Part 1 - Understanding Biblical Truths Today: Heaven is for Real and Jesus Calling
Part 2 - Heretical Teachings: The Word of Faith Movement & "Prosperity Gospel"
Part 3 - Heretical Teachings: Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer
What is the Word of Faith movement and “prosperity gospel”? Why is it a problem? The Word of Faith movement and “prosperity gospel” teaches several false doctrines such as (quotes of summary issues from http://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/wordfaithprofile.pdf ,p.2-4):
·
“There are ‘anointed’ apostles and prophets
today.”
·
“God speaks words of faith with his mouth.”
·
“Human beings were created to be gods.”
·
“Jesus Christ is God incarnate – and so are we.”
·
“Jesus died spiritually and was born again.”
·
“We should speak words of faith like God
does”
·
“God wants us to be healthy and wealthy now”
Why are these wrong? Here some short summary corrective
statements:
·
“Modern revelations should be viewed with
skepticism”
·
“God does not need to speak ‘words of
faith.’”
·
“Human beings were never gods and never will be
gods.”
·
“Jesus is uniquely God incarnate.”
·
“Jesus did not die spiritually and was not born
again.”
·
“Faith means trusting in God for the future,
not claiming rights for the present.”
·
“Christ’s redemption assures us of perfect
health and wealth – in the resurrection.”
From www.gotquestions.org
What are some examples of Scriptures that are commonly misinterpreted
and misapplied by the Word of Faith movement and “prosperity gospel”? References below are from: Health, Wealth, & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed
the Gospel of Christ? By David Jones and Russell Woodbridge
HEALTH-FOCUSED
· 3 John 2
– “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good
health, as it goes well with your soul.” – “Prosperity teachers interpret
this verse to mean that God wants all believers to ‘prosper in all
things.’…John’s purpose in writing 3 John 2 was not to teach doctrine; rather,
he was simply opening his letter with a greeting. …the Greek term translated
‘prosperity,’ which is only used four times in Scripture, does not connote
prosperity in terms of gaining material possessions. Rather, the word means ‘to grant a prosperous
expedition and expeditious journey’ or ‘to lead by a direct and easy way.’”
(Jones & Woodbridge, 99-100).
·
Isaiah
53:4-5 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for
our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with
his wounds we are healed.” Prosperity preachers will reference the later
part of verse 5, “with his wounds we are healed” and will focus on God’s
atonement (sacrifice on the cross) being focused on our physical healing.
“First Peter 2:24 further clarifies the meaning of Isaiah 53:4-5. Peter writes,
‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may die to sin and
live to righteousness. By his wounds you
have been healed. …the context of Isaiah 53:5 indicates that the healing cited
by the prophet is spiritual in nature – that is, the remission of sin.” (Jones
& Woodbridge, 91).
WEALTH-FOCUSED
·
Malachi
3:10 “Bring the full tithe into the
storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test,
says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and
pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” “One of the most prominent
characteristics of prosperity theologians is their seeming fixation with the
act of giving…often promot[ing] a give-to-get mentality. All believers need to do is sow a seed of
faith – that is, donate money to the ministry- and God will bless their
marriages, finances, or whatever help is desired. Within the prosperity system, the goal in
giving is ultimately to serve oneself instead of others.” (Jones and
Woodbridge, 100-101). Prosperity
teachers misunderstanding of prayers to God for provision shows itself when
they emphasize greedy wants instead of basic needs (“give us each day our daily
bread” in Luke 11:3, “if we have food and clothing, with these we will be
content” in 1 Timothy 6:8, & “no more need” in Malachi 3:10).
·
Galatians
6:7 “Do not be deceived, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”
Prosperity gospel preachers emphasizing “sowing” in order to “reap” using this verse,
missing the context that this passage is about reaping eternal life verses
reaping corruption, not about reaping temporal/earthly rewards.
·
2
Corinthians 9:6 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The greater context of this passage (v.6-15)
is that what we reap is spiritual fruit for the purpose of meeting one
another’s needs (not greed…see 2 Corinthians 9:11-12, ‘the needs of the
saints’). Prosperity gospel preachers
will often redefine their wants/desires as “needs.”
PROSPERITY-FOCUSED
·
John
10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may
have life and have it abundantly.” Life
that is abundant is synonymous with “eternal life” or “the life to come” which
is ultimately focused on God and heavenly things, not on earthly/temporary
things. Prosperity theologians like to
emphasize “abundant living” here and now, redefining it as material and worldly
success, ignoring the warnings of Scripture such as 1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love
the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the
flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but
is from the world.” Abundant life is all
about an eternity with Jesus, not an accumulation of material possessions.
·
Philippians
4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in
glory in Christ Jesus.” Prosperity
gospel preachers will point to God’s desire to satisfy us here and now with his
“riches,” ignoring the countless Scriptures warning against wealth, embracing a
right understanding of suffering and perseverance, and overlooking the fact
that our “rich” inheritance is found only in Christ.
·
2
Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might
become rich.” “Paul is not teaching
that Christ died on the cross for the purpose of increasing one’s material net
worth. In fact, he is actually teaching
the exact opposite. Contextually, it is
clear that Paul was teaching the Corinthians that since Christ accomplished so
much for them through the atonement, they ought to empty themselves of their
riches in service of the Savior. This is
why just five verses later Paul urges the Corinthians to give their wealth to
their needy brothers, writing “your abundance at the present time should supply
their need…that there might be fairness.’ (2 Corinthians 8:14).” (Jones and
Woodbridge, 90).
WORDS OF FAITH
·
Proverbs
18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it
will eat its fruits.” “Prosperity gospel teachers stress that there is power in
our words. In support of their claim they quote verses such as Proverbs 18:21.
…Yet, a look at the full context of this verse [including v.20] sheds more
light on its meaning…Old Testament scholar Duane Garrett writes, “The purpose
of these verses is to warn against being too much in love with one’s own
words.’ …this verse does not suggest that words have creative power, but rather
that words can have both positive and negative effects upon people. As the Bible exhorts elsewhere, then, use
your tongue wisely (see James 3:1-12).” (Jones & Woodbridge, 96)
·
Romans
4:17 “as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’—in the
presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not
exist.” This passage is often used to explain that Christians have
“creative power” as “little gods” with their “faith-filled” words. The context of the passage shows that it is
God who “calls into existence the things that do not exist” and that it is not
a power that has been given to people.
Unfortunately prosperity preachers use this passage to encourage people
to pray self-focused prayers.
·
James 4:2
“You do not have, because you do not ask.” – “Prosperity gospel preachers
often note that we ‘have not because we ask not’ (see James 4:2). They encourage believers to pray for personal
success in all areas of life. …but the prosperity gospel’s overemphasis on
people turns prayer into a tool that believers can use to obtain their desires
from God. Within prosperity theology,
people - rather than God – become the focal point of prayer. Curiously prosperity gospel preachers often
ignore the second half of James’ teaching on prayer, which reads, ‘You ask and
do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own passions.’
(James 4:3). God does not answer selfish
requests that do not honor His name.” (Jones and Woodbridge, 96-97)
· Philippians
4:6 “do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God.” We are called to make all of
our requests known to God…but these are requests, not demands, not “claimed
promises,” and not “declarations.” The
problem is that the “prosperity gospel focuses so much on people’s desires that
it can lead us to pray selfish, shallow, superficial prayers that do not bring
God glory …when coupled with the prosperity doctrine of faith, the teaching
about prayer encourages people to try manipulating God to get what they want –
indeed a futile task. This is far
removed from praying to God to see His will accomplished.” (Jones and
Woodbridge, 99).
Many more Scriptures are
twisted for the sake of health and wealth.
Here is a great resource to understanding more: www.watchman.org/articles/other-religious-topics/how-the-health-and-wealth-gospel-twists-scripture/
Here are some great Bible passages to gain an accurate understanding of what God really says about money.
Who are people associated with the Word of Faith movement? Some of
the most commonly known Word of Faith movement and prosperity gospel leaders
are: Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth
Copeland, TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, Kenneth Hagin, & many more. Some may deny their connections to WOF &
the PG, but their teachings demonstrate their connection and justify such
labeling.
What is “positive profession,” “name-it claim-it,” and
declarative/claiming prayers and why is it a problem? Positive thinking/profession/confession
was popularized by Norman Vincent Peale in 1952 through his book The Power of Positive Thinking
(publisher of Guideposts and an
endorser of many New Age, Mormon, and Occultic teachings, writers, and
leaders). Some of the leading teachers
and authors on the subject are: Joel Osteen (I Declare:31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, Your Best Life Now,
Become a Better You), Joyce Meyer (Power
Thoughts, Change Your Words, Change Your Life, The Power of Being Positive).
A modern day summary of the “positive confession” movement is “the belief that
if a believer speaks ‘spiritual’ or ‘faith-filled’ words then he can have what
he says (Watchman.org on ”Positive Confession”). A good Christian response is found in
understanding that truth is the focus and sometimes it is negatively focused
(confronting us in our sin, putting off our old self, negative confessions in
the Psalms) and at other times positively focused (practicing righteousness,
putting on our old self). Positive
confessions often devolve into declaring/claiming/telling God what to do
instead of saying “thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10, 26:42) and asking
“according to His will” (1 John 5:14).
- Do words have power?
- Is there power in positive confession?
- Is there power in positive thinking?
- Who is Norman Vincent Peale, is he a biblical teacher?
Why did you pick the Word of Faith movement and “prosperity gospel” as
false teachings to highlight? Although
many Christian cults could have been highlighted for their false teachings, the
Word of Faith movement and “prosperity gospel” is a problem within my church
congregation and friends. As a loving
friend and pastor, it is my responsibility to rebuke false teachings in order
to shepherd my flock and lead friends away from dangerous teachings.
Why are you so concerned with TBN (the Trinity Broadcasting Network)?
Although TBN is a Christian station seeking to reach the world with the gospel,
its messages are not always consistent.
On one given Sunday (12/9/13) there were at least four faithful sermon
broadcasts on TBN (James Merritt, Ed Young Sr., Adrian Rogers, Michael
Youssef), but there were many more heretical, unfaithful broadcasts (Joel
Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince,
Kenneth Hagin, & many more...). The
vast majority of broadcasts were from the Word of Faith movement. My concern is that a Christian may tune in to
a faithful sermon and then continue to watch while unfaithful messengers “teach
a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:3).As I hope you have seen, the Word of Faith movement and the "prosperity gospel" resort to twisting scripture to justify their false teachings. My next post will specifically cover the teachings of Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer who represent the spectrum of the Word of Faith movement and "prosperity gospel" teachers.
Part 1 - Understanding Biblical Truths Today: Heaven is for Real and Jesus Calling
Part 2 - Heretical Teachings: The Word of Faith Movement & "Prosperity Gospel"
Part 3 - Heretical Teachings: Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer
