WORD OF FAITH
The Word of Faith movement emerged within Charismatic/ Pentecostal Christianity in the late 20th century. Other names for the Word of Faith movement are Positive Confession, Faith-formula, Health and Wealth Gospel. Mind science combined with Pentecostalism resulted in a mix of orthodox Christianity and mysticism. The movement is not a denomination and has no formal organization. It was founded by E. W. Kenyon based on the teachings of Phineas Quimby, his metaphysical New Thought teachings. Kenneth Hagin made the Word of Faith what it is today and he studied under E. W. Kenyon. The teachings of the Word of Faith movement go from heretical to completely ridiculous and is unbiblical. Nearly all Word of Faith teachers today get their inspiration from Kenneth Hagin.
The Word of Faith teachers include, but are not limited to, Kenneth Hagin, Fred Price, Benny Hinn, Robert Tilton, Jesse Duplantis, James Robison, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen, Morris Cerillo, Marilyn Hickey, and John Avanzini. Word of Faith teachers Paul Crouch (March 30, 1934 – November 30, 2013) and Jan Crouch (March 14, 1938 – May 31, 2016) are also in this group and founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in 1973 and it became, TBN says, the worlds largest television network with over 5000 television stations broadcasting their programming.
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TEACHINGS OF THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT
The Word of Faith teachers teach that Jesus and His disciples were rich, to be sick is a sin, and to be poor is a sin. Fred Price claims that Jesus was rich and that's why he is driving a Rolls Royce as he is following the example of Jesus. John Avanzini believes that Jesus had a nice big house, wore designer clothes, and was handling big money. So, clearly, everyone should be healthy and wealthy, living a good life. This is misleading many and causing them to fall away from God, not knowing the truth. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we would have trouble in this world, so all is not going to be as the Word of Faith teachers tell us. We find also that tribulation, or troubles works, patience, Romans 5:3. God comforts us in tribulation so that we may be a comfort to others, 2 Corinthians 1:4, so each one of us will have tribulation or problems. There are other references that prove Christians will have problems of sickness to help mold our character to where God would have us.
The Word of Faith movement believes that words can be used to manipulate the faith-force and create what scripture promises, which is health and wealth. Laws that supposedly govern the faith force operate independently of God's sovereign will and God is also subject to these laws. They teach that God created humans in His physical image as little gods. The Word of Faith movement teaches us that faith is a force, it is a tangible force, and a conductive force. It is words that activate this force and is called the force of faith. Looking at the Word of God instead of the Word of Faith, we find that faith is trusting the promises of God and is synonymous with being sure, Hebrews 11:1. Faith is not a force and biblically faith is placing one's trust in Jesus Christ and His promises. Faith is trust in God and not confidence in a spiritual law, Mark 11:22-24; John 14:1. Faith is trusting God for future redemption, 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10. God's words are unlike ours in that His words always produces results, Isaiah 55:6-11. On the other hand our words cannot make anything real, Proverbs 14:23.
Let's go back before the fall of Adam and Eve. The Word of Faith teaching is that before the fall, mankind had a potential to call things into existence by using the faith-force. Then when mankind fell they took on the nature of Satan and lost the ability to call things into existence. Therefore, Christ had to give up His divinity and become a man, die spiritually, then took Satan's nature upon Himself and went to hell, where He was born again and rose from the dead, with the nature of God.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is both man and God, God in human flesh. Jesus did not have a sin nature and was without sin so death couldn't hold him. Jesus came to take away our sin and He was sinless, 1 John 3:5, 1 Peter 19:20. When Jesus died physically He lived spiritually and went immediately to the paradise side of hell, Luke 23:43; 1 Peter 3:18. All mankind has sinned, Romans 3:23 and there is a penalty for sin. The penalty for sin is death, Romans 6:23. It should be noted that there are two deaths for those that are lost and only one for those that are saved. In the first death our bodies go to the grave and the spirit and soul of the saved go to heaven to be with Christ. When Christ returns at the rapture all the dead in Christ, the believers who have died, will be resurrected their bodies changed into their incorruptible body and rise to forever be with Christ. Those that are alive will have their bodies changed into their incorruptible body and also rise to meet Christ in the air. The spirit and soul of the lost go to hell and await resurrection in the last day, to stand before the Great White Throne judgment and will be judged according to their works. They are all lost and will experience the second death which is an eternal separation from God in a lake of fire, Revelation 2:11; 20:6; 20:14; 21:8.
What happened to Christ when He died physically? He went to the paradise side of hell, Luke 23:43; 1 Peter 3:18. He overcame Satan by His physical death on the cross, Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14. Jesus did not become sin as the Word of Faith movement teaches but took upon Himself the curse of our sin, Romans 6:23, suffering for our sin so we could have His righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. He also suffered being forsaken by God on our behalf, Matthew 27:46, but He rose to life and became the source of our new life in the new birth, Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3 but was "not" born again.
The teaching of the Word of Faith is that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to replicate the incarnation in believers so they could again become little gods. Now that believers are little gods they can now manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of their life. If one is poor, or has sin in their life, or illness it is the result of a lack of faith and all this can be taken care of by confession to God and claiming his promises for themselves.
The Bible, of course, teaches a much different story. When speaking to Jesus a scribe said that there is only one God and that Jesus was that God, Mark 12:32. James also tells us that if we believe there is one God we do well because the devils believe that and tremble, James 2:19. It is further explained by Isaiah that before God there was no other and there will be no other God in the future, Isaiah 43:10, so mankind is not, and never will be, gods. Jesus tells us that there is only one true God, John 17:3. So clearly there is only one God and not millions of little gods running around as the Word of Faith would have us believe.
The Word of Faith teachers reinterpret Christian essentials to fit their own theological systems. Much of their teachings comes from “revelation knowledge". This is special revelation given to them by God and they place this "revelation knowledge" above God's Word. Sincere followers are not aware that these teachers are teaching false doctrines that are directly opposed to the Word of God. They are told that if they question the teacher they are touching God's anointed and they are unaware that God's Word tells us to try the spirits because there are many false teachers in the world, 1 John 4:1. These things make the Word of Faith movement a threat to the true Church as they are bringing Satan's spiritual war against Christianity from within the Church.
Kenneth Copeland teaches that God has a body and is 6'2" to 6'3" tall. He teaches that we live on a copy of the mother planet on which God lives. The Bible of course says that God is a spirit, John 4:24, and does not have a physical body. However, Word of Faith teachers disregard the Bible because they claim they receive these teaching by direct revelation from God and to oppose their teaching is to oppose God. The Word of Faith teaching on this is more like Mormonism than it is to orthodox Christianity.
SUMMARY
Many churches don't warn their members about false teachers but God does in twenty four out of the twenty seven books of the New Testament. If we heed those warnings we will not be a part of the false Word of Faith movement. It is an extremely large movement with thousands of followers who are deceived and are on the wrong path. To make it simple, the Word of Faith movement exalt man to the status of God and demote God to the status of man. They represent Christ to millions and present a different Jesus and a different gospel and are leading many to hell through their deception, Galatians 1:6-9. They put their word above God's Word claiming it was revealed to them by God and ignore the fact that nothing is to be added to or taken away from God's Word, Revelation 22:18-19.
The Word of Faith movement is one that teaches false doctrine. Let's remember what the apostles in the early church said about the faith once delivered to us and not what these new, so called, apostles teach, 2 Peter 2:1; 3:1-2; Jude 1:3-4; 1:17.
