THE WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT
WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
By: Victor T. Stephens
"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears." (Acts 20:29-31)
CONFESSION AND HEALTH
As pointed out near the beginning of our study, Word-Faith theology states that using the force of faith, one can use the power of words to predestine his future. Such a perspective is known as "Positive Confession." One domain this cultic formula is applied to by Word-Faith teachers entails health, sickness, and disease. Since Word-Faith teachers believe it is God's will for all believers to experience divine health, they can rely on the "force of faith" to confess their healing.
Let's note and examine the following ten (10) verses that Word-Faith teachers employ to support their doctrine of "confession and health".
… and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases...” (Psalm 103:2-3)
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." (Proverbs 18:21)
"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 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." (Isaiah 53:4-5; see also 1 Peter 2:24)
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities; And bore our sicknesses." (Matt. 8:16-17)
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18)
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12)
"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus..." (Heb. 3:1)
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8)
"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:14-16)
Word-Faith teachers reference the passages above in their effort to prove that divine physical healing is guaranteed today. They teach it is God's will for every believer to be physically healed in our present-day precisely as it is God's will that everyone experience salvation. Is such a point of view an accurate and fair comparison? Not by any means!
Let's begin by examining Exodus 15:26.
… and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)
This verse addresses the nation of Israel who was under the Mosaic Law, not the church. During their journey from Egypt, the Lord promised to heal Israel from the diseases He afflicted on the Egyptians. If the nation of Israel obeyed God's commandments, they would receive blessings. If they disobeyed His Word, they would experience a curse. This provisional covenant with Israel is inapplicable to the Christian Church today. God does indeed provide physical healing under the new covenant, but it is not a guarantee. God heals us according to His will. The only remote similarity of this verse with the new covenant is that God will permit sickness and disease if such afflictions bring a person to salvation, causes a believer to develop a closer relationship with Christ, or for disciplinary purposes. (More on this later)
Let's now consider Psalm 103:2-3.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases...” (Psalm 103:2-3)
This passage refers to our subsequent redemption in the Millennium. Verse four says, "who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." David says that God will heal us spiritually by forgiving all our sins. The Lord will also heal us physically by healing all our diseases. He is speaking in the context of the ultimate promise of our glorified state (Rev. 21:4). While the Lord can alleviate every sickness and disease, this passage does not suggest a guarantee of present-day physical healing. If we read ahead to verses 15 and 16, we are made aware of the brevity of life.
Let's look at Proverbs 18:21.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." (Proverbs 18:21)
Word-Faith proponents employ the "force of faith" prescription coupled with the above verse in an attempt to sanction divine physical healing for all Christians who possess enough faith. If a believer is feeling sick, he should deny his symptoms and speak positive words of faith. Word-Faith advocates suggest that if a Christian has an incurable disease or is permanently handicapped, he lacks faith and is living outside God's will. T.D. Jakes alleges:
"It's what you say to yourself that gets you healed. If you say that you won't be healed, you won't be healed. If you say that you are broke, you will stay broke. Oh! But I came to serve notice on the Devil. The Bible says, 'The power of life and death is in the tongue.' Slap somebody and say, 'You better speak to yourself.'" (T.D. Jakes, "Seize the Moment," Woman Thou Art Loosed, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia)
According to Joel Osteen, with a smile, he says we should,
"Start calling in divine health.... You may have sickness in your body; you need to call in health. Words are like seeds; they have creative power." (Joel Osteen, "Speaking Faith Filled Words," Tape # 223, 2004)
Although the tongue may encompass the potential to have positive or negative effects on ourselves and other people (feelings, self-image, convictions, attitudes, for example), what Jakes, Osteen, and other Word-Faith teachers do not understand is that there are limitations. Nowhere does the Word of God support the notion that believers in Christ can create divine health using the powers of the tongue.
Perhaps this brand of cultic mythology may operate in the man-made classic show, "I Dream of Jeannie," but in the real world created by God, the Lord did not give a man such powers. Ironically, Word-Faith teachers discourage believers from viewing cultic media (television, movies, etc.), yet they subscribe to similar heresies.
Next: An evaluation of Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; and 1 Peter 2:24.
