Today’s question is, "Is the Word of Faith movement biblical?" In this video I’ll answer
that question from a biblical perspective. Afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful
resources, so stick around until the end.
Word of Faith teaching is decidedly unbiblical. It is not a denomination and does not have
a formal organization or hierarchy. Instead, it is a movement that is heavily influenced
by a number of high-profile pastors and teachers such as Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Kenneth
Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch, and Fred Price.
The Word of Faith movement grew out of the Pentecostal movement in the late 20th century.
Its founder was E. W. Kenyon, who studied the metaphysical New Thought teachings of
Phineas Quimby. Mind science (where "name it and claim it" originated) was combined
with Pentecostalism, resulting in a peculiar mix of orthodox Christianity and mysticism.
Kenneth Hagin, in turn, studied under E. W. Kenyon and made the Word of Faith movement
what it is today. Although individual teachings range from completely heretical to completely
ridiculous, what follows is the basic theology most Word of Faith teachers align themselves with.
At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." It
is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create
what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth). Laws supposedly governing the
faith-force are said to operate independently of God's sovereign will and that God Himself
is subject to these laws. This is nothing short of idolatry, turning our faith—and
by extension ourselves—into god.
From here, its theology just strays further and further from Scripture: it claims that
God created human beings in His literal, physical image as little gods. Before the fall, humans
had the potential to call things into existence by using the faith-force. After the fall,
humans took on Satan's nature and lost the ability to call things into existence. In
order to correct this situation, Jesus Christ gave up His divinity and became a man, died
spiritually, took Satan's nature upon Himself, went to hell, was born again, and rose from
the dead with God's nature. After this, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to replicate the Incarnation
in believers so they could become little gods as God had originally intended.
Following the natural progression of these teachings, as little gods we again have the
ability to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life. Illness,
sin, and failure are the result of a lack of faith, and are remedied by confession—claiming
God's promises for oneself into existence. Simply put, the Word of Faith movement exalts
man to god-status and reduces God to man-status. Needless to say, this is a false representation
of what Christianity is all about. Obviously, Word of Faith teaching does not take into
account what is found in Scripture. Personal revelation, not Scripture, is highly relied
upon in order to come up with such absurd beliefs, which is just one more proof of its
heretical nature.
Countering Word of Faith teaching is a simple matter of reading the Bible. God alone is
the Sovereign Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1:3) and does not need faith—He is the object
of faith (Mark 11:22). God is spirit and does not have a physical body (John 4:24). Man
was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26 and 27), but this does not make him a little
god or divine. Only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8). Christ is Eternal, the Only
Begotten Son, and the only incarnation of God (John 1:14). In Him dwelt the fullness
of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By becoming a man, Jesus gave up the glory of
heaven but not His divinity (Philippians 2:6-7), though He did choose to withhold His power
while walking the earth as man.
The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way
of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling
since the Garden: “You shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the
Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our
own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the
first place (Ephesians 2:8) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the
Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings.
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