ANOTHER CHRIST
ANOTHER GOSPEL
What charismatic leaders are teaching
Daniel Chamberlin
It is my desire that the reader of these
lines be delivered from an error of eternal proportions. I am aware that some
will misunderstand my motives and will be offended at what I say. My motivation
is a heart of love - love for truth and love for the souls that are sadly
deceived. If I remain silent, I become an accomplice to the crime. D.A.C.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from
him that called you into the grace of Christ unto ANOTHER GOSPEL: Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of
Christ (Gal. 1:6-7).
Today teachers bearing the name
"Christian" abound on every hand. But this is not necessarily a cause
for rejoicing. Much of the New Testament was written to warn us of false
teachings and false teachers. No student of the Bible should be surprised to
learn that counterfeits to the genuine gospel continue to this day. Satan will
name the Name of Christ if it helps to accomplish his evil purpose. He used (or
rather abused) Scripture to tempt even Christ! This angel of darkness continues
to transform himself into an angel of light (2Cor.
Our community is home to one of the worst
delusions imaginable. One of our local "prophets" has perpetuated a
false gospel of a false Christ and has taught it to multitudes around the
world. It is a clever scheme which appeals to many who
are ignorant of the truth. It ultimately denies the most foundational truths of
the Bible, while it exalts the Devil who dreamed it up.
The Counterfeit
Gospel
In the modern scheme, God is in trouble. He
created the world and then turned it over to Adam. Adam was an incarnation of
God, a little God ruling over the earth. One charismatic leader has said,
"Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little
gods."1 But to God's surprise, Satan came and tempted mankind to sin. In
sinning, Adam handed the authority of the earth over to Satan. This teaching is
called "man's treason". Now Satan is God in the earth. Furthermore,
Adam fell from being an incarnation of God to being an incarnation of Satan.
Instead of being a little God, every person is now a little Devil. In other words,
everyone is demon possessed.
God owed every person a chance to get out of
this mess. Since Satan was their rightful owner, God had to bargain with him.
In the contract, God paid a price to Satan for the redemption of all men. The
price God paid was the deaths of Jesus Christ...that's right, deaths,
plural! Today we are taught that Christ had to die twice: once in the body and
once in the spirit. In fact, the physical death of the cross was not really the
big one; the spiritual death later on in hell was the crucial event. One
prominent televangelist has gone so far as to say, "When His blood poured
out it did not atone."2
In order to save men, Christ had to identify
Himself with them in every way. Since we are all little demoniacs, possessed by
a satanic spirit, Christ likewise had to become a demoniac. We are being told
today that, when He died, Christ ceased to be the incarnation of God and became
the incarnation of Satan. According to one well-known teacher, "Jesus made
Himself obedient to the Lordship of Satan at the cross."3 One
Thus, in His second death, Christ went to
hell, the place of the demons, for that was His rightful place. There, He
suffered much more than what He suffered on the cross. At some point, while in
hell, a great transformation occurred: His spirit was born again. He returned
to being God once again. Some teachers even say that Christ was justified
while in hell - saved just like any sinner. After all, if He identified with
us in every way, He had to be a sinner too! He had to offer a sacrifice for
Himself as well as for others. "He went through the new birth just like
you and I go through the new birth."7 This teaching is called the doctrine
of "Christ's identification".
Because Christ died two deaths, He also had
to rise again twice: once in spirit down in hell, and once in body from the
grave. But the victorious resurrection from the grave, which is so central to
New Testament preaching, is nowadays considered of only secondary significance,
since the physical death itself was only secondary.
Since Christ died these two deaths for all
men, yet all men are not saved, something else must be added to Christ's deaths
to make them work. Christ has done for us all He can do; the rest is up to us
now. We must contribute our faith. Christ Himself had faith that He would
overcome, and we too will overcome if we have as much faith as He had. If we
can stir up enough faith, we will be transformed from being a Devil into being
a God, returning to what Adam supposedly was in the first place.
My friend, I am not misrepresenting the
false gospel which victimizes many today. Our local "prophet" has
stated, "The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of
Nazareth".8 He even goes so far as to say that salvation is "God
[sic] imparting His very nature, substance, and being to our human
spirits."9 This deification of man sounds more like Eastern mysticism or
Mormonism than like the pure Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, one
author has stated, "For so long we have said,...'Why
don't the Mormons change?' Perhaps we should be the ones to change."10
What's Wrong with
All This?
There is only one God. He is the God whose
nature and attributes are revealed in Holy Scripture. Contrary to the
contemporary gospel, this God is totally sovereign. He truly rules over all. He
never gave His control of all things over to man nor
to Satan. He has decreed all that comes to pass, and is never in trouble, never
frustrated, never confused. He never has to have a
back-up plan in case of failure. He is all-wise and all-powerful. He is God.
Satan never had rightful possession of
anything. He is a created being, an angel who rebelled. By virtue of being
Creator, God is owner of everything. The earth is the LORD's, and the
fullness thereof (Ps. 24:1). He has never owed anything to Satan, and never
shall. God is no one's debtor. (See Rom. 11:35-36.)
God did not give man a divine nature, nor an
angelic (nor demonic) nature, but a human nature. Originally, Adam was
neither an incarnation of God nor of the Devil. He was simply man. Yes, he was
created in the image of God, but he was not God. When Adam sinned, he did not
become a devil. He became a sinful man.
When He came to earth from heavenly glory,
the nature which Christ assumed was an unfallen human nature, not an angelic nor demonic nature. Scripture expressly tells us, Verily
He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham
(Heb.
The price for the redemption of sinners was
not paid to Satan. Perish such a blasphemous thought! The price was paid by God
the Son to God the Father. It was between the Persons of the Eternal Trinity
that the transaction was accomplished. We read in Ephesians 5:2, Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice TO GOD.
[Note that the sacrifice was not "to Satan" but "to God".]
Paul writes to Timothy, For there is one
God, and ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, the man Christ Jesus (1Tim.
2:5).
Christ was never a sinner Himself. Hebrews
Christ died one death, not two. And what a
death it was even the death of the cross (Php. 2:8)! He did suffer both
in body and in soul, but it all took place on the cross. Remember He said, My
God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mat. 27:46). There is absolutely
no Scripture which teaches that our Lord endured any suffering beyond that of
the cross. The few texts which the false prophets produce as proof of their
claim actually prove their lack of scholarship. By their method of
interpretation, we might as easily prove that black is white or that chalk is cheese!
We read in Luke 23:43, 45 that the Lord entered into joy immediately after the
cross: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, TODAY shalt thou be
with me in paradise...And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. The saying, It is finished
(John
There are a host of texts which show
conclusively that Christ's death on the cross, not some subsequent death in
hell, satisfied the righteous demands of God. Here are a few:
And that He might reconcile both unto
God in one body BY THE CROSS, having slain the enmity thereby (Eph.
And, having made peace THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS, by
Him to reconcile all things unto Himself (Col. 1:20).
Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people WITH HIS OWN BLOOD,
SUFFERED WITHOUT THE GATE (Heb.
Who His own self bare our sins IN HIS OWN
Another whole family of texts proves that
the blood atonement was the very climax of Christ's redemptive obedience. To
mention just a few:
...feed the
Much more then, being now JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him (
In whom we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace (Eph. 1:7).
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are MADE NIGH BY THE
BLOOD of Christ (Eph.
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN
(1 John 1:7). [Note that it is not just the sins of the body which His blood
cleanses, as is commonly claimed.]
I cannot imagine any doctrine more
anti-Christian than to say Christ's blood did not atone. But sadly enough, this
is precisely what many blind followers are hearing from their blind guides.
This subtle shift of emphasis from the cross to hell as the focal point of
redemption is grotesque, as well as unbiblical.
Christ was never born again nor justified as
they teach. In Scripture, He is called the firstborn in His human nature,
by virtue of His bodily resurrection, not because He was regenerated like a
sinner. (See Col. 2:18, etc.) He was justified (1Tim.
Finally, nowhere does the Bible teach that
we must whip ourselves up into a frenzy called "faith" and then trust
in that faith. Yet our local "prophet" has written a booklet entitled
"Having Faith in Your Faith".11 But Scripture everywhere teaches that
Christ is the object of faith, as well as its author. Friend, there is
an eternity of difference between trusting Christ and trusting your
trust.
The True Gospel
The true good news is that God in pure mercy
and grace, out of the goodness of His heart and out of no obligation to man,
has freely taken upon Himself the redemption of a chosen number of unworthy
sinners from Adam's race. This redemption He has infallibly accomplished. He
Himself secured for His elect a perfection which they themselves could never
produce. That perfection was wrought by Christ in His incarnation, life, death
and resurrection. That which God's justice demands, His grace provides. In
Christ, sinners are acceptable to God.
Yes, Christ did suffer hell for those
He redeemed: it was while He was on the cross, as His blood flowed down. A real
transaction occurred there: all His sheep were ransomed. The price for His
people was tendered to the Father, and the Father was satisfied with the
payment. Redemption was accomplished. Therefore, salvation is sure. Nothing is
left up to chance.
Now, all who trust in Christ, turning from
their sin and submitting to His authority, are declared righteous before God's
tribunal. Yet, even this faith to embrace Christ is a gift from God, according
to Ephesians 2:8; it does not originate in man. Even the desire to be saved
comes from God. Therefore, salvation is all of grace!
God is not in any trouble! Right now He is
accomplishing all His eternal purpose -getting glory and honor to Himself by
saving His people from their sins.
The Greatest
Deception
My friend, the differences between the
genuine gospel and the counterfeit are momentous. We are not dealing here with
a slight aberration of the truth, about which I might remain silent. Rather we
are dealing with a diabolical fabrication of lies. The whole nature and
character of God is at stake. Consider these two principles:
1. To say that God is indebted to the
Devil makes the Devil to be above God.
2. To say that the sinless Son of God became a demoniac and that His blood did
not atone for sin, is to deny everything the
Scriptures teach about His Person and Work.
Thus, this false system exactly reverses
the truth by making Satan to be God, and making God to be Satan! Exalting the Devil...debasing God. What could be
more hideous and blasphemous? This elaborate system of deception is neither
biblical nor historical. It must be labelled what it is: A FALSE GOSPEL. We are
talking about two very different Christs, and there is no true salvation in
a false Christ. A false gospel can only give false peace.
God's Holy Word pronounces a curse upon any
man or angel who preaches any gospel other than the true one. But though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8-9). We have been warned that false prophets
would come with false teachings: ...there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction (2 Pet. 2:1). My dear
reader, will you be destroyed with them? Will you hear the Devil's gospel or
God's?
References:
1 Earl Paulk, Satan Unmasked
(Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers, 1984), p. 96.
2 Kenneth Copeland quoted by D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel (Peabody,
MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), p. 118.
3 Kenneth Copeland, Substitution and Identification, taped message
[quoted by Michael Horton, ed., The Agony of Deceit (Chicago: Moody
Press, 1990), p. 274].
4 Willie George, Redeemed From Hell, taped
message EO925.
5 Ibid.
6 See
7 Willie George, op cit.
8 Kenneth Hagin, Word of Faith, December, 1980, p. 14.
9 Kenneth Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life (Tulsa: Faith Library
Publications, 1997), p. 2. McConnell (see note 2) devotes several pages to
proving that Hagin plagiarized this and many other statements from E.W. Kenyon.
10 Earl Paulk, Unity of Faith, (
11 Kenneth Hagin, Having Faith In Your Faith (Tulsa:
Faith Library Publications, 1981).