Denies
Denies Christ's divinity; 'word was God' interpreted as 'word was divine'
Jehovah's Witnesses deny the traditional Trinitarian interpretation of John 1:1. In their New World Translation, the verse reads 'the Word was a god'—acknowledging the Word's divine nature while denying equality with Jehovah (God). Jesus Christ is understood as the first and greatest creation of Jehovah, not as coequal or coeternal.
The JW interpretation rejects the orthodox reading as a corruption of original apostolic teaching. They argue that the phrase 'a god' correctly captures the relationship between a lesser divine being (Jesus) and the Supreme Being (Jehovah). This translation choice is deliberate and foundational to JW theology.
Scripture References
Sources
- New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013)
- Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2 (Watch Tower, 1988)
- What Does the Bible Really Teach? (Watch Tower, 2005)