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NASB | Matthew 24:11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 24:11 "Many false prophets will appear and mislead many. |
Bible Question:
1. Summary: The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland [Note: Numbers within or at the end of sentences are footnote numbers. To read the footnotes providing reference sources for this article, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm)] 'Summary 'Kenneth Copeland stands today as one of the Faith movement's leading spokesmen. His voluminous material (in print and broadcast media), combined with his crusades and international outreach centers, attest to his vast influence. 'Copeland is responsible for spreading many of the Faith movement's unbiblical teachings. He distorts the biblical concepts of faith and covenant. He reduces God to the image of man while elevating man to the status of God. He lowers Jesus to being a product of positive confession who took on a satanic nature at the cross. And he promotes the occult practice of creative visualization. 'Copeland's errors are largely due to his negative stance on reasoning, his poor handling of the Bible, his aversion toward theology, and his bias against tradition. 'On the night of November 2, 1962, a young man twenty-five years of age, struggling against "sin, sickness, and strife," asked Jesus to "come into [his] heart."1 His decision came two weeks after his wife had done likewise.2 Today, these two individuals head a ministry that literally stretches around the globe, while remaining in the forefront of what has come to be known as the "Faith" movement. They are Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. 'Part One of this series explored the roots of the Faith movement and surveyed some of its leading proponents today. In this installment, our primary attention will be devoted to cataloging and critiquing the core theology of one of the most widely recognized and respected Faith teachers to date - Kenneth Copeland.3' ____________________ The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland by Hank Hanegraaff and Erwin M. de Castro. To read more, including extensive footnotes, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm) matt2411 |
Bible Answer: 7. THE SPOKEN WORD MADE FLESH: The Teachings of Kenneth Copeland [Note: Numbers in text are footnote numbers. To read footnotes providing reference sources for this article, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm)] '"God is injecting His Word into the earth to produce this Jesus," Copeland explains. "This [sic] faith-filled words that framed the image that's in Him....He had to sneak it in here around the god of this world [Satan]."52 Using a combination of faith and confession, "God spoke His Word and then spoke His Word again....He kept saying, 'He is coming. He is coming.'"53 However, "the only avenue God had to get His words into the earth was through men... [t]hrough the mouths of His prophets....Finally, the great moment came when that Word was brought forth in human form."54 'During this final phase, "the angels spoke the words of the covenant to her [Mary], and the Spirit of God hovered over her and generated that seed, which was the Word that the angel spoke to her. And there was conceived in her, the Bible says, a holy thing. The Word literally became flesh."55 'The notion of Jesus being the end product of generations of positive confession is categorically unbiblical. It suggests that the Word of John chapter one was a creation (the personalization of the previously impersonal words of God) rather than the eternally existent Creator (see vv.1-3), thus subverting the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. 'Copeland also gave a "prophecy" in which Jesus allegedly said, "They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was in Me."56 Copeland asserts Jesus did not openly claim to be God because "He hadn't come to earth as God, He'd come as man. He'd set aside His divine power."57 Citing Philippians 2:5-7, he states that the incarnate Christ "had no innate supernatural powers. He had no ability to perform miracles until after He was anointed by the Holy Spirit."58 'The passage Copeland cites (v. 6), however, describes Christ as "being in very nature God." The participle "being" is rendered in the present active tense (Greek: huparchon), denoting Christ's ongoing condition as having the nature of God. Christ did not give up His divine attributes during His incarnation (cf. Col. 2:9; Heb. 13:8), but instead added to them (see Phil. 2:7, "taking") a full human nature in the form of a servant. Moreover, Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man (Mark 2:5-10; cf. Dan. 7:13-14) and the unique Son of God the Father (John 5:18; 10:30-33), demonstrating His claim to be God.59 'In Copeland's view, three basic factors enabled Jesus to perform miracles. First, "the force of faith was controlling His ministry."60 Second, "He exercised that authority by the use of words."61 Third, "He used the Covenant to control the laws of nature."62 Copeland's view, however, rests upon a false understanding of faith, the spoken word, and the Abrahamic covenant, and is therefore erroneous. ____________________ To read more, including extensive footnotes, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DC755-2.htm) matt2411 |