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You Shall Know Them By Their… “Jet Airliners”?
"I just finished reading your article on Word/Faith and thought you did a very good job. You were not rude/mean but very clear. Words fail me when I think how grateful I am for how the Lord delivered us at FCC from this particular error."
-Pastor Bruce Brock, Faith Community Church, Tucson, A.Z
(Jet owned by Joyce Meyer)-1 Thessalonians 5:21
An article of this nature must have certain foundations by which certain affirmations and negations can be stated. This article, being an internal critique, specifically, internal to the Christian Worldview certain presuppositions are essential to such an evaluation as this:
Presupposition 1: God is there
Presupposition 2: God has spoken
Presupposition 3: That which He has spoken comes to us through Special Revelation
Presupposition 4: That Special Revelation is the 66 books of the Holy Bible
Without these truths there are drastic implications, let alone, an article such as this would be entirely pointless. If these four foundations are not true, then the only other alternative would be Naturalism. If naturalism is true, then when we die that’s it, its over, so who cares. It would be the survival of the fittest and so why not lie, cheat, and steal? Would this not be the ultimate ethic since survival is what is “meaningful?” However, if these presuppositions are true and the God of the Bible says that it is very important what we affirm. Then we should take such a mandate with the utmost weightiness. Indeed, if these four presuppositions are true(1), then what God has spoken becomes and is the standard/point of reference for truth. The Bible is therefore sufficient (Sola Scriptura) for the life of the Believer in word and in practice:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God (θεόπνευστος - theopneustos) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17, ESV)
Anything contrary to truth is contrary to the nature and being of God. For the child of God, there should be and must be a driving force, a God instilled passion to contend against error and out right heresy (Jude 3,4). Dr. Walter Martin notes,“It is not unloving to tell the truth. It is not divisive to point out error. It is not an option to stand against evil, it is a divine command and if we don’t do it we become accessories after the fact to their crimes. That is what Ezekiel said in Ezekiel 33 and 34. When God speaking to the Prophet said, if you do not warn the wicked man of his wicked way and he dies in his sins, I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you warn him and he won‘t listen then you are free from responsibility.”(2)
Paul quoting from Ezekiel stated in Acts 20:26-31,
“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.” ESV
Truth and consistency, especially in the area of Theology, should be the goal and strive of every believer. For if we are not accountable to the Scripture, you can take a shot in the dark at what your Theology will be. Dr. James White said, and I paraphrase, there is nothing more pleasing to God than consistency in the life of the Christian. I would like to add, consistency in: mind (thoughts and ideas - Phil. 4:8), soul (ambitions, desires, and emotions - 1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 4:6,7), and body(practical Christian living - Mat. 5:16). Thus, there can be no greater joy then to strive towards those things that give God glory. Theological consistency takes a disciplining of the mind (Hos. 4:6; 6:6; Rom. 10:2; 12:2; Phil.1:9; 2 Pet. 1:5ff.) and the application of that which one has learned is what the Christian life is about (John 4:23; Col. 1:10; 3:10). If a Child of God loves the truth and hates error, he will greatly appreciate rebuke and correction:
Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline [correction] loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
Proverbs 15:10, "There is severe discipline [correction] for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die."
Proverbs 15:31, "The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise."
I say all this to preface that, there is Biblical grounds, even Biblical mandate, for true correction. However, the motive for correction should be love, and true correction is one of the most loving things one can do. When a believer corrects a believer it should be for:
- The pursuit of Biblical accuracy
- The pursuit of doctrinal consistency
- The pursuit of godly integrity
- Ecclesiastical discipline (if necessary out of love for the rest of the flock)
- Pursuit of the disciplined one’s repentance and reconciliation.
“If Luther had not confronted a corrupt Roman Catholic Theology, you would not be sitting here today as Protestants. And if Athanasius had not confronted a corrupt government under Constantine, and stood against the Arian heresy, which is the Theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 4th Century, the Christian church would have been split right down the middle on the deity of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the Father. But one man took on the whole church and because he was right, we have the Athanasian Creed today, affirming the Biblical doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. It has been necessary all throughout history to confront.”(3)
In conclusion to my opening remarks, as 1 Thessalonians says, we are to test all things and hold fast to what is good. And the only way we can know what is good is by what God has revealed to us. It isn’t what your emotions tell you, its not what you feel, its not because it “sounds right”, or because it meets your felt needs… as Rick Warren would have us propagate, or because it works. Its because its true!
This is the purpose of this article, hence in this article I want to deal with the subject of the Health and Wealth Gospel, also called, Positive Confession or the Word-Faith Movement. The primary proponents of this teaching consist of: Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Fredrick K. C. Price, David (Paul) Yongii Cho, Gloria Copeland, Robert Tilton, John Avanzini, John Osteen, T.L. Osborne, Marilyn Hickey, Jerry Savelle, Morris Cerullo, Casey Treat, Dwight Thompson, Oral Roberts, Richard Roberts, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, etc. of which, the majority of the proponents have moved over into the area of the cults. However, for those who have not completely followed them, it needs to be stated as well that, you can be a brother but you can be in serious doctrinal error and it is possible for you to lead millions of people into false doctrines, not meaning to do so, but being ignorant yourself. The doctrines of the Word-Faith movement have progressed from simple ignorance, to outright heresy and blasphemy. And since these subjects have hardly been addressed and Christian leaders have not stood up and said, “enough!” we have what we have today, false doctrines being propagated everywhere. As Dr. Jan Van Baalan once said, “The cults are the unpaid bills of the Church.” and to a great extent I heartily agree.
With nearly all cults, sects, and aberrant movements, there is the deceiving redefinition of basic theological terms. If one is lazy or unskilled at recognizing this tactic, you can very easily be lead astray. With the Word of Faith Movement the principal redefined term that is key to their “theology” is the word faith.
The Word-Faith Teachers define and describe faith as “something similar” to that of the Jehovah’s Witness’ understanding of the ontology and function of “holy spirit”, which is as they describe, an impersonal force which is controlled and emanated from Jehovah God. For the Word-Faith teacher, Faith is an actual spiritual, somewhat esoteric, substance(4) which is under the control and power of every believer. And depending upon how much faith each believer has determines how much he or she can have spiritual highs, be that in speaking in tongues, healings, “Holy Spirit” slayings, etc.(5) This understanding of faith has great implications on the practical life of the believer. Instead of living in a state of consistency, they are out pursuing the next experience. If the health and wealth believer doesn’t have these experiences they can be in deep depression until the next mountain top experience. Unless these experiences are obtained, they might think that maybe God is mad with them, they have unconfessed sins, they don’t have enough faith, God doesn‘t care, or anything along these lines. Instead of judging their experiences by the Word of God, they’re judging their experiences by previous experiences. This is not the life that God intended for His children to live. Instead of a life of mountain top and rock bottom experiences, the Bible outlines explicitly that we are to be in a state of growth in holiness, obedience, sanctification, understanding, knowledge, worship, love, and all those things that are attributed to the works of the Spirit. The life of a Christian will have highs and lows emotionally but emotions should be indicators of reality not determiners. How one feels should never determine one's relationship with God.
But this understanding of faith is indeed unbiblical, it ignores explicit verses, implicit verses, the original languages, historical teachings, etc.
The word faith has Biblical origin (Jesus was the first one to coin the Greek word for faith) and thus needs to be defined in it's original Greek context. In Hebrew there is no word for 'faith', even though in the English the word faith appears in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word emun or emunah does not carry the same concept as the Greek pistis. Emun/emunah is similar in its usage to the English word for trust, but pistis is unique, it carries the concepts (all together) of the English words: confidence, trust, persuasion, conviction, and reasonable belief. Combine all those words and that is the basic concept of what pistis means(6). Pistis in the Greek is vastly more profound than that of its present day English counterpart "faith". Let me put it another way, J. Gresham Machen, a Greek and Hebrew scholar from Princeton Theological Seminary in his book What Is Faith? Took all the usages of faith, Old Testament and New Testament, and described them in their proper context to show that faith is also: being sure of what you hope for and being certain of what you cannot see. A then very important point is made, the only way that you can be absolutely sure of what you hope for and certain of what you cannot see, is if God said it, then it is to be trusted. Faith in its ultimate resolution is total trust in God, what He has said, His absolute sovereignty, and that He knows what He’s doing. For example, confidence, trust, and belief that God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Fundamental to Biblical Theology is that, as Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:8 and James 1:17 say, faith is a gift that is measured (μέτρον-metron: a limited portion) by God. It is not something we inherently have nor do we have the ability to conjure up. So faith itself, the ability to believe God, to believe His Word, comes by His grace as an act of mercy, to enable you to exercise what is called faith. Matthew Henry’s explanation is impeccable, concerning Romans 12:3 and faith. Henry stated:
“What have we that we have not received? And, if we have received it, why then do we boast? 1Cor 4:7. The best and most useful man in the world is no more, no better, than what the free grace of God makes him every day. When we are thinking of ourselves, we must remember to think not how we attained, as though our might and the power of our hand had gotten us these gifts; but think how kind God hath been to us, for it is he [God] that gives us power to do any thing that is good, and in him is all our sufficiency… Because God deals out his gifts in a certain measure: According to the measure of faith. Observe, The measure of spiritual gifts he calls the measure of faith, for this is the radical grace. What we have and do that is good is so far right and acceptable as it is founded in faith, and flows from faith, and no further. Now faith, and other spiritual gifts with it, are dealt by measure, according as Infinite Wisdom sees meet for us. Christ had the Spirit given him without measure, John 3:34. But the saints have it by measure; see Eph 4:7. Christ, who had gifts without measure, was meek and lowly; and shall we, that are stinted, be proud and self-conceited?”(7)
Henry continues on to explain the reason for this “measure” of faith. As the invisible church makes up the body of Christ, each part has different functions, all equal, but complete their part in accordance to God’s will. But the main point that Henry makes is this, we do not earn nor do we deserve the amount of faith that we have, and what faith the believer does have is for the accomplishment of God’s purpose.
These Faith-Teachers use various proof-texts(8) in order to back up their doctrine. One of these texts by which this teaching is predicated on is Mark 11:22-24,
“ And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” ESV
This passage is then taken out of its context and made the standard for all of faith. They then expound upon this passage, using Isaiah 45:11, “Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” and teach that if you name what you want (name it) and then confess it with your tongue (claim it), by your faith, God is going to give it to you. The Word-Faith Teachers claim that God operates by a spiritual law and is obligated to obey the faith-filled commands and desires of believers. Each person predestines his own future by what he says verbally and by how well he uses these spiritual laws(9). Practically what this means is that if you ask God for millions of dollars, and you convince yourself in your heart that God is going to give it to you, God has to do it. If you convince yourself that God has to heal everyone that you put your hands on and pray for, then God has to do it. So if the poor person isn’t healed it can’t be God’s fault, it certainly can’t be your fault (that’s the last person you can blame), it has to be the person that you prayed for who must not have had enough faith(10). Here lies the foundation which is the root error, the source of the infection, a redefinition of the word faith.
This understanding of faith has damaging implications on the doctrine of man and the doctrine of God. Any cult or sect always has the propensity to lower God and lift man. This is exactly what the Faith Teacher’s understanding of faith does even to the point of making men little gods.(11)
First, does Mark 11:22-24 imply that we will receive from God anything we ask? This verse taken solely prima facie would seem to imply so, but only if taken out of the context of the preceding passages, following passages, the systematic teachings and reports of the other books of the Bible. Simply put, all passages should be interpreted in harmony with the rest of Scripture. Dr. Norman Geisler notes as well,
“Limitations on what God will give are indicated both by the context and by other texts, as well as by the laws of God’s own nature and the universe.”(12)
Context
Henry A. Ironside in his commentary on this passage says,
“Faith is trust, or confidence. Such confidence should be in God, not in any human expedient. We can have faith in Him only as we rest upon His Word… But we need to remember that these words apply only when we delight ourselves in the Lord, and so the desires of our hearts are according to His holy will.”(13)
John MacArthur Jr. expresses the same sentiment concerning the phrase whatever things you ask when you pray in Mark 11:24,
“This clause places no limits on a believer’s prayers, as long as they are according to God’s will and purpose… This, therefore, means that man’s faith and prayer must be consistent with God’s sovereignty. And it is not the believer’s responsibility to figure out how that can be true, but simply to be faithful and obedient to Jesus’ clear teaching on prayer, as Jesus gives it in this passage. God’s will is being unfolded through all of redemptive history, by means of the prayers of His people. His saving purpose is coming to pass through the faith of those who hear the gospel and repent…”(14) (concerning: “according to God’s will” see section- Other Texts)
In the immediate context of the Markan passage, it also needs to be noticed that even in the following verses that Jesus’ teaching on faith is not unconditional. For in verses twenty-four to twenty-six,
"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
If, being placed at the beginning, opens for two conditional clauses here on requests made by prayer. Therefore there is no reason to think that Jesus intended to convey to us that we are to take his promise to give us “whatever things” we ask without any conditions, in this passage or in the context of the rest of Scripture. Ironside goes on, in his commentary, to point this out,
“The state of the soul has much to do with the possibility of the prayer of faith. Hence the teaching as to forgiveness given in verses 25, 26. God has never promised to answer the prayer of an unforgiving heart. This attitude toward others effectually blocks the channel of prayer so that no answer is possible. In His family government God forgives us as we forgive our brethren. This is not the forgiveness of a sinner, but of a failing saint. Unless we forgive, our Father in heaven will not forgive us when we come to Him acknowledging our sins from day to day.”(15)
You can muster up all the “faith” you want, but God’s response is always set upon certain preconditions; that of, an abiding in Him and an allowing of His Word to abide in us (John 15:7). We cannot “ask amiss” out of our own greed and selfishness (James 4:3). And, as noted before, asking according to His will. No matter how much you exercise this false superficial faith, God is not obligated by you to fulfill your will. Even Jesus prayed in Matthew 26:39, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as you will”. Prayer is not a means to serve your own desires, like a divine vending machine, but a means by which God accomplishes His will through us for His glory.
Other Texts
It is obvious, Biblically, that God does not promise to heal every one for whom we pray in faith. In Philippians 2:25 Paul apparently could not heal Epaphroditus or Trophimus in 2 Timothy 4:20. Its also obvious in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 that Paul prayed fervently and faithfully three times for the removal of what he called his thorn in the flesh yet God said, “no”. In John 9:3, Jesus taught that it was not the lack of faith of the blind man that hindered him from being healed. Rather, he was born blind so that God’s works would be revealed in him. In Acts 28:9, Paul was not able to heal various people, later when reading in context, Job 1:1, it wasn’t Job’s fear that brought Job’s sickness on him, as Fredrick K.C. Price suggests, but rather the permissive will of God.
Biblically we are to pray with unwavering faith knowing that if our requests are in accord with God’s will, He will do it as 1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything (health, wealth, position, status, ministry, happiness, life, cars, clothes, etc.) according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” That’s the “word of faith” that God intends us to have. All divine healing and all answers to prayer are subject to this passage. Obviously we can be sure that whatever we ask, if in accordance to His will, He will accomplish it. This is a promise from God and the Faith-Teachers mock it, they make fun of it, and completely ignore it because it asserts and affirms the sovereignty of God over the life and faith of the believer. They assume what the Bible does not teach, essentially that it is always God’s will to heal and give us whatever we want and that is not true. There are some people that God wants sick, dead, blind, mute, deaf, etc(16):
Exodus 4:11, "And the Lord said to him, "Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?"
Deuteronomy 32:39, "See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal; And there is no one who can deliver from My hand."
1 Samuel 2:6-7, “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts."
Ecclesiastes 7:13-17, "Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider— God has made the one as well as the other So that man may not discover anything that will be after him."
Isaiah 45:5-7, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these."
Lamentations 3:37-38, "Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?"
Amos 3:6-7, "If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?"
God decrees and permits these things to happen because that’s the only way that he can teach us anything, or keep us from damaging our own selves, or get the glory (God will not give His glory to another, Isaiah 48:18), or keep others from greater evil, sin, etc. Ultimately, God has a purpose for trials and tribulations, for our betterment and His glory (James 1:2-4) and we cannot forget that God works all things for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). What does it mean when we say that God is in control? Ponder that for a moment… We say it, but do we truly believe it? As 1 Corinthians 13:12 reminds us “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” Therefore, the situations that we go through may seem so evil and horrible but as Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20 "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” We won’t know completely everything that is being worked out in our lives presently but in the larger scheme there is an eternal weight of glory:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
I want to expound on this last section more but from a different angle but figured it fit better under the section of God's Nature.
God’s Nature
God is sovereign not faith, the almighty God and creator of the universe does not have to bend His proverbial knee to your “mighty” throne of this self-serving blasphemous definition of faith…to put it softly. God is not arbitrary to anything. If God were a contingent being, that thing or being, to which God is contingent would therefore become, by definition, “God.” The God of the Bible is Self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, infinite, transcendent, imminent, etc. He is, in philosophical terminology, “The Ultimate.” God is the beginning of everything and the end of everything, the “Alpha and Omega.” This means that God cannot subjugate Himself to anything or anyone, not even a set of so-called Spiritual Laws(17). All that is, was, and will be, is an out-flowing or manifestation of the attributes of God. For God to subject Himself to something would be to contradict Himself, and as 2 Timothy 2:13 states, “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny [ἀρνέομαι-arneomai: contradict] Himself.” To say that God in any way is subject, or even to say that God has subjected Himself to our decisions/faith, limits God’s sovereignty, omnipotence, and by implication, His omniscience.
Does God know the future exhaustively? If God is omniscient, He must know the future. The question then becomes, how does God know the future? Is it because it will occur and God takes in the knowledge of it passively? If this is so then it has heretical implications. This would imply that God is not in control of what happens. God has no divine providence over the occurences of the future and therefore must take in knowledge about it at some point, be it in the past, present, or future, as not to pervade the autonomy of man. This also implies then, that God is subject to His own creation and lifts man up and lowers God, which is a God not worthy of worship. As well, suffering, evil, pain, and hurt would then be pointless and meaningless. However this is not how the Bible portrays such events in our lives. To be Biblically and Theologically consistent, God can only know the future exhaustively because of His own will and prescriptive decree.
If the prior understanding of God and the future, is true, we then cannot have any hope or consolation when a loved one dies of cancer. For if the Faith Teachers are right and a loved one dies of such an illness. They might have had a grave mortal sin in their life that they did not repent of and therefore might have lost thier salvation. Indeed this Doctrine of Glory once put into practice becomes very bleak for the believer.
I was reading the other day in Extreme Devotional at day 1 which is put out by Voice of the Martyrs and they made this observation, "Most Christians would admit that suffering is not exactly what we have in mind when we say we want to be used by God. Sure, we want to live out our faith--but not to the point of persecution, We resent being overlooked for promotions at work or excluded form social events. We feel slighted. Cheated. Ripped off. However, we must be willing to prayerfully seek God in the midst of our desperation. The moment we do, we find prayer changes our perspective. We begin to see opportunities for growth. We receive hope. We find promise amid pain. Eventually we begin to discover our current situation, however unfair and undeserved, may be part of God's plan after all. When we pray for God's perspective on persecution, we find the courage to be obedient at all costs."
This brings up an objection that I heard in a debate that took place awhile back when the opponent, Dan Barker, co-founder of Freedom from Religion Foundation, brought up the Argument from Evil objection to the existence of God in one of his rebuttals. Dan Barker, indignant at the response to his objection that suffering brings about growth, bombastically retorted, well then why should we teach our kids to look both ways before crossing the street. Shouldn't we just let them cross and hope that they get hit in order that we may grow through the experience? To which most would recoil at the mere thought at such absurdity. But similar to this idea, amongst other reasons, was carried out in a manner with the ascetic monks of the medieval era who practiced masochism. When they would sin they would beat themselves with wips, blades, etc. Dan Barker's objection was absurd on many levels and masochism is a misapplication of Scripture. The Christian by no means should run from suffering or comfort nor seek comfort or suffering. We are to seek God and His kingdom and allow Him to have control of our life. The pursuit or fleeing of comfort or suffering is to place ourselves in Christ's possition as Lord, by that, committing idolatry.
When one denies God's sovereignty you end up with man becoming god. If one is consistent logically, you invariably end up in Open Theism. This is exactly where the Word-Faith teachers have gone, specifically man being "a god". Using the same proof-texts that the Mormons use, Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34, the children of God are now "litteral" little gods.(18)
However, it is necessary to note that God does want the best for the believer. But our idea of best does not always include comfort, health, wealth, success, popularity, and prosperity. As C.S. Lewis once stated, we are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us. We are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. For God views the believer in the light of eternity, He does not have in view our evanescent situations as central but merely as peripheral. This is exactly how God desires the Christian to view this vaporous life as well:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Romans 8:16-18, The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The Nature and Propensity of Man
It is essential to recognize the condition of man and realize, that Biblically, man is evil, let alone how often our prayers are made of a wrong heart. The Bible describes the condition of man as such:
Mark 7:21-23, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23"All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
John 3:19, "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil."
John 8:34, "Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."
Romans 3:10-12, "as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God; 12All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
Romans 5:6, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 6:20, "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness."
Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not."
Romans 7:23, "but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members."
1 Corinthians 2:14, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised."
Ephesians 2:1, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins."
Ephesians 2:3, "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." ("nature" in the Greek is ‘phusei.” This means that this verse is not saying that we are by nature children of wrath because we sin. It is saying that we are by nature children of wrath.)
Man is totally depraved, in need of a savior, and it is God who reaches down and redeems the God-hating rebellious hearts of men. There is only one who is inherently good, and that is God (Mat 19:17), every good thing is of God (Js 1:17), every good thing that we do is done by God through us (Phil. 2:13). We depend upon God for even the air we breathe, we are dependent upon God for everything by definition as contingent beings. How could we be so arrogant as to believe that we could lift ourselves up by our own ‘fideistic’(19) bootstraps, let alone to have enough faith as to presume to command God?
Martin Luther at the beginning of his Ninety-Five Theses wrote, “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ…willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance”. We sin every day and need to repent frequently of our pride, lust, arrogance, adulteries, fornications, coveting, etc. Whatever good that is in man is of God and only God knows what we truly need. As Walter Martin said,
“Everyone of us knows that if God ever gave us half the things we’ve asked him for by faith, we’d have a disaster area, and you know its true. There are some people that shouldn’t have a Maserati, a Mercedes, or a Cadillac, or a hundred thousand dollars in their bank account because God knows it would alienate them from Him, they can’t handle it. That’s why they haven’t got it a lot of times…”(20)
Paul reflecting on his vision of heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 even realized this when he said,
“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
so praise be to God that He does not give us every impetuous self-serving fervent prayer that is uttered in the passion of the moment.
The Laws of the Universe
Geisler goes on to say, “God cannot literally give us anything. Some things are actually impossible. For example, God cannot grant a request of a creature to be God. Neither can he answer a request to approve of our sin…”(21) (emphasis mine) There are certain prescriptive laws that cannot be contradicted such as truth, the laws of logic, mathematics, etc. No amount of faith can break these laws with out utter chaos following, even chaos within the nature of God himself, which is absurd.
John Piper in a sermon, gave five reasons for why there is an economic recession. These reasons apply beautifully to pain and evil, here are the five purposes John lays out in their entirety. May these points bless you as much as they have blessed me:
1. To Expose Sin and Bring Repentance
The book of Job in the Old Testament begins, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). But in the last chapter of the book, Job says, “I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). He was “blameless,” but later he repented. What does that mean?
It means that the most godly people in the world are like a clear glass of water with a sediment of sin hidden at the bottom of the glass. And when the glass is struck—with Job’s suffering, or with our recession—the sediment of sin is stirred up and exposed, and the water becomes cloudy. That’s one of the things that recessions are for.
And it works both individually and socially.
Individually Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”
God brought his own faithful servant Paul to the brink of death so that he might learn more deeply to rely not on himself but on God. If that happened to Paul, we may be sure that God is doing that for us as well in this recession. That we may rely on him and not ourselves.
At the bottom of every Christian heart—no matter how advanced in faith and godliness—there is the sediment of self-reliance. Then God shakes our lives, sometimes to the foundations, to show us our self-reliance and clean it out with a new, deeper reliance on him.
Socially, the recession reveals a host of sins that hurt people. The recent Ponzi schemes are one of the clearest examples. Promise people huge returns on their investment when there is nothing to invest in, then pay those returns with some of the next investments in nothing. And keep doing it for years, while you skim millions for yourself. Until a recession makes people want their investments back—and they don’t exist. Recessions have a wonderful power to expose that kind of deceit. What will it expose about you?
And, of course, the recession is especially good at exposing the sin of wasting other people’s money (or our own), and the sin of selfishness and greed in the mortgage business, and the sin of fear when everything starts coming down, and the sin of grumbling and impatience. And on and on. What a gift the recession is in the exposure of sin. May the Lord give us all the grace to repent and receive the forgiveness that God offers in Jesus Christ.
2. To Awaken Us to World Poverty
It’s astonishing how blind prosperity makes us to the miseries of the world. God has some remedies for that kind of indifference. For example, it says in Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
How does that work? He says that there are people that we should care about who are imprison and mistreated. We tend to forget them. So he says, “Remember!” And he says: “As though with them” and “since you have a body.” So how does it work? It works like this: You have a body and sometimes it hurts. When it hurts, remember that there are people right now who are being mistreated—who are hurting much more than you. Imagine yourself in their shoes, and treat them the way you would want to be treated.
Recession hurts us. It imprisons us. What is God’s aim? That we would wake up. Does this recession bother us? If it bothers us, we should be bothered by the fact that millions always live in recession. Only live in recession.
One billion people do not have safe water to drink. Sixteen thousand children die every day from hunger related illnesses. Almost eighteen million children are orphaned in sub-Saharan Africa.
Our family prays through the Global Prayer Digest each morning. For January 29, 2009, we prayed for the Afar people of Ethiopia:
It’s 3:00 a.m., and the Afar father is still awake. The desert night is cold. He snuggles up to his wife and newborn baby to keep them warm. Their stomachs rumble with hunger. Should he slaughter his scrawny goat to feed his wife, hoping she will produce enough milk for their baby? Or should he beseech the clan elders to move again, in search of weeds for the goat, or maybe even some fresh water?
They are fortunate; both his wife and their baby survived the birth. The Afar people have the highest maternal fatality rate in the world. Women give birth without benefit of sterile conditions, or even clean water. Of the babies born alive one-third die before age five. Afar people roam throughout one of the most desolate places on earth: the Ethiopian desert.
Drought and malnutrition make them vulnerable to diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, conjunctivitis, and other water-borne illnesses. Of 13 million Afar people, three million are infected with HIV/AIDS.
It is good to know these things. And to pray about these things. And to cultivate a radical culture at Bethlehem in which hundreds of people dream of ways that their lives can count creatively and long-term for the relief of suffering. Recession has a way of making us wake up to the endless recession of millions. It has a way of changing our priorities and releasing effort and money for others.
Part of our overall vision at Bethlehem called Treasuring Christ Together (TCT) is the Global Diaconate. The giving to TCT is over and above the $9.2 million budget for church and missions this year. Ten percent of everything you give to the vision of TCT goes to our efforts to help the poorest of the poor. Since 2005 when TCT started, you have given over $700,000 to this fund, and $593,000 of it has been disbursed. God’s purpose for this recession is to say: That’s good work; and now more than ever, don’t let up.
3. To Relocate the Roots of Our Joy in His Grace, Rather Than in Our Goods
God sends recessions to his people to pull up the roots of our joy from the pleasures of the world and sink those roots into the pleasures of the glory of his grace. Here’s he clearest recessionary text about this in the Bible—2 Corinthians 8:1-2. It describes the roots of the joy of the Macedonian believers in their “recession.”
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
This is my dream for Bethlehem. Verse 2 ends with a “wealth of generosity.” We want to be a generous people. Generous in every way. Where does it come from? From prosperity? No. Extreme poverty. “Their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of liberality.” This is why I call this a recessionary text. Here are people overflowing in generosity when the economic times are very bad.
Where then did the generosity come from if not from prosperity? From a supportive and sympathetic culture surrounding them? No. Verse 2 says they were in a “severe test of affliction.” That means they were being harassed. You can see what that looks like in Acts 17:5-9.
Where then did this wealth of generosity come form? Paul says it came from joy, abundance of joy. Verse 2: “Their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity.”
Their joy was not rooted in prosperity or popularity. But it was very great. Paul calls it “abundance of joy” in the middle of verse 2. Where did that joy come from?
It came from the grace of God. Verse 1: “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.” What makes people grumble and be stingy is a sense of entitlement. But if we have tasted the measure of our sin and the magnitude of God’s grace, we will have abundance of joy in recessionary hardships. God’s grace overflowing in Jesus for sinners like us is the most glorious thing in the universe.
This is where our joy is rooted. This is why the Fighter Verse for this past week says that Christians can be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Our joy is not rooted in circumstances. God has relocated our joy in his grace, not our goods—in his mercy, not our money, in his worth, not our wealth.
If the recession can assist that relocation, it will have done the most important thing possible. Because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
4. To Guard His Glory by Advancing His Saving Mission in the World Precisely When Human Resources Are Low
We see this all over the Bible. God does his great advancing work again and again when it looks least possible for us.
* He promises the heir when Abraham and Sarah are too old to have children.
* He splits the Red Sea when Israel is hopelessly trapped by Pharaoh’s army.
* He gives manna when there is no food in the wilderness.
* He stops the Jordan River when it’s time to take the land.
* When a city stands in the way, he makes the walls fall down.
* When the Midianites were as many as the sand of the sea, God whittled Gideon’s army down to 300 so God would get the glory for the victory.
* When Goliath defies the armies of the Lord, God sends a boy with a sling and five stones.
* When the Son of God is to come into the world, God calls a virgin to conceive.
* And when the mighty devil himself is to be defeated, a Lamb goes to the slaughter.
And here in 2 Corinthians 8:1-2, when God wants to raise money for the poor in Jerusalem, he uses afflicted, poverty-stricken Macedonians and fills them with joy because of his grace... But vastly more important than that is where your treasure is—where your heart is. Are you like the Macedonians whose joy—in times of “recession”—was invincible because it was rooted in the grace of God? May God open our eyes to glory of his grace. When he does, the last purpose for the recession that I will mention will come true.
5. To Bring His Church to Care for Her Hurting Members and Grow in Love
Buildings exist for people, not the other way around. May no effort to build ever keep us from caring for Christ’s followers. Acts 4:34 describes the early church: “There was not a needy person among them.” This is what the church does. Every member will have his needs met. God will test us to see if we are a church or a club.(22)
(John Piper and the Prosperity Gospel)
(Agony by Leonard Ravenhill)
John Calvin, commentating on the Beatitudes touches well on this topic hundreds of years before the Health and Wealth Movement even existed. The quote is lengthy but well worth it.
“Someone might ask whether it is right for God’s children to be rich, to employ the good things which God so generously gives and to derive pleasure from them. After all, our text says “Woe to you who laugh. Woe to you rich. Woe to you when men speak well of you.” “What’s this?” you say. “Is it wrong to lead a good and virtuous life and to be well spoken of? Doesn’t St. Paul urge us to do good in the sight of all? Don’t we read somewhere else that every mouth should be stopped and that men should glorify God when they see us walking in his fear?” We might, then, think it harsh and puzzling that the rich, the comfortably off, and the happy should be condemned.
“Now that is not what our Lord is saying here. What he is condemning is the attitude of those who, intent on living well in this world, as so stupid and senseless as to forget there is a heavenly kingdom. This will be clearer if we think of how believers behave when times are good. If God sends them peace and prosperity, they will give him the praise; they will use his gifts soberly, endeavouring always to live an upright life. They will not want to squander such gifts, but they will recognize them as blessings from God. Or again, if someone possesses a rare gift of God’s Spirit, he will not pretend he doesn’t have it, for that would be mere hypocrisy. So whether believers are rich, or in robust health, or wonderfully endowed with the Spirit’s gifts, they acknowledge that God’s favour is its only source. Their joy is real, and so is their thanksgiving. That is how they will use the good things of this present life.
“Nevertheless, while life for believers may be easy today, they will be ready tomorrow to endure whatever afflictions God may send them. He may, perhaps, take from them the goods he has given. They are prepared to surrender them, since they know they received them on one condition–that they should hand them back whenever God should choose. The believer reasons this way: “Rich today, poor tomorrow. If God should change my circumstances so that ease gives way to suffering and laughter to tears, it is enough to know that I am still his child. He has promised to acknowledge me always as his, and in that I rest content.”
“That, I repeat, is how believers will behave. They will live soberly, tightening their belts if that is necessary; they will be self-controlled, telling themselves that though they may rise to eminent rank and enjoy untold pleasure, they must set their sights on higher things. The good things given by God are but a path to lead us to him, a ladder to ascend on high, not a tomb in which to bury ourselves. We should not cling to happiness or greet its passing with a hollow laugh, for it is fleeting. Nor should we exult when men applaud us, as if we had already attained our reward for a virtuous life on earth. No, we are determined to press on through good report and bad. Such is the measured and moderate path pursued by the believer. We do not get drowsy, still less intoxicated, when times are good. And we are always willing to abandon everything if God requires. This is not how it is with unbelievers. Prosperity goes immediately to their heads, fills them to bursting; they are so befuddled that not once do they spare a thought for God or the spiritual life. In time they grow hard, and when misfortune comes they grind their teeth and blaspheme against God.
“This is how we are to interpret the woes spoken against the rich, the satisfied, those who laugh and are glad. Remember Job, who amidst his suffering proclaimed: “If we have received good things from God’s hand, why should we not also receive the bad?” There is no doubt that this was something which Job had thought hard about–a treasure, so to speak, to be disclosed at the right time and place. We see then that although God may spare us and give us reason to rejoice, we should expect to receive both good and bad from his hand. Not reluctantly or because we are compelled, but meekly and cheerfully, obedient to his will. For he must rule us, not according to our own likes but according to what he knows is best and most expedient for us. We are confident that all things will work for our salvation: that is our motive for rejoicing.
“That is the sense of Jesus’ teaching in this passage. To be rich, to be glad, to be satisfied is to be drunk on prosperity and to live the life of senseless beasts. If we are comfortably off, it is not so that we may cover ourselves with gold and silver, or boast of owning fields and meadows, like those whose goal in life is to have everything they want. Those kinds of people are as good as dead: they bury themselves in their perishable possessions and are incapable of seeing heaven above. As for us, we must take heed to ourselves lest the Son of God condemn us with his own lips: only by looking to him for continual blessing can we escape the misfortune promised here. We are taught, then, to pass through this world as strangers, convinced, as St. Paul says, that those who have should be as those who have not. No one would deny that those who have plenty to live on meet many more temptations and run more risk of falling. They need, therefore, to turn constantly to God, and to learn that his gifts are meant to draw them closer to him, to quicken their love and to encourage their obedience. The good things they receive must never bewitch them to the point that they become captives to the world.
“In the midst of plenty we must guard against greedy excess, lest we choke ourselves and bring this curse upon us: Woe to you who are filled. If we are to be filled, it is in a different way–by contemplating God’s face, as we read in Psalm 16. We should regard material possessions simply as props to help us, until we see the Father face to face. He is our bliss and happiness. By all means let us laugh, but in the manner of those who are ready to weep should that be God’s will. Our joy should be joined with sadness, and with compassion for those who suffer. No one should live apart from others, and all should rejoice whenever God’s name is honored. Yes, rejoice, even when we have reason to feel sad and gloomy. Conversely, it may be that we are fine, in the best of spirits. But supposing there is some dire trouble in the church, or God’s name is blasphemed, held up to shame or ridicule–that should give us cause for grief, grief deeper even than the joy we felt. At such a time we ought to moderate the happiness which earthly blessings bring. We ought, as the proverb says, to mix water with our wine.”(23)
Is it wrong to be rich? Does God bless Christians with health and wealth? These questions are very difficult to answer for the one asking such a question normatively arrives at the topic with very “North American” biases. Such questions can be asked in a pursuit of a blessing one’s own sin. So is it wrong to be rich or does God bless individuals with monetary excess? Some Scripture would be quite appropriate:
Matthew 10:38-39, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
Luke 3:14, “Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."
Luke 12:42-48, “And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. "But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Luke 12:47-48, "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Luke 14:33, "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Phillipians 4:11, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
1Timothy 3:3, “not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”
1Timothy 6:3-11, “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
1Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
Titus 2:12-14, “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
Hebrews 13:5, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"
The answer is therefore quite profound on any level. There are certain western concepts that are completely foreign to the Bible, God’s system, and to a proper Christian worldview, such as: financial independence, individualism, being a self-made man, the “I deserve it” mentality, “go ahead and splurge once in your life”, etc. etc. There’s a reason God chose the Jewish people, their location, time, culture, and environment. The Jews had and still have a very strong sense of family and community. That is why in Act 2:44 it says, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common.” This is not communism but ecclesiastical communalism (the mi casa es su casa concept). Therefore when we see such characters as Abraham, Job, David, Solomon, and various others as being wealthy. To deduce from this that its ok for individuals to be financially independent is to anachronistically impose a concept back into Biblical times. In Jewish culture anywhere from two to three generations along with multiple families would constitute a single household. Therefore when and if God does bless with wealth it is not merely for one individual it is for the edification of a community. For if we are to use patriarchal examples we cannot forget Moses, in Hebrews 11:24ff. Left his luxuries, comforts, and wealth in order to be counted amongst his people.
When a person is blessed by God with finances it is not meant to be for his personal indulgences but for the edification of the body of Christ. As well the rich have a much greater responsibility before God, for God did not give him/her riches in order to waste themselves. We are to be good stewards.
This touches on the subject of spending. Are we to buy the cheapest thing out there every time? If we can afford it, of course not. Its better to buy something that lasts. I’m being overly simplistic but I don’t want to run off into too many rabbit trails. To summarize this point, there is a great difference between quality and lack of self-control.
The Christian must have his priorities straight…God! To sum up all of the pursuits of the believer, God.
Matthew 6:25-34, "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
We are not to pursue wealth, pleasure, comfort, luxuries, etc. but God and allow Him to work His perfect will in our lives concerning such things. If your heart is towards prosperity and success be warned, this is idolatry and it is not taken lightly in the Scriptures for James 5:1-5 states,
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter."
Hymn: Refiner’s Fire
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold
And precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold
Pure gold
Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my Master
Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within
Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my Master
Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold
And precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold
Pure gold
Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my Master
Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within
Refiner’s fire
My heart’s one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You my Master
Ready to do Your will
(1) for further study on these topics see: He Is There And He Is Not Silent and The God Who Is There by Dr. Francis Schaeffer
(2) Dr. Walter Martin, Audio: Health and Wealth Cult Side 1
(3) Ibid.
(4) Faith is a Force (Kenneth Copeland, Spirit, Soul and Body, #01-0601, Tape #1), "Faith is a power force," he claims. "It is a tangible force. It is a conductive force." (Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1989), 10.), "Faith is a spiritual force....It is substance. Faith has the ability to effect natural substance." (Kenneth Copeland, Forces of the Recreated Human Spirit (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1982), 8.), "The force of gravity...makes the law of gravity work...this force of faith...makes the laws of the spirit world function." (Kenneth Copeland, The Laws of Prosperity (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974), 18-19.), "Faith was the raw material substance that the Spirit of God used to form the universe." (Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0302), side 1.), The "force of faith is released by words." (Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0302), side 1.), “God used this substance to form the world.” (Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Ref. Ed. p.iii)
(5) Kenneth E. Hagin, What Faith Is (booklet),Ch.1
(6) For a more concise study of pistis see: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament And Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Ed., Revised and Edited, Frederick, William, and Danker
(7) Matthew Henry, The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary In One Volume, p.595, 1984
(8) A Proof-Text is any Biblical text that is utilized in order to support varied pet-doctrines.
(9) (see, Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 15, 60-62; Charles Capps, The Tongue A Creative Force, pp. 117-118; Releasing the Ability of God, pp. 98-99, 101-104).
(10) Hagin, What Faith Is (booklet), Ch.1
(11) Adam was not subordinate to God. (Kenneth Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham, Tape #01-3001), God and Adam looked exactly alike. (Kenneth Copeland, The Authority of the Believer IV; Tape #01-0304), "God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself...He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even" (Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham," tape 01-3001, n.d.), "God is a being that stands somewhere around 6'2, 6'3" (Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham" tape # 01-3001), God is someone "very much like you and me....A being that stands somewhere around 6'2," 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 I, side 1.), God is a "spirit-being with a body, complete with eyes, and eyelids, ears, nostrils, a mouth, hands and fingers, and feet." (Kenneth Copeland ministry letter, 21 July 1977.)
(12) Dr. Norman Geisler, When Cultists Ask, p.136
(13) Henry A. Ironside, Expository Notes On Mark, p.174, 1948,1979
(14) John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p.1239
(15) Ironside, p.175
(16) For a more thorough understanding see: God Creates Evil.
(17) "God cannot do anything for you apart or separate from faith," (Kenneth Copeland, Freedom from Fear (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1983), 11.), "Words create pictures, and pictures in your mind create words. And then the words come back out your mouth....And when that spiritual force comes out it is going to give substance to the image that's on the inside of you. Aw, that's that visualization stuff! Aw, that's that New Age! No, New Age is trying to do this; and they'd get somewhat results out of it because this is spiritual law, brother." (Kenneth Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory (television program), TBN, 28 March 1991.), Word-Faith teachers teach that God operates by spiritual law and is obligated to obey the faith-filled commands and prayers of believers. God reveals prosperity teaching supernaturally to the Word-Faith teachers personally and verbally confirms their unique interpretations of Scripture (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 60-62).
(18) "Jesus is no longer the only begotten Son of God" (Kenneth Copeland, NOW WE ARE IN CHRIST JESUS (Ft. Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1980), 24.), "You don't have a god in you, you are one." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Force Of Love" tape # 02-0028), "Pray to yourself, because I'm in your self and you're in My self. We are one Spirit, saith the Lord." (Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory", Feb. 1987, p.9), "I say this with all respect so that it don't upset you too bad, but I say it anyway. When I read in the Bible where he [Jesus] says, 'I Am,' I just smile and say, 'Yes, I Am, too!'" (Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory" broadcast on TBN, recorded 7/9/87), "Don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you're God. The more you get to be like Me, the more they're going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah. That's what you're doing." (Kenneth Copeland, "Voice of Victory" Vol. 15, No. 2, 2/87), "And the whole New Testament calls Him the first-born....The word "born" began to ring in my spirit; it just began to roll around: born, born. I never had let Him go through that in my own thinking....And while I was laying there thinking about these things, the Spirit of God spoke to me. And He said, "Son, realize this: Now follow Me in this, don't let your tradition trip you up." He said, "Think this way: A twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain." And I threw my Bible down. I said, "What?" He said, "A born-again man defeated Satan. The first-born of many brethren defeated him." He said, "You are the very image and the very copy of that one." I said, "Goodness gracious, sakes alive!" And I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said, "You don't mean--you couldn't dare mean, that I could have done the same thing?" He said, "Oh, yeah, if you'd had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, 'cause you're a reborn man, too." (Kenneth Copeland, "What Happened from the Cross to the Throne" tape # 02-0017), "You are not a spiritual schizophrenic -- half-God and half-Satan -- you are all-God" (Kenneth Copeland, Now We Are in Christ Jesus (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1980), 16-17), "You have the same creative faith and ability on the inside of you that God used when he created the heavens and the earth." (Kenneth Copeland, Inner Image of the Covenant, side 2.), "The Spirit of God spoke to me, and He said "Son, realize this" Now follow me in this, don't let your tradition trip you up. He said "Think this way. A twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain." And I threw my Bible..I said "What?" He said "A born-again man defeated Satan - the first-born of many brethren defeated him." He said "You are the very image, and the very copy of that one." I said "Goodness Gracious, saints alive." I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said "Well you don? mean - You couldn't dare mean that I could have done the same thing?" He said "Oh yeah. If you'd had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did you could've done the same thing cause you're a re-born man too." (Kenneth Copeland, "Substitution and Identification" (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989, audio tape #00-0202, side 2)
(19) I do not use this term in the philosophical sense, but merely a Latin sense of the term in reference to faith
(20) Martin, Health and Wealth Cult Audio
(21) Geisler, When Cultists Ask, pp. 136-137
(22) John Piper, (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2009/3566/) © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
(23) John Calvin, Sermons on the Beatitudes (Banner of Truth), pp. 77-80.
(2) Dr. Walter Martin, Audio: Health and Wealth Cult Side 1
(3) Ibid.
(4) Faith is a Force (Kenneth Copeland, Spirit, Soul and Body, #01-0601, Tape #1), "Faith is a power force," he claims. "It is a tangible force. It is a conductive force." (Kenneth Copeland, The Force of Faith (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1989), 10.), "Faith is a spiritual force....It is substance. Faith has the ability to effect natural substance." (Kenneth Copeland, Forces of the Recreated Human Spirit (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1982), 8.), "The force of gravity...makes the law of gravity work...this force of faith...makes the laws of the spirit world function." (Kenneth Copeland, The Laws of Prosperity (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974), 18-19.), "Faith was the raw material substance that the Spirit of God used to form the universe." (Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0302), side 1.), The "force of faith is released by words." (Kenneth Copeland, Authority of the Believer II (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0302), side 1.), “God used this substance to form the world.” (Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Ref. Ed. p.iii)
(5) Kenneth E. Hagin, What Faith Is (booklet),Ch.1
(6) For a more concise study of pistis see: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament And Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Ed., Revised and Edited, Frederick, William, and Danker
(7) Matthew Henry, The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary In One Volume, p.595, 1984
(8) A Proof-Text is any Biblical text that is utilized in order to support varied pet-doctrines.
(9) (see, Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 15, 60-62; Charles Capps, The Tongue A Creative Force, pp. 117-118; Releasing the Ability of God, pp. 98-99, 101-104).
(10) Hagin, What Faith Is (booklet), Ch.1
(11) Adam was not subordinate to God. (Kenneth Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham, Tape #01-3001), God and Adam looked exactly alike. (Kenneth Copeland, The Authority of the Believer IV; Tape #01-0304), "God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself...He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even" (Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham," tape 01-3001, n.d.), "God is a being that stands somewhere around 6'2, 6'3" (Kenneth Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham" tape # 01-3001), God is someone "very much like you and me....A being that stands somewhere around 6'2," 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 I, side 1.), God is a "spirit-being with a body, complete with eyes, and eyelids, ears, nostrils, a mouth, hands and fingers, and feet." (Kenneth Copeland ministry letter, 21 July 1977.)
(12) Dr. Norman Geisler, When Cultists Ask, p.136
(13) Henry A. Ironside, Expository Notes On Mark, p.174, 1948,1979
(14) John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p.1239
(15) Ironside, p.175
(16) For a more thorough understanding see: God Creates Evil.
(17) "God cannot do anything for you apart or separate from faith," (Kenneth Copeland, Freedom from Fear (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1983), 11.), "Words create pictures, and pictures in your mind create words. And then the words come back out your mouth....And when that spiritual force comes out it is going to give substance to the image that's on the inside of you. Aw, that's that visualization stuff! Aw, that's that New Age! No, New Age is trying to do this; and they'd get somewhat results out of it because this is spiritual law, brother." (Kenneth Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory (television program), TBN, 28 March 1991.), Word-Faith teachers teach that God operates by spiritual law and is obligated to obey the faith-filled commands and prayers of believers. God reveals prosperity teaching supernaturally to the Word-Faith teachers personally and verbally confirms their unique interpretations of Scripture (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 60-62).
(18) "Jesus is no longer the only begotten Son of God" (Kenneth Copeland, NOW WE ARE IN CHRIST JESUS (Ft. Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1980), 24.), "You don't have a god in you, you are one." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Force Of Love" tape # 02-0028), "Pray to yourself, because I'm in your self and you're in My self. We are one Spirit, saith the Lord." (Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory", Feb. 1987, p.9), "I say this with all respect so that it don't upset you too bad, but I say it anyway. When I read in the Bible where he [Jesus] says, 'I Am,' I just smile and say, 'Yes, I Am, too!'" (Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory" broadcast on TBN, recorded 7/9/87), "Don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you're God. The more you get to be like Me, the more they're going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah. That's what you're doing." (Kenneth Copeland, "Voice of Victory" Vol. 15, No. 2, 2/87), "And the whole New Testament calls Him the first-born....The word "born" began to ring in my spirit; it just began to roll around: born, born. I never had let Him go through that in my own thinking....And while I was laying there thinking about these things, the Spirit of God spoke to me. And He said, "Son, realize this: Now follow Me in this, don't let your tradition trip you up." He said, "Think this way: A twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain." And I threw my Bible down. I said, "What?" He said, "A born-again man defeated Satan. The first-born of many brethren defeated him." He said, "You are the very image and the very copy of that one." I said, "Goodness gracious, sakes alive!" And I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said, "You don't mean--you couldn't dare mean, that I could have done the same thing?" He said, "Oh, yeah, if you'd had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, 'cause you're a reborn man, too." (Kenneth Copeland, "What Happened from the Cross to the Throne" tape # 02-0017), "You are not a spiritual schizophrenic -- half-God and half-Satan -- you are all-God" (Kenneth Copeland, Now We Are in Christ Jesus (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1980), 16-17), "You have the same creative faith and ability on the inside of you that God used when he created the heavens and the earth." (Kenneth Copeland, Inner Image of the Covenant, side 2.), "The Spirit of God spoke to me, and He said "Son, realize this" Now follow me in this, don't let your tradition trip you up. He said "Think this way. A twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain." And I threw my Bible..I said "What?" He said "A born-again man defeated Satan - the first-born of many brethren defeated him." He said "You are the very image, and the very copy of that one." I said "Goodness Gracious, saints alive." I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said "Well you don? mean - You couldn't dare mean that I could have done the same thing?" He said "Oh yeah. If you'd had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did you could've done the same thing cause you're a re-born man too." (Kenneth Copeland, "Substitution and Identification" (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989, audio tape #00-0202, side 2)
(19) I do not use this term in the philosophical sense, but merely a Latin sense of the term in reference to faith
(20) Martin, Health and Wealth Cult Audio
(21) Geisler, When Cultists Ask, pp. 136-137
(22) John Piper, (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2009/3566/) © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
(23) John Calvin, Sermons on the Beatitudes (Banner of Truth), pp. 77-80.
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