- When witnessing to a Jehovah’s Witness one of the common arguments you will often hear from them is, “In order to be saved you must use the proper name for God, Jehovah.”
- The fact of the matter is, though, Jehovah’s Witnesses place undue emphasis on the name “Jehovah”; an emphasis which simply isn’t justified based on the most contemporary and accurate biblical scholarship.
- The overwhelming majority of legitimate Bible translations do not use the name “Jehovah” for God. This is a term used almost exclusively by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
- Even the King James Version, which is officially recognized by the Watchtower Organization, only rarely uses the name “Jehovah” for God.
- The original Hebrew Old Testament uses the name “Yahweh” or “YHWH” to refer to God. “Jehovah” is one rendering of the Hebrew “YHWH” but not the most likely. The most likely rendering is “Yahweh”.
- Thousands of original Greek New Testaments never use the name “Jehovah” in reference to God, but the Jehovah’s Witnesses New World Translation uses it exclusively.
- When witnessing to a Jehovah’s Witness it is fine to acknowledge and use “Jehovah” as a legitimate name for God. However, their claim that this is the only correct and proper name for God is simply not justified.
For more information on witnessing to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, please check out Dr. Carlson’s book, Fast Facts On False Teachings, available in our online store.