Word of Faith: Faith in God, or Faith in Faith?

[David]

Word of Faith teaching has deceived many people because it uses biblical language. It speaks about faith, healing, blessing, confession, giving, and victory. However, using Bible words does not make a teaching biblical. The question is whether those words are being used as Scripture uses them.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries openly teaches that healing is God’s will every time for every believer. It teaches that faith is a force, that believers can create through that force, that spoken words manifest themselves in life, and that financial giving produces a guaranteed harvest. It also teaches that Jesus suffered the torments of hell and became the first man born again from spiritual death.

But Scripture shows faithful servants of God becoming sick and sometimes remaining sick. Paul left Trophimus sick, Timothy had frequent illnesses, Epaphroditus nearly died, and Paul himself suffered bodily weakness. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Faith is not a force we operate. Faith rests in God. Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Romans 4:17 says God calls things that do not exist as though they did. It does not give that creative power to us.

Our words matter, but Proverbs 18:21 does not teach that our speech manufactures reality. Giving matters, but Scripture condemns those who suppose godliness is a means of financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5). The gospel is not a method for obtaining health and wealth.

Most importantly, Jesus completed the work of redemption on the cross. He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). We have redemption “through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7), and He “bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He did not need to be born again after suffering Satan’s torments in hell.

My purpose is not to mock an elderly man for being sick. Sickness comes to all kinds of people in this fallen world. The issue is that Copeland has spent decades teaching that believers are entitled to healing now if they properly use faith and confession. His own condition should cause his followers to reconsider that claim, but Scripture must remain the final authority.

Why do so many Christians fall for this teaching? How can we compassionately lead them away from trusting spiritual formulas and back to trusting the sovereign God revealed in Scripture?

For more, see the following:




.

 

[Yesua888]

View attachment 586

Word of Faith teaching has deceived many people because it uses biblical language. It speaks about faith, healing, blessing, confession, giving, and victory. However, using Bible words does not make a teaching biblical. The question is whether those words are being used as Scripture uses them.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries openly teaches that healing is God’s will every time for every believer. It teaches that faith is a force, that believers can create through that force, that spoken words manifest themselves in life, and that financial giving produces a guaranteed harvest. It also teaches that Jesus suffered the torments of hell and became the first man born again from spiritual death.

But Scripture shows faithful servants of God becoming sick and sometimes remaining sick. Paul left Trophimus sick, Timothy had frequent illnesses, Epaphroditus nearly died, and Paul himself suffered bodily weakness. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Faith is not a force we operate. Faith rests in God. Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Romans 4:17 says God calls things that do not exist as though they did. It does not give that creative power to us.

Our words matter, but Proverbs 18:21 does not teach that our speech manufactures reality. Giving matters, but Scripture condemns those who suppose godliness is a means of financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5). The gospel is not a method for obtaining health and wealth.

Most importantly, Jesus completed the work of redemption on the cross. He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). We have redemption “through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7), and He “bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He did not need to be born again after suffering Satan’s torments in hell.

My purpose is not to mock an elderly man for being sick. Sickness comes to all kinds of people in this fallen world. The issue is that Copeland has spent decades teaching that believers are entitled to healing now if they properly use faith and confession. His own condition should cause his followers to reconsider that claim, but Scripture must remain the final authority.

Why do so many Christians fall for this teaching? How can we compassionately lead them away from trusting spiritual formulas and back to trusting the sovereign God revealed in Scripture?

For more, see the following:




.

Pretty sobering ...

 

[by grace]

Copeland is just one of many isaih 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. it sounds good looks good but just dont work that way.. paul wrote Ephesians 4:14
that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;



we have to many movement chasers . seen a thing on facebook can apostolic preachers have a beard?



back to the o,p mike Murdoch preaches you sew a money seed you will get that amount back ten fold

 

[bobinfaith]

Copeland is just one of many isaih 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. it sounds good looks good but just dont work that way.. paul wrote Ephesians 4:14
that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; we have to many movement chasers . seen a thing on facebook can apostolic preachers have a beard? back to the o,p mike Murdoch preaches you sew a money seed you will get that amount back ten fold

Hello by grace;

Good to see you here. Your post reminded me of the sermons in the 1990s. We listened on tape cassette in the car, by Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin. The tone of voice was intense and I had no idea what they were preaching.

I was in my 30s and it could very well have been my lack of Bible understanding at the time. Regardless, it did not prompt me to receive the message by the spirit. It felt intimidating, a mix of English and talking very fast. At the end of the sermon I was supposed to grasp the message?

What we don't know is when the listeners at these preaching events confessed to Copeland or Hagin they didn't understand the sermons the preachers refuted the listener for all reasons, lacking or receiving the message.

Had I been present when Peter gave the sermon in Acts 2:14-41 no doubt I would have received it prompted me to give my life to Jesus, receiving baptism.

God bless you, by grace.

Bob

 

[Yesua888]

Copeland is just one of many isaih 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. it sounds good looks good but just dont work that way.. paul wrote Ephesians 4:14
that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;



we have to many movement chasers . seen a thing on facebook can apostolic preachers have a beard?



back to the o,p mike Murdoch preaches you sew a money seed you will get that amount back ten fold

Thank you for that (Eph 4:14) ... I Love Ephesians!

 

[David]

Copeland is just one of many isaih 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. it sounds good looks good but just dont work that way.. paul wrote Ephesians 4:14
that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;



we have to many movement chasers . seen a thing on facebook can apostolic preachers have a beard?



back to the o,p mike Murdoch preaches you sew a money seed you will get that amount back ten fold

I agree. Copeland is only one of many. A lot of this teaching sounds biblical because they use words like faith, blessing, seed, and harvest, but Isaiah 8:20 gives us a simple test: does it actually agree with the Word of God?

You are right about movement chasers too. People can get caught up in the latest preacher, trend, or controversy and never slow down long enough to check what Scripture really says. The question about whether a preacher can have a beard is a good example of getting distracted by outward things while much more serious false teaching is being ignored.

Mike Murdock’s teaching about sowing money to get ten times as much back is the same kind of prosperity formula. Giving is biblical, but treating God like an investment plan is not. We give willingly and cheerfully, not because someone promises us a guaranteed financial return.

That is really the issue. We have to stop following movements and personalities and start testing everything by Scripture.

 

[by grace]

Hello by grace;

Good to see you here. Your post reminded me of the sermons in the 1990s. We listened on tape cassette in the car, by Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin. The tone of voice was intense and I had no idea what they were preaching.

I was in my 30s and it could very well have been my lack of Bible understanding at the time. Regardless, it did not prompt me to receive the message by the spirit. It felt intimidating, a mix of English and talking very fast. At the end of the sermon I was supposed to grasp the message?

What we don't know is when the listeners at these preaching events confessed to Copeland or Hagin they didn't understand the sermons the preachers refuted the listener for all reasons, lacking or receiving the message.

Had I been present when Peter gave the sermon in Acts 2:14-41 no doubt I would have received it prompted me to give my life to Jesus, receiving baptism.

God bless you, by grace.

Bob

i am very picky who i listen to my main source of outside ministry to listen to is Charles stanley and david jeremiad sunday mornings . i enjoy adrain rogers what a power packed speaker during the week day jay vernon mcgee . i had hold back back a lady came in to church last sunday morning.. said i listened to jewel olsteen he fired me up . he waters his messages down worse than the bartenders in the western shows . no i am not a smiling jo fan

 

[by grace]

We have to stop following movements

i am reminded of what a old time preacher man once said . if you see a crowd going over the hill. then you see one man walking the opposite directions . you might want to find out what that one man is going. in the words of another preacher i heard say... follow the cloud not the crowd