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How would you explain what Christians believe to this young man?

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Just yesterday a friend and I were sitting outside a restaurant, hanging out and catching up on life. A half hour into our conversation, a young man walked right by us and gave me a long glare, staring at the Bible in front of us. A few minutes later, he walked by again with the same drawn-out stare. The third time this happened, I smiled at the young man and slightly nodded my head in a gesture of kindness. He took the invitation, walked right up to us, and blurted out the question: “Hey, can you guys tell me the difference between what a Jehovah’s Witness believes and what a Christian believes?”

As it turns out, this young man James grew up in an evangelical church but was recently exposed to Jehovah’s Witness theology through a family member. He didn’t know how to navigate through many of the questions this family member raised.

What would you say to James? How would you answer his question?

I share this story with you in order to highlight one of the hidden gems on the Blue Letter Bible website: a list of cult resources.

At Blue Letter Bible, it is always our desire to serve the Body of Christ by providing free and easy-to-use Bible study tools and resources. Because of the demand for information exposing various cults, we offer a few online resources on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism. These tools are meant to serve you well in defending your faith and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to your neighbors or your friends or perhaps even for a “chance encounter” with a young stranger like James.

For the full list of “Cult Resources,” visit Blue Letter Bible.

Comments

  2. The word ‘cult’ is a pejorative, often used to completely dismiss what a person believes if it’s different from mainstream Christianity. We either need to stop using it against faiths like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and LDS, or use it as a blanket term that also happens to describe major religions like the Catholic Church. Let’s not be hypocritical.

    • Thanks for the comment, Christina. I appreciate your interaction, but I must disagree with you. I believe that naming cults is one of the most loving things we can do as Christians. We want people to come to faith in the Jesus of the Bible so that they can find salvation and eternal joy in Him. JW and LDS teachings introduce people to a Jesus that is not in the Scriptures. To allow others to continue in error, or to continue deceiving others with erroneous teachings, would be unloving.

      Jude found it necessary to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). And that is our aim, too.

      Since JWs deny the deity of Christ and His physical resurrection, and since LDS also denies essential biblical teachings and adds false doctrines, we must lovingly point out these errors and bring people to the saving truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

      • The Bible is RIGHT! No matter how you put it, if you read it, in it right context WITHOUT adding or subtracting.
        Yes, Chris Poblete you are right, the people must be told the truth!

    • Cult is the correct term to use with LDS and JW’s. Not because they are different from mainstream Christianity but because these organizations teach that salvation is found only through them. Both groups teach that an individual cannot understand the scriptures by reading it for themselves but that you must let them tell you what the scriptures mean. For example the LDS church claims to be the “One True Church.” That statement alone would make them a cult. To question them or disagree with them is to go against the One True Church. And you would be denying God and rejecting salvation as well.

  3. What I would say to James: It is a must to know what I believe and what the Bible say’s before I try to wittness to a Mormon or JW. It’s nice to have a good resource like Blb.org on what they believe but they must hear the truth of Jesus. Bible study help is a great blb resource. Many cultists are tenaciously aggressive in combating the truth. They do not know the truth but think and believe they have it. They are actually decieved. For my experience wittnessing to cult members, there is real spiritual warefare (pray a lot) and what seems like many hours of fruitless conversations. Good does come out of the effort even if only one person is helped to find the truth about Jesus.

  4. Has anyone had experience with LDS or JW in talking to them that through their own study of the bible they sound like they are approaching a more orthodox view than their religion actually states? I have seen this with a JW that I know, and I don’t think he is actively trying to mislead me as to his beliefs. Does anyone have any suggestions of good ways to potentially encourage their continued study and perhaps conviction under the Holy Spirit without getting their defenses up, or is this just over-optimism on my part and I am missing something? Thanks.

  5. I have found that if I ask them about the origins of their “CHURCH” that this dispells all grey area. The foundation of any faith can not be on anything other than the Chief Cornerstone. Yet that Cornerstone was laid even before one drop of celestial dust or earthly matter. Jesus Christ IS the stone that the builders rejected. He was the Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world. Paul said if anyone, even an angel preach any other Gospel….Scripture said that. II Timothy 3:16 says all scripture is God breathed/inspired. So it was The Holy Spirit of God who inspired Paul to WARN US.
    Cult 101
    Their founder was visited by an angel! That takes care of Mormons.
    Do they deny the virgin birth-( Muslims do not, but they deny He is the Son of God, sad actually, because if God has no son then all of humanity is lost. God is not another diety-but the only one worthy to be called God. By the way Allah-the ascended one- must of first decended before he could ascend— sounds like Lucifer to me.)
    Do they deny His diety? ( He is not an angel or Lucifers brother He is God Himself. Likewise we are not little gods who inhabit future planets-{ He Is GOD ALONE. Man is not God- check with mormon – and some pentecostal- teaching)
    Do they deny His death, burrial and BODILY Resurrection?
    Even some Christians are now saying it was a spiritual thing. IFJesus did not rise bodily- THEN there is no resurrection for our earthly bodies either.
    Yeah- believers go to heaven, but Jesus is seated at the Right Hand of God ever living to make intercession. He is enthroned on High- no other Human has that priviledge. He must rise, so that we will rise.
    Why be raised from the grave, to escape the judgement of the earth and its renovation by fire.- I am humbled and will stop. Got to go worship a little.
    Good luck, love those who do not know Him and they may come to LOVE HIM too.

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