Driving Miss Depravity

Every day I have to get onto the freeway between our political capital city--Pretoria--and our financial capital--Johannesburg--to get to work. It is a total of 44km (27.34mi) between my home and work. If I leave home at 06:00 I can get to work at about 06:45 to 07:00. If I leave home at 06:10, the time on the road suddenly lengthens into an hour and a half. Coming home I normally get to leave work at about 16:30 and it takes about an hour to get home. However, just the other day it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to get home.

 

However, I do not intend to bore you to death with how long it takes me to travel between my home and work.

 

Have you ever, and I assume it is the same all over the world, realised how ugly Miss Depravity displays herself on the road. We all have to get to work. We are all travelling in the same direction. There are thousands and thousands of cars moving in that direction. You would think that since we are all in the same boat (or car) that people would show some courtesy to one another and also not try to kill each other. Heck, no! Each of us thinks that he is the only one on his way to work and so drive accordingly. Here in South Africa, while travelling on a highway or freeway, it is advisable not to indicate your intentions to change lanes long in advance. You will be seen as an intruder in someone else's domain and any gap will be closed pronto! It is better to drive casually and when you see a gap opening to quickly flick on the indicator and to change lanes as quick as possible before the gap is closed by someone.

 

On the other hand, while driving, always keep an eye open for people who will swerve in front of you even when there is no suitable gap between your car and the car in front of you. Lane changes here seem to be some kind of death wish by many (not their own death of course!) or some kind of kamikaze mission! Two days ago on my way to work I had the fortunate experience of being fingered by some young know-it-all twit. The woman driving behind me was keeping fairly close to me with a gap that I thought was perhaps a few inches bigger than the size of a small car. Suddenly out of nowhere this young guy with his Ford Focus zipped into that gap and then proceeded to ride so close behind me I could hardly see the windscreen wipers on his car! I was in no way comfortable with him so close to the tail of my car and so I waved him off. I did not give him any common road hand "signals." I literally waved him off! He simply sneered at me and continued to stay so close. Next I started to slow down slightly. The thing to remember here is that I was in the right hand lane of a three lane freeway. This would be the equivalent of the left hand lane in the US. Here in South Africa we drive in the left hand lane and pass right on normal roads. Anyhow, there is a thick concrete barrier between the two sides of the freeway. The next thing he zipps past on my right between me and this concrete barrier on the no-go zone! After he passed me he proceeded by greeting me with all the common road hand "signals."

 

Now things like this happen all the time. One of my pet peeves is how people drive on our roads and it really freaks me out when people break the rules of the road to get ahead of others. Like waiting in line at an exit from the freeway in a line that stretches far back on the freeway. This is where many people, especially those with expensive cars, would simply drive past the line and push in somewhere close to the front.

 

Things like this really upset me. That people can disregard others so easily and show them no respect by simply pushing in or whatever!

 

I was thinking about this. Until it dawned on me: people simply cannot help driving like this! It is in man's nature to be like this. Being so selfish and rude while driving! This is simply how the nature of man displays itself. Anyone who claims that man is basically good must obviously have a chauffeur or use the train or a bus to travel. Once you have to drive yourself around, you will soon discover that man is basically sinful!

 

We find Adam, way back in the garden of Eden being told by God that he could eat from any tree in the garden "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17). In that same day, after God made Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, the serpent (the devil) came to Eve and started his life-long mission… to tempt us away from God and His Word. The devil came with one of his greatest temptations… that we could be like God. Almost every cult today has this idea in its teachings. Even within the ranks of Christianity today, there are those who teach that we are "little gods." Anyhow, Adam and Eve ate and sin entered the human race.

 

"But the matter did not stop there, for by that first sin Adam became the bond-servant of sin. That sin carried permanent pollution with it, and a pollution which, because of the solidarity of the human race, would affect not only Adam but all his descendants as well. As a result of the fall the father of the race could only pass on a depraved human nature to his offspring. From that unholy source sin flows on as an impure stream to all the generations of men, polluting everyone and everything with which it comes into contact."[1]

 

Adam sinned as the representative head of the human race, and in this way the guilt of sin is imputed to us all. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

 

Because of original sin (that which Adam brought upon us) we have become totally depraved. Total depravity is often misunderstood.

 

"Negatively, it does not imply: (1) that every man is thoroughly depraved as he can possibly become; (2) that the sinner has no innate knowledge of the will of God, nor a conscience that discriminates between good and evil; (3) that sinful man does not often admire virtuous character and actions in others, or is incapable of disinterested affections and actions in his relations with his fellow-men; nor (4) that every unregenerate man will, in virtue of his inherent sinfulness, indulge in every form of sin; it often happens that one form excludes the other. Positively, it does indicate: (1) that the inherent corruption extends to every part of man’s nature, to all the faculties and powers of both soul and body; and (2) that there is no spiritual good, that is, good in relation to God, in the sinner at all, but only perversion. This total depravity is denied by Pelagians, Socinians, and seventeenth century Arminians, but is clearly taught in Scripture…Rom.7:18,23; 8:7; Eph. 4:18; II Tim. 3:2-4; Tit. 1:15."[2]

 

When it comes to this total depravity

 

"We are all sinners by nature, therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man is subject to the dominion of sin, surely the will, which is its principal seat, must be bound with the closest chains. And, indeed, if divine grace were preceded by any will of ours, Paul could not have said that "it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do" (Phil. 2:13). Away, then, with all the absurd trifling which many have indulged in with regard to preparation. Although believers sometimes ask to have their heart trained to the obedience of the divine law, as David does in several passages (Ps. 51:12), it is to be observed, that even this longing in prayer is from God. This is apparent from the language used. When he prays, "Create in me a clean heart," he certainly does not attribute the beginning of the creation to himself. Let us therefore rather adopt the sentiment of Augustine, "God will prevent you in all things, but do you sometimes prevent his anger. How? Confess that you have all these things from God, that all the good you have is from him, all the evil from yourself," (August. De Verbis Apost. Serm. 10)."[3]

 

To this Grudem adds

 

"Not only do we as sinners lack any spiritual good in ourselves, but we also lack the ability to do anything that will in itself please God and the ability to come to God in our own strength. Paul says that "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). Moreover, in terms of bearing fruit for God’s kingdom and doing what pleases Him, Jesus says, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). In fact, unbelievers are not pleasing to God, if for no other reason, simply because their actions do not proceed from faith in God or from love to him, and "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6). When Paul’s readers were unbelievers, he tells them, "You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked" (Eph. 2:1-2). Unbelievers are in a state of bondage or enslavement to sin, because "every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). Though from a human standpoint people might be able to do much good, Isaiah affirms that "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isa. 64:6; cf. Rom. 3:9-20). Unbelievers are not even able to understand the things of God correctly, for the "natural man does not receive the gifts [lit. ‘things’] of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14 RSV mg.). Nor can we come to God in our own power, for Jesus says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44)."[4]

Mankind has come up with the humanistic notion that there is a spark of "good" in each of us, and it has become so pervasive that it has crept into many Christian theologies. However, Scripture stands at odds with this humanism:

 

Jer 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? (NASB)
Ps 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. (NASB)
Ps 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. (NASB)

In the New Testament Paul continues with this total depravity of man. Does he start his gospel message in Romans with "Jesus loves you more than you love yourself?" No! This is what he wrote in Rom 1:21-25:

 

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (NASB)

Paul continues to show the total inability of man to seek after God in Rom 3:10-18. James White has this to say about this passage:

 

"This litany of quotations [from the Bible] is specifically designed to have one effect: to shatter, destroy, and obliterate any last shred of self-righteousness that might remain after the preceding arguments have been understood. These testimonies are fatal to any kind of "optimistic humanism." Outside of God's grace, man is a corrupted creation, violent, hateful, without understanding, without fear of God. Rather than finding in man "seekers" who simply need a "nudge" in the right direction, Scripture tells us that man does not understand and does not seek after God. Man is deceitful, even with himself, and is quick to curse God. Total depravity painted in the most vivid colors."[5]

Man is spiritually dead and desperately needs new life. Death came into this world through sin, and death so spread to all men. (Rom 5:12) We cannot escape the fact we are slaves of sin, and slaves do not have any rights against their master. What kind of choice is left to a slave? A slave has NO choice! The person without Christ is dead in his sin, dead to God, and we know that dead people cannot move themselves to life. Just as Lazarus had no ability to bring himself back to life, and also had no choice in the matter if someone else brought him back to life, so we have no ability to choose God and spiritual life, and no choice as to whether to accept or deny the life God graciously chooses to give us.

 

Although man is spiritually dead, it does not mean that he is spiritually inactive. He is active, but active against God in his rebellion and suppression of the truth. He is still active in his sin, to which he is a slave.

 

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:5-8 NASB)

So, people are depraved, and it really shows on the roads. I suppose they don't know about driving Miss Daisy. They only know about driving Miss Depravity!

 

When I think of the bad driving and rudeness on the road in this light, of the depravity of man, then it moves me toward pity and also prayer.

 

With the sin nature so rampant on our roads, what can we expect?

 

Just thinking...

 

End Notes

1. Berkhof, Louis, Systematic Theology - NEW EDITION - containing the full text of Systematic Theology and the original Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology, Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, p. 221.

2. Ibid., p246

3. Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Translated by Henry Beveridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989, Book II, Chap II, Section 27, p. 246.

4. Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology An introduction to Biblical doctrine, ZondervanPublishingHouse, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994, p 497.

5. White, James R., The Potter' s Freedom, A defense of the Reformation and a Rebuttal of Norman Geisler's Chosen but Free, Calvary Press Publishing, Amityville, NY, 2000, p.82.

 

The gene and homosexuality - the sequel

...continued from The gene and homosexuality.

It seems that some people simply cannot get past religion, especially Christianity. They use science as a smokescreen for supposed objectivity and to hide from their innate moral rebellion against God.

Recently, Prof George Claassen (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), science editor of Die Burger, South Africa's largest Afrikaans daily paper, started hitting out against people of "faith." He did so in these columns he authored: 'Religion is a mental virus' (Aug 19, 2005), 'Switch on the baloney detectors' (Sep 2, 2005) and most recently Being gay 'is genetic' (Sep 9, 2005).

In 'Religion is a mental virus' Claassen made use of the all-knowing Richard Dawkins and his irrefutable evidence of evolution to "refute" people of "faith!" 'Switch on the baloney detectors' "proved" that people of "faith" were just not rational! Finally, in Being gay 'is genetic' Claassen once again uses the all-mighty SCIIEENCE! to prove that being gay is genetic.

It amazes me that Prof Claassen can be so vitriolic against people of "faith" because of their so-called irrationality, when he commits the very same crime!

It is one thing to claim that gays are born that way and that science has proven it, but it is yet another thing to ACTUALLY prove it!

The two studies that Claassen uses to give us proof of the gay "gene" give us no proof at all! He uses two studies, one by LeVay in 1991 and the other by Hamer in 1993. Both of these studies appeared in the Science Journal. Both of these studies have been debunked by other scientists.

LeVay

William Byne writes of LeVay’s work that it "has not been replicated, and human neuroanatomical studies of this kind have a very poor track record for reproducibility. Indeed, procedures similar to those LeVay used to identify nuclei have previously led researchers astray."[1]

Byne continues about LeVay’s findings by writing that "[h]is inclusion of a few brains from heterosexual men with AIDS did not adequately address the fact that at the time of death, virtually all men with AIDS have decreased testosterone levels as the result of the disease itself or the side effects of particular treatments. To date, LeVay has examined the brain of only one gay man who did not die of AIDS."[2]

It is also important to note LeVay’s own admission: "It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain." (Quoted in Byrd)[3]

The biggest problem with this whole study is that it could not and did not prove whether this difference of the brain was the cause of the homosexuality or as a result of homosexuality.

Hamer, et al

The first problem with this study is that Hamer and his associates did not test whether the straight men in the families of the homosexuals also shared the genetic marker found in the homosexuals! Secondly, of the 40 pairs of homosexual brothers that Hamer tested, 7 pairs did not possess the matching DNA region called q28 found in the other 33 pairs. Hamer does not explain this difference in these 7 pairs of brothers. If q28 indeed is the homosexual marker, one would expect this marker to be present in all homosexuals. This was not the case!

Reasonable Doubt

So, as can be seen there is reasonable doubt as to whether these two studies discovered anything of value! For a more in-depth reply to the homosexual gene theory, "This is the Way God Made Me:" A Scientific Examination of Homosexuality and the "Gay Gene" by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. and Bert Thompson, Ph.D. and Dave Miller, Ph.D. is a good place to start.

Concerning evolution and homosexuality, I have written in my post called The gene and homosexuality that evolution is totally self-defeating if it leads to homosexuality.

End Notes
1. Byne, William (1994), "The Biological Evidence Challenged," Scientific American, 270[5]:50-55, May. p53.
2. Ibid., p53.
3. Byrd, A. Dean, Shirley E. Cox, and Jeffrey W. Robinson (2001), "Homosexuality: The Innate-Immutability Argument Finds No Basis in Science," The Salt Lake Tribune, [On-line] URL: http://www.sltrib.com/2001/may/05272001/commenta/100523.htm.

Heresies in the church - Part 7

So, what now?

In this, our last next post in this series we will look at what we can do about the WOF teaching.

The Word-Faith teaching is a spiritual deception which has become a cancer of a very extreme pervasive nature that has infiltrated the church to its very core. In order for us to deal with it, we need to take action. How can we take action?

First and foremost, do not support any of these ministries financially. This is where you may have to make some tough decisions. Don't watch any of their TV programs and encourage and warn others to do the same. Do not buy their books or audio tapes. If your local Christian bookstore carries their material let them know in love that you will no longer buy from or visit their stores if they continue to carry this material.

Second, take a stand for Scriptural truth and in this way you will also take a stand for Jesus! It is completely Scriptural to oppose false teaching. Do not let people try to convince you that we need to seek unity more than doctrinal purity! Real unity cannot come when false doctrines are taught or supported. If doctrinal purity is not of any importance and unity is more important, then let's quit calling other religions false and accept the cults into our fold. What about the Jehovah's Witnesses who love their Jesus (even though to them he is the archangel Michael, the first and greatest created being)? What about the Mormons, and the Unitarians, etc.? Throw away the creeds and sound doctrine. Ignore the stern warnings of the Apostle Paul to beware of false teachers and false doctrine that spreads like AIDS. Simply "love Jesus" (whoever that Jesus might be to us)? NO! We will not abandon truth. When Jesus tells us to "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits" (Mat. 7:15-16) We must obey! The Word-Faith teachers are using the same fruit that the devil deceived our ancient mother Eve with. It is still as deadly and still as evil in God's sight as it was then. We must actively oppose the Word-Faith teachers and their movement and reject it as non-Christian! Will YOU stand for Christ?

Third, we need to teach our people and study solid doctrine! We once again need to bring back the teaching of theology in our churches so that the common Christian man can be armed against error. This cancer of WOF doctrine and its pervasiveness would not have come about if more Christians knew what the Bible has to say about the nature of man, the nature of God, the doctrine of the trinity, etc. Study the great foundational doctrines of our faith so that we won't be deceived by these false teachers who are mere religious charlatans. Doctrine is not just for theologians. Words like propitiation, sanctification, justification, trinity, incarnation, predestination, redemption, etc. are not just useless theological words but are the very foundations of the faith.

If you allow these doctrines to flourish in your church, especially if you are a spiritual leader at your church, you have become an accomplice in this heresy! If this is not an important issue to you, then I suppose truth is not important to you!

However, we need to make a concerted effort against this cancer in the church!

The question is: What do we do if we find ourselves in a church that supports the WOF teachers?

Read part 6 of the series here.
Part 8 can be read here.

Just thinking...

Heresies in the church - Part 6

If ever you had the ambition to become god, the WOF preachers will only add wood to the fire.

New God?

To give you the full effect I am going to give you a lot of quotes by these people. I hope it doesn't bore you to death, but we need to know what these people teach.

Benny Hinn

"When you were born again the Word was made flesh in you. And you became flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. Don't tell me you have Jesus. You are everything He was and everything He is and ever shall be.... It (the new man) says, 'I am as He is.' That's what it says.. As He is, so are we in this world. Jesus said, 'Go in My name, go in My stead.' Don't say, 'I have.' Say, 'I am, I am, I am, I am, I am.'" [1]

"When you say, 'I am a Christian,' you are saying, 'I am mashiach' in the Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth, in other words. That is a shocking revelation....May I say it like this? You are a little god on earth running around." [2]

Kenneth Copeland

"God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself and in the Garden of Eden He did just that. (Adam) was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even.... Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus....Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh." [3]

"You don't have a God living in you, you are one!" [4]

"Folks, when you were born again, the Bible says you became bone of His bone. You have rights and privileges because you have been born of the Spirit of God. God has been reproduced on the inside of you. These rights re yours because Jesus of Nazareth paid the price for the sin problem and caused you to be reborn." [5]

"You need to realize that you are not a spiritual schizophrenic--half-God and half-Satan--you are all God." [6]

Is this not all very interesting? If we looked for the fingerprints of the one who taught this lie we simply need to read

Gen 3:5 ESV For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

From the beginning Satan tried to entice us with being deity, as if he has the authority to offer it. It is man's search for self-rule or deity that has brought man to point of the pit. One more step and man falls into a chasm, which he eventually did when Adam gave in to the devil's temptations.

In the passage of John 10:31-39 the words of Jesus are used by WOF proponents to "prove" their point:

Joh 10:34 ESV Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'?

What is the point of what Jesus said here? Does He actually mean that we are gods? Jesus is here responding to his opponents with an ironical use of Psalm 82:6, where God condemns the unrighteous judges of Israel for their self-righteous attitude and pride. These judges sinned by showing partiality towards the wicked rather than defending the weak. The very next verse here is quite telling:

Psa 82:7 ESV nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince."

To imagine that we are gods when we are saved is to misunderstand our condition, even though in Christ. Even though the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our lives, it does not mean that we have been deified! If man is deified, surely we also have to accept the doctrine that we are therefore sinless! Yet, the Scriptures deny that we are sinless, even after our salvation.

1Jo 1:8-10 ESV If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

"Jesus mocks the people as if to say, 'You all think you're gods yourselves. What's one more god among you?' Irony is used to provoke us, not to inform us. It is not a basis for building a theology." [7]

Copeland continues:

"Pray to yourself, because I'm in your self and you're in Myself. We are one Spirit, saith the Lord." [8]

"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!'" [9]

"If you stood Adam upside God, they look just exactly alike....If you stood Jesus and Adam side-by-side, they would look and act and sound exactly alike....The image is that they look just alike, but the likeness is that they act alike and they are alike....All of God's attributes, all of God's authority, all of God's faith, all of God's ability was invested in that man." [10]

The terms "image" and "likeness" refute Copeland's point. The Hebrew word for "likeness" (demuth) simply means similarity or resemblance, not identity. Furthermore, the term itself actually "defines and limits" the word "image" (Hebrew: tselem) in order "to avoid the implication that man is a precise copy of God, albeit miniature" [11]

However, Copeland continues with his heresy:

"But this must come first! Surely, this is Isaiah 53 Surely he [Jesus] hath borne are grief's and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted. Now what's he talking about?....He was wounded for our transgressions. In other words he said we esteemed him stricken and smitten by God, but he wasn't, he was wounded for our transgressions, where did that statement come from? Well the high religious people of the day.... Ah.... said that this horrible thing we see here on this cross, here you have got three men hanging side by side on a cross; in Scriptures in the 52nd chapter of Isaiah makes this statement....Ah.... That he was so torn up, he was so oh my goodness, he was as many were astonished his visage or his form was so marred. One translation says so twisted out of shape, more than any man and his form more than the sons of men. Now did you ever wonder why that centurion that executioner that stood right their by all three of those crosses why did he say well surely these were the sons of God? Because they all died.... the crucifixion, they all died the same way. But the one in the middle was totally different because his body was so twisted and went into such shape that the others didn't. That they figured only God could have done this to a human being. And he said surely God did this surely this is of God. Why would they think that? Well the high priests said and told everybody that this happened because he accounted and said that he was equal with God....he said he was equal with God, and so they considered that robbing God, they considered that blaspheming God. That it was wrong, it was terrible that he should say such a thing. Well that same religious idea is hear today. It's the same idea. How do you do it? How would anybody do this? You really cannot ever come to that place were you let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who thought it not robbery to be called equal with God. Let this mind be in Kenneth Copeland, Oh my goodness, Ah! that thinks its not robbery to be called equal with God." [12]

Kenneth Hagin

"Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth." [13]

Hanegraaf answers this: "...while the Bible clearly declares Christ to be pre-existent (John 1:1; 8:58; 17:5), nowhere in Scripture do we find the concept of human pre-existence. In fact, human pre-existence remains a concept relegated largely to such cults as Mormonism. The fact that Christians are indwelt by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (John 14:17,23) in no way implies that the Bible endorses the concept of incarnation for Christians." [14]

Hagin continues: "This eternal life He came to give us is the nature of God." He then adds, "It is, in reality, God imparting His very nature, substance, and being to one human spirit....Zoe, then, means eternal life, or God's life. This new kind of life is God's nature....Even many in the great body of Full Gospel people do not know that the new birth is a real incarnation....Jesus was first divine, and then He was human. So He was in the flesh a divine-human being. I was first human, and so were you, but I was born of God, and so I became a human-divine being!" [15]

Moriarty writes against this: "This view, developed by the scholarly monk Nestorius (ca.381-ca.452), taught that the Word did not actually become flesh (John 1:14) but only united Himself to a human being. Christ was in effect a God-bearer rather than the God-man. Nestorius ended up making Christ out to be a man in whom, in Siamese twin fashion, the divine and human natures were combined in a mechanical union rather than in an organic union of natures. Hagin's view of the incarnation is very similar to the fifth-century Nestorian heresy." [16]

A final quote from Hagin: "Man...was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority....God has made us as much like Himself as possible....He made us the same class of being that He is Himself....The believer is called Christ....that's who we are; we're Christ!" [17]

The next post will be the last in this series: Heresies in the church - Part 7.

Read the previous post in this series here.

Just thinking...

End Notes

[1] B. Hinn, "Our Position in Christ #2-The Word Made Flesh", Orlando, FL: Orlando Christian Centre, 1991, audiotape #A031190-2, Side B.

[2] B. Hinn, "Praise-a-Thon" program on TBN, 6 November, 1990.

[3] K. Copeland, "Following the Faith of Abraham 1", Side A, Fort Worth, Texas, K. Copeland Ministries, 1989, audiotape #01-3001.

[4] K. Copeland, "The Force of Love", Fort Worth, Texas, K. Copeland Ministries, n.d. audiotape BCC-56.

[5] K. Copeland, "The Force of Righteousness", Fort Worth, Texas, K. Copeland Ministries, 1982, p18.

[6] K. Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory, March 1982, p2.

[7] W. Martin, "Ye Shall Be As Gods" The Agony of Deceit, ed. M.A. Horton, Chicago: Moody, 1990, p97.

[8] Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory", Feb. 1987, p9.

[9] Kenneth Copeland, "Believer's Voice of Victory" broadcast on TBN, recorded 7/9/87.

[10] Kenneth Copeland, _Authority of the Believer IV_ (Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1987, audiotape #01-0304), side 1.

[11] R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 1:192.

[12] Kenneth Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory, Monday 29th January 2001 [GOD TV].

[13] K. Hagin, "The Incarnation", The Word of Faith magazine, 13, 12 (Dec. 1980): p14.

[14] H. Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, Harvest House, 1993, p176.

[15] K. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, Tulsa, OK. Faith Library, 1981, p40.

[16] M. Moriarty, The New Charismatics, Zondervan, 1992, p332.

[17] K. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, p35-36.

Heresies in the church - Part 5

Since the WOF preachers believe that Jesus died spiritually, acquired a satanic nature in hell and therefore had to be saved in hell, it is quite natural for them to also believe that Jesus had to be born again!

Born again?

Let's hear what these preachers teach. Kenneth Copeland has the following: "See you have to realize that He (Jesus) died; you have to realize that He went into the pit of hell as a mortal man made sin. But He didn't stay there, thank God. He was reborn in the pit of Hell and resurrected." [1] "...that Word of the Living God went down into the pit of destruction and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life. He began to look like something the Devil had never seen before. He was literally being reborn before the Devil's very eyes. He began to flex his spiritual muscles....Jesus was born again--the first born from the dead." [2] "'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.'" [3] "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.'" [4]

Gloria Copeland, Kenneth Copeland's wife said: "After Jesus was made sin, He had to be born again. [quote of Ac 13:33 KJV] What day? The first part of the verse explains 'this day' as the day He raised Jesus from the dead. God raised Him up and liberated Him from the pains of death. He was made alive in the spirit or justified in the spirit (1 Timothy 3:16; Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18, The Amplified Bible [The Multiple Choice Bible]) Once again, He was the righteousness of God and, once again, eternal life was His nature. Let the picture of the Firstborn from among the dead become a reality in your spirit and mind: Jesus was not only a being with God's nature and God's Spirit, but also the man that said, 'Behold my hands, and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have' (Luke 24:39). And it was written of Him, 'For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus' (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus is a born-again man. He came from death back into life. (This is the same new birth that the good news of the gospel still offers to any man who will accept it.)" [5]

Benny Hinn continues the trend: "My, you know, whoosh! The Holy Ghost is just showing me some stuff. I'm getting dizzy! I'm telling you the truth--it's, it's just heavy right now on me....He's (referring to Jesus) in the underworld now. God isn't there, the Holy Ghost isn't there, and the Bible says He was begotten. Do you know what the word begotten means? It means reborn. Do you want another shocker? have you been begotten? So was he. Don't let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn. You say, 'What are you talking about?' ...He was reborn. He had to be reborn. ...If He was not reborn, I would never be reborn. How can I face Jesus and say, 'Jesus you went through everything I've gone through, except the new birth?'" [6]

"Begotten" simply means "to be born," NOT "reborn." When the Bible speaks of the "only begotten of the Father" it emphasises Christ's pre-eminence and unique nature. In Hebrews 1:5 when God says "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee" it is simply a reference to the resurrection of Christ.

Kenneth Copeland continues: "It is important for us to realize that a born again man defeated Satan....Colossians 1:18 refers to Jesus as the firstborn from the dead....He was the first man to be reborn under the new covenant." [7]

Why is it so important for the Faith-Teachers to ignore such explicit passages as "It is finished," etc? Why must they have Jesus dying spiritually as well as physically, entering hell as a mortal man capable of failure, and being born again to defeat the devil? The reason is that the faith teachers have a diminished view of Jesus. When Jesus is downplayed as nothing more than an anointed man, it brings the faith teachers up to the level of Jesus.

In this way the gospel message of "repent you wretched sinner and plead for God's forgiveness. Find salvation and rest from your sin and guilt at the foot of the cross of your great and mighty and blessed Saviour," is falsified by a wicked stench of a message that says "You shall be like God!"

How do the WOF teachers respond when someone points out their false doctrines?

A classical example of such a response is from Paul Crouch, the head of TBN: "I think God's given up on a lot of that old rotten Sanhedrin religious crowd, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. I think they're damned and on their way to hell and I don't think there's any redemption for them...the heresy hunters that want to find a little mote of illegal doctrine in some Christian's eye and pluck that little mote out of their eye when they've got the whole forest in their own lives and in their own eyes. I say to hell with you! Oh hallelujah. Get out of God's way, quit blocking God's bridges or God's gonna shoot you if I don't! I refuse to argue any longer with any of you out there. Don't even call me. If you want to argue doctrine, if you want to straighten out somebody over here, if you want to criticize Ken Copeland for his preaching on faith, or Dad Hagin. Get out of my life! I don't even want to talk to you or hear you. I don't want to see your ugly face! Get out of my face in Jesus' name." [8]

As is clear, the WOF preachers are so tightly bound to their heresies that it would be difficult for them to renounce it. It would be either denouncing all or nothing.

In the next installment we will look at how these false teachers deify mankind!

See the previous post in the series here.

Just thinking...

End Notes

[1] K. Copeland, "What Happened From the Cross to the Throne" (audiotape) Fort Worth, Texas, K. Copeland Ministries, 1990 #02-0017 or 00-0303.

[2] K. Copeland, "The Price Of It All", Believer's Voice of Victory 19, 9 Sept. 1991; p4-6.

[3] Kenneth Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory Magazine, Volume 15 Issue 2, February 1987.

[4] Kenneth Copeland, "What Happened from the Cross to the Throne" tape # 02-0017.

[5] Gloria Copeland, "God's Will For You", Harrison House, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Revised 1994, Reprinted 2000, p24-25.

[6] B. Hinn, "Our Position in Christ, Part 1", Orlando, FL: Orlando Christian Centre, 1991, videotape # TV-254

[7] K. Copeland, "Jesus Our Lord of Glory", Believer's Voice of Victory, April 1982, p3.

[8] Paul Crouch, "Praise-a-thon" broadcast on TBN, recorded 4/2/91.

'Democracy' in South Africa

I have for long now believed that "democracy" is simply a buzzword in South Africa. It has NO meaning! For those in the rest of the world, your support, especially financial support and boycotts, have been wasted on a democracy that is utterly meaningless.

 

Let me explain.

 

Every year, round about this time of the year, there is what is called the "floor-crossing." This floor crossing is sanctioned by our laws. "What in the world is a 'floor-crossing'?" you may ask. Before I tell you what that means, let me tell you how democracy works in South Africa.

 

When it comes to voting in South Africa, we have no way to simply vote for a president. We vote for a political party. That means that there could be a number of parties. We vote for the party we like most, and that party's leader will then become president. So, let us say there are 100 seats available in government. Party A gets 60% of the vote, party B gets 25% of the vote and finally party C gets 15% of the vote. That means party A will get 60 seats, party B will get 25 seats and so on. Therefore, the people are represented according to which party they voted for. 25% of the people voted for party B and so they ended up with a 25% representation in parliament.

 

Now, let's move onto "floor-crossing."

 

Right about now this "floor-crossing" is happening. During the year spanning from round about August to August, certain members of party C might become disgruntled with their party. Remember, these are parliamentary seat-warming members from party C. These members, who are representative of 15% of the people who voted for them, decide to "cross the floor" and join party A. Let's say there are 10 of these party C members "crossing the floor." What happens now is that the seats occupied by these 10 members do not remain behind with party C, they actually go with these members to party A. This means that party A will now have 70 seats in parliament and party C will only have 5. In essence, party A now has more representation in parliament than the amount of people that voted for them. Remember, South Africa has a simple "democracy" of one man one vote! It also means that party C no longer represents the 15% of people that voted for them.

 

This is what I mean that democracy is meaningless in South Africa. We did not vote for those 10 "floor-crossers" (sounds much like "cross-dressers" doesn't it?), but rather for party C. In my mind, when a member of parliament wants to "cross the floor" he must immediately lose his seat in parliament and another person from the crosser's previous party must take his seat in parliament! This only will be just!

 

While "floor-crossing" is part of the South African parliamentary system, we can talk about democracy as much as we want, it will remain meaningless.

 

You can push a wheelbarrow in and out of a garage as much as you like, it will not become a car.

 

We can talk about democracy as much as we want in South Africa, and push it down the throats of the gullible as much as we want, it will not make it so!

 

While this continues, I am sure that the constitutional rights of South Africans are being violated!

 

I suppose the South African constitution is the most liberal in the world. It allows politicians to do just what THEY like!

 

I suppose in South Africa it is REX LEX and not LEX REX!!

 

Just thinking...

Heresies in the church - Part 4

The WOF preachers change the meaning of the gospel and all that make the gospel what it is, especially related to the Atonement and how it paid the price of our sin, into a total perversion of the gospel which Paul would have cursed. Paul was so serious about the gospel and it's correct preaching that he proclaimed a curse on anyone who preached a false gospel. How is it that we and especially the charismatic church can allow this rot to spread in the church. It is a cancer that is spreading through the church, and I fear all that can stop the spread is perhaps an amputation! Anyhow, it is time for the church to take drastic measures against the spread of this cancer.

Saved in hell?

Fred Price who said that God never intended to save your clothes but your soul also said: "Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell and to serve time in hell separated from God....Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." [1] Charles Capps has this to say: "In the place of the wicked dead, all the demons of Hell and Satan rejoiced over the prize. The corridors of Hell were filled with joy. 'We've done it! We've captured the Son of God! We'll no longer be in the pit of the damned! The earth and all that is therein is ours! Forever it will be ours!' Rejoicing in hell had never been so great as it was that day. But it was short-lived." [2]

The jesus of the Faith movement had to go to hell and suffer at Satan's mercy. The true Jesus, the One Supreme Commander of the hosts of heaven (1Pet. 3:22), completely triumphed over Satan and his minions upon the cross.

Heb 2:14-15 ESV Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

The cross was the triumph of Christ, and it was on the cross that Christ carried our sin, not in hell! Here are some verses that the WOF camp must deal with and need to follow up:

Joh 19:30 ESV When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Col 2:14-15 ESV by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (15) He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Col 1:21-22 ESV And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, (22) he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Eph 1:7 ESV In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Mat 26:28 ESV for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Act 20:28 ESV 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.

Rom 3:25 ESV whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Rom 5:9 ESV Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Eph 2:13 ESV But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Heb 9:22 ESV Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Heb 13:12 ESV So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.

1Pe 1:19 ESV but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

1Jo 1:7 ESV But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Rev 1:5 ESV and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

Rev 5:9 ESV And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Kenneth Copeland adds to the rest of what the WOF preachers have already said: "He allowed the Devil to drag Him into the depths of Hell as if He were the most wicked sinner who ever lived. He submitted Himself to death. He allowed Himself to come under Satan's control....For three days in the belly of the earth, He suffered as if He'd sinned every sin that exists."[3]

This is what Jesus had to say about Satan's "power" over Him:

Joh 14:30 ESV I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,

Satan in no way was able to drag Jesus down to hell. There is NO such Scripture in the Bible. This next passage is the truth:

Joh 10:17-18 ESV For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. (18) No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

Now back to a statement made earlier by Kenneth Copeland concerning Jesus' final words upon the cross, "It is finished". Copeland asserts that, "When Jesus cried 'It is finished!', He was not speaking of the plan of redemption....Jesus' death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption." Astute readers will notice that Jesus' words were, "It is finished", and not, it has just begun! The Greek word for this term is tetelestai, which means it is paid; the debt has been paid in full.

The WOF doctrine clearly is another gospel. It is a gospel that should be refuted and denied.

"The fact...that virtually every cult, in one way or another, denies the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through the sinless sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The Bible plainly states that your eternal salvation rests on what you personally believe about the blood atonement of Jesus Christ. It is at the cross--not in Hell--that your salvation is either won or lost. And that is precisely the problem with the most notorious of the Faith teachings. These teachings have transferred the saving work of Christ from the cross to the deepest dungeons of hell."[4]

Did you know that the WOF preachers teach that Jesus had to be born again, just like you and me, in hell after he died?

We will look at that in the next edition of Heresies in the church.

See the previous edition at Heresies in the church - Part 3.

Just thinking...

End Notes

[1] F.K.C. Price, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, Newsletter Crenshaw Christian Centre, Inglewood, CA. June 1980, p7.

[2] C. Capps, Authority in Three Worlds, Tulsa, OK. Harrison House, 1982, p143.

[3] K. Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory, September 1991, p3.

[4] H. Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, Harvest House, 1993, p152.

Heresies in the church - Part 3

Having posted on how the WOF preachers such as Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer and many more pervert the Biblical doctrine of the Atonement and also claim that Jesus died spiritually (a physical death for payment could have been accomplished by anyone), today we will go a bit further.

Satanic nature?

One of the main tenets of the WOF is that when Jesus died He actually took on Satan's nature. See what Kenneth Hagin wrote: "Sin separates from God. Spiritual death means separation from God. The moment Adam sinned, he was separated from God. Spiritual death means something more than separation from God. Spiritual death also means having Satan's nature. Jesus said to the Pharisees, [quotes Jn 8:44]. The Pharisees were very religious. They went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, they prayed, they paid their tithes, they fasted, and they did a lot of other fine and good things--but they lied about Christ and murdered Him. Jesus said they were children of the devil--they had the characteristics of the devil. When one is born again, he takes upon himself the nature of God--which is Life and peace. The nature of the devil is hatred and lies. Jesus tasted death--spiritual death--for every man. Sin is more than a physical act; it is a spiritual act. He became what we were, that we might become what He is. [quotes 2 Cor 5:21]. Jesus became sin. His Spirit was separated from God. And He went down into hell in our place. Notice in the following Scripture, that Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, said, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." I encourage you to read Peter's entire message. He brings out the fact that David, in Psalm 16:8-10, was really prophesying by the Spirit of God. [quotes Ac 2:25-27;29-31]. Paul is talking about the same thing in Acts 13:33. [quotes Ac 13:33]. It is clear that both Peter and Paul are talking about the same thing. You will not be able to understand the authority in the Name of Jesus until you understand this fact. Down in the prison house of suffering--down in hell itself--Jesus satisfied the claims of Justice on the behalf of each one of us, because He died as our substitute." [1]

If Jesus died spiritually and literally took on a sin nature as WOF teachers teach then Jesus Himself would have been in need of an atonement! At the same time, Jesus would not have been a perfect sacrifice without blemish! According to the O.T., a sin offering, being a substitute, was required to be perfect and unblemished (Lev. 4:3,28; 9:3; cf. Deut. 15:21). The animals chosen for the sin offering were, according to Leviticus 4:32, a bull without defect; Lev. 4:23, a goat without defect; Lev. 4:32, a lamb without defect (see 1Cor. 5:7, Jesus as the Paschal Lamb). Even worse Hagin here wants us to believe that Jesus took on the very nature of Satan! So, in Hagin's mind, Jesus ceased to be God at some point and took on the nature of Satan. God does not change! Jesus certainly would have been in need of propitiation by someone else! Further, in Hagin's mind, the suffering of the cross--where atonement was made as a propitiation against God's wrath--was not enough and Jesus needed to enter hell and suffer there on our behalf. This is not found in the NT. Jesus did not become sin, but rather, sin was imputed to Him.

1Pe 1:19 ESV but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

When the Bible says

2Co 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

"...scholars agree that the word 'sin' in this passage is used in an abstract sense. They are virtually unanimous in pointing out that the phrase 'to become sin' as used here is a metonym (a word or phrase substituted for another associated word or phrase), for Christ 'bearing the penalty of our sins'. Expositor, T.J. Crawford, maintains that 'there can be no doubt that the expression is metonymical, since it is impossible that Christ, or any person, could be literally made sin'." [2]

This verse teaches that Christ has been considered as though He were a sinner. As with the lamb in the O.T. sacrificial system, sin was imputed to Christ. According to Isaiah 53:4,5, the sin of man was laid to the account of Christ. Our sin was imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness was imputed to our favour. God treated Christ as if he were a sinner, just as He now treats the Christian as if he had never sinned. If Jesus had literally become sin, His offering would have been unacceptable to God. Another point is that the NIV has a footnote saying "Or be a sin offering."

Or, it could be like this:

"God made him who had no sin to be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

"The Hebrew term for 'sin' and 'sin offering' is one and the same. The Hebrew term, hatt't can be translated either 'sin' or 'sin offering'; the context determines the meaning. When hatt't was used in reference to the O.T. animal substitute (which remained holy before and after its death), it was understood by the Jewish people as a 'sin offering'. The same is true in reference to the Greek term for 'sin', harmartia, in 2Cor. 5:21. The apostle Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, clearly had sin offering in mind and not literal sin....The O.T. sin offering did not typify something 'sinful' at death to the Jews as Hagin and other charismatics depict Christ; it typified 'a sinless sacrifice for sin'. Jesus did not become unholy on the cross, but was a holy sin offering who 'gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma' (Eph. 5:2)."[3]

Isa 53:11 ESV Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

"In 1Timothy 3:16, God was manifested in the flesh and justified in the Spirit. Now you can't get somebody justified and made righteous in the spirit if it (sic) wasn't first unrighteous. The righteousness of God was made to be sin."[4] (Kenneth Copeland)

Jesus' being justified in the Spirit means nothing of the kind. This Scripture is simply telling us that Christ's claims of being the Son of God were justified or vindicated by the Holy Spirit.

In my next post we will see how the WOF preachers claim that Jesus had to be saved in hell. Shocking!!

Just thinking...

End Notes

[1] K. Hagin, The Name of Jesus, Tulsa, OK: K. Hagin Ministries, 1981. p31-33.

[2] H. Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, Harvest House, 1993, p159.

[3] M. Moriarty, The New Charismatics, Zondervan, 1992, p362.

[4] K. Copeland, "What Happened From the Cross to the Throne" (audiotape) Fort Worth, Texas, K. Copeland Ministries, 1990 #02-0017 or 00-0303 Side B.

Heresies in the church - Part 2

In my last post I showed how the WOF crowd tampers with the Atonement of Christ.

Spiritual Death

The WOF camp is big on the spiritual death of Christ. It is not the physical death of Christ, in their gospel, that paid the price for sin, but the spiritual death of Christ. Kenneth Copeland has this to say: "Jesus had to go through that same spiritual death in order to pay the price. It wasn't the physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin. Because if it had of been any prophet of God that had died for the last couple of thousand of years before that could have paid that price. It wasn't physical death. Anybody could do that." [1] Kenneth Hagin has this to say: "He (Jesus) tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner man went to hell in my place. Can't you see that? Physical death wouldn't remove your sins. He's tasted death for every man. He's talking about tasting spiritual death." [2]

WOF preachers emphasize the "spiritual death" of Christ while excluding the physical death of Christ completely. To them, if all it took was a physical death, then anyone would do! The problem with this is simply that it is unbiblical. The Bible's emphasis is on the physical death of Christ, not the spiritual. The teaching of scripture is: "Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). This points to the physical attributes of Jesus in the atonement.Well, did Jesus die spiritually? How do WOF teachers come to this conclusion? They use

Mar 15:34 ESV And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Jesus uttered these words as a prophetic fulfilment of Psalm 22:1. Did God abandon the psalmist? No! When reading this prophetic psalm we find that the psalmist was merely expressing how he felt in his time of distress. When we read verses 9-11, 19-24 we realize that at the same time the psalmist felt abandoned, he also knew who his help came from. He certainly was not abandoned. Jesus on the cross merely expressed the same feelings as the psalmist did. God never abandoned Christ on the cross. Rather, God turned His back to what was on Jesus, namely sin. Jesus was man's sin-bearer, but He was not polluted with man's sin-nature and the nature of Satan as the WOF teachers claim.

Jesus did not die spiritually. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches just the opposite.

1Pe 3:18 ESV For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

There are many verses in Scripture which attest to our redemption being fully accomplished by the physical death of Jesus.

Heb 10:10 ESV And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Rom 7:4 ESV Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Col 1:22 ESV he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

1Pe 2:24 ESV He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

1Pe 4:1 ESV Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

Eph 2:14-15 ESV For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (15) by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace

Jesus spoke often of His impending physical death, yet never once did He refer to a spiritual death. Man died spiritually because he sinned. Jesus never sinned!

My next post will deal with the supposed "satanic nature" of Jesus when he died spiritually.

Read Heresies in the church - Part 1.
Continue with Heresies in the church - Part 3.

Just thinking...

End Notes

[1] Kenneth Copeland, "What Satan saw on the day of Pentecost" tape #02-0022.

[2] K. Hagin, "How Jesus Obtained His Name, Tulsa, OK: K. Hagin Ministries n.d. audiotape #44HO1, side A.