"The Faith That Was Once For All"

I've only written a small amount on the Progressive Gospel and nothing on the Social Gospel, the reason being is that I have very limited knowledge of them or experience. However, having been involved with the Word of Faith Movement that developed in the early part of the twentieth century, also commonly referred to as the "health-wealth gospel," I feel I can speak into this one, shed some light possibly, and help others. I want to publish one more blog to clarify why I believe some of the word-faith doctrines are false teachings. 

The Farmer and I attended Word of Faith churches in the 80s and early 90s. We went through the WOF satellite school's training classes at our first church in Texas taught by the leaders of the movement, and at the second WOF church we attended, the Farmer held a leadership position on staff as the youth pastor.  So I feel I have a firm grasp on the doctrine, even though WOF isn't a denomination, it still contains theological distinctives. 

Again, I can't overstate this: there are plenty of people who believe bits and pieces of the Word of Faith doctrine who don't subscribe to the movement full sail. 

Believing that the atonement of Jesus Christ guarantees us health and wealth in this life is just one of the beliefs in this movement, and it's a hill I'm not willing to die on. Even though I don't think this doctrine can be supported biblically, it's not heretical. And I want to respect other's beliefs. 

What is promised in the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, and what we all agree on, is that one day our decayed bodies will come up out of the grave, incorruptible, resurrected to eternal life. ( A good chapter to read is 1 Corinthians 15. ) 

As far as wealth, I'll just say that Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," and God has always come through on that request for me and my family. I am beyond grateful. 

However there are several Word of Faith beliefs that I am willing to take issue with because they strike against the core doctrines of the Christian faith. I believe Scripture makes it clear what battles we are to choose. 

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." ( Jude 3 ) 

"Our God is in the heavens, he does all that he pleases." ( Psalm 115:3 ) 

I find that WOF theology has a simplistic and frail view of the sovereignty of God. Some teachers advocate that God is not sovereign at all. Others say that God is sovereign in the sense that he is supreme, but he is governed by how much faith we have. If God is governed by us and anything we do, not delegating, but hands tied, how then can he be sovereign? 

WOF teaches that God doesn't allow suffering in the lives of his children. This is not heretical either, but it does make great claims on what they think God can and can't do. I believe the entire Book of Job proves this statement is unbiblical. I've heard some say that Job was afraid, but again, this is not supported in the text or entire theme and overview. We have to read Job in context as an entire book, and in keeping with the whole biblical narrative, not as a disjointed part. All of the Bible fits together in one cohesive story, and it seems at times as if it's this massive, sweeping mysterious jigsaw puzzle. And as we continually search and examine the pieces, turning them over and around, it is so satisfying to set one in place giving us a clearer focus of the big, beautiful picture. 

They say God can't be sovereign and people still have free will, but the Bible teaches otherwise: 

Peter tells the Jews in Acts 2:23 "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." It was God's will to crucify Jesus, but that didn't mean the people were let off of the hook. They were not coerced. They acted freely, and they were held responsible for their actions. There are many other examples entwined throughout the Bible of this complexity; some are vividly seen in the life of Paul, David, and Joseph. 

What I'm attempting to say is that things are more multi-layered and intricate than we can understand. We can't figure God out, and that's a good thing. If we think we can, our view of God is too low. When Spurgeon was asked how he reconciled God's sovereignty with man's responsibility, he said that he didn't have to reconcile them that they were friends. 

The fact that God uses our prayers to accomplish his purposes is mind-boggling to our human brains. 

God is so far above us, and whatever is true about anything, we can know for certain it's the right thing because God is always good and can do no evil. "He is light, and in him is no darkness at all." ( 1 John 1:5 ) All his work is done in faithfulness, and he has nothing in store for us but good. And only he knows what that looks like. We don't. It's painful to set a bone, but the results are healing. I've found God's sovereignty to be the most comforting doctrine and the softest pillow to rest my head. ( Psalms and 1 John ) 

For the other doctrines that strike against the core essentials of the Christian faith, I'm going to let Robert Bowman explain from the summary of his book "The Word-Faith Controversy" because he's a biblical scholar and sums it up precisely into what I'm attempting, but failing to say. Plus I'm a bit tired today: 

"The Word-Faith movement teaches patently unbiblical ideas about the nature of God, the nature of human beings, and the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

If the errors of the movement were restricted to its presumptuous and extreme views of health and wealth, I think we would have to regard it as fanatical but not heretical. If it taught erroneous doctrines about the secondary theological issues such as the timing of the rapture or the validity of speaking in tongues today, such errors would not disqualify them from being considered soundly orthodox. 

On the other hand, to teach significant errors about the nature of God, such as the idea that God has a body or that he must speak words of faith to get anything done, places the movement's orthodoxy in serious question. To teach that human beings are exact duplicates of God and have the capacity to create physical realities by speaking them into existence in the same way that God created the world is to teach a false doctrine that seriously undermines the basic biblical distinction between Creator and creature. To teach that Jesus died spiritually to complete our salvation, and to teach that Christians are just as much incarnations of God as was Jesus, is flagrant error on such central issues as to threaten the very integrity of the faith of those who believe such error." ( Robert M. Bowman, Jr, The Word-Faith Controversy, Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel, pgs. 226-227 ) 

I hope this helps clarify as to why I believe some of the word-faith doctrines are false teachings. I know some will not agree with me, and I understand and love them nonetheless. Absolutely. I'm not bitter at anyone in the Word of Faith Movement, if I was that would be an egregious sin on my part against Christ who bled and died and forgave all of my sins, and for all of the grace and mercy he has had on me in my life. I'm trusting him to finish the job, smooth out my rough edges, and seal the cracks in this mess in progress. 

Many saints and church fathers gave their lives to preserve our faith - historic, orthodox Christianity and the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. ( Scripture Alone ) The creeds, confessionals, and catechisms are not extra biblical material. No, they were constructed by our church fathers for Christ's church, who for most of human history lacked access to a Bible, many being illiterate, having to rely on their shepherds to basically hand feed the sheep. 

Church history is a beautifully woven, oftentimes in blood and pain, tapestry that displays Christ's promise to build his Church, protecting and preserving his Bride through the ages. Those saints knew a thing or two about suffering as did the early church members and Apostles. 

The three ecumenical creeds, Apostles,' Nicene, and Athanasian, were forged by our church fathers when heresy threatened the church. They form the foundation of historic Christianity. Everyone has a creed of what they believe. That's what a creed is. Our creeds in the church are the Bible in compressed format. They were written out so we could read them at home to remind us always of the core doctrines of the Christian faith, teach them to our children, and were to be recited together out loud in worship services to test that the pastor was teaching sound doctrine. 

"The faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."  

We now must contend for it as well. 

I want to end with the Nicene Creed: 

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth

and of all things visible and invisible

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, 

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of His Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light,

very God of very God,

begotten not made,

being of one substance with the Father,

by whom all things were made;

who for us men and for our salvation

came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

And the third day He rose again

according to the Scriptures

and ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of the Father

And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

and I look for the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. 

Amen. 

💜

 

My Shasta