What Is a JW Bible Study?

If you have ever studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you may be familiar with their idea of a “Bible study”, which is not a Bible study at all but rather a study of a Watchtower publication. Which is actually more of a study of how the Watchtower Organization interprets the Bible.

I recall being offered a free home Bible study by JWs back in the 1970s. The first thing they did was try to introduce their book. I said no, because the JW had offered to answer all my Bible questions. That was the purpose of the visit. So, I pulled out my list. A list of 80 questions based on Genesis and questions I had. I refused to study their little blue book, The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, until she answered my questions. In those days, JWs were more willing to answer questions than they are today. Today, if you tried that, they would, in all likelihood, tell you they aren’t here to argue, they are looking for “sheep-like ones” (meaning people who will not object or raise too many questions to what’s being taught).

This begs the question: When you sign up for a Bible study with a Jehovah’s Witness, what are you really getting? An actual Bible study or a study of the Watchtower Organization’s interpretation of the Bible?

Is It Really a Bible Study?

Many of the beliefs of JWs are based on one Bible verse taken out of context. Example: In Matthew 24:45-47, we read about the “faithful and discreet slave”. The JW will tell you this is the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Where does the Bible say that? It doesn’t. That is their interpretation. In the same account in Luke, we read Peter referring to this as a parable.

Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” Luke 12:41

Some of their beliefs are not based on any scripture at all. Example: Jesus came to earth in 1919 and chose the Watchtower Organization as “the One True Religion”. Seriously! I am not making this up! They also believe “the last days began in 1914” with no biblical basis!

So, when studying with a JW, be very careful! Make sure you know and understand biblical context. If you’re not familiar with context, and you’re not a born-again Christian, I would heavily discourage you from studying with them. They can turn doctrine into a pretzel and confuse the average Christian within minutes!

If you’d like to reach them, choose a topic you’d like to share with them. The mediator issue is one that I have found to be particularly successful because JWs love this scripture:

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Tim. 2:5 NIV

What they don’t realize is that the Watchtower does not agree with this verse! For a full discussion of this, see the article here.

Why JWs Depend on Watchtower Literature

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to interpret the Bible for themselves or consult outside sources, like commentaries, to see what scholars say about a difficult passage. JWs are only permitted to use jw.org and Watchtower publications. This is an example of the information control a cult uses.

So, if you happen to ask a question that’s not on their script, you are likely to get a deer in the headlights expression, a Theocratic Warfare answer as they make something up, or the typical, “I’ll have to look that up”. Because JWs are not allowed to believe contrary ideas to what the Watchtower teaches. Don’t believe me? I was disfellowshipped for having an idea the elders said was contrary to the Watchtower.

So, to tell you what they believe, they have to consult the Watchtower. This can actually work in your favor. You want them to not have an answer they have memorized. You want them to have to research something. And if the Watchtower does not have the answer, then you have successfully gotten the JW to start wondering and perhaps questioning the Watchtower. Which is the first step to waking up. The easiest way to do this is to share a scripture that the Watchtower disagrees with, like Philippians 2:10. For a full discussion of that, see the article here.

Here are some scriptures the JWs disagree with:

1. Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
2. Phil. 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
       in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
3. John 2:19-22 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

For a full discussion of these, see the article here.

The Real Issue: Authority

You might be asking, “Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses simply read through the Bible and study what it says instead of consulting Watchtower books and magazines?” The reason is that the Watchtower does not agree with the Bible.

You may wonder why a Jehovah’s Witness remains in the religion since it doesn’t agree with God’s Word. The answer is, Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t know that the Watchtower disagrees with the Bible.

That’s why this question is so powerful: What would you do if you discovered that the Watchtower disagrees with God’s Word? Who would you believe, God or the Watchtower?

And that’s the question I always ask them, before showing them a Bible verse. Sometimes they will say that the Watchtower can’t possibly disagree with the Bible because it’s all Bible-based. Rather than argue, I ask, “What if it did? This is rhetorical.” That usually produces the deer in the headlights look as they think this over.

When Jehovah’s Witnesses offer a free home Bible study, what are you really studying?

If you study with them long enough, you’ll discover that the real issue is not whether the Bible is being discussed. The real issue is authority.

If the Bible and the Watchtower ever disagree, which one wins?

That’s the question every person studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses eventually needs to answer.