Christian Apologetic, and Social Commentary in a world gone mad
I’m going to be out of pocket tomorrow, so I’m doing my G90X update a little early this week… Thought I’d take the Holiday as a good opportunity to remind us of a passage that isn’t always very comfortable. 1 Peter 2:13-17:
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Of course, in America we have no king… but we do have a Congress and a President and a Supreme Court… Regardless of your political leanings there are probably several men or women in Washington that you are not a big fan of… In posting this passage, I’ve got another confession to make… I need to do a much better job of praying for the men and women in our government… I spend a whole lot of time complaining about them (not always out loud, but often in my heart), and only a fraction of that time praying for them… which I think, is probably the best way to honor and submit to them.
When we are dissatisfied with certain things that our government is doing or not doing how should we respond? Robert touched on this in a previous post after he was very upset over the passing of the Health Care bill. I think 1 Peter 2:15 sheds a lot of light on what we can and should do… It’s easy to complain (believe me I know from 1st hand experience), but I think that our first obligation is to stop and pray and silence useless/foolish talk…
What do I mean by that? Here’s a question… What can actually (legally) be done to change the government? Vote them out, right? Of course you can write your elected officials and let them know how you feel about certain issues and how you will vote based on those issues… If you are dissatisfied with what they are doing/not doing – go to it… but the opportunity to actually make a change (by voting) only comes around every couple of years, right?! And there’s no guarantees that someone more worthy will be running against them. Our complaints in the meantime are futile and do more to rile us up and make us discontent and take our focus off what’s more important (i.e. the Kingdom of God, lost souls and hurting people around us)…
If our complaints are largely futile could they then be considered “ignorant talk of foolish men” in light of verse 15 and Ephesians 4:29, which says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen”? Not convinced? Check it out in context (Ephesians 4:25-32).
Thanks to the sacrifice of countless men and women throughout America’s history we have the freedom of speech… We have the freedom to complain… But 1 Peter 2:16 reminds us, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” Do our complaints build others up… do they mark us as servants of God? Am I saying folks on Fox or MSNBC are evil in being political pundants? Not really… However, as Christians we should think about how WE need to respond to our discontentment on a daily basis.
So what can be done DAILY to change the government? The Answer is Prayer.
God has the ability to change hearts and minds… I truly trust in His power and sovereignty… If He has that power and ability, then let us lean on Him to do so… Let’s pray for our government officials that God would give them supernatural wisdom and that they would make God-honoring choices… Let us “cast all our anxiety upon Him because He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7) – It can make a difference in our nation, in our lives and our attitudes… I certainly want to do the will of God and definitely do not want to be considered by Him to be a fool who’s engaging in “ignorant talk.”
Maybe I should pray more…
Much has been said or written about the Twilight series that is sweeping the nation, both in book form and also on the big screen… The latest movie installment, Eclipse, released earlier this week. So, I know that what I have to say about this phenomenon is probably not earth-shattering or anything close to that, but I feel it’s important to weigh in a little from a Christian perspective, but even more specifically from a youth minister’s perspective, a father’s perspective and a former romantic’s perspective…
To be fair, let me disclose my familiarity with the series… My wife and I have read the first 2 books and watched the first 2 movies and are in the process of reading the 3rd book… I say this not neither to endorse the works – nor really to blast them… but instead to offer some cautions for anyone thinking about engaging with Stephanie Myers’ works…
First of all, the books are very well written… Ms. Myers is a masterful story teller… the books are an easy read and the story is compelling… the books and the movies are entertaining… no doubt about that.
However, it is in this mastery that the first caution needs to be raised… I have observed in many that these characters and the story are all so compelling that one can lose themselves in the story… quite literally… this is especially true for young ladies (teens and tweens) – it’s as if their own life becomes “Eclipsed” by the Twilight stories and characters.
This leads to the second caution… While many Christian writers have focused on the elements of the movies and books that at least border on the occult, these, to me, are FAR less dangerous than the portrait of “love” that is painted by the series… and girls are buying it hook, line and sinker. The relationships between Edward and Bella and Jacob are dysfunctional, at best… they are not a true picture of biblical love or a healthy dating/marriage relationship, but could and should be labeled as obsessive and co-dependent. This is particularly dangerous because the destructive way to approach romantic relationships presented in the books, especially New Moon, is shaping the expectations of young women as their bodies and minds and emotions are going through their own sort of Breaking Dawn (i.e. puberty)… Teenagers (both boys and girls) need no help in forming unhealthy ideas of “love”) – but these movies and books pushes them strongly in that direction. I shudder to think of how many multi-month long catatonic–like depressed funks that young ladies are going to slide into when their first (or second, or third…) puppy love breaks their heart? What’s more scary is I wonder how much that destructive behavior may be applauded by their friends… Then, to what extremes will they take this display of broken-heartedness (keep in mind that Edward attempted suicide in New Moon after he thought that he had lost Bella)? The logical conclusion to this is nothing short of horrifying.
Consider what God has to say in Philippians 4:6-9: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Is this the world view presented by the Twilight series?
As a father, I want my daughter and my sons to experience God’s best in their relationships – for them to be healthy, focused on Him, selfless, edifying… I want them to find their identity in Jesus, not in a fallible human being who will undoubtedly let them down (frequently)…
As a Youth minister, I want the same for the young men and women that are affected by the ministry God has graciously given me… I don’t want to have to see them hurt and holding on to hurts that have been at least partially caused by unrealistic expectations… I don’t want to see them obsess over anything other than their relationship with the Lord…. My message to the young ladies in my youth group (and others) would be very similar to an open letter Nikki from the WayFM’s morning show wrote to some of her female friends:
“I was thinking about you this weekend. It was while I was watching a movie. It was probably the most anticipated movie of 2009. Females all over the country, possibly the world, chose a team, put on the t-shirt, and maybe even camped out overnight in exhilarated excitement to take in the next chapter of this supposedly timeless love story. I was a little late in getting around to it, but as I finally sat down to watch New Moon, you were on my mind. And here’s why: ITS RIDICULOUS.
Look, I know it’s just a movie, and it’s meant for entertainment. I am a movie buff myself, and I love escaping into another place and time and diving into a world of imagined intrigue. It’s awesome. But with this one, I couldn’t even take that journey because it was just so RIDICULOUS.
Bella’s pain, relentless agony, and perpetual longing may seem romantic on a big screen, but please know this is NOT what love looks like. Please know it is NOT normal or healthy to be this obsessed with a guy, to feel as if life is over or not worth living because he isn’t a part of it anymore. Or to think this other guy might do the trick if guy number one leaves. Please know your whole life and self-worth will never be wrapped up in any man. God completes you. End of story. I know this because I’ve let myself buy into that way of thinking before. I thought there would be no life for me if it didn’t work out. And guess what? I’m still here. And God is still awesome, and life is still rolling.
Sure, I get it. It’s a movie and it’s fun. Go ahead, watch, enjoy, be entertained. But it’s just a story. Please don’t get too caught up in the picture of love Edward and Bella paint for you. Please don’t buy into it, or you may miss out on how big and life-changing love can really be. I was thinking about you as I watched this, and I just had to tell you.”
Yes, these are “just movies/books”, and some people can probably approach them this way… If you can, great… however, we have seen in the craze that has swept the nation, that this is often not the case… people are taking this series much more seriously than that… I also want to gravely caution parents that MOST young people are not mature enough to make those types of determinations (like whether they can refrain from getting sucked into the hype or not) on their own… and I would encourage you if you are going to allow your sons and daughters watch and read Twilight stuff that you watch and/or read it with them and have some very open discussions about the themes and messages in the books… For more help with this and for a more comprehensive review of the series, CLICK HERE. It is the best analysis I’ve seen on the Twilight series BY FAR.
This is part 2 of the “Are we gods”.
God called us little gods, so we are what the word says we are. This argument is based on John 10:32-36, and Psalms 82.
Word of faith preachers lean heavily on this text to show that we are little gods. Here is John 10:32-36: but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?
Word of Faith preachers say “Scripture calls us little gods. We must follow the scripture.” This argument offered up by the word of faith preachers offers more of a challenge because it is so easily misinterpreted if it is taken out of context. When you read John 10:34-36 it says you are “gods”. When you read Psalms 82:6 it says you are “gods”. Like I mentioned before, when you listen to a word of faith preacher discuss these two verses in particular this would be about as deep as they go. “It says it, so you are.” So let’s put these into context…
When you are looking at this section of John, Jesus is standing before the Pharisees. They are ready to stone him for claiming to be God. Christ defends himself in 34-36 referencing Psalms 82.
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!
Psalm 82 was written in reference to the judges and magistrates. These people are official representatives and agents of God. I am going to break Psalm 82 down and look at it verse by verse to help you gain better understanding of what Jesus was referencing in John 10:34.
Look at verse 1. This is notification to the “gods” that God gives judgment on them. This statement is followed by a plea to the “gods” in verses 3-4. Verse 5 offers truth, without these things anarchy will ensue. Then, in verses 7-8, comes the reckoning… Though they are honored in verse 6 God also humbles them by reminding them in verse 7 that they are only mere mortals and that they will, therefore, die. Basically, these two verses are saying that these judges are NOT god-like, because they are imperfect and mortal then verse 8 definitively declares that God has authority and will judge all of them. If you read Psalm 82 through the lens that the “gods” are just the average person (as opposed to leaders and judges), it makes no sense. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Look at verse 2. When the question is asked “how long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Focus on the word “you”. The word “you” in verse 2 can only be referencing God or “gods”. God does not judge unjustly, so then the reference must be to the word “gods”. The “gods” judge. On to verse three…the “gods” are able to give justice. Now, if the “gods” judge and are able to give justice, are they average folk or are they people with power and authority (like leaders, kings, judges, rulers, etc.)? The actions described in Psalm 82 describe the actions of people in leadership. The actions they perform are “god” – like in that they judge and have a certain (limited) amount of power and authority. They are judging and leading others with the possibility of liberating them. This is similar to the way that God will one day judge the world, but in a limited way. Of course leading other people and/or judging for them is an awesome and powerful responsibility – one that carries a heavy burden One last comment on Psalm 82. When you read this verse, think of a local or national leader. Keep them in mind as you hear God’s plea to them to be fair, and righteous. Keep them in mind as God reminds them that his judgment will happen. When I do this I am filled with the instant need to pray for them.
Let’s jump now to John 10:34-36. Here, Jesus quotes Psalm 82 to make a point. So who is Jesus talking to here? The Pharisees. The keepers of the law (magistrates), and the judges of the law. So when Jesus says “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’, he is referencing the judges and magistrates of His day (like Psalms 82 was). What we are seeing Jesus do in John 10:34-38 is draw a comparison between himself, and the Pharisees. The Pharisees, administers of the law of God, and Jesus the one the Father consecrated and sent into the world. Both are the word of God delivered. This is cemented by what Jesus says in verses 35-36. “Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods'[e]? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?”
If “gods” in John 10:34-36 means just anyone then this verse becomes superficial, and meaningless-There is no power to the analogy that Jesus draws between the two groups, because is no distinction between the groups.
There is danger in claiming that we are gods, even if it IS with a little g, because it minimizes God, and lifts man up to be more than what we are intended to be. If, in fact, we have God like authority on Earth why would we need to submit to God? If this sounds silly, then think about this… Many word of faith preachers go so far as to teach that God has to submit to US! That God cannot act on this Earth without our consent (much more could be said about this clear fallacy, and probably will be in a future post). Any preacher who teaches that man controls God, or preaches that you are god like preaches a God that does not exist in the Bible (cf. Romans 11:33-36), and deliberately, or otherwise, misleads people into thinking they have God like power. Keep in mind that this type of teaching has been used before (when Satan told Eve that she could like God). Of course, we know that Adam and Eve’s response to this false teaching had a catastrophic effect on the history of the world – Let’s be wise and refuse to listen to that same lie again.
The title may look a little familiar to you. This is the response that Winston gave to Ray after the Demon spirit in Ghostbusters fried them. This is relevant to today in that many word of faith preachers say that we are “little gods”. Some of the more well known preachers associated with this doctrine are Joyce Meyers, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Creflo Dollar, and Bill Winston. Some quotes from the preachers:
Hagin: God “made us in the same class of being that he is himself”.
Copeland: “You don’t have a god in you, you are one”
Meyer: “Now you understand I’m not saying you are God with a capital “G””.
The argument:
The “little gods” doctrine is based largely two key points. 1. God produced after his own kind, and two that God called us “gods”. The ramifications of this doctrine are far and wide. If we are in fact little gods, there isn’t anything on this earth that we cannot control. Weather… no problem. Sickness… no problem. Whatever it is we have control of everything because we have been created as gods. Word of faith preachers will follow these arguments up with statements of “there is divinity in humanity”, and some will say “You don’t have to go to Him (God), to take care of any problems” (This is from Bill Winston). Anytime I listen to a sermon regarding this doctrine, I always see a high level of excitement, and the reading of these Bible verses. Never, have I seen a pastor go into the context of the verse being used. I get the distinct feeling that there is no thought put behind the use of these verses, rather just a superficial use of the verse to demonstrate a point that then comes off as being hollow. As I mentioned in my previous posts, without context you can make the Bible say just about anything you want. If you pull two obscure verses out of thin air you can warp it to mean….that you are gods on earth – Which is coincidently very similar to Mormon doctrine. Here is what the Bible verses mean in context.
Today we will take a look at the first point…
Dollar: “If horses get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Horses!”
Dollar: “If dogs get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Dogs!”
Dollar: “If cats get together, they produce what?”
Congregation: “Cats!”
Dollar: “So if the Godhead says ‘Let us make man in our image’, and everything produces after its own kind, then they produce what?”
Congregation: “Gods!”
Dollar: “Gods. Little “g” gods. You’re not human. (The) Only human part of you is this (the) flesh you’re wearing.”
This argument focuses on the first sentence of Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. It also takes the central theme that each produces after it’s own kind. This theme can be found the 1st book of Genesis.
Genesis 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…
In this verse word of faith preachers will tell you that because everything produces after its own kind, and God produced man in his own image and after His likeness that we are in fact gods on earth. If we follow this argument all the way through to conclusion…God created Adam. Adam, being produced by God, was…god (Hagin and Copeland both assert this). Adam sinned meaning what….God can sin? Even if we work it backwards….If Adam could sin, and Adam was a carbon copy of God…does that mean that God could sin? Of course, the answer is no.
What do you think of when you hear the word image? Do you think of a carbon copy of yourself? Would an image of yourself contain all of your qualities, all of your mannerism’s, all of your talents? Because this is exactly what God did. God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27). He did not create a clone of himself. But what about the word likeness? Wouldn’t that mean that that we were like God? No. The Hebrew word used in this verse was “dmwt”,which means “image.” Thus, Genesis 1:26 could really read “Let us make man in our own image…”. When you hear the word image do you think of a carbon copy, or do you think more of a picture? Which makes more biblical sense?
There are none who are LIKE God. Take these bible verses into consideration when praying about this point…
Ray, the next time someone asks you if you're a god you SAY YES!
Isaiah 43:10 – “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 no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 46:9 – Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
God makes it extremely clear that there are NONE LIKE HIM, and that there will be no god formed before him or after him. There is a clear contradiction between the word of faith interpretation of Genesis 1:26, and the word of God.
Part two tomorrow! Stay tuned!
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WOW! What a game! If you missed it here’s a quick recap… The US dominated play against Algeria but didn’t score the winning goal until the “added time” at the end of the 2nd half. The Yanks HAD to win to advance because England was winning their match against Slovenia… This was a nail biter for sure.
For much of the match it seemed like the US was going to be robbed of a win on a mysteriously disallowed goal, much like they were against Slovenia earlier in the tournament. Plus, in spite of their best efforts and spectacular opportunities, goals were just not finding the net… However, during the added time Donovan perfectly placed a ball that weakly ricocheted off the Algerian goal keeper after a fabulous US counter striking run on goal. I literally jumped out of my seat!
Like the last dramatic match, this one got me thinking about spiritual stuff… Immediately after the goal was scored Matthew 20:1-16 popped into my head. This is a parable that Jesus told that demonstrates that as long as you’re alive, it’s never too late to accept Him and enter the Kingdom of Heaven (by placing your faith and trust in Jesus – click HERE to learn how to do that). Like the US, it doesn’t matter how many opportunities you’ve let slip away in the past… the important thing is that you do it! However, unlike the US, who only faced elimination from a tournament, this decision is the difference between Eternal Life in Heaven and Eternal separation from God in Hell.
Now, some of you may be thinking something like… “I’ll wait until the last minute and accept Christ then, cuz I wanna have my fun now.” That is a dangerous game to play… The US didn’t know in advance how much added time there would be at the end of the match (if any)… That is why they valiantly tried to score all game long – and their desperation became more and more evident as time elapsed – they knew England’s score… they knew that they had to score as well. Additionally, they didn’t know how many scoring opportunities they would get… Similarly, none of us knows how much time we have left here on Earth… nor do we know how many opportunities we are going to have to trust in Jesus… But, like the US, we know that time is running out… God’s patience with you is not leis e fare. In fact, the Bible tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 that, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Consider this, Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” But He won’t knock forever… Won’t you open your heart to Him? If you do the party that awaits in Heaven is far greater than our mutual rejoicing over the US Soccer team’s win today (see Luke 15:7).
For more details on the US victory click HERE.
So, yet again my internet at home was down yesterday… so the G90X is a day late again! Sorry… I’ve hopefully got that shored up (ATT said I needed a new modem, so I got one and installed it late last night)…
As promised, I wanted to talk about the prayer aspect of the G90X… But to do that, I’ve got to start with a confession. I didn’t get in the full 90 minutes last week… The first 2 weeks I did in spades, but last week, I let business creep in and rob me of my prayer time… Boy, could I tell the difference!
The best way I can explain how prayer works and changes me is by a personal analogy. I’ve got some VERY good friends who do not live in the same town as I do, but with whom I keep in close contact… I Facebook, or email or text them often (usually one or all of these multiple times a day)… These guys are two of my very best friends and they keep me sharp, on my toes… hold me accountable… listen to my joys, concerns and hurts and they encourage me – I value their friendship and their time VERY, VERY much! In fact, if I don’t get my daily “fix” (i.e. fellowship with these friends) my day is not quite as good as it would be otherwise… Oh, it can still be a great day, but regardless of how good it is, it is somewhat diminished by my not communicating with these important men.
It works the same with my Heavenly Father. The days I communicate intimately with Him (more than just a “drive by” or “rub-a-dub-dub thanks for the grub… Yea, God!” type prayer) are the days that I’m most encouraged, empowered, focused on what’s important and submitted to Him… These are the days I’m closest to Him and these are the days I’m most selfless and filled with compassion for other people! Like above, these days can still be horrible days (believe me!), but days are just somehow better when I’ve had my “Jesus fix”… THAT’s what I missed out on a little bit last week – I didn’t have as much fellowship as I should have or would have liked. My week was good, but how much better would it have been had I communed more with the God who not only created the universe, but who also loves me with a burning and passionate love?
If you don’t understand what I’m talking about because you’ve never experienced it let me encourage you to seriously consider John 3:16-18 and 1 John 4:9-10… Here’s what they have to say:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
If you HAVE experienced what I’m talking about let me encourage you to Love Him more and more and more… and express that love through time spent with Him through prayer… after all 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray continually” – Our days would be so much better if we would!
I only saw the very end of the US vs. Slovenia Soccer match… but I’ve got to say the US got ripped off by the ref. With very little time left and the score tied, the US had a free kick which resulted in the apparent go-ahead goal, but the referee disallowed the goal because of some mystery call (no one knows for sure yet even what the call against the US was). Strange…
But, like many things, this got me to thinking about life – More specifically, it got me to thinking about the afterlife. And again, I’m amazed by the fact that we will not have an incompetent judge deciding our fate… and unlike the World Cup, our fate will not be decided by our own merit and/or performance either!
From what I’ve heard, the US probably deserved to lose the match because they played so poorly in the first half and fell behind 0-2 (only 21 other times in World Cup history has a team come back from that kind of deficit to tie or win). Like the US… All of us EVERYONE deserves to live life now and in the hereafter separated from a perfect and holy God. Unlike a sports team, however, we cannot just fight back and be good enough to even things out or make things right. Instead, because of God’s justice a penalty must be paid for our sin. Here’s where the good news comes in.
Jesus came and paid the penalty for our sin! He didn’t just even things up… He made us winners… Here’s an abbreviated version of what the Bible has to say about it… Read these out loud, and ask yourself “What does this mean?” – Think about it… It truly is Good News!
Romans 3:23 – all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23 – the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9-11 – If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 8:31-32, 34, 37 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Again, the US might have been deprived of a victory because of their bad play in the 1st half and because of a horrendous call from the ref… but those who trust in Jesus are assured of an eternal victory, though they don’t deserve it. Have you trusted Him? If not, will you?
Is faith in Christ enough for salvation? This simple question can ignite a war of words. The “Word of Faith” doctrine holds, on many levels, that there are “side effects” to your salvation. These side effects would include speaking in tongues, being healed from affliction, and gaining prosperity. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the method to how these “side effects” are given to believers. The natural question based on the above argument is…”If I don’t speak in tongues, or get sick, or do not prosper…am I saved?” While this is a question that I have struggled with, and one I think that is worth asking, I believe that this is the wrong question. The primary question that needs to be asked should be “Is faith enough?”
The Word of Faith’s basic answer to this question is as follows: “Upon salvation you receive the Holy Spirit; however your baptism of the Holy Spirit is separate from salvation. Upon the Baptism of the Spirit, you will demonstrate certain sign gifts… In fact, you should be able to successfully call on Him to deliver you from sickness. If your faith is strong enough, you will be healed. If you are in poverty, and your faith is strong enough you can bring wealth.” Or how about this “The baptism of the Holy Spirit is evident by speaking in tongues” (this from Gloria Copeland). These messages are being preached in churches across the world. The premise is simple. In order to avoid issues with affixing anything to salvation, the word of faith movement creates two baptisms or assigns the baptism of the Holy Spirit to a point after salvation. This premise allows a word of faith preacher to say that powers are received upon baptism of the Holy Spirit. What they normally won’t say but end up implying is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is separated from salvation. The timeline for a born again Christian would then be as follows: Profession Jesus is Lord – salvation/indwelling of the spirit; Baptism of the Spirit – taking place at some point thereafter. Either way the word of faith movement is consistent in saying that the sign gifts are required. If you don’t have the sign gifts, you have not been baptized by the Spirit.
How does this process stack up against the Bible? Word of Faith preachers point the Pentecost to answer the question. The argument; All of the apostles were saved prior to the day of the Pentecost. Jesus explicitly told them they would then be baptized by the Holy Spirit. This shows two points for the apostles, salvation upon faith, and then baptism of the Holy Spirit. Word of faith preachers argue that they are two distinct events. Upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit the apostles were able to speak in tongues, and perform miraculous signs. Thus if you do not speak in tongues, et al. then you have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit. This statement gets to the heart of the matter.
What if there is only one salvation, and one baptism? The natural implication would be no sign gifts, no salvation. Thus the dilemma. If I don’t speak in tongues have I been baptized by the Holy Spirit?
The Bible offers a number of answers in regards to the questions I asked above. The best way that I can answer this is in timeline fashion. First let’s take a look at whether or not there is separation of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit from salvation.
When do we receive the spirit? 1 Corinthian 12:3 gives us the answer: Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. When do we proclaim “Jesus is Lord”? We sincerely proclaim it upon salvation for the first time. At that point in time…we are in the Holy Spirit.
When does the baptism of the Holy Spirit take place? The baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place when we enter the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 illustrates this point. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
When do we enter the body of Christ? Upon Salvation. If this is not the case, then we would actually have those who have faith in Christ, but do not belong to the body of Christ. Also take this into consideration: If we have believers who are not one with the body, then Christ’s prayer in John 17:11, 21-23 has not been answered.
How many Baptisms’s are there? According to Ephesians 4:5, there is only one baptism. “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”
So what does all of this mean? The Word of Faith Preachers use a piece of the Bible to illustrate a point that the baptism of the Spirit can be separated from salvation. However, the use of all of the New Testament demonstrates that, from a practical stand point, this is impossible. If we enter into the body of Christ upon salvation, then we have to be baptized at the point of salvation for 1 Corinthians 12:13 to hold true. We also know that sincerely proclaiming Jesus is Lord is made by someone in the Spirit. This proclamation is made at the point of salvation. This means that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not separated from salvation. They happen all at one time.
So what does all of this really mean? Let’s go back to the very first question, “If I don’t speak in tongues, or get sick, or do not prosper…am I saved?” If you can show that the baptism of the Spirit takes place at the time of salvation, then according to the word of faith movement….you are not saved. This creates a fundamental issue on one of the primary tenets of Christianity, salvation through faith. This brings us to the primary question, is faith enough?
Is it really true that all we need is faith? Absolutely. There are a number of verses in the New Testament that support through faith alone (Romans 3:28-30, Romans 4:5, Romans 5:1, Romans 9:30, Romans 11:6, Galatians 3:5-6, Romans 1:16-17). My personal favorite is Ephesians 2:8-9; “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. 9Not by works, lest any man should boast.” On this point many preachers of the word of faith movement would not disagree. Here is where the problem is, when you establish that the baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation, word of faith preachers add to the requirements of salvation.
If tongues are needed to demonstrate the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the baptism takes place upon salvation…word of faith preachers are saying that you must speak in tongues in order to demonstrate that you have been saved. And it’s not just tongues that would fall into this category. It could include water baptism, prayer, and anything that someone says you must have in order to show you are saved. These are counter to the teachings of the Bible. Since the protestant reformation, we have correctly understood that all you need for salvation is faith. At the point of salvation, you are baptized by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit assigns gifts at His will.
When sign gifts, or anything for that matter, are attached as requisites for salvation it becomes an obstruction to the primary tenant of the Christian faith. That tenant….salvation through faith alone. This is something that cannot be blown off or left alone. In today’s society many of us are offended by educators teaching erroneous ideas such as global warming, and evolution. We also become frustrated by the notion of revisionist history being taught because of political correctness. This is should concern you because of its nature.
But we aren’t about just attacking folk’s ideas… Instead, this info is actually REALLY Good News!! How so? Well, for the Christian who has ever doubted their salvation because of their not feeling moved to or experiencing any of the sign gifts you can rest in the knowledge that these signs and wonders are NOT linked to your salvation in any way shape or form… In fact, I’d venture to say that most of our Charismatic friends would even agree whole heartedly with that. We would be content to just live and let live if it were not for the fact that many of the proponents of Word of Faith make this a primary (salvation) issue… Hopefully, we’ve shown well enough that it is NOT a matter of one’s salvation… If you still believe that it is, we respectfully ask that you reexamine God’s Word on this issue with an open heart and mind… We’ll examine more Word of Faith claims from a biblical perspective in posts that are soon to follow.
Anybody a big fan of Friends? Remember the first episode? Ross, is sitting on the couch having just been divorced. Ross says “I just want to be married again”. Rachel comes running through the door in a wedding dress. Chandler (ever the opportunist) screams “I just want a million dollars!”
Over the last month-month and a half I have been studying the word of faith movement. I needed to know if what these preachers were saying was biblical or not.
I started by looking at what the word of faith movement was. What is included in it? The word of faith movement is basically described as follows: “Say what you want in faith, and it will be yours.” You may have heard of the word of faith movement by some of the following names: the prosperity gospel, health and wealth gospel, or name it claim it gospel.
The history of the word of faith movement is pretty well documented. Many of the word of faith teachings can be traced back to E.W. Kenyon and include; Christ going to hell, positive confession, God creating the universe based on faith, etc…There is debate about who the true founder of the word of faith movement. Some will argue Kenyon, others Hagin. To me this really is irrelevant. It was a nice to know, as it kept showing up in text describing the word of faith movement. While I understand that this can prove to be relevant, I am only concerned about how their preaching stacks up against the Bible.
Who are the preachers of the word of faith movement? Preachers of the word of faith movement would include; Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Jr, Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, Oral Roberts, John Avanzini, Robert Tilton, Fred Price, Bill Winston, and a whole host of others.
Up until a couple of months ago I looked at the word of faith movement as something that was just there. I may have disagreed with it, but I thought that there was nothing dangerous about it. Now I know the truth. The word of faith movement is dangerous. It is harmful. It is misleading. And those that follow the word of faith preachers follow a gospel that is not biblical. Furthermore, any gospel that assigns anything to salvation (healing powers, becoming god like, speaking in tongues or the like) is not biblically founded as well. Those that preach these things alienate people who are moved to Christ, but do not speak in tongues or because they can’t heal. They also lie to those who are poor or sick and tell them that it is because they do not have enough faith. These “preachers” draw in crowds based on the false premise that they receive special revelation that you do not. They claim that they are special instruments of God, and you are to listen to what they say – Even if it contradicts the Word of God itself, they expect you to take THEIR word for it and not research it on your own. All of this to me is dangerous.
I spent a lot of time reading into this for personal reasons. I had to make sure that I got this right. I couldn’t be sure solely based on other peoples’ opinions… I had to do my own research, pray, and have the Spirit of God draw me in the right direction. I had to understand the Bible, understand the context, and know, what was really there.
There will be several posts following this one that will take a biblical look at the flaws of the word of faith movement. There are several videos on YouTube that will give you a quick version of it. We hope to provide a comprehensive version of it here. If we hurt some feelings, if we offend any of the readers, that is not our intent… However, we’re not apologizing for the truth.
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No Apologizing 
I’ll Ask for Forgiveness…. Later.
Tell me if you’ve ever heard something like this: “I know what I’m doing isn’t right… okay, well maybe it’s even wrong… maybe… but I REALLY want to do this… it feels right… Well, at least I think it’s what’s going to make me happiest now. Yeah, it’s probably not what God wants, but it’s okay, cuz I’ll just ask Him to forgive me for it… later…”
Maybe we’ve even heard ourselves saying something like that… If not aloud, perhaps we’ve tried to justify sinful actions in our minds this way… Friends, let me say as lovingly as I can… this is a VERY dangerous game to play…
Consider what God says in Deuteronomy 29:
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God… make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster… The LORD will single him out… for disaster.
Granted, this passage is written to Israel and in relation to the covenant they had with God… But the principle is clear… God HATES it when we identify with Him in name only and then go ahead and do our own thing… Isn’t that exactly what we’re doing when (like above) we try to justify stupidity? How many people do you know that claim to be Christian, yet don’t live it out in their lives at all? If and when they are confronted with their sin they blow it off as “mistakes” or dismiss it as “personality flaws” or “shortcomings”… and they will ask for forgiveness… later?
To bring this in a NT light, let’s look quickly at the end of Romans 5 and the beginning of Romans 6.
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?… Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God…
Also consider Hebrews 10
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Notice at the end it says the LORD will judge His people… Can you be saved and sin willfully, yes… but then consider the next sentence… It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And, as a child of God, who loves Him, you will not want to persist in that sin… Robert and I have both written in recent posts about freedom in Christ, and how that freedom should not be used for evil.
It has been said that there is no such thing as a person who has accepted Jesus but has no change in their life… Does that mean that you will be perfect from the moment of salvation? Of course not! However, if there is little to no evidence of a change in your life, there is much to fear and that person should take head to 2 Corinthians 13:5 which says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”
Does this mean that you have to “clean up” your life before you come to Christ? Absolutely not… Salvation comes through faith alone in Christ alone… Ephesians 4:8-9 affirms, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Since we are transformed into a new creation upon salvation then we ought to look and act differently than we did before… If we don’t we are massively immature as Christians or we are not Christians at all. Will there be ups and downs in the Christian life? SURE! Sometimes the downs might be huge… but we should be growing more and more as time progresses…
Philippians 2:13-14 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”
Basically, what this means that we have to rely upon God for the changes that He wants to take place in our lives, but we are to work with Him in that process…
So, I guess what this post boils down to is an appeal for everyone claiming the name of Christ (i.e. calling themselves Christian) to be, well, christlike (though the power of the Holy Spirit). Let’s stop living for ourselves and start living for Him… no more lame excuses for stupidity (like above) that presume upon the grace of God…
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