Word of Faith: The Counterfeit Declaration

Disclaimer: I had this up on my old blog and decided it needs to be published again because this is a question I often get. How can you know if a church you are visiting or the church you go to is beginning to lean towards Word of Faith theology? At the end of this article, you will find that information!

Signs and Lingo of the Word of Faith Movement

One of the things I have come to understand is that satan has a counterfeit of everything God has; signs and wonders, another gospel, an “unholy” trinity, and even a salvation experience. So, when I came across the phrase “word of faith” in my Bible, I was not shocked. Romans 10:8 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.”

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim)

~Romans 10:8

Did you catch it? “Word of Faith!” I had to look into this further when I saw it because of what I was in for eleven years. You see, the Word of Faith movement is all about having faith in your faith. They usually won’t come right out and admit that part, though I have occasionally seen it. Faith becomes your idol and the “token” of your faith, not Jesus Christ.

Kenneth Copeland puts it like this, “The force of faith, the God kind of faith that resides in us is NOW…Faith can overcome anything in this world order. There is literally no limit to what faith can do.“

Copeland teaches that faith, not Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, or God the Father, can overcome “anything in this world order.” Another way Copeland puts it is, “You have a mite and power force inside you, the force of faith!” What does this phrase in Romans 10:8 actually mean?

The Original Meaning of the Phrase "Word of Faith"

This phrase, “word of faith”, according to John Gill, “...contains doctrines which are to be believed upon the testimony of God, and particularly the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ received by faith.” Gill goes on to say that “…it proposes Christ as the object of faith and encourages souls to believe in Him for life and salvation.”

What does this mean? It means that the doctrines referred to as “word of faith” in the Word of God (like Romans 10:8) are to believe due to the testimony of God, the Father. God pronounces a sinner righteous due to the sinner’s faith in Jesus Christ (not because of the faith, but because of what Christ did!)

According to one theologian, “…the root idea in justification is the declaration of God, the righteous judge, that the man who believes in Christ, sinful though he may be, is righteous—is viewed as being righteous, because in Christ he has come into a righteous relationship with God” (Ladd, G. E., A Theology of the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1974, p. 437). Justification, per se, does not make the sinner holy; it simply declares him or her to be not guilty before God and therefore treated as holy.

The key passage on justification can be found in Romans 3:21-26: “…But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

In essence, the phrase, “word of faith,” is a declaration by God that the sinner is justified ONLY due to his or her object of faith: Jesus Christ. What the Word of Faith movement has done, is take a doctrine that God has declared to be true, specifically the justification we receive as sinners due to our faith in Christ and replaced Christ with the “force” of faith. Here we have, yet another counterfeit the enemy has created for his use! What better place to pull this counterfeit phrase “from” than just before God’s Word tells us HOW to receive that “word of faith” (by belief, by salvation, and confession of Jesus Christ!) in Romans 10:9-13.

Romans 10:17 even says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If the devil can give you a counterfeit version of this declaration, then you are receiving a different gospel than the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Signs of a Counterfeit Word of Faith "Church" OR Your Church Is Headed That Direction

How, then, can you know if your church is falling into Word of Faith theology? How can you avoid Word of Faith theology as a Christian? I am going to give you twenty doctrinal errors that can help you identify Word of Faith theology. These are in no particular order, and not all are required to be considered a “Word of Faith” doctrine or church.

1. You are given a distorted view of the gospel. Usually, the congregation is told not everyone gives the “full gospel,” yet the church does not teach on repentance or the need for reconciliation with God the Father.

2. There are prayers of declaration, or decreeing and declaring, and binding and loosing, also known as “The Believer’s Authority.”

3. They esteem false prophets such as: Kenneth Hagin, Kathryn Kuhlman, William Branham, etc.

4. Leaders claim to have new revelations from God consistently!

5. There is extreme emphasis on spiritual warfare, such as soul ties, generational curses, etc.

6. Their teachings about the death of Jesus Christ are incorrect: Jesus gave up His divinity, was reborn in hell, went to hell to steal back the keys to heaven, etc.

7. There is an overemphasis on spiritual encounters (usually with angelic beings or the “presence” of God.)

8. The alter call/prayer time may contain people in the congregation having convulsions, screaming, being “slain” or “drunk” in the spirit, etc.

9. There is an emphasis on the “spirit man.”

10. They concentrate highly on your thoughts, what you speak, and positivity.

11. Positive confession is encouraged, sometimes to the point of dishonesty (saying you do not have fever when you do.)

12. There is an over emphasis on positive affirmations for yourself.

13. They talk about “sowing a seed,” especially for healing or material return.

14. They teach a semi-gnostic dualism regarding their view of God. In other words, if it is good, it is from God, if it is bad, it is from the devil.

15. They believe it is always God’s will to heal.

16. They believe the Bible teaches we are to live to be 120 years old.

17. There is a heavy emphasis on faith as a spiritual force.

18. They talk heavily about “living your best life now.”

19. They teach that humans are “little gods.”

20. Christian Contemporary Music, or praise and worship music is valued just as much, if not more than the spoken Word in church services.

If you are concerned you could be attending a Word of Faith church, please reach out to us. If you have further questions about any of these, please let us know as well and we can expand on it. We would be more than happy to speak with you and address your concerns.

If you are looking for a church, we would love to help you find one. We also have resources here to help! As a note, we have not vetted these churches!