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Thread: Word of Faith - "Little gods" Doctrine

  1. #11
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jew and Greek View Post
    I never heard Kenneth Hagin teach that we are little gods. He taught that we have been made partakers of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4), and he said that the believer is as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth (quoting Kenyon who was referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit), but he never stated it as "little gods" that I recall. I think Kenneth Copeland took what Brother Hagin said and pushed the envelope a bit for shock value, as VW put it. Then others like Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer followed suit. After the critics hammered them without ceasing they seemed to back away from that expression.
    Without any qualifications that statement "the believer is as much an incarnation as Jesus" seems worse than "little gods". Incarnation means God has been made flesh. A believer isn't God made flesh nor is he the Holy Spirit living in and through a human body.

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  3. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jew and Greek View Post
    I never heard Kenneth Hagin teach that we are little gods. He taught that we have been made partakers of the divine nature (II Pet. 1:4), and he said that the believer is as much an incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth (quoting Kenyon who was referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit), but he never stated it as "little gods" that I recall. I think Kenneth Copeland took what Brother Hagin said and pushed the envelope a bit for shock value, as VW put it. Then others like Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer followed suit. After the critics hammered them without ceasing they seemed to back away from that expression.
    Why this constant need to juxtapose WOF teachers against each other ?

    Kenneth Hagin with all due respect to him is not the beginning and end of all faith teaching so just because you never heard Hagin say something doesn't mean he didn't believe it or that others who said something were merely playing copycat and stretching Hagins words for shock value .

    All those men and women Whose character you seem to impugn on are servants of God in their own right. They aren't merely echoing Hagin . Their ministries may not be characterized by the supernatural visitations as Hagin was but they are no less authentic .

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    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    I found the first page of Kenneth Hagin's leaflet "the incarnation" here :

    https://www.scribd.com/doc/298526491...he-Incarnation

    This is how he defines "incarnation" :

    "simply means deity unified with humanity in an individual"

    His definition is very different to the common definition (from wikipedia) :

    "Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient being who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial. In its religious context the word is used to mean the descent from Heaven of a god, deity, or divine being in human/animal form on Earth."

    Hagin's definition works with Jesus and it works with a born again believer in that the Holy Spirit unifies with the human being's spirit inside that individual human being. The common definition works with Jesus who was God made flesh but it does not work with a born again believer. The difference is that Jesus was God as an individual (through and through), the born again believer has God dwell in him and unify with his human spirit but that doesn't make him a part of God or intrinsically divine.

    So this is the perfect example of wildly imprecise statements made by a WoF preacher. It's possible to figure out what Hagin meant but his statement is so inaccurate in the way it employs the term incarnation that it automatically produces accusations of heresy.

  6. #14
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    "the same spiritual class as God himself"

    I think that that is one of those wildly imprecise statements that WOF preachers have made. I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean either.
    I understood that statement above the first time I heard it, I understand exactly what it means, and wonder why it would even need to be clarified. But then again I'm not a heresy hunter (and I'm not implying you are). I mean it couldn't be simpler and any more unambiguous.

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  8. #15
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fuego View Post
    I understood that statement above the first time I heard it, I understand exactly what it means, and wonder why it would even need to be clarified. But then again I'm not a heresy hunter (and I'm not implying you are). I mean it couldn't be simpler and any more unambiguous.
    Intuitively it should have the following definition :

    God and every spiritual being that is of him

    I'm being lenient here because I'm assuming that it doesn't include qualities like being all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present etc.

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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    I think Kenneth Copeland took what Brother Hagin said and pushed the envelope a bit for shock value...
    I don’t believe brother Copeland says anything when preaching “for shock value.” He’s human and subject to making mistakes as we all are. But to say something just to shock people is just being carnal, which I don’t believe Copeland to be.

    There are certain areas in the scriptures I once believed meant one thing, only to discover (as I received more revelation), meant something different. I prefer to give legitimate preachers the benefit of the doubt rather than accusing them of trying to shock people.
    When your praise match your prayers, the answer will come.
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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    Without any qualifications that statement "the believer is as much an incarnation as Jesus" seems worse than "little gods". Incarnation means God has been made flesh. A believer isn't God made flesh nor is he the Holy Spirit living in and through a human body.
    2 Peter 1:4 "...becoming partakers with the divine nature." Of coarse, I don't believe we become "little gods" as some have used this verse to say we can obtain deity. We do possess the righteousness of God and share fellowship with the godhead though. The Holy Spirit is within Christians, therefore the divine nature is part of the new birth in which God dwells within the recreated human spirit. Furthermore, as partakers of the divine nature, we anticipate to take part in the immortality and incorruption of God. The person who is Holy Spirit indwelt, will, like God, live in the immortal sphere and like Him, and will not be tainted with any corruption. The Christian will live immortally in the incorruptible heavenly realm.
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

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  13. #18
    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    Word of faith teachers have received the wrath of the theological community for claiming that Jesus suffered the penalty of our sin spiritually when he descended into hades.
    The Lord did make reference that he would be in paradise to the thief on the cross. But did he cross over into the torment side of Abrahams bosom when He spent three days in the belly of the earth?
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  14. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    Intuitively it should have the following definition :

    God and every spiritual being that is of him

    I'm being lenient here because I'm assuming that it doesn't include qualities like being all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present etc.
    So, the summary is: God, humans and angels are all in the "spiritual being" class, with at least differences "in degree" in knowledge, etc. and functions.

    As stated by others, being in God's "image" has to have some meaning in similarity. We all get it that we have a long ways to go here on earth, but a completion and glorification happens when we cross over at our life's end. (Phil 1:6).

    Those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)

    The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)


    Would we say that we will then be back in the original Adamic state? and most "like God" then (according to God's plan)?

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