Word of Faith Movement
The 20th century church took on a decidedly different form than had been
the case for the prior 2000 years. One of the most drastic departures
emerged in what is known as the “Word of Faith” movement. This movement
gained significant traction in American culture due to the proliferation
of its teachers via mass media outlets such as cable television –
especially the channels devoted specifically to the movement (e.g., PTL,
TBN, etc.). The movement quickly gained a large following, appealing to
the innate desires of humanity to be prosperous and in good health.
Coupled with the alleged underpinnings of Scriptural authority, this has
become the most “popular” form of contemporary Christianity. And, though
the movement itself is patently un-Christian as this study will show,
many sincere, truly regenerated believers have fallen under the
tantalizing “spell” of charismatic teachers who make such grand promises
but, inevitably, fail to deliver. The expectations are seldom realized
because their foundation is unbiblical and untenable.
The Word of Faith movement is a syncretistic blend of Christianity,
Christian Science, and New Age thought, with some Eastern mysticism
thrown in. At root, it promotes a theological system that diminishes God
and deifies man. Along the way, it distorts the Gospel and leaves
wrecked lives in its wake. The church must be vigilant to remember the
words of the apostles:
”But I am afraid that, as the
serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray
from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes
and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a
different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel
which you have not accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2
Corinthians 11:3-4)
”But false prophets also arose
among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you,
who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the
Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many
will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth
will be maligned.” (2 Peter
2:1-2)
Teachers
Many of the better-known television preachers are adherents of the Word
of Faith movement. While this is only a partial list, it may prove
helpful to identify some of them by name so that people will at least
know the general perspective behind the teaching of these popular
speakers. Quotes from each of these leaders, which demonstrate their
doctrines, are available here:
Paul and Jan Crouch, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Benny
Hinn, Myles Munroe, Robert Tilton, Morris Cerullo, Joel Osteen, Paul
Yonggi Cho, John Avanzini, Joyce Meyer, Frederick K. C. Price, Marilyn
Hickey, Kathryn Kuhlman, Creflo Dollar, Charles Capp, Robert Schuller,
Paula White, Jesse Duplantis, Dutch Sheets, Bill Johnson
Doctrine
The Word of Faith movement may readily be identified by a number of
doctrines that are formulated quite differently than orthodox
hermeneutics would allow. The doctrines of the Word of Faith are
typically derived either by taking biblical passages out of context or
appealing to a “new revelation” from God that “clarifies” or expands
what the Bible says.
By taking verses out of context, the Word of Faith teachers are able to
proof-text their doctrines and make them sound wholly biblical. And when
another text seems to contradict the doctrine they are espousing they
reverse the analogy of Scripture and allow the obscure to
interpret the clear. To say that the teachers are receiving new
revelation (that is understood to be the direct word of God) is to infer
that what they say, in turn, is as authoritative as the Bible. They
usually (though not always) deny this when it is put to them, but they
present these “truths” in this way, and their followers receive them in
this way. The result is that people begin to look primarily to the
teachers for Truth rather than searching the Word (as did the Bereans –
Acts 17:11) to see if what is
being taught is in fact true, or they read their Bibles only through the
prism that their teachers have presented. This type of interpretation
then colors the whole of the biblical message and redirects the focus
from the glory of God to the glory of man.
Following are eight key doctrinal perversions employed by Word of Faith
teachers. Not all Word of Faith teachers use each of these in the same
way, and, in many cases, the doctrines overlap; however, each reflects a
fundamental departure from orthodoxy which, if carried out, renders the
doctrine dangerous and heretical.
1 - GOD
Word of Faith position
God is subject to the authority of man on earth. In granting dominion to
Adam over the earth, God abdicated His sole authority and willingly put
Himself under the will and word of His creation. Further, Word of Faith
teachers routinely speak of visions wherein they have seen God and
describe Him as looking very much like a man.
Error
With this doctrine, God is reduced to a cosmic bellhop. Word of
Faith teachers promote the idea that because God is bound by His Word,
man can use God’s Word to “make” Him do things. This, obviously, denudes
God of His kingship. Such a God is neither sovereign nor omnipotent.
Further, to say that God has a physical form does violence to the
biblical record of God as a Spirit (John
4:4) and contravenes the doctrine of God’s omnipresence, and to say
that God the Father is made manifest in all of His glory before the eyes
of man contradicts the passages where it is said that no one can see God
and live (Exodus 33:20; John
1:18; 6:46)
Scripture
”He
who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of
lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable
light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal
dominion! Amen.”
(1
Timothy 6:15-16)
”Then Job answered the Lord and
said, "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours
can be thwarted.”
(Job 42:1-2)
”But our God is in the heavens; He
does whatever He pleases.” (Psalms
115:3)
”We have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things
after the counsel of His will.” (Ephesians
1:11)
”So David blessed the Lord in the
sight of all the assembly; and David said, "Blessed are You, O Lord God
of
2 - MAN
Word of Faith position
Because man is created in the image of God, he is a “copy” of
God. This means that Adam had a divine nature. With the Fall, however,
Adam lost his divine nature and authority, losing it to Satan who now
has dominion over the earth. After conversion, man regains that divine
nature and, with it, a “creative power” that can be loosed with enough
faith and an audible “positive confession.” Man is, therefore, described
as a “little god.”
Error
This doctrine confuses the distinction between Creator and
creation. Further, it suggests a “yin/yang” idea of equal and opposite
powers, rather than the biblical idea of God as sovereign over all (the
earth, humanity, Satan, etc.). The historic position of the church has
understood the imago Dei to mean that man has a mind, emotions,
and a will; that he is uniquely created, and that he is appointed as a
“vice-regent,” having dominion over the earth. It has never been
understood to mean that man has the nature of God, and it has certainly
never been understood to mean that man has any authority whatsoever over
God.
Scripture
"This is eternal life,
that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You
have sent.” (John 17:3)
"You are My witnesses," declares
the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and
believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God
formed, And there will be none after Me.” (Isaiah 43:10)
”You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the
clay, That what is made would say to its maker, He did not make me; Or
what is formed say to him who formed it, He has no understanding"? (Isaiah
29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:6; Romans 9:21)
”The earth is the Lord's, and all
it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” (Psalms 24:1)
3 -
REVELATION
Word of Faith position
“Anointed” pastors/teachers receive “revelation knowledge” that
speaks directly to a doctrinal issue or to a person’s condition or
situation. This revelation is the true and accurate Word of God. It is
to be appropriated and obeyed.
Error
Word of Faith teachers often speak as if the “revelation
knowledge” they have received is infallible. This results in two
problems: first, it often leads them into a quagmire of conflicting and
contrary statements that are impossible to unravel; and, second, it
reveals a form of the Gnostic heresy – a special knowledge that others
long for but never attain. It is often preceded by “God told me to tell
you…” or some variation of that formula, the implication being that the
teacher is more likely to hear from God than the one sitting under his
teaching.
Scripture
“But
the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not
commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods,
that prophet shall die.” You may say in your heart, 'How will we know
the word which the Lord has not spoken?' "When a prophet speaks
in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true,
that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken
it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”
(Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
”To the law and to the testimony!
If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no
dawn.” (Isaiah 8:20)
4 -
POSITIVE (AND NEGATIVE) CONFESSION
Word of Faith position
Speaking something audibly makes it so – whether for good or for
ill. Words contain power: “What you confess, you possess.”
Error
This idea, drawn from the passages relating how God “spoke”
creation into being, is another twist on the “we are gods” theme. It has
the net result of crediting the believer for whatever is good in his or
her life (healing, wealth, etc.) and blaming the believer for the bad
(sickness, poverty, etc.) based solely on the words that they speak. It
is known as Rhematology, or the “theology of the spoken word.”
The fallacy of this doctrine is evident from Scripture where Job,
Jeremiah, David, Jonah, and Elijah all made negative confessions that
didn’t result in a negative reality.
Scripture
"For My thoughts are not
your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah
55:8-9)
”But having the same spirit of
faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we
also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the
Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.”
(2 Corinthians 4:13-14).
[In context, Paul quotes Psalms
116:10 to indicate that, in the midst of hardships (4:7-12), “believing” and “speaking” are the pneuma tes pisteos –
“the spirit of faith: not to have
the believing and speaking change the circumstances, but to evoke worship, devotion, and
confidence in the sufficiency of the grace of God. The mouth speaks what
fills the heart.” (Luke
6:45)]
5 - FAITH
Word of Faith position
“Faith” is a “force” that, when sufficiently held, will bring to
pass whatsoever is “believed” to be true (e.g. “I am healed”;
“I have been promoted” when these things are not yet
true). God created the world “by faith,” and endowed man with the same
kind of faith that He has. This was corrupted in the Fall, but can be
reclaimed by believers.
Error
This kind of faith requires the person to ignore the reality of
the present and “see” the desired reality instead. Word of Faith
proponents advocate putting faith in faith, whereas the Bible
teaches that faith is “being sure” or confident that what God says is
true, and that the object of faith is not the power of faith, but God.
Further, this doctrine endues man with the creative ability that belongs
to God Who alone speaks things into reality. In fact, Word of Faith
teachers say that even non-believers can exercise faith and “will”
things into existence. Finally, the Word of Faith movement hinges upon
the misinterpretation of Mark
11:22 which they read as Jesus instructing His followers to have the
“faith of God.” This faith of God theology drives much of the movement.
God operated by faith in creation, they say, and we are instructed to
have that same faith. However, that is a faulty translation of the text.
The objective genitive construction of this phrase is most sensibly
translated “have faith in God.” The preponderance of Scriptural
evidence that supports this correct translation doctrinally is simply
ignored by the Word of Faith movement.
Scripture
”Now faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
”Whom God displayed publicly as a
propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins
previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would
be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
(Romans
3:25-26)
6 - POVERTY/SICKNESS/FAILURE
Word of Faith position
All bad things are directly brought about in the believer’s life
by Satan due to either sin in the person’s life or a lack of faith.
Error
This doctrine denudes God of His sovereignty and elevates Satan
to the sovereign ruler of all that is not “reclaimed” by believers. It
further denies that God may sovereignly use means to mature, teach, or
correct believers. Finally, it denies the reality that evil is present
in a fallen world, and naturally occurs.
Scripture
”Because
of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep
me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!
Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast
about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with
distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong.”
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
”I know, O Lord, that Your
judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
(Psalms 119:75)
”All discipline for the moment
seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been
trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
(Hebrews 12:11)
”No longer drink
water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach
and your frequent ailments.” (1
Timothy 5:23)
”Erastus remained at
7 -
HEALTH AND PROSPERITY
Word of Faith position
God never wills that we suffer physically or materially. The
reference to “by His stripes we were healed” means that physical healing
is always available if the believer has enough “faith” and makes a
“positive confession” (i.e., “claim” it). Also, Jesus was wealthy
(e.g., He needed a “treasurer”) and it is God’s will that we be wealthy,
too.
Error
Apart from the bad exegesis of the first part and the
ridiculousness of the second, this doctrine leads believers to hold to
false hopes that, when unfulfilled, leave them worse off than they were
before.
Regarding 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 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 obvious that the subject of these verses is sin and
not sickness and 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) Again, this is
an atonement verse, and the atonement is concerned with remedying the
moral obstacle that separates man from God. That moral obstacle is not
disease or sickness; it is sin. While Scripture (both in narrative and
didactic passages) does indicate that God can and does affect physical
healing, it never makes universal claims to this effect, and the verses
above, which form the foundation for the Word of Faith doctrine that it
does, are misinterpreted.
Regarding the idea that Jesus was wealthy, and that it is God’s will
that all believers be wealthy, Scripture clearly refutes this. As to the
material station of Jesus, Scripture offers the following information:
*
Jesus was born in lowly conditions, in a manger in a stable. (Luke
2:7)
*
Jesus used a borrowed room for the Last Supper. (Mark
14:13-14)
*
Jesus rode on a borrowed colt. (Mark
11:1-6)
*
Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. (Matthew
27:57-60)
And, in Jesus’
own words: "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 to whether God wills that all believers be wealthy, we have a number
of examples of godly men who were not. Discussing the conditions he and
Apollos endured, Paul wrote: “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 hardly
exemplifying the prosperity promoted 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)
It becomes quite apparent, therefore, that the Word of Faith strays far
from the Word of God when claiming that all believers are to have health
and wealth.
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
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 Nazarene—walk!” (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 position
While some Word
of Faith teachers have backed away from this doctrine, it has long been
a hallmark 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,” thus nullifying
the power of death. Consequently, after the third day, Jesus was “born
again.” Thus, believers, upon being born again, are made like Christ.
Error
The errors in this doctrine are many and serious. Christ always
was and always will be fully God. Thus, He eternally retained and
retains all of the attributes of God. [Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)]. Jesus said, “It [the
atonement] is finished,” as He breathed His last. The payment for sins
was accomplished. There was nothing further to be extracted from Him,
and certainly not by Satan. Word of Faith teachers say that the plan of
redemption just got started when Jesus died on the cross, and that if
His death on the cross was enough, anyone could have died for our sins.
They restate the Nestorian heresy that said that the God-Jesus watched
as the Man-Jesus was tormented in Hell, which violates the doctrine of
the hypostatic union of Christ.
This historic 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 restatement of the ancient heresy diminishes
Jesus precisely so that the Word of Faith teachers can imply that we are
just like Him. After we are reborn, they argue, we are just as Jesus was
after He was reborn.
Further, if Jesus took on the nature of Satan, then one member of the
Godhead was satanic. And, for that time, the second Person in the
Godhead was separated from God and was, thus, unholy. Again, regarding
the deity of Christ, this doctrine would have Jesus not being God for a
time (for God could not take on the nature of Satan). In every respect,
this must be rejected.
Finally, the doctrine that Jesus died spiritually (this is so pervasive
it is often simply called “JDS”) is a heresy that has been refuted time
and time again 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 of these doctrines represent a significant departure from historic
orthodoxy, and each may well be seen to be a violation of the
“Fundamentals of the Faith” in varying degrees. Each is certain to
result in confusion and an obstruction to spiritual maturity.
This is by no means an exhaustive teaching on the topic but I
hope you find this helpful.
Randall Runions, Pastor