I do a lot of debunking of critics of the Word of Faith, but I have to acknowledge that error exists in the Word of Faith camp, and I’d be derelict in my duties as a bible apologist if I didn’t address it. Below are some of the statements that don’t stand up to the scrutiny of the scriptures. (I don’t list any of Benny Hinn’s comments here because he’s not a WoF minister. As I pointed out in my book Defending the Faith he renounced Word of Faith theology over twenty years ago in a 1993 interview with Charisma Magazine.)
- Jesus Wore Designer Clothes – There’s no basis at all for this statement. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about what kind of clothing Jesus wore. John 1:27 tells us that He wore sandals. John 19:23 says that His undergarment was seamless. Some have claimed that it had to be a valuable garment, otherwise the Roman soldiers wouldn’t have wagered for it. The fact is, it was common for crucifixion soldiers to wager for the garments of executed criminals. There was nothing different about Jesus’ garment. Herod and Pilate dressed him in king’s clothing in mockery prior to His crucifixion, but those garments weren’t His.
- Jesus Was Rich – Actually the Bible says quite the opposite. II Cor. 8:9 says that Jesus was made poor that we might be rich. While that may be a reference to His leaving the riches of heaven to become a man on Earth, it may also be an accurate description of His financial status during His ministry. Luke 2:24 says that Jesus’ family offered “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons“, which were the sacrifices required for the poor according to the Law of Moses. (Lev. 12:8) The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh given to him by the Magi when He was about two years old may have made His family more wealthy, but we aren’t told how much the gifts amounted to. Many scholars believe that the funds would have been used to provide Jesus with a first rate education to prepare Him for His ministry. Matthew 11:7,8 and Luke 7:25 indicate that Jesus and His cousin John the Baptist were not wealthy. Some argue that since Judas kept the money bag, in effect Jesus had a treasurer. That may have been true, but that doesn’t mean that He was rich. It just means that He had a budget to buy necessities (mostly food) for his ministry. Even small businesses require funds to operate, even if they’re not making substantial profits. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem in His triumphal entry, He didn’t ride a horse as a wealthy man would have. He rode on a borrowed donkey, conveying humility and His life as a common man. (Mat. 21:1-7) Joseph of Arimathea provided a tomb for Jesus’ burial. (Mat. 27:57-60) That wouldn’t have been necessary if He had been wealthy or had wealthy disciples.
Jesus Had a Big House – This is based on John 1:35-39 where Andrew and another disciple stayed with Jesus in the house where He was staying. The man who said this assumed that this was Jesus’ personal home, but Mat. 8:20 tells us that He had no home. It was customary for traveling rabbis in Jesus’ day to stay with individuals who opened their homes to them. Jesus was from Nazareth. It is believed that in fact Jesus used Peter’s home in Capernaum (on the north side of the Sea of Galilee) as His ministry base. As you can see from the map, those cities are a long way from Bethabara where John the Baptist was. It was already the tenth hour (between 3 and 4 PM) so it’s highly unlikely that they traveled to either Capernaum or Nazareth. Clearly Jesus was staying with somebody at Bethabara, and invited the two to that home.- End Time Transfer of Wealth – This is based on a few Old Testament verses taken out of context. The main one is Proverbs 13:22 which says “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” This is referring to the fact that children of the wicked usually squander wealth because they aren’t taught to abide by biblical principles. Nothing more. For some reason people have concluded that preaching the gospel requires a lot of money. It doesn’t. Jesus and His disciples operated on limited funds and had minimal expenses, and somehow they managed to turn the world upside down. What requires a lot of money is for us to preach the gospel the way that we like to do it. In style. State of the art technology. First class transportation. None of that is necessary, and God said nothing in His Word about funding it. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to have nice things, but to justify them with a distortion of biblical prophecy is definitely wrong.
- Supernatural Debt Cancellation – Not in the Bible. God expects debts to be paid. Even our debt to God was paid for with the precious blood of the Lamb. In the year of Jubilee debts were cancelled, but that wasn’t supernatural. It was required by the Law of Moses.
- Hundredfold Return – The hundredfold return that Jesus talked about was in the form of people and homes. In other words, if you leave your home and family for the sake of the gospel other homes will be opened to you by your brothers and sisters in Christ. (Mark 10:29,30) You will also receive persecutions. Funny how people leave out that part.
- Plant a Seed for Your Healing – Healing has already been purchased with the stripes of Jesus. You don’t have to pay for it. You just receive it by faith. The Bible does teach the principle of sowing and reaping for finances, but not healing.
- God is Both Male and Female – God is a Spirit, but He’s always referred to in the masculine. To say that He is both male and female flies in the face of the Word of God.
- Faith is a Force – Actually the Bible depicts faith as a shield, and the Word of God is referred to as a sword. (Eph. 6:16,17) Neither are called a force. This is just semantics, but semantics matter when you’re talking about theology. Using the word “force” makes it sound like you’re teaching pantheism, and that’s not biblical.
- God didn’t know what He created when He made animals – God is omniscient. That’s pretty basic. Anybody who makes a statement questioning His omniscience needs to get a good book on systematic theology and study the attributes of God.
- Adam Wasn’t Subordinate to God – I’ve heard this quote numerous times from WoF critics. Obviously this is an erroneous statement. God is sovereign. All of His creation is subordinate to Him. In the recording that I heard, the man who made this claim hesitated before using the word “subordinate”. I’m guessing that “subordinate” wasn’t the word that he was looking for and that he misspoke. I certainly hope that’s the case, anyway.
- When Jesus says “I AM” I say “I am too!” – You am not. When Jesus told the Pharisees “I AM” it was a declaration that He is God, without beginning or end. Jesus also said “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), and “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) None of this applies to believers. Certainly we can identify with Christ as He became a man and is the firstborn among many brethren, but for a Christian to make such a statement reveals considerable ignorance as to all that “I AM” conveys.
- The First Priority for Jesus was Ending Poverty – Nonsense. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) You can go to heaven poor, but you can’t go to heaven lost.
- Jesus Never Claimed to Be God – Tell that to the Pharisees. They were ready to stone Him for blasphemy for claiming to be God. (John 10:33)
- God Can’t Do Anything Unless We Give Him Permission – God can do whatever He chooses to do that is consistent with what He has already stated. It does seem that He waits for us to come to Him and make our requests known, and that faith is required, but to say that there’s anything that He can’t do (other than lie) is presumptuous.
- The First Murder was Committed Over the Tithe – The first murder had nothing to do with the tithe. Cain slew Abel out of jealousy, because his offering (not tithe) was rejected. (Gen. 4:3-5; Heb. 11:4) Cain’s offering was from the ground and Abel’s offering required the shedding of blood, and without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin.
- Adam’s Sin was that He Ate Something That Belonged to God – The Bible clearly teaches that Eve was deceived, and believed that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her and her husband as gods, knowing good and evil. The sin was disobedience, born out of a desire for godhood. (Gen. 3:4,5)
