Other Distorted Views of Positive Thinkers

The faith teachers have misread the plain meaning of the words of the Bible in their context.  Gloria Copeland, Kenneth's wife, is a good example of how the faith teachers not only misinterpret but occasionally deliberately delete the words of Scripture that deny their view.  For example, Gloria Copeland quotes Daniel 3:17, 18, which is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo where they told the king that they would not serve their gods.  These men tell us they believe it could be God's will not to save them, but they will still trust and serve Him just like Job . . . .  But this goes against the theology of the Copelands and other faith teachers who say Christians should overcome in every circumstance.  Since the words of Daniel 3:18 didn't fit her view, Gloria deleted them.  She leaves out the words "but even if He does not".  She actually cites a Scripture in her defense that were it quoted in full would disprove the point she is making.

Consider the following areas that the faith teaching has distorted.

God

Faith teaching has distorted both the sovereignty of God and the will of God.  God is no longer sovereign if He can be forced to act on the basis of what men do.  Thus, in some cases, His will can be replaced with man's will.  In essence, what God's sovereignty lacks, human sovereignty supplies.  Not even God will interfere with the believers "divine rights."

Jesus and the Atonement

Faith teachers have redefined the mission of Jesus Christ to incorporate their beliefs.  For example, J. Osteen teaches, "did Jesus die for your prosperity?  Yes."  Robert Tilton teaches, "Jesus came to deliver man from failure, and to cause him to be once again a success . . . Christians who do not believe in divine healing, who do not believe in prosperity -- they do not believe in what was atoned for  at Calvary."  Charles Capps teaches that Jesus came and died for us to get Adam's power back to rule and dominate the earth.  Gloria Copeland states, "You have a titled deed to prosperity.  Jesus bought and paid for your prosperity just like He bought and paid for your healing and your salvation . . . .  This prosperity already belongs to you."  Here you can see these four faith teachers are saying that because of Jesus' death on the cross, He bought and paid for your healing or success now.  Their conclusion is that (even if it takes time to manifest) you can claim success or immediate healing by faith.

This is wrong.  Why?  First, because it is another misinterpretation of Scripture; namely, Isaiah 53:4, 5 and Matthew 8:17.  

Secondly, it is wrong because the Bible plainly teaches that the average Christian, the Apostles, and Jesus Himself did not teach or hold this view.  Physical healing is not the instantaneous gift assumed by the faith teachers.  The Apostle Paul himself had a physical infirmity or bodily illness he simply had to live with.  Paul told Timothy to take a little wine "for the sake of your stomach [problems] and your frequent ailments."  Paul said, "Trophimus I left sick at Miletus."  Paul never once told Timothy or anyone else to "claim your healing."  He clearly did not believe the death of Christ healed believers' illnesses.  Otherwise, how did such great men of faith as Paul and Timothy fail to know and teach that Christ died for our illnesses?  Nor was Christ's death a guarantee of success in this life.  To the contrary, by worldly standards, Paul, the apostles, and the early church were highly unsuccessful.  These godly men accepted the fact of their sickness and tribulations.  Even Jesus also accepted and expected sickness and hardship among believers.  In fact, Jesus Himself taught that sickness could be to the glory of God.  Jesus said of Lazarus, "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it "(John 11:4).

Faith

In prosperity thinking, faith is similar to the power of magic.  J. Osteen states, ". . . faith reaches out into the invisible area.  It creates the physical realm out of invisible truths."  Here the faith teachers ascribe faith as a force to be exerted upon God forcing Him to act in our behalf.  But this is wrong.  The Bible nowhere states that God relinquished His will to each one of our wills.  He knows that would be chaos.

Man

In Positive Confession,  man is considered "a god" or a godlike being.  In some ways man is the ruler of God, who is his servant.  Like the genie in the bottle, man decides what he wants and then commands or demands God to do his bidding.  In some teachings, man comes close to deification.  

As Charles Capps states, "natural men can become supernatural" . . . and are no longer totally subject to their natural ability."  For example, the miracles done in the book of Acts were not done solely and directly by God but by believers exercising their supernatural powers and influence on others.  In Acts 14:8-10 when Paul told the cripple "stand up," the result is that "spirit words received into his spirit released spiritual power in his physical body.  This creative ability of spirit words formed in his spirit and produced physical results."

Nevertheless, the idea that men are gods is denied in the Bible.  Even Paul, a man of great faith, never considered himself a god.  

Angels

The prosperity movement is overly obsessed with the demonic and has distorted biblical teaching on the angels.  Many teach that physical illness results from demons.  They do this even though Scripture clearly distinguishes physical illness and demon possession (Luke 8:2).  Frances Hunter, for example, teaches "a demon takes a look at a woman and says, 'Wow, I think I will lay a little cancer on her. . . ' so he jumps into her body . . . and before long, the woman discovers she has cancer of the breast . . . . "  Not only does such teaching produce fear of demons in people, it offers a cruel and false hope of a "quick fix" by "exorcism" to those with serious illness.  The logical conclusion of reading some of the faith teachers' instruction has been to lead many people into fear and bondage to demons.  An example of how far this can be taken is seen by Don Basham's teaching that post-nasal drip, fingernail biting, and arthritis of the knees, among many other normal ailments, can be caused by demons. 

Conclusion

Many people have been influenced by false teaching in the church.  Some of them have been hurt because these teachings have not worked.  For example, the "faith assembly" of Hobart Freeman has resulted in the deaths of almost 100 people because his people were told that seeking medical help was supposedly "a sin" and "denial of faith."  Instead they were to claim their healing.  But sadly in claiming their healing the sick all died one by one.  This is just one of the terrible consequences of false teaching.  Not surprisingly, many of the other people felt betrayed and felt like giving up on Christianity.

Jesus stated that false teachings will lead to harmful consequences (Matthew 7:17; 24:11, 12: Acts 20:30), but He said there is a way out.  Those who truly live by His Word , the Bible, can stand the pressures of life because their lives are built on His Word, the solid rock (Matthew 7:24-27).  He promises those who know and obey His Word, that they will be set free (John 8:31, 32).  Have you neglected to learn and obey His Word, relying instead on spiritual experiences and unbiblical faith?

If you are hurt, feel betrayed, and feel like giving up on Christianity, what can you do?  First, you should not continue to fellowship where false teachings are taught (Romans 16:17).  Diligently search until you find a church where the Word of God is honoured and taught accurately, where the pastor has spent years of study in an evangelical seminary.  

Second, you must learn the Word of God yourself.  Take the time and effort to learn the basic doctrines of the Bible so that you will know when it is being "wrongly divided" (misinterpreted).

You should visit a Christian bookstore and purchase some good commentaries.

Try and help those still caught in false teachings.  The Bible encourages us to reprove those following false teachings "severely that they may be sound in the faith" (Titus 1:13).

Finally, we ask some of you to consider whether you have substituted a technique of salvation for salvation itself.  Is what you consider "faith" in God really nothing more than a mechanical technique to manipulate God for your own ends?  In John 6:26, 27 Jesus said that many people followed Him only to satisfy their own hunger.  He said instead of following Him for "food that perishes" they should rather seek the "food that endures to eternal life."  Jesus went on to explain that His food that endures to eternal life was not anything material that we can possess; rather it is true knowledge of God Himself (John 6:33-35).

Augustine spoke of this true knowledge in his commentary on Psalm 73.  There he said that God Himself should be our only treasure and reward.  To seek anything but God alone is not to seek for God.  Does this depict you?  Do you love God for Himself alone or for what you can get out of Him?

-  John Ankerberg & John Weldon

For more information on Victory Churches and the Faith Movement, go to the Reference Library.  Click on any book title to get a brief overview of the book.  All books on the list are available through www.amazon.com. 

Does the Atonement of Christ Allow Us to Claim Physical Healing?

Almost all the "faith" teachers and "faith" healers claim the Scriptures prove that the atonement of Christ guarantees our physical healing.  They teach that all we need to do is "claim" our healing by "faith."  But we disagree.  The Bible does not teach that Jesus died so that all may "claim" divine healing now.

Let us examine the Scriptures to see if they are properly applied by the faith teachers.  In Isaiah 53:4, 5 it states, "Surely our griefs [the Hebrew word implies both physical sickness and the emotional and physical consequence of sinful behaviour; Ecclesiastes 6:2] He Himself bore, and our sorrows [or pains] He carried . . . .  He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities [sins] . . . .  By his scourging we are healed."  In response to this verse, we may state the following:

In English or Hebrew the word "heal" may refer to either physical or spiritual healing.  The context must determine if one or both meanings are meant.  For example, in 1 Peter 2:24, Peter refers to spiritual healing, and in Matthew 8:17, Matthew refers to physical healing.

Peter says of our spiritual healing, "He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).  Peter stresses the spiritual aspect of the atonement of Christ.  Nothing is said here about a believer's physical healing.  On the other hand, Matthew does refer to physical healing.  He says that Jesus physically healed those who were brought to Him "In order that what was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 'He himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases'" (Matthew 8:17).

The question is, Do these verses teach that perfect physical healing is available to every believer if, by faith, he simply "claims" it?  Since it is beyond doubt that Peter stresses the spiritual healing of the atonement, we only need concern ourselves with Isaiah and Matthew.  We accept that Matthew applied Isaiah 53 to Christ's earthly ministry of healing.  But we cannot accept that this example of Christ's ministry gives anyone permission to teach that all Christians should therefore claim their healing immediately.  Why?  Because in our Scriptural accounts Jesus and the apostles did not teach this (Matthew 25:37-40; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20).  We do not believe that the apostle Matthew contradicted Jesus or the other apostles in this matter of the application of Jesus' healing ministry.

Also, Matthew is only pointing out that when Jesus was healing this was another sign of fulfilled Messianic prophesy.  In healing many people physically, Matthew realized Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy, thereby proving His rightful claim to be the Jewish Messiah (see Luke 7:19-23).

It's possible that Matthew's words could lead one to speculate that Jesus now provided healing for everyone, but such speculation can be seen to be false because Matthew himself specifically quotes Jesus against such a view.

In Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus Himself states He personally "expected" sickness and difficulty among believers ("[those] brothers of Mine" v. 40).  Also the writings of the apostle Paul reject such speculation as can be seen in 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20.  For those who are following faith teachers and still not convinced, we submit the following evidence from Scripture proving this view is wrong.  Many biblical persons who had great faith were sick and in spite of their great faith not healed, such as Elisha, Daniel, Lazarus, Dorcas, Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus and Trophimus (2 Kings 13:14; Daniel 8:27; John 11:2; Acts 9:36,37; Galatians 4:13-15; Philippians 2:25-30; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20).

When we read the scriptural letters of the apostle Paul, we find that physical pain and sickness were indications of God's gracious work in his life (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  Paul also boasted in his physical weakness not in his power (2 Corinthians 11:24-30).

Our Lord Jesus Himself said that even physical blindness and death could be to God's glory (John 9:1-3; 11:4).

Job said, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?"  (Job 2:10).  These verses and many others indicate that God does not expect  every Christian to be healed simply because they "claim" it.

Faith teachers are wrong on another point.  They emphasize healing results are based on the amount of faith a person possesses.  They claim everyone who exercises enough faith will be healed.  They teach doubt always blocks God's divine power from healing.  But Mark 9:24 proves their teaching is wrong.  We know that Jesus mercifully healed even the son of a man who admitted to unbelief.  In addition, the faith teachers claim that even negative thinking will block God's power but this is also wrong since the Bible tells us David prayed in a state of acute depression, and yet his prayer was answered (2 Samuel 15:30-32; 17:1-23).

There is another reason why the "faith" teachers are wrong about a Christian "claiming" his healing.  There is not one Scripture verse that teaches us to "claim our healing."  No Scripture anywhere tells us that Christ's death provides physical healing now merely on the basis of our claiming it.

For example, concerning salvation, the Bible repeatedly promises "whosoever will may come."  But concerning claiming one's healing, there is not a single "whosoever will claim" promise in all of Scripture.

If we listen closely to the apostle James, we find he stresses the calling of elders and their "prayer of faith" for healing.  He does not mention an individual "claiming" his healing (James 5:1-5).

Those who say we must "claim our healing" should also examine the biblical use of the word "claim."  In the New International Version, there are about 45 uses of the word "claim" again, not one of them refers to healing.  But many times the word is used in a negative sense where men claim things that are false, things that they have no right to claim.  (1 John 1:8; 1 John 1:6; Titus 1:16; Revelation 2:2; Job 41:11).

Contrary to the teaching of the faith healers, the Bible states:

1.  If a person is sick, he can call for the elders of the church to come and pray for his recovery (James 5:14, 15).
James says two things.  First, you should call the church elders for your sickness.  Second, you do not claim healing by yourself.

2.  According to James, if a sick person is not healed, it would seem to be due to the lack of faith on the part of those who prayed for him, not the lack of faith of the sick person.

3.  There can be no doubt that God asks his people to individually bring their needs and requests to Him (Philippians 4:6).

4.  Even though we are encouraged to make our requests to God, He does not guarantee to fulfill our requests; He may still decline them.  In such cases God says that His grace is sufficient and that even in our weakness God's power can be made manifest.  Paul states:  "three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it [a thorn in his flesh] away from me.  But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Peter said "let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right" (1 Peter 4:19).  Christ's death will one day perfectly heal every believer, both spiritually and physically (Romans 8:30).  Until that day, we must accept that each of us will, in some way, suffer from the natural consequences of living in a fallen and imperfect, sin-cursed world.

However, this does not imply passivity or resignation.  David prayed fervently for God to spare his son for he said, "Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live" (2 Samuel 12:22).

All of these verses should be included in our thinking concerning healing.

For more information on Victory Churches and the Faith Movement, go to the Reference Library.  Click on any book title to get a brief overview of the book.  All books on the list are available through www.amazon.com. 

The Bible Shows Faith Teachers' Errors

Positive confession is not a biblical teaching and the scores of Scriptures used to support it are typically misinterpreted or misapplied.  For example, in reference to Matthew 6:20 ("lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven") we are told by Kenneth Copeland, "Jesus is not referring to when we get to heaven.  He was teaching about God providing for us now."  Anyone who wishes to prove to himself how extensively such verses are taken out of context need only examine Positive Confession literature and then consult standard commentaries to prove their errors.

For example, 3 John 2 (that you may "prosper and be in good health") is a personal wish for Gaius, not a divine promise of money and health to every Christian.  It was a standard greeting in antiquity and had nothing to do with money.  How many of us would really end up "spiritually prospering" if we were rich?  Likewise, Mark 10:29, 30 ("the hundredfold return") is not literal but figurative since believers do not literally receive one hundred mothers and sisters and brothers as well.  So why is it used literally only in reference to money?  Also, Jesus says this is true only of those who have nothing now because they have left everything behind to follow Him, which is not true of most Christians.  It is especially not true of the prosperity teachers who are generally very wealthy.

Instead of having the poor people send them money, if the hundredfold return is really true, why don't the prosperity teachers (such as Kenneth Hagan, Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, etc.) send $100 to every person on their mailing list in order to get billions of dollars in return?  But it doesn't seem to work that way.

The Bible, far from stressing the spiritual  benefits of wealth, encourages us to be content with what we have.  We are told, "keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have .  .  . " (Hebrews 13:5).  In fact, it often warns about the perils of money.  Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24, James 5:1-5).  The Apostle Paul "suffered the loss of all things" (Philippians 3:7,8).  He was content to live in poverty, hunger, and to suffer need (Philippians 4:12).  He also noted that most Christians were  "poor" and "had nothing" (2 Corinthians 6:10).  Paul said not wealth but "the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance" (2 Corinthians 1:5).  If these "prosperity" teachings really came from the Lord, why did the Lord Himself and His disciples end up poor and martyred?

Paul also said that greed was the same as idolatry (Colossians 3:5).  The Bible teaches we are to place God's will first in our lives -- not self-will.  We cannot "write our own ticket with God."  "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14).  Even Jesus Himself, when He prayed for deliverance before the cross did not demand of God but said, "if you are willing . . . " (Luke 22:42).  James taught that it was "arrogant" and "evil" to presume of the Lord.  He said, "instead you ought to say, 'if the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.' but as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil" (James 4:15-16).  Paul himself said "if the Lord wills . . . " (1 Corinthians 4:19).  He referred to those who supposed that godliness (religion) was a means of financial gain and he said, "for we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.  And 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 a pang" (1 Timothy 6:7-10).

Errors of Positive Confession and Consequences

Consider the following illustrations of Positive Confession Belief and ask yourself the following questions.

1. Would God reveal such teachings to His people for their welfare?
2. Are these formulas or words found in the Bible?
3. Are they based on trusting God or upon a presumption?
4. Are they reflecting the life and teachings of Jesus?
5. Do they make sense, or are they irrational?
6. Are they wise or foolish -- or could they be dangerous?

E. W. Kenyon

". . . When God imparts to us His nature, there comes with it all the attributes of God Himself.  They are undeveloped but they are there lying latent in our human spirits."

Kenneth Hagin 

"Give what you can't afford."
"God wants His children to . . . wear the best clothing.  He wants them to drive the best cars, and He wants them to have the best of everything . . . just claim what you need."
"Too few people today know that they can write their own ticket with God."

Kenneth Copeland

"As a born again believer, you have the same spiritual capacity Jesus has."
"Believers are not to be led by logic.  We are not even to be led by good sense . . . .  The ministry of Jesus was never governed by logic or reason."

Charles Capps

"He [God] said, [to Capps] . . . I am not the one causing your problems.  You are under an attack of the evil one and I can't do anything about it.  You have bound me by the negative words of your mouth."
"We have said, 'Oh, it looks like the wicked prosper.'  Well, we said they were, that is one reason they are prospering."
"In fact, I am convinced the only thing you can't have here on earth is the glorified body.  You can have the kingdom [of heaven] and the benefits of it right here on earth."

Robert Tilton

"[re: John 15:7] Jesus didn't put any limits on this . . . .  You are wall-to-wall Jesus . . . the miraculous should be commonplace in every church . . . He [Jesus] was talking about demanding your rights and having restored back to you what the devil stole from man in the fall!"

Paul Yonggi Cho

Dr. Cho is one of the less extreme Positive Confession teachers.  He claims God spoke to him and revealed His teachings about the "law" of faith involving "incubating our subconscious through visions, visualization (mental imaging directed toward a specific goal), and dreams. . . .  Physical reality may be altered in accordance with the visualized desires.  By picturing what we desire inwardly in our subconscious mind, we somehow enter an/or manipulate "the fourth dimension" in order to actually permit God to produce miracles for us in the physical realm. . . .  Your word actually goes out and creates [reality].  Cho believes that genuine pagan miracles are part of the potential of the human spirit . . . .  Visualization is held to be the secret of victorious praying.  It is our mental power to alter the fourth dimension which produces effective ministry here on the earth.

But did God ever teach these things in the Bible?  Does God require of us a certain state of consciousness -- or simple trust in Him?  Do we have power over creation or does God?  Is visualization really the "deeper language" of the Holy Spirit?

Cho has recently and correctly rebuked the American Faith teachers for excesses and imbalance.  But in his book Salvation, Health and Prosperity he teaches that apart from knowing the truths of the threefold blessings of salvation, of health, and of prosperity, we cannot properly understand the Bible . . . .  He also teaches, "if Jesus is with us now, the same things which He did 2000 years ago should appear daily in our lives.  By this we can judge whether Jesus' sayings are true or not:  if these things are not happening among us, the promises of Jesus have become empty words to us."

Logical Consequences May Follow this Belief System

Without the slightest hesitation we may say the health and wealth gospel of Positive Confession is a blight upon the church.  It is a perverted gospel of cheap grace which reverses biblical values, produces fear and spiritual bondage or intimidation, holds out false promises, leads to false guilt and despair,  in some people, produces apostasy and in others results in personal tragedy.

For example, like Christian Scientists and Jehovah Witnesses, some Christian parents accepting the faith teachings have let their own children die by withholding from them life-saving medication.  They have done this under the mistaken assumption that, in spite of evidence to the contrary, their child was divinely healed.  Thus, to continue to give them medication would supposedly be a "lack of faith" in their divine healing.  Does anyone need to be told that teachings that cause the deaths of others are not godly, no matter how godly they sound?

The problems and destruction already wrought by these teachings is considerable, yet thousands of churches and millions of Christians continue to support these "ministries," while godly ministries suffer for lack of support.  Why would some Christians continue to supply the very funds without which these ministries could not exist?  Put simply, because they are promised what they want to believe.  "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3,4).

Are You Attending "The Church of the Itching Ear"?

If you attend "The Church of the Itching Ear", with all of its false teachings, are you going to heaven?

"Health and Wealth" Teachers Claim Direct Counsel from God

Many of the leaders in this movement claim that God, Jesus, or angels appeared to them and taught them these ideas.  But we must ask, "Are these revelations biblical if they condone actions that are unbiblical or foolhardy?"  In fact, the supposedly divine visions, revelations, prophesies, and interpretations are often so false or unbiblical that one wonders if these visions are from their own mind or worse, from the devil.  Time and again in almost all of the writings of the faith teachers we find superficial or false interpretations of the Bible, misapplication, or serious errors of logic.  This means that the "health and wealth" or "faith" teachers are in serious trouble.  To start with, the Bible says that God is not the author of confusion or error (1 Corinthians 14:33; John 3:33; 17:17).

For example, "Jesus" told Charles Kapps, "I have told my people they can have what they say and they are saying what they have."  Does that make sense?  Does it even sound like Jesus?  Kapps also states, "The Spirit of God spoke to me concerning confessing the Word of God aloud: where you can hear yourself saying it.  He said 'It is a scientific application of the wisdom of God to the psychological make-up of man.'"  Again, does this sound like something the Spirit of God would say?

Another example is Kenneth Copeland's "Jesus," who supposedly told him one must "believe that your words have power, and the things you say will come to pass.  The result is that you can have whatever you say when you believe."  Does any Christian really believe Jesus said that in light of the Bible?  

Still another example of one of these faith teachers claiming God spoke directly to him is Robert Tilton.  He states, "The Spirit of the Lord has given me this prosperity message to share with you."  

Or Kenneth Hagin, who said, "the Lord spoke to me and said, 'don't pray for money anymore.  You have authority through my name to claim prosperity.'"  Kenneth Hagin promotes E.W. Kenyon's unbiblical and sometimes illogical text, The Wonderful Name of Jesus, by saying, "it is revelation knowledge.  It is the Word of God."

In Jerry Savelle's prosperity series we are told, "The revelation knowledge in this set was given to Brother Savelle supernaturally by God."    Savelle himself tells us "I was just sitting there, minding my own business . . . when suddenly the Lord appeared unto me.  When He appeared, He said these words to me: 'Son, my people are in financial famine in America and I am giving you the assignment to tell them how to get out.'  Then He began to reveal to me the keys to deliverance."

In summary you can see all these men claim direct counsel from God.  But is this really true?  The appearances of Jesus and angels, the words they spoke to these men -- these do not sound like the biblical Jesus or the angels that speak for God and the Bible.  God or Jesus would never encourage teachings that are unbiblical, unbalance or illogical, or which could bring spiritual confusion or ruin into the lives of those who live by them.

If these visions and appearances are real and not inflated self-delusions, then they can only result from Satan appearing as an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).  It is the devil (and certainly not the above teachers) who desires to distort the Word, encourages spiritual excesses and illogical thinking, and brings difficulties or spiritual destruction into the lives of Christian people.


For more information on Victory Churches and the Faith Movement, go to the Reference Library.  Click on any book title to get a brief overview of the book.  All books on the list are available through www.amazon.com. 

What is the "Health & Wealth" Gospel?

The "health and wealth" gospel teaches that the human mind and tongue contain a "power."  When a person speaks expressing his faith in supposedly divine laws, his positive thoughts and his positive verbal expression (such as, "I am healed of my heart attack") are supposed to produce "divine force" that will health, produce wealth, and influence the environment.  According to the "health and wealth" teachers, God automatically responds and accomplishes what we command when we positively confess our needs and desires.  The non-biblical part of this teaching is that God is obligated to do what we decide.  We are in charge, not God.  Charles Capps and other "faith" teacher clearly state "Words are the most powerful things in the universe."

The teachings and emphases in this movement vary but in general there are at least five major tenets of the "health and wealth" or "faith" gospel.

1.  Perfect divine healing was made available to all believers through the death of Christ.  A person's healing is limited only because of his insufficient faith to receive it.

2.  It is God's desire that all believers prosper -- financially, physically, and spiritually.

3.  A person must "claim" his health and wealth.  He can do this immediately by believing he already has it and by positively confessing these conditions, even though all outward appearances seem to be different.  When sense perceptions do seem to contradict health and wealth beliefs (such as when a person is not healed of his heart attack), our senses must be rejected and a person must live by "faith."  The reason given is as follows:  The mind is so powerful that "negative confession" is just as potent a force as positive confession and therefore can become a destructive force.

4. "Health and wealth" teachers often insist one must experience the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" which is usually evidenced by speaking in tongues.

5.  Many "health and wealth" teachers rely on "angelic" contact.  They receive guidance and in turn, command angels to do their will!  "Angels" appear to be responsible for directing the ministries of several of the leading "health and wealth" teachers.

"Health and wealth" or "faith" teachers often claim divine visions, divine inspiration, or divine interpretations of Scripture passages which give their teachings absolute authority.  This is an especially serious claim and Christians need to examine it carefully.

Is the "Seed-Faith" Principle Biblical?

To answer this we must first explain the "seed-faith" principle.  It is a combination of elements of Positive Thinking psychology, "positive confession" based on divine "laws," and a "gospel" stressing "prosperity" or health and wealth.  Oral Roberts believes that his "seed-faith" principle is something that Jesus Himself revealed to him.  Roberts calls it a "blessing-pact covenant."  He claims this is "God's way of doing things through His Son Jesus Christ. . . and then through His followers, for the meeting of all our needs. . ."

 Roberts teaches that the first principle of  "seed-faith" is that God is our Source of total supply.  His second principle is giving money.  Giving money is "the seed of faith itself" and this "seed" can then be directed by the giver to perform miracles.  His third principle is to expect a miracle.  Why?  Roberts says it is because this is "God's way of doing things . . . [and it is] based on eternal laws . . . laws so exact and perfect they always work for you."

Here is one of Roberts' illustrations of how giving money is the seed that produces miracles.  In January of 1985 Oral Roberts sent out a letter informing his supporters that they could send for his "33 Predictions for You in 1985."  These predictions were allegedly based on Roberts' exercising his "gift of prophesy" for them.  The many recipients of this letter were instructed to expect "creative miracles" and money.  The reader was urged to send a "seed-faith gift" which would help him get a "hundredfold return" but there was a catch.  Roberts said, "If you neglect to pay attention to what He [God] is especially saying to you, then Satan will take advantage and hit you with bad things and you will wish that 1985 had never come."  What could you have concluded from these statements if you didn't want to send any seed-faith money?

Even Roberts' former daughter-in-law, Patti Roberts, now questions her involvement in Roberts' ministry.  Besides guilt over the excessive wealth the Roberts enjoyed, she noted "the seed-faith" theology that Roberts had developed "bothered me a great deal because I saw that, when taken to extremes, it reduced God to a sugardaddy.  If you wanted His blessings and His love, you paid Him off.  Over and over again we heard Oral say, 'Give out of your need.'  I began to question the motivation that kind of giving implied.  Were we giving to God out of our love and gratitude to Him or were we bartering with Him? . . . I believed we were appealing to their sense of greed or desperation. . . . I had a very difficult time distinguishing between the [Roman Catholic] selling of indulgences and the concept of seed-faith. . . . "  Patti Roberts felt Oral Roberts was a manipulative fund-raiser and she also had a problem with his priorities -- the principles of seed-faith were given on every T.V. show, yet the gospel itself was rarely given.

Our problems with Roberts' seed-faith principles are:  First, the conversations Roberts had with Jesus are suspect.  If Jesus actually intended these principles for all believers, then why didn't He put them in the Bible instead of waiting until Oral Roberts arrived on the scene in the 20th century?  Has the Christian church from the time of Christ and the apostles to the present been left without these divine principles?  If so, how did the church manage?

Remember, Jesus supposedly told Roberts the following four things.  First, "I have come to remind men of this eternal law of sowing and reaping, or of giving and receiving?"  Second, Roberts claimed "Jesus" told him that his principle of seed-faith was the deeper meaning of Matthew 17:20 ("If you have faith as a mustard seed. . .").  Third, Jesus included Galatians 6:7 ("Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap") as part of these principles.  Fourth, he explained that "St. Paul stated the New Testament or New Covenant is based on seed-faith."

But lets stop for a moment.  Could Jesus have said these things?  Is this what Paul meant?  Paul did not even mention seed-faith, let alone say the New Testament is based on it.  And according to the writer of Hebrews, the New Covenant is based on the Person and Work of Christ (Hebrews 9:15), not the principles of seed-faith giving, which will produce miracles for any giver.

Also, the Jesus that spoke to Roberts was mistaken about his "deeper meanings" in Scripture.  This is serious, because often known cultists use "deeper meanings" to prove their unbiblical teachings or heresy in the same way.  The meaning of New Testament words can always be determined by checking a dictionary and by reading them in context.  Before one applies Scripture, one must first determine its true meaning.  And the one true meaning of Matthew 17:20 and Galatians 6:7 is not Oral Robert's "seed-faith" interpretation, as any good commentary will show.  The same can be said of the false interpretation of Galatians 6:9 stated by Roberts' "Jesus" ("let us not become weary in doing good" NIV).  This is simply not a reference to seed-faith.

If we accept Roberts' claim of Jesus' additions or corrections to Scripture here, where do we draw the line?  One may accept this teaching as a teaching of Oral Roberts.  However, if one accepts the Bible as an authority, one cannot accept Roberts' statements as the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Who, then, is really speaking to Oral Roberts?  It is such a crucial question to determine who is speaking to Roberts that we present another illustration.

Jesus supposedly told Roberts that when the Bible records His statement, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," (found in Acts 20:35), that His actual words do not convey His true meaning.  Jesus revealed to Roberts that, "I meant it is more productive to give than to receive."  Here we must ask, would the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures who is the same yesterday, today and forever and who "never changes" (Hebrews 1:12;13:8; Malachi 3:6), be someone who would shift the meaning away from what Scripture actually records?  Would the Jesus Christ of Scripture change His mind?  If so, how many other verses require Jesus to give new interpretations to make them accurate?  What does this do to the verbal inspiration of the Bible?  The fact is that the Greek word for "blessed" (makarion) means "blessed," "fortunate," or "happy" -- it does not mean "productive."  Does Roberts expect us to believe that Jesus Himself has completely changed the emphasis of His original meaning from the joy of giving to the utility of giving?  The biblical Jesus said, "Freely you received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).  To lead men to expect an automatic financial return of a hundredfold simply because they gave their money is to corrupt the very purpose and nature of giving.  To our way of thinking, this leads to old-fashioned selfishness; moreover, one wonders how many people have "given to get" and ended up in financial difficulty or ruin.  If God does not work this way, and these seed-faith principles are really not biblical, then those who trust in them will find constant disappointment and question God's truth and loyalty.


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