Word-Faith Movement, page 6

THE DEMOTION OF GOD
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After the Word-Faith teachers deify man, they climb even higher on the ladder of blasphemy by having the temerity to demote God. Let's go to the following verse:

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. (Isaiah 40:12 NKJV)

Referencing this verse, Kenneth Copeland claims that God is someone "very much like you and me...A being that stands somewhere around 6'2" to 6'3", that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds, little better; and has a (hand) span nine inches across."
(Kenneth Copeland, "Spirit, Soul, and Body", audio tape, 1985)

Benny Hinn resounds, "What was the appearance of God the Father? Like that of a man...God has the likeness of fingers and hands and a face." (Benny Hinn, "Good Morning Holy Spirit", 1991, Page 82)

Since God is Spirit (John 4:24), Copeland and Hinn should be aware that Isaiah 40:12 is a figurative rendition rather than a literal interpretation. Failing to acknowledge their error, they have purposely misrepresented God by demoting Him into the image of man. This is plainly another tactical approach scheme designed by Word-Faith teachers to position God and man on equal status. To demote God by prescribing physical attributes to Him is a very serious challenge against the Lord and to the body of Christ. With that in mind, it should be questioned if the Word-Faith teachers are referring to the God of the Bible or a false god they have fashioned in their own minds. If you believe such a charge is unwarranted, consider the following statements by Kenneth Copeland:

"I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is. Everybody you ask, 'Who's the biggest failure?' They say, 'Judas'; somebody else will say, 'No, I believe it was Adam'; 'well what about the devil?' He's the most consistent failure. But he's not the biggest in terms of material failure and so forth. The biggest one (failure) in all the Bible is God. (Kenneth Copeland, TBN, April 1988)

For Copeland to demote God by alleging that He is the "biggest failure in all the Bible" is blasphemy of a higher order. The Bible clearly states that God is omnipotent and insusceptible to failure (Job 42:2, Jeremiah 32:17,27, Matthew 19:26).

In the disordered vanity of their own minds (2 Peter 2:13), statements of this nature echoed by Copeland and others are conveniently attributed as "new revelations" in spite of the fact that their claims are obviously unbiblical. If there is any veracity to Copeland's "new revelation" knowledge, it is solely because the Word-Faith camp do indeed worship a false god; for The God of the Bible never fails!
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ATONEMENT THEOLOGY
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God's people should be cognizant of the fact that the atonement of Christ, the deity of Christ, and the sinless life of Christ are denied and assaulted by every cult and pseudo religion. Some of these false religions include Islam, Hinduism, and Jehovah Witness. Following on the same dangerous path, the atonement of Christ is another doctrine that Word-Faith teachers have iniquitously denied and modified to their own imaginations. Attempting to establish the argument that Christ became "sin", was abandoned by the Father, and suffered in hell for three days, proponents of Word-Faith theology allude to and misconstrue the following passages.

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40 NKJV)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46 NKJV)

So when Jesus received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30 NKJV)

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)

(Now this, "He ascended" -- what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) [Ephesians 4:9-10 NKJV]

These so called men and women of God have used these verses to formulate a variant doctrine -- a "reenacted gospel" that includes the inefficiency of Christ's blood alone to atone for the sins of mankind; the spiritual death of Christ; and salvation being concluded in the torments of hell. Consider the claims of Fred Price:

"Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God. (Fred Price, "Ever Increasing Faith Messenger", June 1980)

Price's statements that rejects the cross -- insinuating that the thieves could pay the penalty for sin, is absolutely ridiculous. If such delusive claims were not so "cheap", it could be regarded as amusing.

Price's allegations that Jesus' death on the cross was ineffectual for sin is a direct reflection of the philosophies of Mary Baker Eddy. In her book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures", Baker asserts that, "The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon 'the accursed tree' than when it was flowing in His veins."
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Before investigating the errors, let's establish for the record that hell consisted of various compartments. Contrary to the common presumption that hell was solely a place of torment for the unrighteous, there was also a section for the righteous. The area for the righteous was separated by a great impassable gulf from the latter region.

"The Hebrew people regarded Sheol (hell) as a place to which both the righteous and unrighteous go at death (Gen. 37:35, Ps. 9:17, Is. 38:10), a place where punishment is received and rewards are enjoyed."
("Illustrated Dictionary of The Bible", Herbert Lockyer, Sr., Page 979)
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Let's now examine the mentioned scriptures that Word-Faith teachers use to argue their case.

In Matthew 12:40, Ephesians 4:9-10, the phrases "the heart of the earth" and "He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?" is in reference to a temporary section in hell (Sheol/Hades) known as "paradise." Paradise was the place where the righteous dead remained until after the death of Christ. It was a place of extraordinary blessedness and was regarded as "Abraham's Bosom" (Luke 16:22). Recall in Luke 23:43 that Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." At Christ's ascension, He transported the righteous saints (including the thief) along with the region of paradise from the "lower parts of the earth" to Heaven; its current location (2 Cor. 12:2-4, Rev. 2:7).

In reference to Matthew 27:46 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, Kenneth Copeland asserts that, "On the cross, Jesus was separated from the glory of God. He allowed Himself to be made sin for us, and He became obedient to death." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Power of His Resurrection") / "The righteousness of God was made to be sin. He accepted the sin nature of Satan in His own spirit. And at that moment that He did so He cried, 'My God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me?'"
(Kenneth Copeland, "What Happened From The Cross To The Throne.")

Rightfully, Jesus was never abandoned by God nor made "sin for us" in the sense that He became a sinner and inherited the nature of Satan. Jesus, In His humanity, cried these words of dereliction in fulfillment of the Psalmist's prophecy (Psalm 22:1). When God inflicted His wrath and judgment on Christ, like David, Jesus was experiencing a sense of abandonment rather than an actual disseverance. Psalm 22:24 clearly indicates this; and thus repudiates Copeland's belief that God abandoned Christ on the cross.

If Christ had become a sinner and acquired the nature of Satan as Copeland suggests, then it would seem reasonable that Jesus would need a Savior. But, such speculation is unnecessary; for Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:31 clearly disinherits Copeland's contention that Christ was made sin and "accepted the sin nature of Satan." In actuality, Jesus became the "likeness" of sin ... "taking the rap" for us and bore the sins of mankind on the cross (Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:3). However, He did not become defiled with mankind's sinful nature. It was on account that Jesus was a sin offering, eternally righteous and Holy without blemish (Heb. 9:14, 1 Peter 1:19) that qualified His sacrifice acceptable to God.

Although Christ was not a sinner, God treated Him as though He were. Similarly, granting the fact that Christians are sinners, God treats them as though they were righteous. Using this concept of substitution, God inaugurated a restyling in the sinners' condition that delivers them from a state of isolation to a place of forgiveness and reconciliation. Thus, by way of Christ, God will display believers "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." (Jude 24)

In reference to John 19:30, Copeland claims that, "When Jesus cried, 'It is finished!' He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. There were still three days and nights to go through (In hell) before He went to the throne....Jesus' death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption." (Kenneth Copeland, "Jesus -- Our Lord of Glory", Believers Voice of Victory, April 1982)

Factually, when Jesus spoke the words, "It is finished!," He sacrificed Himself as a sin offering; bore our iniquities and paid the debt for our sins on the cross (Matt. 26:28, Eph. 5:2, Heb. 10:5-18). The single Greek word for "It is finished" is "tetelistai," which does not mean "It has just begun and will continue later," but rather is defined as "fulfilled," "completed" or "paid in full." The Bible does not denote any other incidents continuing thereafter that contributed to our salvation.

Continuing in their resistance to truth, it is argued by Word-Faith teachers that Jesus' closing words "It is finished" is referring to the termination of the Abrahamic covenant. There are no scripture references, however, that provides credence to this. On the contrary, it was the Mosaic covenant with its sacrificial laws that was fulfilled by the atoning death of Christ (Matt. 5:17-19; Col. 2:13,14). The completion of Christ's work on the cross and the issuing in of the new covenant is made evident by the instantaneous splitting of the temple curtain (Mark 15:38).

The conclusion of Christ's work on the cross is also demonstrated in the account of Luke 23:46 where Jesus stated, "Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit." There are no scripture passages in the Bible that gives indication that Jesus submitted His Spirit to Satan in hell. The truth of mankind's redemption is clearly seen on the cross, not in the unrighteous regions of hell as inferred by Copeland.

The apostle Paul stated, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Gal. 6:14). He most certainly did not ever speak of a magnificent redemption achieved in hell. It was in the glory of the cross that he alluded to. The Bible has much to say regarding the atonement of Christ on the cross. The following scriptures references are particularly worth noting for study:

Acts 20:28, Eph. 1:7; 2:13, Col. 1:14,20, 1 Peter 1:19, 1 John 1:7, Rom. 5:9, Heb. 9:14; 10:19,20; 13:12, Rev. 1:5; 12:11

Nothing is ever mentioned in the above scripture references nor in any other place in the Bible where salvation was completed in hell. For Word-Faith teachers to continually hold fast to this erroneous viewpoint are saying that Christ was accursed (1 Cor. 12:3) and His work on the cross was imperfect. Such an allegation is a dangerous charge of monumental proportion; and like a hazardous virus, should be quarantined from the body of Christ. Unless they repent, it is this type of heresy coupled with a doctrine of greed (more on this later) that may cast these revelators of a different gospel into the other region of hell for the wicked (Proverbs 21:6, Luke 16:19-26, 1 Cor. 1:18, Gal. 1:9,10, Rev. 3:15-22).
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