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:

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 to
forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.

One 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:
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 who
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;”

All 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!

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?)

Why did God send a fish to swallow Jonah?

Last night I was at church and heard an amazing sermon on John 21 about how the Lord didn’t let Peter go and brought him back to Him. During the sermon the pastor said the Lord didn’t let Jonah go either. I started thinking, Why did God send a fish to swallow Jonah? First impulse is to say because Jonah was in disobedience and he deserved it. While this is true, and initially what I think everyone is taught, it is not the root of “why bother with Jonah.” If he wanted Nineveh saved, he could have sent anyone, or anything for that matter, to tell them to repent. The answer to “why God sent a fish to swallow Jonah?” is because God loved Jonah. Jonah rebelled and God didn’t give up on him. The Lord disciplines those he loves (Proverbs 3:11-12). I don’t think we thank the Lord enough for His discipline, to right us when we are in error. But the story of Jonah doesn’t end here. He goes to Nineveh and God brings about the greatest revival in all biblical history (an entire wicked city in repentance!). But Jonah himself is still in rebellion in his heart and the book ends with Jonah angry and the Lord still showing compassion on him. God sent a fish to swallow Jonah, allowed him to be a part of a great miracle for God’s glory and this man of God was still rebellious and angry. How like Jonah we are. God shows us compassion continually and we don’t recognize it. God gave us the law and we could not keep it. How just would God be to say, “OK everybody I created, can just go to hell.” This would truly be justice. But instead God shows another side to his personality....mercy. It is as though he said, “I put you in the belly of a fish for three days to discipline you and you still rebel, so I’ll go in the belly of the grave for three days, I’ll pay the price you deserve, I’ll trade my righteousness for your condemnation.” And he does this lovingly....he went to the cross in LOVE. Knowing that we could not keep His law, he died in our stead and rose victorious. It has been said, “What death did to Jesus is nothing compared to what Jesus did to death.” This is the gospel. This is the news that is almost too good to be true. This is what we should keep at the forefront of our mind every moment. Jonah foreshadowed this event. The Bible is such an elaborately and finely woven tapestry of truth and yet you can lose yourself in a single strand, but the uniting tie is always the gospel of Christ. We deserve hell. We get Christ. Some people complain life is not fair. But like a pardoned prisoner, who is guilty, we should thank God it is not fair. Glory forever be to Christ.