised to establish His kingdom within a short period of time (cf. Mk. 1:14, 15). The kingdom and the church are the same (Matt. 16:18-19). Those in the church were citizens in the kingdom of God (Col. 1: 13-14; Eph. 2:19). Those who were “born again” were born again in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:3,5).

The kingdom of God was established on the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The kingdom was to come with power (Mk. 9:1). The power was to come when the Holy Spirit came (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14). On this day, the kingdom or church (Matt. 16:18-19) was established (Acts 2:47).

By teaching that the kingdom of God was not established until 1914, the Witnesses make a number of errors. (a) They make Jesus mistaken when He promised to establish His kingdom within the lifetime of those to whom He spoke (Mk. 1: 14,15; 9:1). He was either willfully or honestly mistaken; one destroys His character and the other His deity. (b) They make the prophecy of Daniel 2 in error. Daniel stated that the kingdom of God would be established during the days of the fourth kingdom (Dan. 2:44). The fourth kingdom from Daniel was the Roman kingdom. If the kingdom was not established during the days of the Roman kings, Daniel was mistaken in his prophecy. (c) They make the new birth useless prior to 1914. Men were born again in order to enter the kingdom (Jn. 3:3-5). If the kingdom did not come into existence prior to 1914, there was no need for men to be born again prior to that time. Many other errors could be mentioned at this point. However, these suffice to show that the doctrine which states that the kingdom was not established prior to 1914 is wrong.

4. The Lord’s supper is not observed properly by the Witnesses. The New Testament church observed the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7). Every member of the local church joined in the observance of the death of Jesus.

The Witnesses divide their members into two groups the 144,000 and the “Great Crowd.” The 144,000 expect to be with God in heaven; the great crowd expects to enjoy paradise on earth. The Lord’s supper is to be partaken of only by the 144,000. Hence, in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Lord’s supper is observed yearly by those who expect to be a part of the 144,000 and live with God in heaven. Consequently, the practice of most Kingdom Halls is to serve the Lord’s supper with few, if any, partaking of it. If one should partake of it, he openly attests to other Witnesses that he is one of the 144,000, something which no humble person would do. Consequently, the Lord’s supper is distorted and perverted by the Jehovah’s Witness organization.

False Prophets

In addition to teaching a number of false doctrines, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious group which has made numerous predictions which have not come to pass. These predictions of the end of the world have been used as evangelistic tools to motivate their members to greater zeal in propagating Jehovah’s Witness’ tenets and to motivate non-members to join them in order to have the hope of resurrection from the dead to enjoy earthly paradise. Here are some of them:

1925 – Rutherford predicted that ” 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction He said, “millions now living shall never die” (Millions Now Living Shall Never Die, p. 97).

1929 – This was the year that the Witnesses built Beth Sarim, a house for the Old Testament worthies who were supposed to be resurrected in a very short time.

1941 – The book Children was written to recommend that Witnesses put off marriage until after Armageddon, which was soon to come.

1975 – The Witnesses predicted that Armageddon was to come that year.

Other prophecies which were equally as wrong as these could be cited. However, the Scriptures warn, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22).

Conclusion

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a false religious organization which was founded by the man Charles Taze Russell. They teach a number of false doctrines and make false predictions. They spread their errors house-to-house, being unwilling to defend their doctrines in public discussion. They spread confusion, unsettling the weak and unlearned.

The Witnesses are false teachers. Their doctrines are pernicious. Jesus warned, ” . . . if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matt. 15:13-14). Beware of these false spiritual leaders!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, pp. 2, 23-24
January 3, 1985

By Stanley Paher

(Editor’s Note: Brother Hafley submitted the following letter from brother Stanley Paher for publication in, Guardian of Truth. I contacted brother Paher and asked for his rebuttal to brother Hafley and gave brother Hafley a similar concluding statement. This exchange on forgiveness is presented with the hope that it will contribute to subject.)

Dear brother Hafley,

I do not subscribe to that august magazine Guardian of Truth, and so your 7 June article on the “Yo- Yo Syndrome” has just recently crossed my desk. Concerning the yo-yo controversy, either you do not understand the on-going discussion, or you are subtle in your defense of a false concept and you must strain the Scriptures you cite to prove your point. None of the points you cite is an example of “Lost-saved-lost-saved” or – “up-down-up-down ” as so ably described, by, Barney Cargile, Jr.

Please reread the Cargile quote and see what he is driving at in describing the yo-yo syndrome. He and about three-fourths of the conservative preachers who agree with him essentially are trying to combat the unsettling idea that the faithful child of God is in and out, in and out, up and down, up and down, depending on whether or not he might have an “‘unforgiven sin”on his record in heaven. Less than a quarter of the conservative preachers, namely you and the rest of your ilk, reject constant cleansing (1 Jn. 1:7-9) and keep timid brethren stirred up by stern, warnings about hell and earthly

rejection if they should inadvertently miss the mark in any of the areas of thought, word, deed or action. In this particular area you and I have strong disagreement.

Your first three examples are not examples of yo-yo and you misread the text by concluding that, say Simon, is an example Of “lost-saved-lost-saved. ” The best you can do is “saved-lost. ” These first three examples are not examples of yo-yoism, because the frame of reference for that term is, as hinted by Cargile, within the context of day-in-day-out sinning and praying. What a difference! The sad thing, my brother, is that I think you do see the difference but you want to confuse unsettling minds on this matter.

Number four is not talking about super yo-yos. You have perverted a beautiful passage on forgiveness and placed it in the context of a brother being saved and lost from heaven’s point of view, when the subject of the passage is earthly forgiveness. What lengths you and others must go to unjustly and unfairly reply to the honest argument of Cargile and others who show the fallacy of your in-out and in-out and in-out of grace concept. Fuzzy thinking, my friend. Number five example is just too far out of touch from reality to comment upon it.

If you and your friends would accept the Bible position of justification (Rom. 4:16) and quit trying to figure out where God saves and unsaves us, then the Baptists would not make fun of you. You do not have a yo-yo position; you have a shallow conception of justification which fruit shows in a certain minority of congregations here and there filled with confused people who are uncertain about their salvation – and it shows when outsiders see a joyless, semi-neurotic band of people try to convert a visitor to such a religion. It won’t work, and your doctrine is dying. I am out of room.

Stanley Paher

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 6
January 3, 1985

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: A few years ago I was talking with a Baptist preacher about baptism and he said the passages on baptism were not binding because Acts was written (or events were recorded) in a transitional period from the religion of the Old Testament to the religion of the New Testament. How would you answer that argument in regards to baptism?

Reply: It is true that there was a space of time between the death of Christ and the first gospel sermon that was preached in Acts 2. It is not true that all of the events recorded in Acts were in this interval; therefore, the claim that passages in Acts on baptism are not binding is erroneous.

The old covenant had been abolished by Christ’s death (Rom. 7:4; Col. 2:14) and He had already ascended to heaven when the events recorded in Acts 2 took place. Peter preached a gospel sermon in which he set forth the terms or conditions of the new covenant. In response to the inquiry made by the hearers, as to what they should do, Peter commanded them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). When some three thousand souls were baptized, they became members of the church which Jesus had promised to build (Matt. 16:18). Thus it was on the day of Pentecost, the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, that the new covenant was inaugurated, and the church had its glorious beginning.

The law that people obeyed on that day is the same law to which people must comply today. And furthermore, that which was set forth for people to do then is that which follows in the remainder of Acts. The teaching and examples of baptism in the book of Acts are no different from that which is found in books of the New Testament that were written later (Rom. 6:3,4; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; 1 Pet. 3:21; etc.)

The events recorded in Acts 2, beginning with Peter’s sermon and following, are no more transitional than that which is recorded later in other inspired writings. The “argument” made by the Baptist preacher has no merit whatsoever. It is void of scriptural proof and is, therefore, a false assumption. Also, worthy of note is the fact that he denies the essentiality of baptism for salvation, regardless of what New Testament book teaches it. He denies it even in books written by Paul and in other inspired epistles which he would agree are not transitional. Transition, then, is not his real problem. His problem is an attitude toward authority. When man refuse to acknowledge and accept what God says upon matters, they turn to human reasoning (see Matt. 21:25). Passages in Acts on baptism are just as binding as in any other place where God has taught on the subject. It is indeed amazing what people will concoct in their efforts to evade the plain teaching of the Scriptures that we must be baptized in order to be saved.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 4
January 3, 1985

By Titus Edwards

True Happiness

“Daddy,” said the little boy, “mules must be great Christians, for they have such long faces!” One of my college professors liked to tell that one. I fear that we have often given the wrong impression of Christianity to people. It is almost like we believe that God took a look and saw everything that was fun to do and then proclaimed those things as wrong and sinful to do. Some believe that God does not want anyone to enjoy life and have fun. Well, it just isn’t true!

I really believe that the way to true happiness in life is by living as a Christian should! I also believe that God does want us to enjoy life here and the blessings He gives! In Ecclesiastes 11:9, Solomon says, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let they heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. ” It sounds like he is saying to live it up and enjoy your youth. He is! It is a joy and happiness that comes by living with a view toward judgment, not just of unrestrained wildness.

Do you believe God is good? Do you believe God wants the best for you? Do you believe God knows more about man and what will make him happy than man does? If these things are true, then it only follows that God’s instructions are given for our own good, to lead us not only to heaven, but true joy and fulfillment here! “And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always . . .” (Deut. 6:24).

There is happiness in being a Christian! We are to “rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1). The beatitudes begin with the word “blessed” which means happy. Happy or blessed is the person whose life is filled with those characteristics. “Blessed are they that do his commandments. . .” (Rev. 22:14), not those who muck it up in sin! The kingdom of God consists of “joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). Paul said that “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is. . . ” (1 Tim. 4:8). Do you really believe godly living is profitable unto you now in this life? It is I Do you want to enjoy life and see good times? Peter tells you how to do such. “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it” (1 Pet. 3: 10-11). The good life comes by exercising some restraint with sin and doing good!

Our whole purpose for being here is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Eccl. 12:13-14). That is what gives meaning to life. Without that kind of direction, we are like a ship without a rudder, endlessly running in circles. Joy, happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction, comes by serving God and your fellow man, for it gives you the direction you need. Sin’s pleasures are fleeting and non-filling. They are “but for a season” (Heb. 11:25), and “passeth away” (1 Jn. 2:17). The “do-your-own-thing” philosophy leads to selfishness and misery.

The 103rd story of the Sears building in Chicago is where the observation deck is on the world’s tallest building. From there you can see much of Chicago beneath. You could easily direct a person to where they needed to go, for you can see all of the routes and know which ones may dead end at the river or lake, and which ones get the person to the final destination. On the ground, it is much harder to see the city. The buildings get in your way. It is easy to get lost for you can’t see where you are going from where you are. The difference is perspective. I believe that God is in the Sears Tower of life! He knows the end from the beginning. His Word is to help us know which way to go, recognizing that our perspective is limited. It is hard for us to see the forest for the trees. Trust in God and live according to His wisdom, that “it may be well with thee,” and that you can enjoy true happiness.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 1, p. 5
January 5, 1985