One of the most basic rules of bible interpretation is that you should never build a doctrine out of one bible verse taken out of context. For example, in Acts 2:38 Peter said
“… Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
If this was the only verse on the subject of salvation you could conclude that water baptism is necessary for salvation, but when you study all of the verses regarding the subject you get a clearer picture of the purpose of water baptism in the context of saving faith. The point is, the Bible interprets itself. By examining what the Word of God as a whole says regarding any issue you can arrive at a much more balanced and accurate interpretation.
The same is true regarding what teachers of the Bible say about the Bible. If you take isolated comments out of context you can make just about anybody who has written or spoken extensively on various topics look like a heretic. Such has been the case with Kenneth Hagin. `In one anti-WoF book Brother Hagin was quoted as follows:
“Man … was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority … God has made us as much like Himself as possible … He made us in the same class of being that He is Himself … Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God …(T)he believer is called Christ … That’s who we are; we’re Christ!
These statements were taken from the book Zoe: The God-Kind of Life. Allow me to provide a few things that were left out.
For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. -Romans 5:17
What does this mean? It means that every one of us who has been born again and has received the life of God has come into a kingly state. We are accepted by God to reign as kings in the realm of life.
We are no longer servants in the realm of spiritual death, but we have passed out of death, Satan’s realm, into the realm of the supernatural or the heavenlies.
Man was never made to be a slave. He was made to reign as a king under God. That kingly being was created in the image and likeness of God.
Clearly he wasn’t saying that man is equal to God, or that he could become equal to God as was being suggested. He was just communicating what man’s original state was, and what has been restored to redeemed man through the righteousness of Jesus. “Terms of equality” doesn’t mean actual equality. It just means that we’re in the same class of being. God is a spirit, and He created us as spiritual beings who can fellowship with Him. Animals can’t do that. Vegetation can’t do that, either. Only man has the life of God (zoe Gr.) in him that puts him in that class.
“Without any consciousness of inferiority” refers to the original state of Adam and Eve before the fall. They didn’t run and hide when God walked through the garden. They didn’t have any shame because they hadn’t sinned. Kenneth Hagin didn’t say that man wasn’t inferior, just as he didn’t say that man was equal to God.
“The believer is called Christ. That’s who we are. We’re Christ.” This is a reference to II Cor. 6:14-16.
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.
In this passage Paul makes figurative references to believers as “righteousness”, “light”, “Christ”, and “the temple of God”. He’s not saying that we’re literally Christ any more than he’s saying that we’re literally any of the other. Any suggestion that Brother Hagin was teaching the deification of man is a complete misrepresentation of what he was saying.
The great revivalist George Whitfield referred to Christians as “temples of the living God” based on this passage. If you’re going to condemn Kenneth Hagin for his comments then you would have to condemn Whitfield as well.
In the following audio you’ll hear a man who describes himself as a former WoF minister turned Reformed (think Calvinist) reading a letter he claims to have received from Brother Hagin in response to some doctrinal matters he wanted to discuss.
In this audio he makes several points that I’d like to address.
- Kenneth Hagin was unapproachable. While it is true that Brother Hagin was somewhat distant from his students, it wasn’t impossible to talk with him. I asked him a question on two different occasions and he took a minute or so to answer me. You have to realize that he had well over 1500 students. When you consider that he had a ministry to run apart from his participation in the school and his time in devotion, there was no way to set aside personal time for each student. However, many students probably never spoke to him more out of a sense of intimidation than anything else. He was an international religious figure who most of the students had heard on the radio, seen on TV or in large conventions, or learned from in one of his many books. Approaching a man like that was like approaching the president or a movie star. If students never talked to him for that reason you can hardly blame him.
- We know what Kenneth Hagin believed from his writings. As you listen to the rest of the audio, you’ll hear him actually confirming what Brother Hagin said because he was confronting him about things that he didn’t believe.
- WoF critics have taken Kenneth Hagin out of context and attributed things that others have said to him, many of which he has never said and doesn’t believe. Unlike others, this critic admits that this is true. Kudos for honesty here
- The Bible teaches that Jesus was a sin offering, not “sin” itself or “sinful”. Kenneth Hagin says that there are verses that present Jesus on the cross as both a holy sin offering and accursed. While the critic is troubled by this, Brother Hagin cites a couple of examples. This is one of those theological tensions (“a mystery”, as he stated in this response) that we just have to be willing to accept even if we don’t understand it. Brother Hagin was sure to point out that Jesus never became a sinner or failed to be fully God and fully man.
- Jesus went to paradise, not hell. I actually agree with the critic on this one. However, I don’t consider it heresy to take a different view on the matter as Brother Hagin did, and as he stated it was never a major emphasis of his teaching.
- The Bible doesn’t say that Satan and his demons rejoiced at their presumed victory over Jesus. While others have taught that, Brother Hagin didn’t recall having ever done so. The fact that the critic wrote him about this point proves that he in fact wasn’t clear about what Brother Hagin taught.
- Jesus triumphed over Satan on the cross, not in hell. Brother Hagin said there’s not enough information to prove one way or the other, and there’s no point in splitting theological hairs over where the triumph occurred. The important thing is that He triumphed on our behalf.
- The Bible doesn’t teach “Name it and claim it”. Brother Hagin says that we can exercise faith for anything that God’s Word says has been provided for us. He then says he never taught “name it and claim it” – the belief that you can have anything you want just by claiming it. Biblical faith is based on what God’s Word reveals about His will, or as he used to say “faith begins when the will of God is known”.
I believe this exchange could go a long way toward clearing up the misconceptions that many people have about Kenneth Hagin’s theology. A similar exchange reportedly took place between Kenneth W. Hagin (Pastor Ken, or “Ken Hagin Jr.”) and another critic.
We don’t agree with much of the doctrine currently being taught in “word-faith” circles and haven’t ever taught many of the doctrines now being circulated … It is very frustrating to us to be quoted on the same page with some of these ministers and connected with them as though we believed the same things they are teaching … In many, many cases this is just not true …
Despite the denials, the critics have continued to take Brother Hagin out of context and link him to things that he hasn’t taught. In the following pages you will find evidence that he and others have been misrepresented by sloppy apologetics from people who apparently are pursuing something other than the truth.
Out of Context 1 (Faith in Your Faith)
Out of Context 2 (Sick Days)
Out of Context 3 (If It Be Thy Will)
Out of Context 4 (T. L. Osborn & William Branham)