Jesus Died Spiritually - Word of Faith Heresy
One of the most blatant and blasphemous heresies taught by the major internationally known Word of Faith teachers is the doctrine that says Jesus Christ, God the Son, died spiritually and had to be reborn spiritually due to becoming a lost sinner. This is not what the Word of God teaches. Jesus was born sinless, perfect and spotless; He was crucified sinless, buried sinless and rose again sinless. (Hebrews 4:15 - For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, 1 Pet. 2:21-22 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth) Jesus Christ is God and has no capacity to sin. Jesus is both God and man. He was sinless, had no original sin, and was both fully God and fully man.
This heresy has been continuing to infiltrate the modern church that has placed such an emphasis on the resurrection, rather than the cross as to where the victory is found. The blood of Jesus Christ was the atonement for sin and the resurrection was the proof that every sin was paid for through this one time sacrifice. The only One God could accept was Jesus because He was sinless. The very core of the Jesus died spiritually doctrine is a direct attack on the finished work of the cross. These false teachers are claiming that the cross was the biggest defeat ever to come about in the history of humanity.
They say that the power is in the resurrection because Jesus had to go down to the burning side of hell and fight off many demons and defeat them, but actually the battle was won when Jesus died for the debt we all owed. (Colossians 2:15 - And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.) No more was required for our salvation than redemption through His blood (1 Peter. 1:18, 19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Roots of the Word of Faith/Positive Confession Movement
Much of E.W. Kenyon's theories are practiced, and his writings plagiarized by the word of faith/positive confession promulgators. The positive confession movement, also known as the "faith movement," professes characteristics in their teachings that resemble either identical, or modifications of the foundational doctrines of E.W. Kenyon. The five major doctrines prominent are: faith in faith; guaranteed health; wealth/prosperity; spiritual death of Christ; and the view that Christians are little gods. These doctrines all originated with Kenyon. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 80.]. As any one of these doctrines can be analyzed at length, the "spiritual death" of Jesus is the one I will deal with - the most erroneous doctrine of them all.
The origin of the positive confession teaching can be traced back to the life and teachings of E.W. Kenyon who was introduced to the philosophical ideas of positive confession at Emerson College of Oratory in Boston in 1880. [D.R. McConnell, A different Gospel: A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988), p. 35-36]
The religious system promoted at Emerson College was New Thought metaphysics,* which is a system of cultic belief that teaches that true reality is spiritual; that the spiritual is the cause of all physical effects; and, that the human mind through positive mental attitude and positive confession has the power to create its own reality: either health and wealth, or sickness and poverty. [D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel: A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988), pp. 35-36]. To believe that true reality is spiritual, and that the human mind has the potential to create its own reality is sorcery. Incidentally, there used to be a children's TV animated program called "Maya the Bee" many years ago. Then it was not as obvious, but today the New Age Movement (based on Hinduism) has infiltrated every sector of society, indoctrinating our youth with sorceress practices. Not only is the world being influenced by New Age principles, but churches are as well they are adopting these identical principles and techniques masked or disguised under new titles and names. New Thought is the old technique called Transcendentalism, which emphasizes that thought controls everything. New Thought became the basis for such mind-science cults as Christian Science, Religious Science, and Unity. Today's church is being swept by a revival of New Thought, now called Positive Thinking, Possibility Thinking, Positive Confession, Positive Mental Attitude, and Inner Healing.
Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, where E.W. Kenyon received his instruction, was "a hotbed of the emerging New Thought philosophy." [John Coffee and Richard L. Wentworth, A Century of Eloquence: The History of Emerson College, 1880 - 1980 (Alternative Publications, 1982).] Kenyon's teaching about "the power of words" and his warnings never to make a "negative confession" [Kenyon and Gosset, Confession, pp. 129-36, 152-55, 182-85, etc.] deeply influenced Hagin and many others who are recognized today as leaders of the word of faith/positive confession movement. Kenyon also taught that man is a little god "in God's class" and therefore can use the same faith-force that God does. [E.W. Kenyon, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne? (Kenyon, 1945, 5th ed.) pp. 62, 173-76.] We allegedly create our own reality with the words of our mouth: "What I confess, I possess." [E.W. Kenyon, The Hidden Man: An Unveiling of the Subconscious Mind (Kenyon, 1970), p. 98.]
Kenyon taught that Jesus was imputed with Satan's nature on the cross, died spiritually, and went to hell to suffer in our place. [E.W. Kenyon, Identification: A Romance in Redemption (Seattle: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1968), p. 15.]
In a thesis submitted by D.R. McConnell to theological faculty, Oral Roberts University, McConnell summarizes Kenyon's reasoning as to the insufficiency of Jesus’ physical death to atone, citing:
For Christ to defeat his enemies, He had to: (1) die spiritually and become one with Satan in order to provide salvation from sin and healing for sickness, (2) die physically and fulfill the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant, (3) be dragged to Hell by Satan where He suffered the torments for the damned for three days and nights, (4) be recreated in Hell and , thus, become the first born again man, (5) defeat Satan and the Demonic host in open combat, (6) rise from the dead as vindication of His victory in Hell, and (7) ascend to the Father where He was enthroned and now serves as the priestly mediator of the new covenant. [D.R. McConnell, The Kenyon Connection: A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement (Thesis submitted to the theological faculty, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 1982), 32-33. Also see Kenyon, Identification, 8, 15, 18.]
Kenyon had also this to quote. "Since sin and sickness are purely spiritual, mere physical death could never atone, nor could it deal with the source of sin and sickness: Satan." [E.W. Kenyon, Jesus the Healer, p. 17.]
The popular advocates of the positive confession movement teaching this doctrine are Kenneth Hagin (deceased), Kenneth Copeland, Charles Capps, Fred Price, Robert Tilton, and Jerry Savelle. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 80.]
Kenyon's attendance at Emerson College gave him broad exposure to various transcendental and metaphysical ideas. Although Kenyon probably did not consciously appropriate the teachings of the metaphysical cults to dignify his doctrine, he was unquestionably influenced by various strands of metaphysical teaching. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 79.] The mission of the college was to produce graduates who would believe, practice, and preach the New Thought Gospel of Charles Wesley Emerson, founder of the college. (http://deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith2.html)
Some of the propagators of this error include:
JOYCE MEYER - She quotes the following in her material:
1. "Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place. Then as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. The scene in the spirit realm went something like this: God rose up from his throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless son of God, "let him go." Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. On earth his grave where they had buried him was filled with light as the power of God filled his body. He was resurrected from the dead--the first born again man. The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, May 1993, page 36.
2. "Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and went to hell in our place. Then, as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead . . . When Jesus hung on the cross, He took our sin upon Himself. God cannot stay in the presence of sin. As Jesus took our sin, He was separated from the presence of the Father . . . He committed His Spirit to the Father and died. So they put Him— that is, His body— in a grave, and His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserved to go . . . There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth . . . Jesus went to hell for you. He died for you." Meyer, Joyce (2008-10-23). The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again (Kindle Locations 249-250). Faith Words. Kindle Edition.
3. "He went to hell in your place and gained victory there, triumphing over the enemy. ( Acts 2:31)" Meyer, Joyce (2008-10-23). The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again (Kindle Locations 287-288). Faith Words. Kindle Edition.
KENNETH COPELAND- He quotes:
1. “For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer. Some people don’t want to believe that. They want to believe that after His death, Jesus just stayed in that upper region of Sheol that the Bible calls paradise, but they’re mistaken! If He had simply stayed there, there would have been no price paid for sin.” (Believer’s Voice of Victory, Vol. 19, No. 9, Sept. 1991) (Emphasis added)(http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/word-faith/the-jesus-died-spiritually-doctrine-of-the-word-faith-teachers)
2. "The death God warned Adam about was spiritual death. It’s the inward death that takes place when a spiritual being is separated from God. That’s what spiritual death is—separation from God. Adam experienced it the moment he sinned. He was immediately cut off from his fellowship with the Father, and the light of God’s life and glory within him was snuffed out. For Jesus to become our substitute, He had to go through the same kind of separation. He had to die, not just physically, but spiritually, and descend into hell to suffer the whole penalty of sin. It shocks some people’s religious sensibilities to think of Jesus in hell, but that doesn’t change the fact that He went there. The Scriptures verify it again and again. They tell us that He descended “ . . . into the deep [or the bottomless pit]” before He was brought up from the dead ( Romans 10:7); and that “his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” ( Acts 2:31). Psalm 18, which paints a detailed, prophetic picture of what Jesus went through between the cross and the throne, declares, “The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me” (verse 5). Not only did Jesus go to hell, He sank to the deepest, darkest part of it to suffer everything that was necessary on our behalf. We’ll be forever glad He did, too--because had He not gone to hell, we would have to. Had He stopped short of paying that price, we would have to pay it ourselves. The only reason we can walk debt-free through heaven’s gate is because He paid it all." Copeland, Kenneth (2011-06-30). THE BLESSING of The LORD Makes Rich and He Adds No Sorrow With It Proverbs 10:22 (Kindle Locations 2776). Kenneth Copeland Publications. Kindle Edition. (emphasis added)
3. "Jesus went into hell to free mankind from the penalty of Adam's treason . . . when his blood poured out it did not atone . . . Jesus spent three days and nights in the bowels of this earth getting back to you and me are right with God." (Dr. D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel [Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson publishers, 1988], p. 120, footnote 27, "Personal letter from Kenneth Copeland," Fort Worth, Texas, March 12, 1979). (emphasis added)
KENNETH HAGIN (Now deceased) - He quotes:
1. "He tasted spiritual death for every man. He died on the Cross and took our place in spiritual death. His spirit, His inner man, went to hell in our place." Hagin, Kenneth E (2010-05-14). The Name of Jesus--Legacy Edition (Kindle Locations 382-383). Faith Library Publications. Kindle Edition.
John 19:30 was the final words Jesus said from the cross, He said "It is finished."
Jesus didn't atone for sin in hell, He atoned for sin on the cross. This refutes the error and teaching of this damnable heresy. The Spirit of God calls for repentance and exposing the unfruitful works of darkness.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
Sources:
http://deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith2.html
One of the most blatant and blasphemous heresies taught by the major internationally known Word of Faith teachers is the doctrine that says Jesus Christ, God the Son, died spiritually and had to be reborn spiritually due to becoming a lost sinner. This is not what the Word of God teaches. Jesus was born sinless, perfect and spotless; He was crucified sinless, buried sinless and rose again sinless. (Hebrews 4:15 - For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, 1 Pet. 2:21-22 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth) Jesus Christ is God and has no capacity to sin. Jesus is both God and man. He was sinless, had no original sin, and was both fully God and fully man.
This heresy has been continuing to infiltrate the modern church that has placed such an emphasis on the resurrection, rather than the cross as to where the victory is found. The blood of Jesus Christ was the atonement for sin and the resurrection was the proof that every sin was paid for through this one time sacrifice. The only One God could accept was Jesus because He was sinless. The very core of the Jesus died spiritually doctrine is a direct attack on the finished work of the cross. These false teachers are claiming that the cross was the biggest defeat ever to come about in the history of humanity.
They say that the power is in the resurrection because Jesus had to go down to the burning side of hell and fight off many demons and defeat them, but actually the battle was won when Jesus died for the debt we all owed. (Colossians 2:15 - And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.) No more was required for our salvation than redemption through His blood (1 Peter. 1:18, 19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Roots of the Word of Faith/Positive Confession Movement
Much of E.W. Kenyon's theories are practiced, and his writings plagiarized by the word of faith/positive confession promulgators. The positive confession movement, also known as the "faith movement," professes characteristics in their teachings that resemble either identical, or modifications of the foundational doctrines of E.W. Kenyon. The five major doctrines prominent are: faith in faith; guaranteed health; wealth/prosperity; spiritual death of Christ; and the view that Christians are little gods. These doctrines all originated with Kenyon. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 80.]. As any one of these doctrines can be analyzed at length, the "spiritual death" of Jesus is the one I will deal with - the most erroneous doctrine of them all.
The origin of the positive confession teaching can be traced back to the life and teachings of E.W. Kenyon who was introduced to the philosophical ideas of positive confession at Emerson College of Oratory in Boston in 1880. [D.R. McConnell, A different Gospel: A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988), p. 35-36]
The religious system promoted at Emerson College was New Thought metaphysics,* which is a system of cultic belief that teaches that true reality is spiritual; that the spiritual is the cause of all physical effects; and, that the human mind through positive mental attitude and positive confession has the power to create its own reality: either health and wealth, or sickness and poverty. [D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel: A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988), pp. 35-36]. To believe that true reality is spiritual, and that the human mind has the potential to create its own reality is sorcery. Incidentally, there used to be a children's TV animated program called "Maya the Bee" many years ago. Then it was not as obvious, but today the New Age Movement (based on Hinduism) has infiltrated every sector of society, indoctrinating our youth with sorceress practices. Not only is the world being influenced by New Age principles, but churches are as well they are adopting these identical principles and techniques masked or disguised under new titles and names. New Thought is the old technique called Transcendentalism, which emphasizes that thought controls everything. New Thought became the basis for such mind-science cults as Christian Science, Religious Science, and Unity. Today's church is being swept by a revival of New Thought, now called Positive Thinking, Possibility Thinking, Positive Confession, Positive Mental Attitude, and Inner Healing.
Emerson College of Oratory in Boston, where E.W. Kenyon received his instruction, was "a hotbed of the emerging New Thought philosophy." [John Coffee and Richard L. Wentworth, A Century of Eloquence: The History of Emerson College, 1880 - 1980 (Alternative Publications, 1982).] Kenyon's teaching about "the power of words" and his warnings never to make a "negative confession" [Kenyon and Gosset, Confession, pp. 129-36, 152-55, 182-85, etc.] deeply influenced Hagin and many others who are recognized today as leaders of the word of faith/positive confession movement. Kenyon also taught that man is a little god "in God's class" and therefore can use the same faith-force that God does. [E.W. Kenyon, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne? (Kenyon, 1945, 5th ed.) pp. 62, 173-76.] We allegedly create our own reality with the words of our mouth: "What I confess, I possess." [E.W. Kenyon, The Hidden Man: An Unveiling of the Subconscious Mind (Kenyon, 1970), p. 98.]
Kenyon taught that Jesus was imputed with Satan's nature on the cross, died spiritually, and went to hell to suffer in our place. [E.W. Kenyon, Identification: A Romance in Redemption (Seattle: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1968), p. 15.]
In a thesis submitted by D.R. McConnell to theological faculty, Oral Roberts University, McConnell summarizes Kenyon's reasoning as to the insufficiency of Jesus’ physical death to atone, citing:
For Christ to defeat his enemies, He had to: (1) die spiritually and become one with Satan in order to provide salvation from sin and healing for sickness, (2) die physically and fulfill the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenant, (3) be dragged to Hell by Satan where He suffered the torments for the damned for three days and nights, (4) be recreated in Hell and , thus, become the first born again man, (5) defeat Satan and the Demonic host in open combat, (6) rise from the dead as vindication of His victory in Hell, and (7) ascend to the Father where He was enthroned and now serves as the priestly mediator of the new covenant. [D.R. McConnell, The Kenyon Connection: A Theological and Historical Analysis of the Cultic Origins of the Faith Movement (Thesis submitted to the theological faculty, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 1982), 32-33. Also see Kenyon, Identification, 8, 15, 18.]
Kenyon had also this to quote. "Since sin and sickness are purely spiritual, mere physical death could never atone, nor could it deal with the source of sin and sickness: Satan." [E.W. Kenyon, Jesus the Healer, p. 17.]
The popular advocates of the positive confession movement teaching this doctrine are Kenneth Hagin (deceased), Kenneth Copeland, Charles Capps, Fred Price, Robert Tilton, and Jerry Savelle. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 80.]
Kenyon's attendance at Emerson College gave him broad exposure to various transcendental and metaphysical ideas. Although Kenyon probably did not consciously appropriate the teachings of the metaphysical cults to dignify his doctrine, he was unquestionably influenced by various strands of metaphysical teaching. [Michael G. Moriarty, The New Charismatics (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan), p. 79.] The mission of the college was to produce graduates who would believe, practice, and preach the New Thought Gospel of Charles Wesley Emerson, founder of the college. (http://deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith2.html)
Some of the propagators of this error include:
JOYCE MEYER - She quotes the following in her material:
1. "Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place. Then as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. The scene in the spirit realm went something like this: God rose up from his throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless son of God, "let him go." Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. On earth his grave where they had buried him was filled with light as the power of God filled his body. He was resurrected from the dead--the first born again man. The Most Important Decision You'll Ever Make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, May 1993, page 36.
2. "Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and went to hell in our place. Then, as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead . . . When Jesus hung on the cross, He took our sin upon Himself. God cannot stay in the presence of sin. As Jesus took our sin, He was separated from the presence of the Father . . . He committed His Spirit to the Father and died. So they put Him— that is, His body— in a grave, and His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserved to go . . . There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth . . . Jesus went to hell for you. He died for you." Meyer, Joyce (2008-10-23). The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again (Kindle Locations 249-250). Faith Words. Kindle Edition.
3. "He went to hell in your place and gained victory there, triumphing over the enemy. ( Acts 2:31)" Meyer, Joyce (2008-10-23). The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again (Kindle Locations 287-288). Faith Words. Kindle Edition.
KENNETH COPELAND- He quotes:
1. “For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer. Some people don’t want to believe that. They want to believe that after His death, Jesus just stayed in that upper region of Sheol that the Bible calls paradise, but they’re mistaken! If He had simply stayed there, there would have been no price paid for sin.” (Believer’s Voice of Victory, Vol. 19, No. 9, Sept. 1991) (Emphasis added)(http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/word-faith/the-jesus-died-spiritually-doctrine-of-the-word-faith-teachers)
2. "The death God warned Adam about was spiritual death. It’s the inward death that takes place when a spiritual being is separated from God. That’s what spiritual death is—separation from God. Adam experienced it the moment he sinned. He was immediately cut off from his fellowship with the Father, and the light of God’s life and glory within him was snuffed out. For Jesus to become our substitute, He had to go through the same kind of separation. He had to die, not just physically, but spiritually, and descend into hell to suffer the whole penalty of sin. It shocks some people’s religious sensibilities to think of Jesus in hell, but that doesn’t change the fact that He went there. The Scriptures verify it again and again. They tell us that He descended “ . . . into the deep [or the bottomless pit]” before He was brought up from the dead ( Romans 10:7); and that “his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” ( Acts 2:31). Psalm 18, which paints a detailed, prophetic picture of what Jesus went through between the cross and the throne, declares, “The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me” (verse 5). Not only did Jesus go to hell, He sank to the deepest, darkest part of it to suffer everything that was necessary on our behalf. We’ll be forever glad He did, too--because had He not gone to hell, we would have to. Had He stopped short of paying that price, we would have to pay it ourselves. The only reason we can walk debt-free through heaven’s gate is because He paid it all." Copeland, Kenneth (2011-06-30). THE BLESSING of The LORD Makes Rich and He Adds No Sorrow With It Proverbs 10:22 (Kindle Locations 2776). Kenneth Copeland Publications. Kindle Edition. (emphasis added)
3. "Jesus went into hell to free mankind from the penalty of Adam's treason . . . when his blood poured out it did not atone . . . Jesus spent three days and nights in the bowels of this earth getting back to you and me are right with God." (Dr. D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel [Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson publishers, 1988], p. 120, footnote 27, "Personal letter from Kenneth Copeland," Fort Worth, Texas, March 12, 1979). (emphasis added)
KENNETH HAGIN (Now deceased) - He quotes:
1. "He tasted spiritual death for every man. He died on the Cross and took our place in spiritual death. His spirit, His inner man, went to hell in our place." Hagin, Kenneth E (2010-05-14). The Name of Jesus--Legacy Edition (Kindle Locations 382-383). Faith Library Publications. Kindle Edition.
John 19:30 was the final words Jesus said from the cross, He said "It is finished."
Jesus didn't atone for sin in hell, He atoned for sin on the cross. This refutes the error and teaching of this damnable heresy. The Spirit of God calls for repentance and exposing the unfruitful works of darkness.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
Sources:
http://deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith2.html