Love and truth are like hand and glove, fitting together perfectly. Many Christians have believed the lie that to love is to lie. Nearly, “I love them too much to be truthful about what is wrong and what God says is right.” It’s not unloving to walk in truth. In fact, as people of the light, we are called to walk in the light.
When it comes to ‘word of faith’ teaching, I will never hold back or water down biblical truth. This false teaching binds many, but the love of God sets the captive free with truth.
One of the ‘word of faith’ core doctrines is that we are little gods. The little God’s doctrine is a heresy from the pit of hell. Some nice people believe this and even teach this, but are sincerely wrong. I praise God he set me free from this false teaching, and I desire others set free as well. Jesus clearly said “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32. If you believe you can decree, declare, and control things with your words, keep reading. It is shameful that many Christians are walking around, afraid that they are cursed left and right because being taught to give in an inappropriate manner means the Lord will release Satan against you. It is tiring and depressing to believe miracles should be following you and yet, never seeing what should be taking place. You’re told, ‘speak to your situation, and your bank account.’ However, every word you spoke doesn’t change that negative balance in your account. See, when a person steps in and makes you god, instead of the Sovereign Lord in his rightful place, you end up with a bastardized version of the faith.
How do people end up here? Well, take Psalm 8:5. The text states, “You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor” (CSB). The proper biblical interpretation would not isolate a single verse to make an entire doctrine. First, we must read the verse in context. Reading all of Psalm 8 in context will show that this is not saying that man is a little god. It will show that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Look at the verses before and after to get the entire context, “When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you set in place, what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? You made him little less than God, and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!” Psalm 8:4-8 (CSB).
Even looking at the original Hebrew, the word God in verse five is Elohim. Yet, remember the context. We are talking about man created in the image of God, and man is lower than God; not a God. As one commentator remarked, verse five would seem to allude to God’s image, mentioned in Genesis 1:26, which underlies our verses 6–8. But the LXX takes God (’ ĕlōhîm) in its rarer, generic sense, to mean supernatural beings, i.e., ‘angels.”1 So we see from the Septeguint that the word Elohim means angels. The question then, does the New Testament give credence to the Word of Faith teaching that man is God?
We see in the New Testament, Psalm 8:5, quoted in the book of Hebrews. According to Hebrews 2:9, “But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.” What do we see? All things have not been subjected to man, yet it was Christ who came and humbled himself. Christ, who was 100% God 100% man subjected for a little while, was raised in all glory and power. It is Christ who has all authority and power; everything is indeed subject to Him alone. See, that is this difference, Christ has all the power we don’t. There are things Jesus can do; we can’t. As Donald Guthrie states, “What the psalmist and indeed the writer to the Hebrews are mainly concerned with is man’s present status. Yet the crowning with glory and honour and the subjecting of all things is clearly seen ideally rather than actually. In fact it was accomplished only in one man—Jesus Christ.”2
We are not little gods. We can’t speak things into existence; we can’t create wealth with our words or dissipate storms with our decrees. We are mere mortals, made in the image of God. Yet, to the born again believer, we are filled with his spirit. We can boldly come before his throne of grace and ask for what we need. We must rest more in His authority, rather than any pseudo power we have been told we have.
In his book Man as God, Rev. Curtis Crenshaw lays out what those who hold this view teach. These are just a few statements from prominent teachers in this movement.
“When God looks in the mirror, He sees me! When I look in the mirror, I see God.” Casey Treat
You don’t have a god living in you; you are one! You know, sometimes people say to me, You just think you are a little God! Thank you! Hallelujah! You got that right!- Kenneth Copeland
“We are the Word made flesh, just as Jesus was.” Gloria Copeland
“When you learn to walk as Jesus walked, without any consciousness of inferiority to God or Satan, you will have faith that will stagger the world.” EW Kenyon
Why believe these lies? The Scripture is sufficient for us in faith, life, and practice. Jesus is indeed enough. Yet, many love this type of teaching because it makes them Sovereign and God is under their control. A God at your behest and under your command, is NOT the God of the Scripture.
Test if what you believe is true; if it is not, repent. Turn back to the Lord and come under the authority of the Word of God, not some word of faith teacher.
1.Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 84.
2.Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 89–90.
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