Is Word of Faith another Gospel?
Another gospel or is it The Gospel
Religion would have us believe that God wants the majority of us sick, poor, or in some other “test”. But what does Jesus say? In John 10:10 He says that it is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and to destroy, in contrast He has come to give us Life and Life more abundantly. In John 3:16 (we all know it by memory) “…that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” The interesting thing is that the word “life” in both verses means the Zoe life of God. As you can imagine it means much more than just being able to breath. Zoe, in a few words is the life in all things, it means being complete and whole, it is the exact opposite of being dead, useless, damaged, or lack.
These aren’t my words or opinions. This is the Word of God.
In Luke 4:18 Jesus says that He is anointed to preach the Gospel (the good news) to the poor. In verse 19 He continues by saying he must preach the acceptable year of the Lord in other words the year of Jubilee. In that year all debts were canceled, all things that were pawned were returned. In other words everything was returned to its original state.
Our original state is the way God created us in the first place. Not the way we were born in the Earth but the way He created Adam and Eve. No sickness, No disease, no disfigurement, no lack. In fact He created Adam and Eve in a garden that was more that the couple needed, and He placed them in authority and power over the entire creation.
Jesus continues in Luke 4:43 by telling His disciples that he must preach the Kingdom of God. In Luke 9:2 He, in turn, tells His Disciples to go and preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick.
We are not in that original state, as in the beginning before the fall. We still live in this fallen world. The debt that was canceled was the debt that only a sinless man could pay. All of our sins were canceled.
Heaven is not on this earth. The promises of God are true, but many of them will not be realized in the physical realm.
Thank you for your comment, Earl.
I understand your point of view, and I just want to interject that the reason for this blog isn’t to “Make you” believe this or that. I know that we all agree that we must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, that we must Love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and soul, and that we must walk in such a way that the World should know us by our love.
I am overwhelmed by the act Jesus did on the cross. He not only paid for our sins but redeemed us. In fact there is no record of our faults (i.e. sins) anywhere. In other words, we were restored by the price that was paid. In studying this, I can only return to the time and place when we (as humans) became bound to sin, and in need of restoration. That is why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 old things have passed away and Behold all things are become new Wow! To be saved is much more than just being rescued from Hell.
As for the Kingdom of God…Jesus said in Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.” I don’t believe that Heaven is here in Earth but I do believe that we can pray and have the Kingdom of God manifested here on the Earth. The Kingdom of God isn’t Heaven since Heaven is a place. The Kingdom of God is the manifestation of God’s will. It starts in the Spiritual realm and affects the physical realm, as it has since the beginning.
All things start in the Spirit. But it isn’t some ephemeral ghostly thing but a more real thing than what we can see, smell, taste, hear, and touch. Think about it. If indeed the physical world was created out of the Spiritual world then in all “reality” the physical world is the temporal, ephemeral existence. So to say, “This or that is a Spiritual thing or a Spiritual reality and not a physical one” as if to side-line its’ existence is to deny the tree because you see no shadow.
Gabriel Grimes
Please review my site.
The truth of the cross.
Thanks
Ken
Hi Ken,
I wouldn’t consider that a comment, but more of a plug for your site.
In any case, this site is to talk about the Word of Faith and how it is the Word that is preached in the Bible. This site is not about preachers, teachers or other men/women. Jesus never taught about “this person or that person”. He taught the Word.
If you would like to make a specific comment I would be happy to respond.
Gabriel Grimes
My comment is the word of faith teachers teach living the resurected life and this is good. But they do not teach living the crucified life. If one lives the crucified life then they can live the resurected life. If one seeks the resurected life with out living the crucified life then there is no God power for this life. There is power but this power is from another spirit. Because of this the Word of faith movement is another Gospel. One can read scriptural basis on my site.
Thanks
Ken
Ken,
I guess I am slow in responding .
I was looking over the comments on the Blog and I saw your latest comment made in January, 2009.
Once again, this site speaks not about teachers of Word of Faith but what the Word of Faith is. To talk about people would be a mess. Some say one thing and other say another. Within the denominations of the church we see differences and within the same denominations we see differences and within the conventions of the same denominations we see and hear others.
This is a distraction from what Jesus called us to do which was Love one another.
Your website is about pointing out something a teacher said not the Word of Faith.
I understand but what are your thoughts about the word of faith teaching in my comment.
Ken
HI Ken,
The Word of Faith teachers are more recognized for their teachings of living victorious in Christ, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t teach on repentance, forgiveness, putting away the old man, crucifying the flesh. Truly, we can not live victorious until the old is left in the dirt. But once we have chosen the Gift we have been transformed. And our training should not be solely nor mostly on what not to do and what you used to be and how not to be that again.
As we train our children to be adults we dont harp on what they have screwed up, nor do we teach on how to live a crucified life, we teach them to live in love, and obedience. When they do that they will be living a crucified life. In the same way when we are in Christ, we must live a crucified life but it isn’t through that way that we eventually walk circumspect. It is through His love and His teaching of faith, joy, and obedience that brings us to the point we walk in the spirit. Paul said it this way. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not walk in the flesh.”
We can try all our lives to crucify the flesh but if we don’t start walking in the Spirit….we will still be “trying to walk crucified” when He returns.
Thanks for replying. There may be some mis understanding about what is living the crucified life. Living the cricified life is living a live of crucifying self. In other words dying self daily. Jesus says to deny self daily. This the crucified life. Jesus denied him self and gave His life unto death on the cross so we can live. We can also walk in His foot steps and deny ourself and when we deny ourself we are empty vessels and He can live in us. When He is living in us by the Holy Spirit we are also resurrected with Him and living the resurected life.
ken
Ga 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Denial of oneself and the Cross
Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
What is ‘his cross’? No where does other scriptures say what is ‘his cross’. Many teachings refer to ‘his cross’ as the physical suffering one goes thru but there is no scriptural backup even though scripture show physical suffering will happened to believers but in no cases are these sufferings called a believers cross. Jesus died on the cross for us and it would go against His salvation to believe ‘his cross’ is our suffering on a tree cross. Because suffering physically or on a tree cross is not scripturally backed up for the definition of ‘his cross’ a believer must look for a real scriptural backup for ‘his cross’. We must have scriptural backup for any conclusion and there is only one type scriptural backup for the definition of ‘his cross’. Actually four in the Gospels and they are similar scriptures to the Mt 16:24. This scripture simply defines ‘his cross’ and it is exclusively defined by its reference ‘deny’. Denying our self is the exclusive definition of ‘his cross’ not physical suffering even though physical suffering may be a result of picking up our cross of denying our self. Why so much interest by me? Because deny our self is what scripture defines as ‘his cross’ then we will focus on the true meaning of the Mathew scripture ’deny our self’ as Jesus wish for us. Any result of physical suffering, persecution, or death etc. is not part of ‘his cross’ but the definition of ‘his cross’ is exclusively denying our self. Concluding, I believe, ‘his cross’ is physical suffering, persecution, or death etc…is not scriptural.
When we deny our self then we are an empty vessel that He can dwell in. I believe Jesus cross was denying Himself and giving of himself with the results of being crucified coming to pass leading to the salvation of mankind. By us denying of our self daily then we are crucified with Him and He lives in us and we are led by His Spirit. I believe the key denial of self is following in Jesus footsteps because denying of Himself is how Jesus saved mankind. In other words would Jesus have went thru with being crucified if He did not deny Himself first? I believe Jesus denying Himself is the source where His love for mankind was expressed by being crucified. And for Christians denial of our self is the flowing river of life where we can enter His kingdom.
Ga 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I believe Jesus is referring to one’s cross because ‘his’ is a Greek reference to himself or herself (REF. 1 below). Because Jesus says ‘cross’ concerning a human being then what does Jesus mean? I believe Jesus could be referring to Jesus cross. What is Jesus cross? Because Jesus suffered before He died on the cross seems like Jesus cross is Him giving of Himself unto death on the cross. If this is true then the moment billions of years in the past when Jesus decided to die for us was the beginning of His cross. The spark of self denial that was finished at His death on the cross. Could it be Jesus cross happened at the instant He decided to deny Himself and denying Himself was His cross? And the result of denying Himself gave way for Him to die on the cross. If this is true then the Mathew scripture comes alive. Our cross is very similar to Jesus cross which is to deny our self. Jesus defines ‘his cross’ in the scripture with the word deny, then our cross is denying our self. When we deny our self then Jesus can live in us because we are an empty vessel for the Holy Spirit to live in and guide.
Example: If I am going to a movie and my neighbor calls needing help, I deny myself and do not go to the movie and help my neighbor.
REF. 1
Original Word Word Origin aujtovß
‘himself, herself, themselves, itself’
Hello Ken. Happy New Year
I appreciate your comments and passion but this line of comments are getting further away from the purpose of this blog. It isn’t a discussion panel. But having said that, your points are valid and clear. And in principle “right on”. But while your focus is in denial my focus is in walking in the Spirit. (Gal 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.)
Our focus should be in walking in the Spirit, and in walking that way we will be denying/crucifying the flesh/self. Besides that, as we grow in Him we desire to be more like Him and our desires will be His desires, until we no longer live but Christ lives in us. That becomes our new self. Isn’t that cool?
And all this makes it clear how “Word of Faith” is not a different gospel. Which is the reason for this blog.