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)
THE DEMOTION OF GOD
After Word-Faith teachers deify man, they climb even higher on the ladder of blasphemy by having the audacity to demote God. Let's take a look at the following verse.
"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand." (Isaiah 40:12)
Referring to 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 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. That is another tactical 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 serious challenge against the Lord and to the body of Christ. We should question if Word-Faith teachers are referring to the God of the Bible or a false god they have fashioned in their 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 He is the "biggest failure in all the Bible" is blasphemy. The Bible clearly states that God is omnipotent and insusceptible to failure (Job 42:2; Jer. 32:17, 27; Matt. 19:26).
In the disordered vanity of their minds (2 Peter 2:13), statements of this nature echoed by Copeland and others are conveniently attributed as "new revelations" even though their claims are unbiblical. If there is any veracity to Copeland's "new revelation" knowledge, it is solely because the Word-Faith camp does indeed worship a false god; for The God of the Bible never fails!
THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST
Believers in Christ should be aware 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's 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 imaginations. According to Word-Faith theology, the sacrificial work on the cross by Jesus was insufficient to atone for the sins of mankind. Word-Faith advocates attempt to establish the argument that Christ died spiritually, became sin, was abandoned by the Father, and suffered in hell for three days. They 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." (Matt. 12:40)
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?" (Matt. 27:46)
So when Jesus received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:21)
(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.) [Eph. 4:9-10]
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water." (1 Peter 3:18-20)
Word-Faith proponents 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. They claim that the conclusion of salvation occurred 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 reject the cross, insinuating that the thieves could pay the penalty for sin, are outlandish. If such delusive claims were not so "cheap," it could be regarded as amusing. His allegation 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:
"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."
According to Kenneth Copeland, Satan and his demons tortured Christ's,
"...emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit." (Kenneth Copeland, "Believers Voice of Victory," April 1991).
Copeland later says:
"The Word of the living God went down into that pit of destruction and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life. He began to look like something the devil had never seen before. He was literally being reborn before the devil's eyes. He began to flex His spiritual muscles.... Jesus was born again-the first-born from the dead." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Price of it All," Believer's Voice of Victory, September 1991)
As reported by Copeland, it was at that point that Jesus defeated Satan in hell, seized his keys, and rose from hell on the third day. Thus the completion of salvation was not accomplished on the cross but in hell. It was there that Jesus was tormented for our sins by Satan and his company of demons.
Now, there appear to be some misunderstandings about the meaning of hell and who goes there. Therefore, before continuing with our analysis, let's establish that hell consisted of various compartments. Contrary to the presumption that hell was exclusive for the unrighteous, there was also a section for the righteous. The area for the righteous was separated from the latter region by an impassable gulf.
"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)
Let's now examine the scriptures that Word-Faith teachers cite to argue their case for the atonement of Christ.
Next: Refuting Word-Faith Atonement of Christ
