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THREAT FROM WITHIN: WORD OF FAITH HERESY 3

by Jeffrey Hagan
11/27/2016 / Christian Apologetics

(Part 3 of 3 Health and Wealth, Atonement, Quotes)

Let's dive into this third part of our three part series. If you've missed the other two I invite you to check them out prior to reading this section.

7. Health and Wealth (Prosperity)

WORD OF FAITH:
God never wills that we suffer in any way physically or materially. They misinterpret "by His stripes we were healed" to mean that physical healing is always available if the believer has enough "faith" and makes a "positive confession." - And, they say Jesus was rich (e.g., he needed a "treasurer") so God wants and wills that we all be rich.

MAJOR MISTAKE:
Despite the bad exegesis of the first part, and the utter ridiculousness of the second, this doctrine leads believers to hang on to to false hope(s) that, when unfulfilled in the way they asked, leave them much worse off than they were before.

As for the interpretation of Isaiah 53:5, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed," this verse is dealing with atonement, which is the healing of sin ("iniquities"; "transgressions"). The passage then goes on to discuss the "guilt offering" (v. 10) of the Messiah and the fact that He would "bear the sins of many" (v. 12). In context, it is more than clear that the subject of these verses is sin. It is sin being addressed, not illness and/or disease.

Peter similarly makes reference to this verse:

"...and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

As we see again, this is an atonement verse, and the atonement is concerned with removing the moral blockage that separates man from God. And that moral blockage is not illness and/or disease; it is sin.

Can and does God heal? Absolutely. Scripture (in both narrative and didactic passages) shows that God can and does bring about physical healing, but it never makes universal claims or promises to this effect, and as we have seen the verses above, which form the basis for the Word of Faith doctrine, are themselves misinterpreted.

As for the idea that Jesus was rich, and that it is God's will that all believers be rich, Scripture clearly knocks this position out of the water. As to the material possession and wealth of Jesus, Scripture reveals the following:

-Jesus was born in "lower class" conditions, in a manger in a stable. (Luke 2:7)
-Jesus had to use a "borrowed" room for the Last Supper. (Mark 14:13-14)
-Jesus rode in on a "borrowed" donkey. (Mark 11:1-6)
-Jesus was buried in a "borrowed" tomb. (Matthew 27:57-60)

And Jesus very own testimony reads, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Luke 9:58).

As for God willing that all believers be rich, we have a numerous examples of godly men who were not wealthy. Paul wrote about his conditions:

"To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now" (1 Corinthians 4:10-13).

Likewise, many of the Old Testament saints lived lives directly opposing the prosperity preached by the Word of Faith teachers:

"They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated" (Hebrews 11:37).

The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that the Word of Faith strays so far from the Word of God with their claims that all believers are to have health, wealth, and prosperity. That alone should throw up warning flags in regards to anything else they may teach.

SCRIPTURE:
"Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him" (James 2:5)?

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need" (Philippians 4:11-12).

"And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh'" (Luke 6:20-21).

"But Peter said, 'I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarenewalk!'" (Acts 3:6)

"Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:7-9).

8. The Atonement

WORD OF FAITH:
Some Word of Faith teachers have tried to back away, distance themselves, and or tippy toe around this doctrine, it has long since been a benchmark of the movement to teach that 1) Christ died spiritually on the cross; 2) Christ took on the nature of Satan; and 3) the atonement was won because Satan took Christ to Hell "illegally," therefore nullifying the power of death. And as a result, after the third day, Jesus was "born again." And so, believers, upon being born again, are made like Christ.

MAJOR MISTAKE:
The mistakes with this doctrine are numerous and very serious. Christ always was and always will be fully God. As God, He eternally retained and retains all of the attributes or characteristics of God as "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus said, "It [the atonement] is finished," and then breathed His last. The payment for sins was accomplished, completed. There was nothing further that needed to be taken from Him, and especially not by Satan. Word of Faith teachers promote that the plan of redemption just got started when Jesus died on the cross, and that if His death on the cross was enough, then anyone could have died for our sins. They reaffirm what is known as the Nestorian heresy that said that the God-Jesus watched as the Man-Jesus was tortured in Hell, and this molests the doctrine of the hypostatic union (Christ's united divine and human natures which are inseparable) of Christ.

The accepted historical and orthodox doctrine states that the second Person of the Godhead, God the Son, took on a human nature in the Incarnation that was then inseparably united with His divine nature forever. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in one Person. The Nestorian belief that the two natures could be and were divided was rejected and condemned by the early church. This modern day reaffirmation of the ancient heresy diminishes Jesus precisely in order that the Word of Faith teachers can teach that we are just like Him. After we are reborn, they argue, we are just the same as Jesus was after He was reborn.

In addition, if Jesus took on the nature of Satan, then at one time a member of the Godhead was satanic. And, for that time, the second Person in the Godhead was separated from God and was, therefore, unholy. I repeat, in regards to the deity of Christ, this doctrine would have Jesus not being God for a period of time (for God could not take on the nature of Satan). In every aspect, this doctrine must be rejected and recognized for the blatant heresy that it is.

Lastly, for this portion, the doctrine that Jesus died spiritually is a heresy that has been refuted over and over again many times throughout the history of the church. Jesus commended His spirit into His Father's hands NOT Satan's. Jesus died in the flesh for our atonement, but God didn't die.

SCRIPTURE:
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for The unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;" (1 Peter 3:18).

"Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

"And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation'" (Revelation 5:9).

"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach" (Colossians 1:19-22).

Conclusion

Each one of these doctrines represent a significant departure from historic, orthodox Christian doctrine that conforms to God's Word. Each of these, and they have much more, violate the "Essentials of the Faith" in differing degrees. And each one is certain to bring about confusion and to be an obstacle to those seeking true spiritual maturity. These heretical doctrines, and those who teach them, must be called out continually as the wolves have been leading sheep long enough.

Letting Them Speak for Themselves

KENNETH COPELAND:
"I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is. The biggest one in the whole Bible is God!I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least that's a big loss, man. Now, the reason you don't think of God as a failure is He never said He's a failure. And you're not a failure till you say you're one. (Kenneth Copeland: Praise The Lord, 1988)

"Every Christian is a god." (Force of Love; Tape #02-0028) (Believer's Voice of Victory, broadcast July 9, 1987)

"God's reason for creating Adam was to reproduce Himself." (Following the Faith of Abraham, Tape #01-3001)

"Adam was not subordinate to God." (Following the Faith of Abraham, Tape #01-3001)

"Adam was God manifested in the flesh." (Following the Faith of Abraham, Tape #01-3001)

"Jesus was dragged down into the bowels of Hell where He was beaten and bruised by Satan and his demons until Jesus could finally fight His way out of Hell 3 days later." (Believer's Voice of Victory, September 11, 1991) (Classic Redemption, p.13)

BENNY HINN:
"Jesus at His death became one with Satan." (Benny Hinn, Benny Hinn broadcast, recorded 12/15/90)

"I place a curse on every man and woman that will stretch his hand against this anointing. I curse that man who dares to speak a word against this ministry." (Benny Hinn, TBN, 9/13/99)

"God has 9 parts (tri-theistic). A. God has a body, soul and spirit. B. Jesus has a body, soul and spirit. C. Holy Spirit has a body, soul and spirit." (Benny Hinn broadcast, recorded 10/13/90)

KENNETH HAGIN:
"[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiorityGod made us as much like Himself as possibleHe made us the same class of being that He is HimselfMan lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God[The] believer is called ChristThat's who we are; we're Christ." (Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. pp. 35-36, 41)

"You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ wasthe believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.".(Kenneth Hagin, "Word Of Faith" Dec. 1980, p. 14)

CREFLO DOLLAR:
"When God made Adam all He did was make an exact imprint of Himself. He duplicated Himself." (Our equality with God Through Righteousness January 21,2001

"Your not a sinner saved by grace you sons and daughters of the most high God, your God!" (Changing your world, 2000)

FRED PRICE:
"Yes! You are in control! So, if man has control, who no longer has it? God" ("Prayer: Do You Know What Prayer Isand How to Pray?," The Word Study Bible, 1990. p. 1178)

PAUL CHO:
"You create the presence of Jesus with your mouth....He is bound by your lips and by your words ... Remember that Christ is depending upon you and your spoken word to release His presence" (Cho, The Fourth Dimension, Vol. I, p.83).

JOYCE MEYER:
"I'm going to tell you something folks, I didn't stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn't a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that's heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I'm righteous and I can't be righteous and be a sinner at the same timeAll I was ever taught to say was, 'I'm a poor, miserable sinner.' I am not poor, I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I was and if I still am then Jesus died in vain. Amen." ("Doctrinal Ambiguity of a Wandering Star The Changing Views of Joyce Meyer," by G. Richard Fisher and Paul R. Belli)

"Remember then, that the Word of God is both spirit and life, use wisdom and begin speaking life to your situation" ("The Name, The Word, The Blood," p. 38).

"Words are containers for power" (Ibid., pg. 37).

PAUL CROUCH:
"Do you know what else that has settled then tonight? This hue and cry and controversy that has been spawned by the devil to try and bring dissension within the Body of Christ. That we are gods. I am a little god. I have his name. I'm one with him. I'm in covenant relationship. I am a little god." (Kenneth Copeland: "You are anything that he is.") "Yes!" ("Praise the Lord" TBN, recorded 07/07/86).

"I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there. Don't even call in if you want to argue doctrine. If you want to straighten somebody out over here. If you want to criticize Ken Copeland for his preaching on faith or Dad Haggin. Get out of my life. I don't want to even talk to you or hear you. I don't want to see your ugly face. Get out of my face in Jesus' name" ("Praise-a-thon" TBN, recorded 04/02/91)!

MARILYN HICKEY:
"What do you need? Start creating it. Start speaking about it. Start speaking it into being. Speak to your billfold. Say, 'You big, thick billfold full of money.' Speak to your checkbook. Say, 'You checkbook, you. You've never been so prosperous since I owned you. You're just jammed full of money'" (Christianity in Crisis, Hank Hanegraaff, Harvest House, OR, p. 351).

JOEL OSTEEN:
"Start calling in victory. Start calling in divine health. Start calling in abundance. You can prophesy your future." "If you wanna know where you'll be five years from now listen to what you are saying." "Our words will become a self-fulfilling prophecy." "With our words we can predict our future. We can prophesy our future" ("Speaking Faith Filled Words," Tape # 223, Daystar Television, May 2, 2004).

"Joel, that sounds like wishful thinking. No, that's using your words to create what you need" (Ibid.).

Jeff Hagan is the President of True Grace Ministries and Theological Institute. Interested? www.preacherjeff45.wlxsite.com/truegracetheolgical

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