The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians refer to two communities of religious believers associated with Jesus Christ. Often confused as the same, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians are not similar.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the Jehovah God alone, whereas Christians follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Several other factors also differentiate the two communities.
Key Takeaways
- Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the use of God’s name, Jehovah, and reject the doctrine of the Trinity, while most Christians accept the Trinity and use various names for God.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate holidays or birthdays based on their interpretation of the Bible, while most Christians observe these events.
- While both groups follow the teachings of the Bible, Jehovah’s Witnesses adhere to a more literal interpretation and maintain specific organizational structures and practices distinct from other Christian denominations.
Jehovah’s Witnesses vs Christians
The difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians is that Jehovah’s Witnesses firmly believe that God is Jehovah alone. On the other hand, Christians believe that God is triune, i.e. a God expressed in three separate beings. Moreover, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus and God are completely different, stating that Jesus is Jehovah’s son. The Christians, however, propose that Jesus is both the son of God and God himself.
Jehovah’s Witnesses began with an American, Charles Russell, approximately 160 years ago. The official name of Jehovah’s Witnesses was adopted in 1931.
By definition, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the Jehovah God and propose that it is the only God. Moreover, they suggest that the angel Michael and Jesus are the same.
Christians abide by the teachings of Jesus Christ. Supporting the view that God is one, Christians believe in the trinity of God, i.e. God exists in three separate beings, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In addition, Christians do not believe that angels Michael and Jesus are the same.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Jehovah’s Witnesses | Christians |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jehovah’s witnesses refer to the people who bear witness to the God Jehovah alone. | Christians, by definition, refer to all those people who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. |
| Trinity of God | Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the idea of the trinity of God, stating that it was invented to deceive the christians. | Christians firmly believe that God is triune i.e. God exists in three separate beings, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. |
| Salvation | The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the existence of a two class, highly complex, and work oriented system of salvation, one which holds that only a handful of people will enter the higher levels of paradise. | Christians classify salvation as purely driven by grace, through faith. They support the idea that salvation is solely based on the work of Christ and can not be by works. |
| Existence of hell | The Jehovah’s Witnesses explicitly deny the idea of the existence of hell and propose that the soul is non-existent upon death. | The Christians believe that hell is a place for the sinners of Jesus Christ. |
| The Church | The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold that the Watch Tower is the only true universal church and categorise all other churches as imposters created by Satan. | Christians propose that any and every place which worships Jesus Christ counts as a true universal church |
| Belief of the end of time | Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the end of the time started happening in 1914. | Although Christians believe that there is an end to time, they are unsure of the time of its occurrence. |
What are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Derived from a translation of, ‘I am who I am,’ the term Jehovah refers to the people who believe that God is Jehovah alone. Jehovah’s Witnesses began with an American, Charles Russell, approximately 160 years ago.
The official name of Jehovah’s Witnesses was adopted in 1931. They also suggest that angels Michal and Jesus are the same.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the existence of a two-class, highly complex, and work-oriented system of salvation, one which holds that only a handful of people will enter the higher levels of paradise.
They also stand against the belief that Jesus Christ was raised as a mortal being and classify all notions confirming this idea as unscriptural.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses explicitly deny the idea of the existence of hell and propose that the soul is non-existent upon death. They consider The New World Translation as the only faithful translation of the Word of God.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses state that the Watch Tower is the only true universal church and categorises all other churches as imposters created by Satan.
They claim that the body and soul of a person are the same things and that no part of an individual can survive death. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the end of the time started happening in 1914.
What are Christians?
As suggested by the name itself, Christians believe in the teachings of Christ. They support the idea that God is one and firmly believe in the trinity of God i.e.
God exists in three separate beings, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Holding the view that Jesus is God, Christians do not believe that angels Michael and Jesus are the same.
⁶Apart from that, Christians religiously worship the deity of Christ.
Christians classify salvation as purely driven by grace through faith. They support the idea that salvation is solely based on the work of Christ and can not be by works.
In addition, Christians firmly believe in the return of Christ and hold the view that there is a place in heaven for all those who have sincere faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Christians choose from a multitude of translations of the Bible in the English language depending on factors such as accuracy, readability and quality of translation.
Christians believe that every person has both a soul and a body.
They propose that any and every place which worships Jesus Christ counts as a true universal church and that any group of believers who voluntarily worship together are local churches.
Although Christians believe that there is an end to time, they are unsure of the time of its occurrence.
Main Differences Between Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians
- Jehovah’s witnesses firmly believe that God is Jehovah alone, whereas Christians believe that God is triune, i.e. a God expressed in three separate beings.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus and God are completely different, stating that Jesus is Jehovah’s son. The Christians, however, propose that Jesus is both the son of God and God himself.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in the existence of a two-class, highly complex, and work-oriented system of salvation. On the other hand, Christians classify salvation as purely driven by grace through faith.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses state that the Watch Tower is the only true universal church and categorise all other churches as imposters created by Satan, whereas Christians propose that any and every place which worships Jesus Christ counts as a true universal church and that any group of believers who voluntarily worship together are local churches.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the idea of the existence of Hell. To the contrary, Christians believe that Hell is a place for the sinners of Christ.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses suggest that the end of time started in 1914. Although Christians, on the other hand, believe in the end of time, they are unaware of the time of its occurrence.
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7312/sthttps://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7312/stro93666/htmlro93666/html
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/089356901101241811
Last Updated : 30 July, 2023
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