The Basic Teachings of the Faith Movement

The “Faith” Movement believes that the human mind and tongue contain a supernatural ability or power. When a person speaks expressing his faith in supposedly divine laws, his positive thoughts and positive verbal expression allegedly produce a “divine force” that will heal, produce wealth, bring success, and in other ways, influence the environment. Kenneth Copeland teaches that “the powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth. This force comes from inside us.” Thus, “There is nothing in this earth so great or powerful…that it cannot be controlled by the tongue…You can even control Satan by learning to control your own tongue.” According to the “Faith” teachers, God automatically responds and accomplishes what we command when we positively confess our needs and desires in faith.

This is why Christians must allegedly learn to operate their inner man or “spirit man” in the power of the spirit world through supernatural laws, laws that will operate for anyone, whether believer or unbeliever.

As Charles Capps observes, “Words are the most powerful thing in the universe”; “This is not theory. It is fact. It is spiritual law”; and “These principles of faith are based on spiritual laws. They work for whoever will apply these laws. You set them in motion by the words of your mouth. Unless Christians abide by and operate such laws successfully, God Himself is hindered in His ability to act in their lives. Why? Because both God and Christians are bound by these laws. As Fred K.C. Price and others teach, just as God’s own power originates in the faith He exercises in His spoken words, so this is true for Christians. For example, “God created the universe by the methods you have just put into motion by the words of your mouth. God released His faith in words.”

What this means is that both man and God are limited in their ability to act supernaturally unless the proper Faith formulas are spoken that permit their power to operate. Only when men and women initiate God and His laws can they perform miracles.

For example, “God created the universe by speaking it into existence. He has given that same ability to you in word form.” Thus, God is a “word faith” God who created man in His image and gave him the potential to use the power that He displayed in creation. “Man is a spirit then, very capable of operating on the same level of faith as God.” As a result, “you have the power of God at your disposal.” All this explains why most Faith teachers think that man is a literal god – in the words of Copeland, a being “in the God class.” By imitating God’s use of cosmic laws, man can perform supernatural acts just as God does.

But Faith teachers also claim there is a danger in all this. These cosmic laws work indiscriminately. If Christians are not careful, Satan can deceive them because he, too, can operate by using the tongues of men in the god-class. For example, “Negative Confession” – anything spoken forth denying the principles of the Faith Movement – allows Satan to enter the lives of Christians and deceive them.

In any case, even the mission of Christ Himself is appropriated to the Faith philosophy. Why did Jesus come? According to the Faith Movement, one reason Jesus came was to make us strong “Faith Christians” who could do the things He did – and much greater things. Jesus came into this world because of the power of God’s spoken word and because of God’s “faith in his faith.” In fact, Jesus was the epitome of the true “Faith” man. He knew how to perfectly use the spiritual laws of the universe and therefore had tremendous powers and did incredible miracles. Thus, Jesus was an example of the Successful Man. Robert Tilton teaches “Jesus came to deliver humanity from failure, and to bring us into success.” And “God created man to be successful, but man failed … So God sent Jesus to recover us from failure and to restore us to that position of being successful… [Because of our failure] God came up with another plan. That plan was to send Jesus. Through Jesus, we were given the strength and power to be successful…”

In Commanding Power, Kenneth Hagen, Jr., teaches that the atonement of Christ brought Christians “commanding power” or the ability to command things around us to conform to our desires. “Our problem is that we’ve been doing a lot of praying and a lot of confessing, but we haven’t been doing any commanding. It is fun to command! … Jesus already paid the price for us to do it…”

Further, on the cross and in hell, Jesus not only defeated Satan and bore the penalty of sin, but He also bore the curse of the law (Galations 3:13) which paid the penalty for our disease, poverty, and illness so that no Christian need experience these.

What this means is that for the Faith Movement Jesus is not merely our Saviour from sin. He is the Redeemer of our faith, the perfect example of “Faith principles” in action. As “little Christs” and “little gods,” we are to be imitators of Him.

Now consider again what you have read, and ask yourself this question: If the Faith Movement has an unorthodox view of God, Jesus, faith, salvation, the Bible, sanctification, man, angels, etc., can it logically be considered orthodox Christianity? Further, if the Faith Movement is not orthodox, how can Christians logically justify their participation in it?

(from The Facts On The Faith Movement by John Ankerberg and John Weldon)

Where Will You Spend Eternity?

"Well," you ask,
"how would I know?"

Thank God, according to the Bible, not only can you know, but you can choose where you will spend eternity.

Now we all believe -- or at least most claim to believe -- in the Bible as God's Word. We believe in eternity and know that life is short. The Bible itself asks, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14).

Many claim to believe in heaven and hell, yet, unfortunately, show little concern over their eternal destiny. We are far more concerned about this life than the next, yet we know that eternity is endless. The Word of God describes eternity as being "forever and ever" (Revelation 22:5).

Just think ... an eternity to be spent forever, either in the perfect paradise called heaven or in the terrible torments of hell.

Surely we'll agree that it is just good sense to prepare for eternity now, before it is forever too late. God says, "man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

"Well," you say, "I believe in God, go to church, and live the best I can. What else can I do?"

Now believing in God, attending church, and doing one's best are all admirable; yet, according to the Word of God, the Holy Bible, these cannot get us to heaven. Neither, according to God, can our church membership, baptism, confirmation, nor our good deeds attain for us eternal life.

But God has provided an answer to the matter of life and death, heaven and hell. It is an answer so simple, it frequently is overlooked.

A religious leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night for help. Jesus told him, "You must be born again," and expanded this to include all of us by stating quite emphatically, "I tell you the truth unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Pretty dogmatic perhaps, but these are the words of Christ Himself.

Some today, like Nicodemus, will ask, "How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter for a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" (John 3:4). But Jesus answers, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit" (John 3:6), stating again that one must experience a spiritual rebirth in order to enter heaven -- "You must be born again" (John 3:7).

Now, have you been born again? Have you experienced this spiritual rebirth? This is the one thing, according to the Bible, that will determine your eternal destiny.

So for those who really want to know how to be born again, here is the answer from God's Word.

We must recognize that we are sinners, that we've all violated God's laws. The Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ... There is no one righteous, not even one ... There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins ... If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us ... If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives" (Romans 3:23, 10; Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8, 10).

We must repent of our sins. The Bible says that God "commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Jesus said, "unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:3). And it is not so difficult to repent as we pause to think of what our sins have cost God. It was for our sins that God, the Creator and King of this universe, left His home in heaven and came to earth in the Person of Jesus to suffer and bleed and die -- that we might be forgiven. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). Then Jesus rose from the dead, proving His victory over sin and death.

We must receive Christ into our hearts and lives as our Saviour. We read in the first chapter of John, speaking of the Lord Jesus, "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:10-12).

The moment we open our hearts to the Lord Jesus and place our complete trust in Him -- and Him alone -- as our Saviour, God promises to forgive our sins, save our soul, and reserve for us a home in heaven. Then, on the authority of the Word of God, we can know where we'll spend eternity. God says, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). And Jesus promises, "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).

Now, are you willing to settle the matter of your eternal destiny? Will you do it? You can, right this moment. I sincerely hope that you will.

If you are concerned about eternity and are willing to repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and if you have trusted Christ as your personal Saviour as a result of reading this, and you want further help in the decision you have made or if you have more questions about the Christian faith, please contact us by e-mail or visit http://www.emmanuelbarrie.org..

(by Arthur DeMoss)