I woke up and went into my dad’s room (My parents had moved in with me after hurricane Katrina damaged the city in which they had lived.) He looked worse than normal that day. He was shaking and he said to me, without opening his eyes, “Don’t use the tanks marked ‘MT’ it means they’re empty.” What he was thinking of when he said that I could only speculate but in some strangely comical way it seemed logical. His kidneys were at nearly zero function, he had been speaking erratically, and vomiting profusely for weeks. The hospice nurse said it would be like this and that it was only a matter of time now. But I had faith and if I TRULY believed than the Holy Spirit would heal him. So, I went to work….that will be a true profession of faith! I believe he’ll be ok so much that I will go about my day! Two hours later I got the phone call that he was dead. Gone. He was really gone. I wasn’t there to hold his hand. I wasn’t there to wipe his brow. I wasn’t there to consol my mother when the moment came. I was gone…..in more ways than I can put into words.
Andrew Wommack spoke at a child’s funeral years ago and to paraphrase him he said, “God is not willing for anyone to die and this child is dead because of a lack of faith.” He has written a book entitled, “Self centeredness the root of all grief.” In which grief itself is seen as a selfish act of a lack of faith. You may think both these instances harsh, but let’s not be too hard on Mr. Wommack because this is the natural conclusion of a world-view in which a sovereign God does not rein. If man is in control of reality through his faith than all “bad things” that happen to a believer must be the fault of the believer. After all the unspoken mantra of the health wealther is, “My will be done.” with the guise of “Thy will be done.” Again, the problem with all of this is that everything is centered on man and not God. Everything must be filtered through our finite understanding. So, in the eyes of the health-wealther our only comfort must be in our own ability to control our lives through the strength of our faith. But what true comfort is there in our own ability to wield the power of God when we must filter it through our finite-still-struggling-with-sin minds and wills?
We live in a sad fallen world. But if God really has “the whole world in his hands” as the child’s song goes than is not our suffering also in those hands? Remember what we said last time, that what God wants is for us to be made into the image of His son. How could dying to flesh not be painful and conforming to Christ not include submission to His will when we are born into this world in lust and love for our sin? Maybe this is why sanctification is a process instead of in an instant because we couldn’t take it all at once. Even this, is an act of our Sovereign’s love. You see what I did not say at the intro of this post about my dad is that, though he professed faith, he had major struggles with sin (like us all). But when his body began to fail him and his prospect on what to do with his time (as well as the time itself) narrowed, he really started to stop and spend time with his Father that Art in Heaven. I watched him grow more spiritually in those final months than I saw in my lifetime living with him and in effect my family and I grew. Even the sovereign fact that I chose (my responsibility of course) to go to my insignificant job instead of staying with my family is used as a testimony and helped me in my walk with my Father God. I’m not saying that suffering is the only means we grow in Christ, but I am saying that there is no room for this type of sanctification in a health-wealth doctrine. Its center is man and his wants instead of God and His sovereign living hand on us.
Kevin DeYoung in his book The Good News We Almost Forgot said, “Trust, therefore does not mean hoping for the absence of pain but believing in the purpose of pain.” This is true faith: a total trust in God not what I can get from him. I will end this post with the very first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism:
Q - What is your only comfort in Life?
A- That I am not my own, but belong-body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen and glory be to God for that fact, because I assure you if it were not so, we would most defiantly ruin it…
Showing posts with label andrew wommack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label andrew wommack. Show all posts
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Repentance and the Health-Wealth Doctrine. (Health, wealth, and heresy: part 1)
Hi my name is Charlie and I’m a redeemed health, wealth, and prosperity doctrine addict-idiot-possible heretic. I guess that’s as a good a way to start this as any. Before I became “reformed” in my thinking (I might have even been lost…I just know I’m saved now) I was a follower/partner to one Andrew Womack who endorses a name-it-claim-it/health-wealth/prosperity type doctrine. But by the grace and mercy of God through prayer and Justin Peter’s ministry I was pulled out of this.
Let me explain what “name-it-claim-it” or “health-wealth-prosperity” doctrine is. In a nutshell, it states that Christ is not willing for anyone to suffer either physically or financially and through the atonement He provided the believer with the ability to heal others and himself and/or alter his/her situation by speaking reality to change in the name of Jesus. If one has enough faith, it will change. I know this sounds clinical and somewhat silly when I write it out but make no mistake it is a sly form of heresy because there are moments when it seems very close to the truth. This doctrine emphasizes grace (which is true). Implicitly it states that Christ did it all and we do not earn our salvation (which is also true.) BUT the problem is that the Christ that the “health-wealth” preaches is not the Christ of the Bible and the walk they put a believer on is not the narrow path but a delusion winding down to destruction.
Since I was a partner in Andrew Wommack’s ministry and am therefore knowledgeable with his doctrine, I will use him as an example (but I could just as easily insert the name Benny Hinn, Jessis Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland etc into this spot.) In doing so, please understand that I mean the man no ill will, however his error needs to be shown, not only for the sake of those he is misleading but for himself as well for he will be judged more harshly on the Day of the Lord because he is a preacher. Here is the summation of the Gospel according to Andrew Wommack’s website:
What’s wrong with that statement? The Gospel is salvation through the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. But how can a man truly repent if he does not recognize that he is a sinner? How does a man truly understand his state with God if he is not aware of God’s holiness? Sin is put tritely in the health wealth doctrine. Mr. Wommack says that a man must repent to be saved but then gives no picture of what it means to repent. Like many today, the health-wealth folks say “repentance” because they read it in the bible but have no definition. Grudem’s systematic theology states repentance as this:
Matthew 3:11, Matthew 9:13, Mark 1:4, Mark 2:17, Luke 3:3, Luke 3:8, Luke 5:32, Acts 2:37-38, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, Romans 2:4, 2 Cor 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9
Why is “repentance” taken so lightly in the health-wealth doctrine? Because they God take lightly. Here is the heart of the matter. God is seen as a servant of man, subject to our finite whims and plans instead of a sovereign God in absolute control. This is contrary to a God who is interested in His glory. He is holy, holy, holy and we are fallen and deserving punishment. Instead of punishment we get Christ, the God-man, the son who left the throne to do what we could not. He became our substitute on the cross, drank the wrath of God that we deserve and atone dfor our sin. What can we add to the that….nothing. All we bring to the table is our wretched selves in repentance. Turning from sin, not to good works but to Christ. This is the almost-too-good-to-be-true news. This is the gospel.
Ok…if we’re saved by grace than why should we continually repent? Because we continually sin and in asking for forgiveness it is not to get resaved but to grow in Christ. Mr. Wommack would say things on his radio show like, “I never pray, I just speak to God.” Or “God has already forgiven my sins so there is no need to ask for forgiveness over and over.” Yes, God has forgiven your sins and you are not asking for re-salvation or re-regeneration, you are humbly coming to your Father and admitting you have erred so that you can grow in your walk with him. Because health-wealthers don’t get repentance right they have no concept of sanctification. Sanctification is conforming to Christ likeness and that is what God truly wants for you, not momentary wealth or health or a life without suffering. Lets look at Romans 8:28-29:
I bought into this health, wealth lie hook line and sinker. If I was broke, I would tell my check book to have money. The fact that I was sick was obviously because I lacked faith and should simply be telling my body to be healed in “the name of Jesus”. Instead of trusting in that Jesus is Lord over every aspect of my life, I was trusting in myself and what I needed to do to add to what he did and was doing. I constantly said things like “What would Jesus do?” instead of resting in what Jesus did. Here is the ultimate problem with the health-wealth doctrine, it glorifies man and not God and in a not-so-subtle way make us into objects of worship and God into a worshiper. It doesn’t get much more heretical than that.
Next week part 2 (How I Watched my Dad die because he Lacked Faith and other Lies OR Good Suffering?)
Let me explain what “name-it-claim-it” or “health-wealth-prosperity” doctrine is. In a nutshell, it states that Christ is not willing for anyone to suffer either physically or financially and through the atonement He provided the believer with the ability to heal others and himself and/or alter his/her situation by speaking reality to change in the name of Jesus. If one has enough faith, it will change. I know this sounds clinical and somewhat silly when I write it out but make no mistake it is a sly form of heresy because there are moments when it seems very close to the truth. This doctrine emphasizes grace (which is true). Implicitly it states that Christ did it all and we do not earn our salvation (which is also true.) BUT the problem is that the Christ that the “health-wealth” preaches is not the Christ of the Bible and the walk they put a believer on is not the narrow path but a delusion winding down to destruction.
Since I was a partner in Andrew Wommack’s ministry and am therefore knowledgeable with his doctrine, I will use him as an example (but I could just as easily insert the name Benny Hinn, Jessis Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland etc into this spot.) In doing so, please understand that I mean the man no ill will, however his error needs to be shown, not only for the sake of those he is misleading but for himself as well for he will be judged more harshly on the Day of the Lord because he is a preacher. Here is the summation of the Gospel according to Andrew Wommack’s website:
It’s the Gospel—the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news that God has provided. It’s
salvation for us by grace that empowers men to receive the forgiveness of their
sins, the healing of their bodies, the deliverance from Satan’s oppression, and
more. We don’t need to convince people they are sinners; we need to show them
the way out. That’s the Gospel!
What’s wrong with that statement? The Gospel is salvation through the grace of God and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. But how can a man truly repent if he does not recognize that he is a sinner? How does a man truly understand his state with God if he is not aware of God’s holiness? Sin is put tritely in the health wealth doctrine. Mr. Wommack says that a man must repent to be saved but then gives no picture of what it means to repent. Like many today, the health-wealth folks say “repentance” because they read it in the bible but have no definition. Grudem’s systematic theology states repentance as this:
a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncement of it and a sincere commitment toOne cannot do this without being convicted of one’s sin through the Holy Spirit. It is the turning away from sin and the turning toward faith in Christ that are man’s responsibility and the supernatural awakening from the Holy Spirit that makes this even possible. The following are list of versus in which we are commanded to repent:
forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.
Matthew 3:11, Matthew 9:13, Mark 1:4, Mark 2:17, Luke 3:3, Luke 3:8, Luke 5:32, Acts 2:37-38, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, Romans 2:4, 2 Cor 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9
Why is “repentance” taken so lightly in the health-wealth doctrine? Because they God take lightly. Here is the heart of the matter. God is seen as a servant of man, subject to our finite whims and plans instead of a sovereign God in absolute control. This is contrary to a God who is interested in His glory. He is holy, holy, holy and we are fallen and deserving punishment. Instead of punishment we get Christ, the God-man, the son who left the throne to do what we could not. He became our substitute on the cross, drank the wrath of God that we deserve and atone dfor our sin. What can we add to the that….nothing. All we bring to the table is our wretched selves in repentance. Turning from sin, not to good works but to Christ. This is the almost-too-good-to-be-true news. This is the gospel.
Ok…if we’re saved by grace than why should we continually repent? Because we continually sin and in asking for forgiveness it is not to get resaved but to grow in Christ. Mr. Wommack would say things on his radio show like, “I never pray, I just speak to God.” Or “God has already forgiven my sins so there is no need to ask for forgiveness over and over.” Yes, God has forgiven your sins and you are not asking for re-salvation or re-regeneration, you are humbly coming to your Father and admitting you have erred so that you can grow in your walk with him. Because health-wealthers don’t get repentance right they have no concept of sanctification. Sanctification is conforming to Christ likeness and that is what God truly wants for you, not momentary wealth or health or a life without suffering. Lets look at Romans 8:28-29:
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those whoAll things (good and bad) work together for the good (being conformed into the image of His Son.) If sickness or being broke-as-a-joke or suffering an affliction helps draw us closer to God than glory be to God and praise Him for the transient inconvience!
love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom he
forknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son so that
He would be the first born among many brethren;”
I bought into this health, wealth lie hook line and sinker. If I was broke, I would tell my check book to have money. The fact that I was sick was obviously because I lacked faith and should simply be telling my body to be healed in “the name of Jesus”. Instead of trusting in that Jesus is Lord over every aspect of my life, I was trusting in myself and what I needed to do to add to what he did and was doing. I constantly said things like “What would Jesus do?” instead of resting in what Jesus did. Here is the ultimate problem with the health-wealth doctrine, it glorifies man and not God and in a not-so-subtle way make us into objects of worship and God into a worshiper. It doesn’t get much more heretical than that.
Next week part 2 (How I Watched my Dad die because he Lacked Faith and other Lies OR Good Suffering?)
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