Doctrines of the "Faith" Movement

[Adapted and quoted from D. R. McConnell, A Different Gospel]

Collected by Bernie L. Gillespie

"REVELATION KNOWLEDGE"

This is the idea which dominated the writings of E. W. Kenyon

Revelation knowledge is opposed by "Sense Knowledge" which "cannot find God".

"Revelation Knowledge is that supernatural knowledge of God and the spiritual realm revealed in the bible, particularly Paul's epistles, which enables man to transcend the limitations of Sense Knowledge and act in faith." [McConnell, pg. 105]

Kenyon's view of Revelation Knowledge is that a separation exists between the sense world and the spirit world (dualism). This idea is much like the metaphysical cults thinking. Quimby taught that knowledge that comes through the spiritual senses is greater than the knowledge that comes from our physical senses. Mary Baker Eddy denied the reality of the physical world claiming that knowledge from the physical senses was an "error" and "false belief".

Kenneth Hagin follows Kenyon in separating sense knowledge from spiritual knowledge: "...one almost has to by-pass the brain and operate from the inner man (the heart or spirit) to really get into the things of God." [McCornell, pg. 106]

THE TEACHING OF SETTING REVELATION KNOWLEDGE AGAINST SENSE KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO THE TEACHING OF DENIAL OF SENSE EXPERIENCE ALTOGETHER!

Kenyon insists that "real faith is acting upon the Word independent of any sense evidence."

THIS LEADS TO THE TEACHING THAT IN HEALING YOU, "DON'T WATCH THE SYMPTOMS - WATCH THE WORD... DON'T LISTEN TO THE SENSES. GIVE THE WORD ITS PLACE."

*This thinking moves subtly from superiority of "revelation knowledge" to the separation of "revelation knowledge" from "sense knowledge". The next step is the belief faith only works in the "revelation knowledge" so the "sense knowledge" is opposed to "revelation knowledge" and then ultimately, "sense knowledge" must be denied as being not real.

PERFECT KNOWLEDGE & CLASSES OF CHRISTIANS

Part of the concept of "revelation knowledge" is that we can have perfect, infallible knowledge in this life.

There develops a discrimination that those with "revelation knowledge" are superior to those who have not reached it.

Eventually, those with "revelation knowledge" have reached a place in God that other "carnal" Christians would have to strive for. Those with "revelation knowledge" are encouraged to have fellowship with only those with "revelation knowledge" (or striving for it). Many have left good pastoral guidance and fine home churches, simply because they don't have "revelation knowledge".

THE BIBLE AND "REVELATION KNOWLEDGE"

THE BIBLE CLEARLY TEACHES THAT GOD REVEALS HIMSELF BY PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS WHICH WE KNOW THROUGH THE PHYSICAL SENSES:

1. Jn. 1:14 the Word was made flesh & "we beheld his glory"

2. Col. 2:9 bodily form

3. Col. 1:20,22 "fleshly body"

4. II Pet. 1:6 "eyewitnesses of his majesty"

5. II Pet. 1:18 heard the utterances

6. I Jn. 1:1 handled the Word of life

The miracles and natural events by which God manifested Himself in the O.T. and the Gospels and in Acts appeared to the physical senses. God held them accountable for the knowledge they received by their senses.

Rom. 1:18-21 -> Man is responsible for knowledge of God revealed in Creation!

GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO DENY OUR MINDS AND SENSES!

Dt. 6:5 & Mk. 12:30 State that we are to love God with "all our minds".

Is. 1:18 -> "come let us reason together"

Acts 26:2,17; 18:4,19 -> Paul reasoned with the jews from the Scriptures.

 OUR FAITH MAY TRANSCEND REASON, BUT IT DOES NOT IT REJECT IT!

*PERFECT KNOWLEDGE E IS NOT AVAILABLE IN THIS LIFE: I Cor. 13:9,10,12

**FAITH IS MEASURED BY LOVE... NOT BY KNOWLEDGE!

I Cor. 8: 2, 3

Gal. 5: 6

I Cor. 13: 3

"Revelation knowledge" leads to the honoring of those who "possess" it the most.

In many cases preacher-worship results, which dishonors Christ

II Cor. 4:5

"DOCTRINE OF IDENTIFICATION"

This is the view that the believer "identifies" with the various aspects of Christ's redemptive acts. Essentially, this isn't unbiblical - but it is the extremes to which this is taken & the false views of Christ that lead to false teaching.

MAN AS DIVINE OR SATANIC

To understand "identification" you have to understand "Faith"teaching concerning human nature.

1) Hagin teaches "man is not a physical being. Man is a spirit." The "Faith" movement teaches that "man is a spirit, who possesses a soul, and who lives in a body."

2) Kenyon taught that Man must either partake of God's nature or Satan's nature.

3) After the Fall "spiritual death" transformed man into a demonic nature. Hagin teaches, "just as receiving eternal life means that we have the nature of God in us... spiritual death means having Satan's nature.

This is the basis of viewing the Fall as "High Treason". It is taught that Adam gave Satan "legal right" to be a god and rule over Creation.

Therefore, Jesus died "two deaths" on the cross = #1 SPIRITUAL, #2 PHYSICAL.

Kenyon taught that it was Christ's Spirit that was made sin and His suffering physically and the physical resurrection were not enough.

Fred Price stated - punishment for our sins was not to die on the cross, but to suffer in hell.

K. Copeland - "...When his blood poured out it did not atone... It was when his spirit went to "hell to free mankind from the penalty of Adam's High Treason."

Mary Baker Eddy - '..the material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin, when it was shed upon 'the accused tree' than when it was flowing in His veins."

*BECAUSE OF THE "DUALISM" OR DIVISION BETWEEN SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL IN THE "FAITH" TEACHING, THEIR TEACHING LEADS TO THE BELIEF THAT THE PHYSICAL SUFFERING AND DEATH OF CHRIST WERE NOT SUFFICIENT TO ATONE!

Kenyon taught that Jesus "died spiritually". More than that, because man's sin and spiritual death were imputed to Jesus, he became a "new Satanic creation".

Because of this "Jesus became sin. His spirit was separated from God"..

Hagin's writings confirm his belief that Jesus had to die spiritually because His physical death was not enough.

The startling belief of some of the "Faith" teachers is that Jesus was taken to hell by Satan as a demon-possessed mortal man and emerged from hell as a born-again, resurrected man. [Copeland, "What Happened"]

BECAUSE OF THE DOCTRINE OF IDENTIFICATION THE BELIEVER IDENTIFIES WITH CHRIST IN EVERY WAY - EVEN DEIFICATION!

 Hagin -> "every born again man is an incarnation"..."the believer is as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth."

In another instance - "we're Christ"

And another - "The Church has not yet realized that we are Christ."

 *THIS IS NEW THOUGHT TEACHING OF THE DEIFICATION OF MAN!

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

1.) IS MAN A SPIRIT RESIDING IN A BODY?

a. God made humans in his image & likeness (Gen. 1:27). This includes the body He shaped and breathed into (Gen. 2:7). Humans are a whole of spirit, soul, & body (I Thess. 5:23); ALL OF YOU IS THE "REAL" YOU!

b. God is concerned in the O.T. with the "behavior" or acts we do with our bodies.

c. Jesus is the "theo-carnation" or embodiment of God (Jn.1:14).

d. Jesus healed the bodies & not just the spirits of people (Mt. 4:23,24).

e. Jesus sacrificed His body for our sins (Heb. 10:5).

f. Jesus Promised His bodily resurrection (Jn. 2:19-21). The resurrection was bodily (Jn. 20:26-28; Lk.24:39,40).

g. Jesus gives us His Spirit to make alive our mortal bodies (Rom.8:11). We are to glorify God in our bodies (I Cor. 6:20) and magnify Him with our bodies (Phl. 1:20).

WE WILL BE TRANSFORMED BODILY TO THE LIKENESS OF HIS GLORIFIED BODY(Phl. 3:21).

2.) DID THE FALL MAKE MAN'S NATURE SATANIC?

EPH. 2:1-3 ->

a. By Adam's sin (I Cor. 15:21-22) we all are dead in trespass in sins

This is not just a reference to physical death because those spoken to are alive physically.

THIS MEANS HUMANS AS A RESULT OF DISOBEDIENCE VIOLATE THEIR RELATIONSHIP & ARE ALIENATED FROM GOD - A STATE OF DEATH!

b. The alternative Mankind had after rebelling against God was to choose to follow Satan's way & allow his spirit to work in their lives.

c. Man is not Satanic in nature, but still is in the "image of God" he has fallen from his destiny & is deceived to allow Satan to rule his life.

He is sinful, rebellious, alienated, corrupted, subverted, but not become satanic. He is a runaway lost without the Spirit of God that gives him his meaning & purpose. Like Satan, but not satanic.

3.) IS THE BELIEVER AN INCARNATION OF GOD?

AFTER REDEMPTION Mankind is restored to the full "image of God" as purposed by God.

This still means that Man is a creature (II Cor. 5:17) and a man though a "new man" (Eph. 4:24)

In the Heavenly court-room that John sees in the book of Revelation the redeemed are distinct from God and are still creatures & not gods. (Rev. 5:8-14). They all worship the only true God: the Lamb!

4.) WAS CHRIST SACRIFICED TO SATAN?

Eph. 5:2 Jesus offered up His life as a sacrifice to God in our place.

I Tim. 2:5,6 Jesus gave Himself a ransom to God.

SATAN DOES NOT HAVE "LEGAL RIGHTS" BUT IS REVEALED AS A USURPER OF GOD'S DOMINION BY ILLEGAL MEANS:

1. By accusation - Rev. 12:10

2. By deception - II Cor. 4:4

3. By enslavement - II Tim. 2:26

4. By fear - Heb. 2:15

5. By power & threat of death - Heb. 2:14

THE FACT IS, THAT GOD OWES SATAN NOTHING!

MAN IS HELD HOSTAGE BY SATAN AND JESUS ACTS TO DESTROY HIS ILLEGAL, VIOLENT ATTEMPT TO IMPUGN GOD'S CHILDREN (Acts 26:18; I Jn. 3:8; Heb. 2:14).

5.) DOES JESUS BECOME SINFUL AND SATANIC?

II Cor. 5:21 "...to be sin on our behalf"

We must understand Christ as our sacrifice Lamb in the light of O.T. teaching concerning atonement.

The sacrifice was innocent & spotless but "took" the sin of the sinner as he placed his hands upon it and confessed.

The sacrifice was not a sinner but was "reckoned" "sinful" in the sinners place.

I Pet. 1: 19

I Pet. 2: 2 2

Heb. 9: 14

The sacrifice did not "become" sin by commission, but sin by imputation.

6. DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE SPIRITUALLY?

Hagin bases this idea on Is. 53:9 which he claims must be "deaths" as plural which he teaches refers to two deaths.

a. NO TRANSLATION RENDERS THIS AS A PLURAL

b. WHY? BECAUSE IT WOULD VIOLATE BASIC HEBREW GRAMMAR.

FACT: Mt. 22:46 tells us that when He committed his "spirit" to God He bowed His head & "Yielded up His spirit" to God (Mt. 27:50; Jn 19:30).

JESUS PHYSICAL DEATH COINCIDED WITH HIS GIVING UP HIS SPIRIT. THERE IS NO SEPARATE "SPIRITUAL" DEATH!

NO SCRIPTURE IN THE WHOLE BIBLE SAYS THAT SATAN TOOK JESUS TO HELL

WHAT IS TAUGHT BY THE "DOUBLE-DEATH" BELIEF IS THAT THE PHYSICAL DEATH ON THE CROSS ALONE CANNOT ATONE.

 SCRIPTURE REFUTES THIS:

1. Col. 2:13-15

2. I Pet. 2:24

3. Heb. 2:14,15

4. Heb. 10:22,23

5. I Pet. 1:19

6. Acts 20:28

7. Eph. 1:7

8. Rev. 1:5

"The Doctrine of Healing"

Bernie L. Gillespie

"HEALING IS A WAY OF LIFE FOR THOSE IN THE FAITH MOVEMENT." [McConnell, A Different Gospel, p. 148.]

Some of the beliefs of the FM find their source in the W.W. II Healing Crusade Revivals.

"The Pentecostal Healing Revival produced more than its share of radical doctrines of faith-healing, many of which required believers to reject medical science." [McConnell, p. 149]

IN MANY INSTANCES THE FM USES HEALING AS A PROOF THAT THEIR TEACHINGS ARE FROM GOD OR HAVE DIVINE AUTHORITY.

THE QUESTION MUST THEN BE ASKED: "DO MIRACLES PROVE TRUTH?"

There are two important points we must make about healing and miracles:

1. "Healing and miracles do not prove the truth of one's interpretation of the Bible."

2. "Healing and miracles come from more than one source."

[McConnell, p. 149.]

THERE IS A VERY GREAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CLASSICAL PENTECOSTAL VIEW OF HEALING AND THAT OF THE FAITH MOVEMENT.

"...unlike classical Pentecostal, however, the Faith teachers believe that diseases are healed by Christ's spiritual atonement in hell, not his physical death on the cross."[Ibid. p. 150.]

THE FM ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HEALING FOLLOW IN A SEQUENCE:

1. "...all diseases are by a physical effect of a spiritual cause..."

2. "sickness is a spiritual condition manifested in the physical body.' [Kenyon, Identification, p.15]

3. "...all disease comes from the spiritual realm of Satan."

4. "...God's method of healing must be purely spiritual..." [Ibid.]

THE TEACHING ON HEALING BY THE FM IS VERY STRONGLY AKIN TO THAT HELD BY THE METAPHYSICAL CULTS.

"Several startling parallels can be drawn between the Faith theology and metaphysics. Both systems of thought deny that disease has any physical or organic causes, teaching instead that disease is entirely the physical effect of a spiritual cause. Both systems teach that since disease is spiritual, the highest form of healing must be spiritual as well."[Ibid.]

OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST TENET IN THEIR DOCTRINE OF HEALING IS THAT DISEASE IS SPIRITUAL, NOT PHYSICAL.

A SICK BELIEVER IS ABNORMAL

They teach a true believer should never be sick. By confessing his faith in the healing redemption of Christ, the Christian can and should know perfect health.

Since it is always God's will to heal, the believer who is not healed is obviously out of the will of God.

KENYON: "Sickness does not belong to the body of Christ. It is not normal or natural."[Kenyon, Jesus the Healer, p. 67.]

The believer who fails to do so has only himself to blame. He has failed not only himself, but also God.

A NEGATIVE CONFESSION PRODUCES SICKNESS

A "negative confession" is any mental or verbal acknowledgment of a disease in one's body. The verbal acknowledgment of a disease gives Satan the "right" to inflict us.

When a believer worries or complains about an illness, he has forfeited his "right" to the perfect healing redemption of Christ.

SUCH PARANOIA ABOUT THE VERBAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DISEASE ALSO CHARACTERIZES THE METAPHYSICAL CULTS.

IN MORE RADICAL FAITH CHURCHES, A CHRISTIAN IS NOT EVEN ALLOWED TO SPEAK OF SICKNESS IN ORDER TO REQUEST PRAYER.

FAITH CHRISTIANS ARE TAUGHT THEY SHOULD DENY THE SYMPTOMS

The FM teaches its disciples that healing is an accomplished "faith fact," but that it is not instantaneously manifested as a physical fact in the believer's body.

During the interlude between the confession of healing and its manifestation, the believer might encounter "symptoms" of a disease. These symptoms are not the disease itself.

THE SYMPTOMS SHOULD BE DENIED BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT REAL

BELIEVERS SHOULD ENDURE PAIN

HAGIN TEACHES: The real test of faith comes when one must deny pain to make a positive confession.

The notion that a believer should never acknowledge or talk about symptoms of illness is just like the metaphysical cults.

Mary Baker Eddy: "the way to cure the patient is to make the disease unreal to him."

Eddy: "When the first symptoms of disease appear, dispute the testimony of the material sense with divine Science."[Eddy, Science and Health, p. 390.]

FAITH DISCIPLE OUTGROWS THE NEED FOR MEDICAL SCIENCE

Kenyon believed that taking medication contradicts a confession of faith.

PRICE: "If you need a crutch or something to help you get along, then praise God, hobble along until you get your faith moving to the point that you don't need a crutch."[Price, How Faith Works, pp. 92,93.]

PRICE: "I don't use pills myself. I have my faith operating to such an extent that I don't need them."[Ibid., P. 65]

THE IDEA COMMUNICATED IS THAT THOSE WHO REALLY WALK IN FAITH CAN, LIKE THE FAITH TEACHERS THEMSELVES, LEARN TO DO WITHOUT THE BENEFITS OF MEDICAL SCIENCE.

Only people who do not know how to believe God for spiritual healing resort to medical science.

P.P. Quimby: blames doctors for convincing people to "believe" in the symptoms of their disease, thereby making the disease real.

BELIEVERS SHOULD NEVER DIE OF DISEASE

KENYON: "We should simply wear out and fall asleep without pain, without these hideous diseases that dishonor the Lord."[Two Kinds of Faith, p. 109.]

HAGIN: "I believe that it is the plan of God our Father that no believer should ever be sick. That every believer should live his full length of time and actually wear out, if Jesus tarries, and fall asleep in Jesus."[Healing: The Father's Provision, p. 9.]

TO THE FM HOW A BELIEVER DIES IS AN INDICATOR OF THE POWER OF HIS FAITH.

 BELIEVERS SHOULD NEVER DIE BEFORE AGE 70

PRICE: "Your minimum days should be 70 years, that's just the bare minimum. You ought to live to be at least 120 years of age. That's the Bible."[Is Healing for All, p. 104]

The Faith theology teaches that after 70 years of life, a Christian then "chooses" his time to die.

PRICE: "The only reason people die before their time is because they do not understand how to exercise their faith according to the Word to prevent death..."[Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, p. 3]

PRICE: "Children that are born dead have no control over their life, but their parents had that control..."[Ibid.]

THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PREMATURE DEATH IS BELIEVERS FAULT

MUST GOD ALWAYS HEAL?

HEALING IS NOT A SOVEREIGN MIRACLE BESTOWED BY A MERCIFUL GOD IN THE FAITH MOVEMENT. HEALING IS A CAUSE-AND-EFFECT FORMULA THAT WORKS EVERY TIME THE CHRISTIAN APPLIES IT IN "FAITH".

THE BIBLE TEACHES:

1. Healing is a divine gift and ministry of the Church.

2. That gift of healing was never intended to be reduced to a doctrinal formula

3. The church has been commissioned to pray for the sick (Jas. 5:14,15)

4. Signs, healings, and exorcisms do often follow those who preach the gospel.(Mk. 16:15-20)

WE MUST REALIZE: CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A HEALING CULT AND THE GOSPEL IS NOT A METAPHYSICAL FORMULA FOR DIVINE HEALTH.

DO BELIEVERS SUFFER IN THEIR BODIES?

II Cor. 4:16 "Our outer man is decaying" but "our inner man is being renewed day by day."

Phl. 3:21 He will transform our "vile" bodies at his appearing

I Cor. 15:42-44 "perishable body" "sown in dishonor" "sown in weakness' "sown a natural body"

DISEASE WILL ONLY BE DEFEATED WHEN DEATH IS FINALLY DEFEATED: AT THE

RETURN OF CHRIST.

THE ERROR OF THE FAITH THEOLOGY IS THAT IT ASCRIBES A POWER TO FAITH

HEALING THAT WILL ONLY BE MANIFEST AT THE END OF THE CHURCH AGE.

WERE BELIEVERS ALWAYS HEALED IN THE BIBLE?

NO!

II Tim. 4:20 "Trophimus I left sick at Miletus."

Phil. 3:25-27 Epaphroditus had survived a deadly illness

I Tim. 5:23 "use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent ailments"

WHAT ABOUT THE SUFFERING AND SICKNESS OF PAUL?

PAUL HAD A SEVERE ILLNESS THAT CAUSED HIM TO HAVE TO STOP IN GALATIA.

Gal. 4:13-15

II Cor. 12:7-9 "thorn in the flesh"

THE DOCTRINE OF "FAITH"

K. Hagin: "Did you ever stop to think about having faith in your own faith? Evidently God had faith, because He spoke words of faith and they came to pass... In other words, having faith in your words is having faith in your faith. That's what you've got to learn to do to get things from God. Have faith in your faith."

WHAT A MOVEMENT TEACHES ABOUT FAITH REVEALS THE KIND OF GOD THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO SERVE!

 FAITH AS A FORMULA

What is distinctive about the Faith Movements teaching on "faith" is that it is viewed as a FORMULA.

HAGIN: claims Jesus appeared to him and said, "If anybody, anywhere, will take these steps or put these four principles into operation... he will always receive whatever he wants from Me or God the Father."

Jesus gave him 4 steps and told him he could "write your own ticket with God."

STEPS:

1. SAY IT

2. DO IT

3. RECEIVE IT

4. TELL IT

KENYON: "faith-filled words brought the universe into being, and faith-filled words are ruling that universe today."

It is taught that faith is a "spiritual law" and anybody, both Christian and non-Christian can use this law and get results.

IT WORKS NO MATTER WHERE YOU STAND WITH CHRIST.

FRED PRICE: In Rom. 10:10 anyone "could put anything in there you want - healing, your needs met, new job, car, home, whatever you need."

THE ERROR IN THIS TEACHING IS THAT GOD IS VIEWED THE SAME AS THE GOD OF THE METAPHYSICAL CULTS: God is an impersonal God of "Infinite Power" who rules the world by immutable laws. Man does not deal with a personal God, but with impersonal "spiritual" laws.

*RATHER THAN GOD BEING PERSONAL AND SOVEREIGN HE IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THOSE WHO OPERATE THE SPIRITUAL LAWS!

POSITIVE CONFESSION

KENYON: "What I confess, I possess.

The Faith Movement believes that one's mental attitude determines what one believes and confesses; and what one believes and confesses determines what one gets from God.

KENYON: "Sooner or later we become what we confess"..."you rise or fall to the level of your confession"..."You never realize beyond your words...You will never realize beyond that which you say."

THIS COMES FROM "METAPHYSICAL" TEACHING THAT MAN POSSESSES THE INNATE ABILITY TO SHAPE & RESHAPE REALITY THROUGH THE POWERS OF HIS MIND & HIS WORDS.

In Faith theology FEAR creates reality just as much as FAITH does.

**"IN FAITH THEOLOGY, A PERSONAL LOVING GOD DOES NOT DETERMINE WHAT COMES INTO THE BELIEVER'S LIFE. PMA AND POSITIVE CONFESSION DO." [McCornell, pg. 140]

CREATIVE POWER OF FAITH

CHARLES CAPPS: Says he was given "Word" from the Lord that,"Long prayers are not now necessary" but "my Creative power is given to man in Word form."

This meant that man becomes a creator in the place of God by words of faith.

THE POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD HAS "CREATIVE POWER" JUST LIKE GOD.

FORCE OF FAITH

K. COPELAND: "Faith is a power force. It is a conductive force. It will move things. Faith will change things. Faith will change circumstances... The force of faith is released by words..."

Since they believe "God is a faith being" and man is "a faith being" like God we have the power of faith-force.

Therefore, as a believer grows in his faith-force, he possesses more power and can move bigger obstacles in the spirit realm.

GOD KIND OF FAITH

They teach more than faith IN God, but that Mk. 11:22 means the faith OF God.

KENYON: "We have God's faith produced in us by His living word, by His nature that is imparted to us."

WE HAVE THE "FAITH OF GOD" THAT WHAT WE WILL SAY WILL BE CREATED

& COME TO PASS.

"Man kind of Faith" is still dependent on physical senses.

THE NAME OF JESUS

They teach that through the name of Jesus we have the "power of attorney."

They believe that when we use the name of Jesus, God must respond favorably.

WHATEVER THE CHURCH PRAYS IN FAITH USING THE NAME, GOD HAS TO RESPOND!

HAGIN: "I have not prayed one prayer in 45 years... without getting an answer. I always get an answer - and the answer was always yes."

AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER

They teach that because of the name of Jesus we have all the authority of Jesus.

If the church fails to exercise its authority in a particular situation, God's hands are tied and nothing more can be done.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

FAITH TEACHING DESTROYS BOTH GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND HIS PERSONALITY!

1) GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND NOT A SUBJECT

Ps. 115:3

Dan. 4:34-35

Eph. 1: 11

 2) GOD IS A PERSON AND NOT A PRINCIPLE

The teaching of the Faith Movement destroys God's:

1) SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS

2) SELF-EXISTENCE

3) SELF-WILL

These are the attributes that make up God's Person!

GOD HAS A WILL APART FROM ALL "SPIRITUAL" LAWS

3) JESUS' NAME IS TAKEN IN VAIN

Ex. 20:7

Lev. 19:12

Dt. 5: 11

This commandment was given to warn us not to use God's Name for magical purposes as the ancient false religions believed.

4) MAN IS A CREATURE AND NOT A CREATOR

Man is involved in caring for the Creation and to participate in procreation, but he does not have the power to create ex nihilo or "out of nothing" as only God does.

5) GOD'S WORD CANNOT BE PITTED AGAINST GOD'S WILL

God 'did not need "faith" to create the world.

God's Word has no power apart from God Himself. The power comes from God.

The Word of God is subject to the Will of God!

6) WE HAVE FAITH "IN" GOD AND NOT "OF" GOD

No scholar will support the translation of the word "of" for Mk. 11:22 as the Faith teachers do.

GOD IS BOTH THE SUBJECT AND THE OBJECT OF FAITH!

CHARISMATIC HUMANISM

"A man whose faith is in his own faith is a man whose faith is in himself; it is faith in self, not in God. Biblical faith is always theocentric (God-centered) rather than anthropocentric (man-centered)." [McConnell, pg. 146]

"The man who is positive can manipulate the spiritual laws that control God. Thus, just as in humanism, man, not God, is in the driver's seat."[McConnell, pg. 146]