We Are Bound By The Scriptures

God's Will Is Important

The fact this question must even be raised is itself an indictment of the Faith Movement. James tells us that considering God's will is important (4:13-16) as does Jesus (John 6:38; 7:17; Matthew 6:10; Luke 22:42), Paul (Romans 12:2), and Peter, who, far from disregarding the concept of God's will, emphasizes that we are not to live for "evil human desires," but to "live the rest of [our] earthly life...for the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2).

But Faith teachers allow virtually no room for the will of God in those specific areas that they believe offer absolute promises conditioned only on "faith," such as the hundredfold return, physical healing, etc. Thus, the issue becomes only one of "lack" of faith -- not God's will. Here, Faith teachers hold out their "faith to believe" as genuine wisdom, but the Bible rejects their premises (James 3:13-16; 4:13-16; c.f. Proverbs 27:1; Luke 12:18-20; 13:35).

Although some in the Faith camp even teach that it is a sin to say, "If it be God's will," the following Scriptures prove that those who teach this are wrong:

1. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8)
2. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalm 143:10)
3. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil (James 4:15-16).

Thus: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14).

In his confrontation with the Church of Rome, Martin Luther confessed that unless he were otherwise "convinced by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures or evident reason," he was "bound by the Scriptures" to maintain the principles of the Reformation. It was "neither safe nor right" to act against his conscience in this regard. For Luther, Scripture stood above all experience and above extra-biblical claims to divine revelation -- and for this stand the church owes him an immeasurable debt. In a similar manner, when examining the Faith Movement, the Scriptures alone must be our standard -- not experience or new claims of divine revelation.

Throughout church history various councils have been convened in order to examine controversial issues, test new teachings or interpretations, and protect the Church from heresy, presenting to the world true Christian faith.

(From The Facts on the Faith Movement by John Ankerberg & John Weldon)

The Grand Poo-Bah Says: "You Have Been Warned!"

You may be currently attending a church in your neighbourhood that has recently come to town to set-up shop. If you were to ask the leadership of this church if they are part of the Faith Movement, they will likely deny it because the Faith Movement has been receiving a large amount of negative publicity through print and visual media. It is not difficult to find books written by reputable Bible scholars on the subject of the Faith Movement and its false teachings (which are many).

There are a few easy ways to know for certain if you are involved with a Faith Movement church:

The first way is the name of the church. Most Faith Movement churches have the word "faith" in their name minus their denomination. A few examples would be Faith Alive, Faith Assembly, House of Faith -- you get the idea. The main branch of the Faith Movement in Canada is Victory Churches International. The one which operates in Barrie, Ontario is called Barrie Victory Centre. Victory is the key word that you need to be aware of here in Canada. These churches promote Kenneth and Gloria Copeland as well as the teachings of other Faith Movement figures. This church is part of the New Apostolic Movement which has its roots in Pentecostalism but you will notice that the denomination is left out of the church's name. This is very deceitful and misleading for Christians who are looking for a true Christian church. Their belief system is the same as the Faith Movement with a few different false teachings thrown in such as the existence of modern-day apostles. There is no scripture to support this belief.

The second way you can know if you are attending a Faith Movement church is the "health and wealth" gospel. This is a cornerstone trade-mark of the Faith Movement. It is based on misinterpreted Scripture and is nothing more than a get-rich-quick scheme for the leaders.

The third way to know if you are attending a Faith Movement church is to carefully observe if they promote the key figures in the Faith Movement such as Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers. For a complete list of televangelists who are promoting these teachings, view our List of False Teachers to the right of this blog. If any of these names are being promoted in your weekly bulletin or on posters around the church, rest assured you are involved in a Faith Movement church whether they admit to it or not.

It is very easy for unsuspecting Christians to be drawn to these "churches". The deception is very clever because they use all the familiar Christian terminology with their own little twists included. It is very subtle and hard to detect unless you are a Bible scholar or a well-read Christian. Hank Hanegraaff says the Faith Movement is "a shell of truth stuffed with lies."

The truth is out there! If you are concerned that you may be in a Faith Movement church where false teachings are espoused, here are a couple of suggestions to help you:

1. Read the eleven previous blogs starting with Monday, October 27. This will give you a good overview of the various teachings promoted by the Faith Movement.
2. Read "Christianity in Crisis" by Hank Hanegraaff which should be available at your local Christian bookstore or it can be ordered through Chapters or at http://www.equip.org/.

On a recent trip to Florida, I saw an interesting quote on a full-sized billboard which read "Remember, if you find yourself going in the wrong direction, Christ accepts 'U'-turns."