Two theologies are compatible if and only if their core beliefs can coexist without resulting in conflict on issues of faith. Core beliefs may say the same thing in two different ways or may focus on different aspects of dogma. Core beliefs may, for example, be expressed as an ordered list of sequential items (as given below), an ordered list of God’s Decrees (Decrees of Reformed Theology) or even a Christian Manifesto in which the core beliefs are somewhat obscured (1646 Westminster Confession). But when the position of each theology on a given issue is determined, those positions must be identical if the two theologies are compatible.
Incompatibility always results if a specific core belief of one theology is negated by a specific core belief of another theology (e.g. Wesleyan/Arminianism versus Calvinism). Only one instance of core belief negation is required to conclude that two theologies are incompatible; once that instance is found, there is no need to search for additional examples. Furthermore, once a single instance of core belief negation is found, any observed agreement between other core beliefs is irrelevant.
Wesleyan/Arminian core beliefs can be employed when comparing Christian Theology to other theologies – such as those of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Scientology, Universalist Unitarian or Christian Science. The following formulation of Wesleyan/Arminian core beliefs is satisfactory for comparison.
- The Bible is the inspired, infallible and inerrant word of God.
- The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
- Every person since Adam and Eve, except Jesus Christ, was born with a sin nature and no person, except Jesus Christ, has lived a sinless life.
- Salvation from the consequences of sin is offered to all persons by the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ.
- The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all persons (Titus 2:11): (a) the requirements of the law are written by God on every heart (Rom. 2:15), (b) Jesus Christ knocks at the door of every heart (Rev. 3:20), (c) the Holy Spirit calls and convicts each person (John 16:8) and (d) God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident in the world around us (Rom 1:20). Nevertheless, many resist the grace of God.
- Each person who responds to God’s grace and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience receives the great gift of salvation. Each person who resists God’s grace is condemned to everlasting punishment.
- Faith precedes regeneration; faith is an act of human free will responding to the grace of God.
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
A well-known teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit is God. Their literature includes statements such as:
“…Satan is the originator of the trinity doctrine” (Let God Be True)
“…the Father is greater and older than the Son…” (From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained)
“…the Word or Logos is not God…” (New World Translation, 1950)
“…the name Michael applied to God’s Son before he left heaven to become Jesus Christ…” (Aid to Bible Understanding)
“…Michael is actually the Son of God…” (Aid to Bible Understanding)
“…the holy spirit is not a person and is therefore not one of the gods of the trinity…” (Reconciliation)
(Martin, W., “Walter Martin’s Cults Reference Bible,” p 90-91)
These core beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses negate the following Christian core beliefs:
- The one true God exists as three distinct, transcendent, immanent, infinite, eternal, and immutable persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is God the Son. Jesus Christ is man. Jesus Christ is one person whose divine and human natures cannot be changed, divided, separated or mixed. Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
These two Christian core beliefs are common to all main-stream Christian denominations. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that Christian Theology is not compatible with Jehovah’s Witnesses theology.
