The Biblical Word of Faith

There have been many criticisms of the Word of Faith movement, because of various abuses of what has become known as the “name it, claim it” theology, particularly the prosperity part of that teaching. 

Let me give a brief history. An author named D.R. McConnell, in his book A Different Gospel, documented the historical link between word of faith theology and New Thought metaphysics. He documented irrefutable evidence that Kenneth Hagin plagiarized E.W. Kenyon (see link for details). In A Different Gospel, McConnel quotes earlier works of Kenyon in one column, and right beside it in another column he quotes works of Hagin, and they are identical, and there are a lot of them. 

Meanwhile, Hagin is considered the father of the Word of Faith Movement, and others like Kenneth Copeland consider Hagin their spiritual father. We know of their heresies (eg., little gods and rhema word) and abuses, especially the prosperity part of their teaching, which I have written about in the links provided here and at the end of this article. 

But at its core, there is actual truth to this word of faith teaching, which is based solidly upon the Word of God. It's important that we don't throw out the baby with the bath water. So let’s look and see what the Scripture says.

Profess your Faith 

First of all, the apostle Paul taught in Rom 10:6-13 that we must profess our faith.

But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:6-13)

Paul taught that this is the way to be saved and attain the righteousness that is by faith. But it is also the way to be healed, to operate in miracles, and to receive anything from God. In fact, it's the way to live life. You have to speak forth what you believe in your heart, in accordance with God's will, and it will surely happen. Don’t expect another to come do it. You are the one who must speak it.

The Word is in Your Mouth

In that same passage, Paul taught that the Word is near you, in your heart and in your mouth. He said, "That is the word of faith we are proclaiming" (Ro 10:8). So clearly the expression "word of faith" and the definition of it are found right there in the Word of God; therefore, it is biblical.

You need to activate God’s Word by quoting Scripture. Simply claim by faith those Bible verses out loud that pertain to your situation. And in some cases you can claim the Bible reference to those verses, as long as you know and believe the truths contained in those verses.

This is not magic, and God is not your trained seal that has to jump through all your hoops whenever you tell Him to; but if what you are claiming is His will, and you wait upon Him in faithful expectation without doubting, you will receive. That's biblical.

Speak from Faith 

According to God's Word, you need to speak from faith. So you need to confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart. Paul wrote:

"It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak..." (2Co 4:13)

If you believe, then you should speak whatever you believe in your heart. In his epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle was quoting from Psalm 116:10, when he wrote: "I believed, therefore I have spoken." The KJV, NASB, NIV are essentially all the same, and all correctly quote the psalmist.

---- 2 Corinthians 4:13 ----

KJV	NAS77	NIV
13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;	13  But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore also we speak;	13  It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak,

Now I want to show you what Psalm 116:10 says. I am not a King-James-Only person, but in this case, the King James was the only version that correctly translated Psalm 116:10, as quoted in all three version of 2 Corinthians 4:13. The KJV is the only one that translated Psalm 116:10 the same way as the Septuagint (LXX), which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, as I have shown in the table below.

---- Psalm 116:10 ----

LXX	KJV	NAS77	NIV
10  I believed, wherefore I have spoken: but I was greatly afflicted.	10  I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:	10  I believed when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."	10  I trusted in the LORD when I said, "I am greatly afflicted";

It's interesting that the KJV correctly follows the Septuagint (LXX), since the KJV is based on the Masoretic text, and not the LXX. The LXX was based on earlier Hebrew manuscripts older than the Masoretic text. So score one point for the KJV for getting this one right. But amazingly, the NAS77 and NIV still both correctly translated Paul's quote of this passage in 2 Corinthians 4:13.

I would like to illustrate this point by sharing with you the testimony of a man named Steve Boyls, who was taken to heaven by an angel, while he was laying in an induced coma in the hospital. In heaven, he saw his father, who enjoyed working with wood during his earthly life, and was also doing wood carvings in heaven. When Steve asked his father what he does if he makes a mistake while carving wood, his father told him that in heaven, mistakes are corrected by words. They just speak to the mistake and command it to correct itself, and it does so. That is how we should also operate on earth using our faith in Jesus' name.

Speak to the Mountain 

Jesus taught that you have to actually speak to the mountains.

"'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered. 'Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Go, throw yourself into the sea," and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'" (Mar 11:22-24).

It's important that you do not doubt, but believe in your heart that what you say will happen. When you do so, it will be done for you. This also applies to trees, storms, and virtually any obstacle that stands in the way of you being able to accomplish God's will. See Speak to the Storm.

Focus on the Other World 

You need to focus on the other world, which is the spiritual world, and not on the natural world.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2Co 4:18)

We live in two worlds simultaneously. There is the visible, natural realm, and also the invisible, spirit realm. We must focus on the real world-- the unseen one, which is eternal, not on the visible one, which is only a temporary shadow of the real world. 

The Power of the Tongue 

Scripture says that our tongue has great power.

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Pro 18:21)

Indeed the power of life and death is in the tongue. So we have the ability with it to either speak forth life or death, blessing or cursing. That's why we must be careful about saying anything negative. And that applies to what we say over ourselves, as well as others.  

We also need to pray specifically and receive specific answers. The reason you do not have is because you do not ask God (Jas 4:2).  

Doing Greater Works Than Jesus Did 

Jesus promised that as long as we have faith in Him, we will do what He did, and even greater works than these!

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (Jn 14:12)

How do you think you are going to do the works that Jesus did and even greater works? You are going to do them by faith, in the name of Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, just as He and His apostles did. You are going to speak by faith to the storms of life, including literal storms, and watch them be calmed. You are going to speak by faith to the mountains, and watch them be moved.

Some Words of Caution

I want to give you some words of wisdom as a caution, in order to safeguard you from error as you put this biblical teaching into practice.

First of all, always remember that God is God and you are not. That's rule number one and it cannot be broken.

Secondly, you must be sure your faith is in the Word of God and in the name of Jesus, not in faith. We don't have faith in faith, we have faith in God. 

Thirdly, you must be sure that you don't use this power for selfish, evil purposes, but only for godly ones to do His will and further His kingdom. Remember that Jesus resisted satan's temptation to use His power to turn a stone into bread.

Fourthly, you must always submit to God's will and wait for his timing. Timing is key for every miracle, as there is a correct time and procedure for everything. That requires waiting upon the Lord. Sometimes the miracle happens immediately, and other times there is a delay, whether short or long. 

Last but not least, be sure you always forgive everyone from your heart, or else you won't see any answers to your prayers. Jesus taught this in the context of using your faith to speak to mountains and command them to move. He said, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mar 11:25).

Closing Words

As we have just seen, there is a true, biblical word of faith. We have acknowledged and exposed the plagiarism, abuses, and heresies of Hagin and his followers, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the word of faith is still a true, biblical teaching. 

The Word is in you heart and it must also be in your mouth. You must profess your faith, speak from faith, claim the promises of God, quote the Scriptures in order to activate them, use the power of your tongue to release life and not death, speak blessings and not curses, speak by faith in Jesus' name to mountains and troubles, commanding them to be removed, and it will be done, as long as you do not doubt. Now go and put this into practice. Ask the Lord to implement this in your life starting today.

 

Attribution notice: Except where otherwise noted, most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.  

Author's note:  I also recommend reading EW Kenyon and New Thought Metaphysics, Are We Really Little gods?, Rhema vs. Logos – Is there truly a distinction in the word?, Does Being Saved Make All Your Troubles Disappear?, Personal Proclamations of Faith, Speak to the Storm, The Authority of the Believer, Link Between Two Realms, and What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Are We Really Little gods?

Many of the word of faith, prosperity preachers teach that we are little gods.  This includes Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Morris Cerillo, Benny Hinn, Paula White, Creflo Dollar, and Joyce Meyer. 

In case you don't believe me, I will quote a few of them verbatim, and then we'll search the Scriptures together to see if these things are really so.

What the "little gods" Teach
Kenneth Copeland says "...And I say this with all respect so that it don't upset you too bad, but I say it anyway. When I read in the Bible where He says I AM, I just smile and say, 'Yes, I AM too.'" (Believer's Voice of Victory Broadcast, 7/9/1987). 

"Earl Paulk states "Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods .... Until we comprehend that we are little gods and we begin to act like little gods, we cannot manifest the Kingdom of God.' (Earl Paulk, Satan unmasked 1984 pp.96-97)

Copeland states "You are not a spiritual schizophrenic -- half-God and half-Satan -- you are all-God" (Now We Are in Christ Jesus (Fort Worth: KCP Publications, 1980), pp.16-17).

Copleand states" Am I a god? Man was created in the god class, was not created in the animal class, it was the god class. He has a uniqueness about him that even angels do not have...Now Peter said by exceeding great and precious promises, you become partakers of the divine nature. Alright, are we gods? We are a class of gods." (Praise the Lord, TBN, 2/5/1986). 

Benny Hinn said, "God came from heaven, became a man, made man into little gods, went back to heaven as a man. He faces the Father as a man. I face devils as the son of God. Quit your nonsense! What else are you? If you say, I am, you’re saying I’m a part of Him, right? Is he God? Are you His offspring? Are you His children? You can’t be human! You can’t! You can’t! God didn’t give birth to flesh…You said, ‘Well, that’s heresy.’ No, that’s your crazy brain saying that." (Benny Hinn, Our Position in Christ #2—The Word Made Flesh  Orlando Christian Center, 1991).

Kenneth Hagin says that you are Christ.   “The believer is called Christ...That's who we are; we're Christ" (Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. pp. 35-36, 41)

Paul Crouch says, “I am a little god!  Critic, be gone!” (Paul Crouch, Praise the Lord program - TBN July 7, 1986).   There is an obvious arrogance and pride about these statements.

Morris Cerillo says “the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. …you’re not looking at Morris Cerillo, you’re looking at God, you’re looking at Jesus” (The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God, Audio Tape 1, Sides 1 &;2).

Hinn states “Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge....you are god” (“Our Position In Christ”, tape # AO31190-1).  Hinn also said, "I'm gonna say something.  I don't care whether you like it or not." Then he pointed at the camera and said, "You ever attack me, your children will pay for it." ("Word of Faith Teachers: Origins & Errors of Their Teaching" by Keith Thompson).

I said, "You are Gods"
One of the passages they use is John 10, where Jesus quotes Psalm 82.

The psalmist wrote: I said, "You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High. "Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes." Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations." (Psa 82:6-8)

Jesus used those verses from Psalm 82 to show the Jews who opposed Him that even God called the judges of old "gods" in Scripture.

Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? (Joh 10:34-36)

Jesus used this to show that if God called mortal men who die "gods", then they should not have a problem with Him saying He is God's Son.  And Jesus did say we are also sons and daughters of God.  But Jesus did not say we were "gods".  And even if you feel you can deduce from various verses in the Bible that we are so-called "gods", you will not find Jesus teaching this to His disciples, or any of the apostles teaching it.  It leads to error and confusion, as well as division in the Body of Christ, as I see it. 

It is important to note that the judges whom God called "gods" in Psalm 82 were not redeemed Christians.  They were actually judging unjustly and showing partiality to the wicked, which angered God (Ps 82:2).  If you are going to use this passage to refer to Christians, then I guess you would also have to apply it to all humans, including those who are not Christians.  And this is exactly what the New Age movement and Eastern religions do, as well as witches like Margot Adler..  They say that we are all gods. What the prosperity preachers are teaching is no different than what these non-Christian religions believe.

The point of Psalm 82 was that God is the Judge among the judges, and they will all die like mortal men.  But He will arise and judge the earth, for it is He who possesses all the nations! (Psa 82:8) And though the judges may have godlike powers to determine whether men are allowed to live or die, if they themselves are acting unjustly, then they will receive their just penalty in the final judgment. For it is appointed to all men once to die and then face the judgment (Heb 9:27).

You have made him a little lower than God
The advocates of the "little gods" doctrine also use Psalm 8:4-5 to support their position, which says: "What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,” (Psa 8:4-6).  They believe this passage refers to mankind.

However, in order to properly understand the meaning of Psalm 8:4-6, we must interpret it the way the inspired apostle did in his letter to the Hebrews, when he said, “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘What is man, that you remember him? Or the son of man, that you are concerned about him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, and have appointed him over the works of your hands; you have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” (Heb 2:5-10)

The apostle makes it clear that the psalmist was speaking prophetically about Jesus Christ. He says, “We do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus.”  For a little while, God made Him a little lower than the angels.  Yet now He has crowned Jesus with glory and honor, appointed Him over the works of His hands, and put all things in subjection under His feet.  To interpret this passage differently than the apostle to the Hebrews is to interpret it incorrectly. 

And even though God put all things in subjection under the feet of Jesus Himself, as this verse says, appointing Him over the works of His hands, let us keep in mind the following three things. 

We do not yet see all things subjected to Him
First, in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him.  Since we do not yet see all things subject to Him, even though the Father has already subjected all things to Him, we should realize that the same is true of us.  David said, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” (Psa 110:1)

The apostle Peter saw Jesus' exaltation as a fulfillment of Psalm 110:1. Peter said, "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' (Act 2:33-35; cf., Act 5:31)

Paul said, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet…When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Co 15:25, 28)

The apostle wrote to the Hebrews: “But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.” (Heb 10:12-13).  So we see that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, still waiting for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet.  If that is true of Jesus, then it is also true of us.

Perfected through Sufferings
Secondly, the Scripture says, “It was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the Author of their salvation through sufferings.” (Heb 2:10)  Yet the preachers who teach that we are gods do not teach that we must be perfected through sufferings, as the apostles taught in Scripture.  They speak only of blessings and not about the need to suffer. Also see my article, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer.

Jesus Never said the Exact three words, "I am God"
Thirdly, although Jesus is God and was fully God when He walked the earth as a fully human man, he never said the exact three words, "I am God," as the prosperity preachers like to say about themselves. In fact, He even rarely called Himself “the Son of God” (Joh 5:25; 10:36; 11:4).  It’s true that satan, the demons, and His enemies called Him the Son of God (Mt 4:3,6; 8:29; 26:63; 27:40, 43; Lk 4:3, 9, 41; 22:70; Joh 19:7), His apostles called Him the Son of God (Mk 1:1; Lk 3:38; Joh 1:34, 49; 11:27), and the angel Gabriel called Him the Son of God (Lk 1:35).  For that is who He is!
 
But Jesus mostly referred to Himself humbly as “the Son of Man” (Mat. 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:19; 12:8,32,40; 13:37,41; 16:13,27,28; 17:9,12,22; 18:11; 19:28; 20:18,28; 24:27,30,37,39,44; 25:31; 26:2,24,45,64; Mark 2:10,28; 8:31,38; 9:9,12,31; 10:33,45; 13:26; 14:21,41,62; Luke 5:24; 6:5,22; 7:34; 9:22,26,44,56,58; 11:30; 12:8,10,40; 17:22,24,26,30; 18:8,31; 19:10; 21:27,36; 22:22,48,69; 24:7; John 1:51; 3:13,14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31). Also see my article, The Son of Man.

He also forbid the demons from saying He was the Son of God (Luke 4:35, 41), and He forbid His disciples from doing so until after He had risen from the dead (Matthew 16:15,16,20; see also Mark 3:11,12; 8:29,30).  He did the same with those He healed (Matthew Matthew 8:3,4; 12:15,16; Mark 5:42,43).

Author Richard Bailey points out why Jesus did not openly and clearly reveal His true and full identity.  He gives these four reasons:

1. Because Jesus knew that His identity is beyond human understanding, and is revealed only to believers who are enabled by God to search for this truth (Matthew 16:15-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:7-14; John 6:37,44,65; 14:21-23)

2. Because He did not want people to be distracted from His basic purpose and message (Matthew 20:28; Luke 19:10; Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Timothy 2:5)

3. Because Jesus knew many people have so hardened their hearts and surrendered to satan, that they could not recognize who He really is and why He came (Matthew 13:10-11,13-15; John 1:10,11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Corinthians 2:7,8).

I would add that He did not cast His pearls to the swine, and taught His disciple not to do so either. "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Mat 7:6)

4. God’s word is filled with statements about God’s secret wisdom understood only by those to whom God reveals it (Job 28:11; Proverbs 25:2; Isaiah 45:15; 48:6; Jeremiah 33:3; Daniel 2:22; John 6:45; 1 Corinthians 2:1-8; Colossians 2:2,3; 4:3; see also 1:26,27)

Although Jesus existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped (Php 2:6).  He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  That was the example He gave us to follow. If He never said, “I am God,” then why should any man say, “I am God” or “I am a little god”?  Why not keep that to yourself, if you believe it?

We Are Servants of God
Likewise, the apostles always referred to themselves very humbly as servants (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Php. 2:7; Col. 1:7; 4:7; 1Ti. 4:6; 2Ti. 2:24; Tit. 1:1; Jas. 1:1; 2Pe. 1:1; Jude 1:1).  In spite of all the miracles the Lord did through Peter and Paul, and in spite of the fact that James and Jude were half-brothers of Jesus, they all referred to themselves as servants, not gods or Christs.  Neither Peter, nor Paul, nor John, nor James, nor Jude ever said we are gods or that they themselves were gods.  In fact, when the people tried to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods, the apostles tore their clothes and did everything they could to stop them. (Act 14:14-18).  When Cornelius bowed down in the presence of Peter, the apostle raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." (Act 10:26).

Jesus taught, "But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Mat 23:11; cf., Mk 10:34; Lk 22:26).  He said, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  (Mk 9:35).  Yet by calling themselves gods, these prosperity preachers claim to be first or great. Also see my article, Having a Servant's Heart.

No One is Good Except God
Actually Jesus said no one is good except God, so we should not even call any man good.  Let alone call any man god.

"And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.'" (Mar 10:18).  Likewise, the Christian should say in this same Spirit of the Lord, "Why do you call me a god? No one is a god except God alone?"

Beware of Pride and Selfishness
When God created man in His image, He did not say, “Let us make gods in our image.”  He said, “Let us make man in our image.” (Gen 1:26).  Let’s keep it that way and not change it to suit our own selfish egos.

The devil tries to tempt man to do what God has forbidden.  And pride is one of his greatest temptations.  Calling oneself god or Christ is the epitome of pride.  Yet Jesus said, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (Mar 7:20-23). Pride is an evil thing that proceeds from within and defiles the man. 

Likewise, the apostles are in agreement. John said, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1Jn 2:16). James also said, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (Jas 4:6).  And Peter said, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1Pe 5:5).  There is nothing humble about saying you are a god. God will oppose anyone who speaks like this, and it is one of the marks of false teachers. Jude wrote, "They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." (Jude 1:16b, NIV). Man will have to give an account for every idle word he has spoken (Mt 12:36).

In Mt 6:1-6, and 16-18, Jesus taught us the importance of not drawing attention to our own spirituality. That would be boasting.  Just as we must not tell people when or how much we pray, when or how much we give to the needy, nor when or how much we fast, we must not tell people we are gods.  It exalts self, and this is displeasing to the Lord.

Even if you say, "Well, I give 97% of my income to the poor. But that doesn't make me special.  I'm no better than the next guy." Or "I pray four hours a day, but I know that this does not make me any better than you.  It doesn't make me extraordinary. I am still just a mortal man."

You may think you are able to say "I am a god" without being prideful.  But you are setting an example for your hearers to follow.  Then when they come to Christ, they will go around saying, "I am a god."  And they may become puffed up with pride and fall into the trap of the devil..

"Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?" (1Co 5:6)

That's why it is best to follow the example of Jesus and the apostles and not even allow a little yeast in our lives.  Speak of yourself in the most humble terms possible.

We would do well to heed the wise advice of Solomon, who wrote: "Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, 'Come up here,' than for him to humiliate you before his nobles."

You Shall Have No Other gods Before Me
There is a good reason why the first commandment says, "Then God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.'"  (Exo 20:1-3)

When anyone claims to be a god (even with a little "g"), they are in violation of the first commandment, as I read it. God said, "...No other gods..."

The Jews would certainly not be impressed by anyone's claim to be a god, since they and we know there is only one God.  "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deu 6:4).  Jesus affirmed this in Mark 12:29.  And so did the apostle Paul, when he said, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:4-6).  It only breeds confusion and is not the true gospel for a Christian to say, "I am a god" or "we are gods."

"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me." (Isa 43:10)

"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. 'Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'" (Isa 44:6-8)

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me;" (Isa 45:5)

"Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me." (Isa 45:21)

Rather than falsely claiming that you are a god, there are other biblical expressions you can use that are accurate, such as "all who are led by the Spirit are sons of God." (Rom 8:14).  Or "we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1Pe 2:9)

Let's hold fast to what the apostles said, and not stray from the gospel they preached.

The Man of Lawlessness Displaying Himself as Being God
Millions of people are being deceived by these false teachings.  It's an end time deception.   I don't think any believer would come to the conclusion from Scripture alone that they are a god, unless they heard it from someone who teaches this.

It is all in preparation for when the anti Christ sets himself up in God's temple and says, "I am god."  This will not even shock the Christians, since millions of them have fallen for the lie that we are gods.

The apostle Paul said, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [the coming of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (2Th 2:3-4)

Since the believer is the temple of God (1 Co 3:16; 6:19), then it is blasphemous to sit in that temple and display yourself as being God or a god.  That would be a precursor of what the man of sin is going to do.  There is a big difference between being the temple of God, in which God dwells, and being God.

This blasphemy that the man of sin will commit will not be one of a kind.  Jesus said, "Watch out that you are not deceived. Many will come in My name, claiming, 'I am He.'...Do not follow them." (Lk 21:8) Isn't that clear enough for us to know we should not follow anyone claiming to be God or to be Christ?

Putting it All Together
Let’s beware of this heresy and stay clear of it.  These "little god" preachers have chosen their destiny by speaking like this, and unless they repent, their souls are in grave danger. They are leading many astray with this teaching, and their version of the prosperity gospel.

If you are caught up in this, I urge you to prayerfully consider what I have just told you.  Repent and ask the Lord to forgive you for your part in it, whatever that may have been.  Then apologize to those whom you have taught or said this to (that you are a god), and ask their forgiveness.  Explain to them that it is false and not in line with Scripture.  Make everything right, and clear yourself completely of this matter. 

I once read a poster that said, “Fact number one: There is one God.  Fact number two: You are not Him.”  This sums it up succinctly.

Let us say with Peter, “I am just a man.”  Let us say with the apostles, “I am a bond-servant of the Lord.”  Let us say with Mary, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord” (Luk 1:38). Let us say with the psalmist, “The LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psa 100:3; cf., Ps 95:7).

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image of T.D. Jakes and Joyce Meyer from Apprising Ministries.

References:
1. Why did Jesus not openly reveal his full identity? by Richard Bailey of Answering Islam.
2. Joyce Meyer and T.D. Jakes teaching word faith “little gods” doctrine by Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries.
3. The Little god/Men article is credited for the quotes of these "little god" teachers.  This does not constitute endorsement of “Let us Reason Ministries.”

Author's note:  I also recommend reading What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Exposing Heresy, The Son of Man, Having a Servant's Heart, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, The Rise of Antichrists, The Dangers of Disobedience, and Sin and Consequence. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.