How the Bible Describes God
How does the Bible describe God? The first truth taught in scripture is that God is not to
be compare to any likeness on the earth. In Exodus 20, God commanded that the people
were not to create any image with the likeness of anything that is in heaven. Why? When
man creates a god, he exalts it to becomes his god. In the heart of man is a need to
worship. When we exalt something, we worship it. The only way to successfully worship
God is to keep a sense of awe about Him. When we compare something to God, even if
we have good intentions, God is diminished. If nothing seen can be compared to God and
we say ’God is like...’, then we have brought God down to the image we have created in
our mind. Once God is inside the box, we are no longer worshipping the true and living
God.
The Bible is very careful in how God is identified. God is never really described, only
attributes are described. ’Our God is a mighty Warrior’ describes the attribute that God
conquers. ’He Covers us with His feathers’ describes God’s protection and because we
can see a hen protecting her brood from danger in nature, we can get a glimpse of how
God protects us. ’Our God is a consuming fire’ depicts God’s holiness and that anything
that does not withstand His judgement will not remain. ’God is light’ describes God’s
truth and how we can see only if we are walking in it. There are many other attributes
described. None of these describe God, but they all describe attributes of God. One thing
the Bible does make clear is that God is not a man and God is Spirit. Look at John 4
23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
If God is Spirit, how can these teachers all declare that God is a six foot tall man? They
are demoting God and creating Him into their image rather than conforming to His
image. Let’s take a little time to look deeper into the demotion of God. This is a very
serious challenge against God, His word, and to our faith. You cannot serve a demoted
God and serve the true God at the same time. In the next few sections, we will look at
how God and Jesus Christ are demoted and Satan and man are exalted by this movement
that claims to be part of the evangelical church. But first let us look at other Word-Faith
teachings that find their origins in cultic philosophy.
Unholy Trinity
I dislike the practice of speaking ’a word of knowledge’ in a time of worship. I have been
in many services where people take turns saying, ’Thus saith the Lord....’ and then
proceed to give a word of revelation. People are led to believe that the first word that
pops in their heads is a revelation of the Holy Spirit. God said that if we say that He has
spoken when He has not spoken, then we are declaring falsely. It is a serious matter to
declare that God has spoken. Generally speaking, God’s will is revealed through His
word, through prayer, and seeking Him. To blurt out declaration is putting yourself at risk
needlessly. To say the Holy Spirit reveals something is blasphemy if the Holy Spirit is
not the author of our thoughts. An example of this blasphemy is when Benny Hinn stood
before a congregation and stated that the Holy Spirit was coming upon him. He then
began to reveal to the audience what the Holy Spirit supposedly had revealed. Here is
what he said:
"I feel a revelation of the Holy Spirit coming upon me. God the father is a triune
being by himself - separate from the Son and the Holy Ghost. God the father is a
person. God the Son is a person and God the Holy Ghost is a person. But each one
of them is a triune being by himself. If I can shock you, and maybe I should, there
are nine of them."
Notice what he said, 1. This is a revelation by the Holy Spirit; 2. The Father, Son and
Holy Spirit are beings separate from each other 3. Each is a triune being by himself. Can
anyone follow Benny Hinn without denying the scripture? The Bible clearly teaches that
God does not change nor will His word ever change. If someone reveals what is contrary
to the revealed word of God, they are in opposition against God. Deuteronomy makes it
equally clear that if someone speaks in God’s name and it turns out to be false, they are a
false prophet. If someone speaks in the name of God and they speak error, they have
shown themselves to be a liar. If I say, ’The Holy Spirit says’ and it is really my own
derived words, then I have lied by saying that the Holy Spirit was speaking. Benny Hinn
later said that his comments were stupid. However, you cannot retract the statement ’The
Holy Spirit says’. Anytime we say, ’thus says the Lord’ it is blasphemy if God hasn’t
spoken. Everyone should take heed before they ever declare God’s voice. Even though
Hinn did retract his 9 gods statement, he did reiterate his belief in Tritheism. Tritheism is
the belief that the Trinity is three separate gods. Here is a conversation between Benny
Hinn and Paul Crouch:
Hinn said in a conversation with Paul Crouch, "There are three members of the
Godhead".
Crouch, "Not nine? Where did that silly charge come from?"
Hinn, "They have said some much about this that it almost became comical. Here
is what I believe: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost - three
separate individuals, one in essence, one in work and may I add each one of them
possesses His own spirit body. You don’t like it?"
The Bible does not in anyway support Tritheism. This is pagan at the core. From the
beginning, God has made it clear - He is One God. The Trinity doctrine does not teach
that there are three gods or three separate persons. The Trinity is one God in three
persons. In Deuteronomy 6 God said:
4 " Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your strength.
The Lord is one - not three separate ’spirit bodies’ as Hinn claims was revealed to him by
the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit contradicts what God has already declared, it isn’t the
Holy Spirit talking. The basics of the Trinity doctrine can be found in two passages:
Isaiah 48:
16 "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit
Have sent Me."
17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the
LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you
should go.
The LORD (Jehovah) said that the LORD (Jehovah) and His Spirit have sent me. If we
think this means three individuals, we only need to go back four chapters to see that God
has already clarified this:
Isaiah 44
6 " Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of
hosts: ’I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God."
The LORD (Jehovah) and His Redeemer who is also Jehovah declares that He is the first,
the last and the only God. Beside God there is no other god. Hinn has revealed through
his teaching and affirmation of his teaching that his doctrine does not agree with
scripture. Tritheism is a known pagan doctrine, does not have a place in scripture and it is
diametrically opposed to Christianity. Hinn’s view of God is not compatible with the
Bible; therefore His god’s are not the same as the Christian God. Many will overlook this
incompatibility even though they must violate scripture to do so. This is because they are
looking for a ’me’ centered gospel. This is in spite of the warning of the Bible in 2 John
1:
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not
have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the
Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him
into your house nor greet him;
11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
The sad reality is that people fear the teacher more than they fear God or they desire the
promise of gain more than they desire God. Therefore, they overlook any challenges
against God - even if it takes us straight into paganism. The top ’Word-Faith’ teachers
also butt heads with the Bible on the New Age doctrine of visualization.
Visualization
This is the belief that we can create our own reality. This belief has been around for ages
and has always been taught by shaman and gurus. It has been repackaged for each culture
and is part of the mainstream New Age movement. Shirley McClain popularized
visualization in several books. During a visit India and said she was disturbed by all the
suffering she saw. Hindu teaches that people suffer to work off bad Karma. It is a
disservice to help those who suffer. The people she saw were diseased and starving in the
streets and no one willing to help. She was bothered at first, but then her she applied her
creative visualization techniques and all was well. Instead of seeing beggars, she saw
happy people, disease free, filled with health and beauty. She took what she saw, which
she determined was an ugly illusion and created her own beautiful ’reality’. Sadly, in true
reality, nothing was changed. The people still suffered but she was now living in self-
delusion while pretending that what she saw was not real. Instead of taking action to help
those in need, she alienated herself from being able to see the need.
Shirley McClain teaches the New Age doctrine that says that each of us has the power to
create our own reality. If we don’t like what we see, we can recreate it. If we are in need,
we only need to picture it in our mind’s eye and believe and it will become reality. In the
last few decades, this same doctrine has penetrated the church by being repackaged in
Christian terms.
Hinn made statements identical to New Age doctrine and even admitted that witches
taught him spiritual truths:
- Your words in the spirit create reality
- The Bible declares clearly that faith is a force and so is fear. Faith activates God
and fear activates the devil.
- Words can kill. Witches are taught to kill or disease people with the power of
words.
Shouldn’t we be concerned that someone claiming to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to
preach the gospel is consulting witches to learn "spiritual truths"? It is no accident that
Hinn seldom quotes scripture when he claims the Bible says something. The Bible does
not say faith or fear is a force. Pagan religions teach these things, but not the Bible. The
Bible teaches that faith is trusting God, and that fear is based on unbelief. Genesis 15 tells
us that Abraham believed God and God credited it as righteousness. Romans 4 reveals
that Abraham’s belief was his faith in God. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God -
not to tap into faith as though it were a force. Not one place is scripture are we told to
’use faith’. Nowhere is faith called a force and nowhere is fear called a force. Buhddism
and other pagan religions teach these things, but not the Bible. It is ironic that Hinn
teaches that words can kill and then proclaims:
-I pronounce a curse upon everyone who dares to speak against this ministry.
-Those who attack me, your children will pay for your stupidity.
-I am looking for one verse in the Bible that says, if you don’t like them, you can
kill them.
-Sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machinegun and I’ll blow
your head off.
Would a man of God curse others? In Matthew 5, Jesus said to love your enemies and
bless those who curse you. Romans 12:14 says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless
and do not curse". If Jesus said not to curse but to bless our enemies and the apostles said
not to curse our enemies but to bless them, why then do we hear a constant stream of
curses coming from the Word-Faith teachers? Does a man have the power to curse us? I
believe Psalm 109 gives the answer:
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27 That they may know that this is Your hand -- That You, LORD, have done it!
28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let
Your servant rejoice.
The key to blessing and curses is found in Deuteronomy where God tells us that those
who obey His commands are blessed and those who disobey are cursed. Words of men
can never challenge the blessings of God that is given to those who obey.
Others affirm visualization in the Word-Faith doctrine. Kenneth Copeland teaches:
Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and that’s when
the action takes place because that is when the spiritual force is brought up out of
the mouth - whether it be fear or whether it be faith - and when that spiritual force
comes out, it is going to give substance to that image that is inside of you. People
say, ’that is that New Age visualization stuff’. The New Age is trying to do this.
And they get somewhat results out of it because it is a spiritual law.
You may notice that because scripture does not support these doctrines, therefore
supporting scripture is vaguely eluded too or not given at all. Teachers may declare that
the Bible says but for obvious reasons they don’t provide the passages so their
congregation can read for themselves. The first error in the above quote is that Jesus’
quote is taken completely out of context and then Word-Faith doctrine adds to it while
implying that what has been added is in the Bible. Jesus did not say anything about a
spiritual force or actions of our words. In fact, the focus of Jesus’ statement is to show
that the words are a product of what is in our heart. The focus is on the heart and not on
words. Copeland is teaching that the focus is on words and not on a heart that is right
with God. This passage that Faith doctrine quoted vaguely resembles the original text in
Matthew 12:34, Matthew 15:18 and Luke 6:5. In each quote, Jesus is putting the focus,
not on words, but on what is really in our hearts. Sin is the result of the heart and out of it
comes evil thoughts, adultery, murder, etc. Jesus said, "Why do you call me Lord and do
not do the things I say?" Jeremiah 17 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things
and no one can know it? Only God can try our motives and reveal what is really in our
heart. Far from being words of fear or faith creating our world, Jesus’ statement was to
draw attention to the motives behind our words.
Copeland also acknowledged that this is a New Age teaching. Is visualization a spiritual
law as Copeland claims? Let’s look at the words of Jesus:
Matthew 22
37 Jesus said to him, " ’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 "This is the first and great commandment.
39 "And the second is like it: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Where does loving God fit into creating our world and wealth through words? What
about loving our neighbor as ourselves? I see loving self in this Word-Faith doctrine and
loving others in the two commands that Jesus said are the basis of all spiritual laws.
There appears to be a major disagreement between Word-Faith doctrine and the Bible.
Hinn and Copeland are not alone. Most of the prominent Word-Faith teachers echo
similar beliefs. One other example is Jerry Seville:
Before this world came into being, God conceived [visualized], he began to put
into words and then he uttered them. Then what happened? The Spirit of God
took those words and then a world was created. And that is exactly how you
change your world. You mean I can talk my world into existence? You certainly
can.
The Bible says that God, by His own power, created the universe and all that is in it.
Word-Faith teachers say that God used a power outside of Himself. He used words and
faith to create the world. They teach that we also have the same power available to us.
Just as God has done, so we also can do. In one statement, Jerry Seville has both exalted
man and demoted God.
