Word of Faith

Those who answer before they listen are foolish and disgraceful. (Prov. 18:13 CEB)

The first to state his case seems right, until his opponent begins to cross-examine him. (Prov. 18:17 NET)

These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11 NET)

There is a great need for discernment in the Christian community. We either dismiss a teaching without first listening to it, just because someone we trust told us to, or we fail to compare it to the whole of scripture and “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). When Jesus was tested in the desert by the devil (Mat. 4:1-11), the devil used snippets of scripture to try and fool him. But Jesus countered with more scripture. We must not think that if someone quotes the Bible, they must be quoting it accurately, in context, and in consideration of all the passages that apply along with it. All believers have the Holy Spirit to teach us, but we are fallible mortals, so we must work together to discern the Spirit in spite of our imperfections. The reason the Christian community is compared to a body with many parts (1 Cor. 12) is to help each other, and this includes our understanding of what the Spirit is saying. God is a perfect transmitter, but we're imperfect receivers.

In a small group study, the book chosen to discuss was this one by Kenneth Hagin. As I read it, many other scriptures came to mind, and it became clear why I was led to this group. Per the teaching of the whole of scripture, I determined to first read the book and listen to the group, and then challenge the teaching. This writing is the content of that challenge.

While it's true that Christians typically don't realize their security in Jesus, and that as his representatives we have spiritual armor against evil (Eph. 6:10-17), it's also true that the other extreme of focusing on authority over the devil can be a slippery slope to error. So I would describe this booklet as an example of what the Bible calls "a little leaven" (1 Cor. 5:6, Gal. 5:9). There is much in it that teaches New Testament truth accurately and challenges believers to take their faith more seriously. But mixed within the truths are errors which turn our focus from Jesus to ourselves.

Foreward

The question is asked at the start, "Do we have authority that we don't know about?" Why would we ask this question? What motivates the seeking of more authority? When the seventy-two disciples returned after Jesus had sent them out (Luke 10:1), he admonished them not to rejoice that the spirits were subject to them, but that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Certainly there is work that God intends for us to do (Eph. 2:10, 4:16, Col. 1:9-12), and Christians need reminders of this, but such work is described in the New Testament as spreading the Gospel and walking in the light (1 John 1:7, 1 Peter 2:11-12). We must remember what Jesus said about the "goats":

In that day, many will say to me, 'Our Master, didn't we prophesy in your name, and didn't we throw out demons and perform many powerful deeds in your name?' And I will have to reply, 'I never knew you; get away from me, all you lawless people!' (Mat. 7:22-23 TGNT)

These people exorcised demons and performed powerful deeds including prophesying, but Jesus didn't know them because they weren't reconciled to God. In other words, these practices were done by unbelievers! Of course believers can do these things, as shown especially in the book of Acts. But just as we can't say that only unbelievers do them, so also we can't say that believers must all do them, or that this is the mark of mature faith.

Ch. 1 The Prayers of Paul

The first prayer is from Eph. 1:16-20. Paul gives thanks and then prays that people will have wisdom and knowledge of Jesus. He prays that we will grasp the hope of our calling and the riches of our inheritance. But he also mentions great power (dunameos), the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that he holds over all the forces of evil. But does the "pouring" of this power into us mean that he no longer wields it in this life? Of course not, but this claim will appear later in the booklet.

The second prayer is from Eph. 3:14-19. Paul prays that we will be strengthened spiritually and filled with God's love. Hagin chose to read all the "we" and "us" into "me" and "I". But while it's good to understand that we are all included in "we" and "us", it's not good to elevate ourselves too highly (Rom. 12:16). He relates a time when he prayed this "me" prayer over and over for six months, until he "began to see things in the Bible I had never seen before". But did this happen because he prayed the "me" prayer, or from reading and studying scripture? Many can testify to this ability to see more and more simply by continued Bible study, but of course with acknowledging that only by the Spirit do we grow spiritually. Rom. 12:2 tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your minds", not by repetitively claiming power and authority.

Hagin makes this statement: "I advanced more in spiritual growth and knowledge of the Word in these six months than I had in 14 years as a minister and in more than 16 years as a Christian." Is the underlying message here that repeating a prayer of power is far superior to study? Was his spiritual growth stunted by mere study instead of claiming power? Again, Rom. 12:2 would say otherwise, and we would do well to remember Jesus' words in Mat. 6:7 about repetitions. But the statement that "this spirit of wisdom and revelation of Christ and His Word… is not going to be imparted to us through our intellect" is a direct contradiction of Rom. 12:2. Again, we must first belong to Jesus to have spiritual help, but the mind is not to be pushed aside either.

It's known that chanting can alter brain waves (see this source). But the Bible never advocates this at all, especially not as a way to improve one's faith, since it's the object of faith (Jesus) that matters, not the amount of it we may have (Mat. 17:20).

The chapter then turns to the issue of miraculous healing. The book seems to argue that praying these specific prayers over and over will make the difference and cause God to act, yet Paul himself prayed three times to be healed and the answer was '”no” (2 Cor. 12:7-10). As it says in Rom. 5:3-4, 2 Cor. 1:3-4, Heb. 2:18 and others (see https://dailyverses.net/suffering for a list), suffering is part of our testing and makes us able to sympathize with others. Since healing is not always God's will, then to blame the victim for lack of faith is to add insult to injury. Yet Hagin says about someone he knew, "He needed healing desperately, yet he couldn't seem to grasp what the Bible teaches about divine healing."

Hagin calls this "praying scripturally". We would all agree that prayer should always be scriptural, but he seems to mean that one must pray these prayers verbatim with the person's name inserted, for ourselves and also for others who apparently lack sufficient faith. Again, the victim is blamed for lack of healing, if they've been saved for some determined length of time.

Under The Authority of the Believer, ref. Eph. 6:12, we can all agree that we have authority (not power) over the forces of evil, but simply because we belong to Jesus; that's what it means to speak in his name. We can also agree that this authority belongs to all believers, not just some. But again, as Jesus told his disciples, this isn't something to boast about (Luke 10:20), but rather to remind us that we belong to the One who holds all power and authority.

But then Hagin says a very strange thing: that salvation belongs to the sinner! Certainly Jesus paid the price to save every person that ever would live, and the offer is made to all (Rom. 10:9-15), but they are not saved (reconciled to God) without consciously accepting the gift Jesus offers (Eph. 2:8-9). Then Hagin says that we are to "go tell sinners they're reconciled to God"! No, they are not, but they can be if they accept Jesus (2 Cor. 5:18-21). This teaching, that since Jesus died for all then all are saved even if they don't know it, is essentially Universalism. It shifts away from the Biblical teaching that salvation is by faith in the risen Jesus, to the claim that people just need to be told they're saved so they can have more power or authority over the sufferings of life. This teaching is unbiblical. Hagin appeals to 2 Cor. 5:19 but ignores verse 20, or else he makes contradictions out of all the passages pleading with people to accept Jesus as Savior. In Mat. 11:20-24 Jesus didn't say to various cities that they needed to know he would reconcile them to God, but that they were condemned for their lack of faith. Likewise, in Mat. 23:13-36, Jesus didn't tell the scribes and Pharisees that they needed to know he would reconcile them, but that they would not “escape the judgment of Gehenna”. 2 Thes. 1:8 says that “He will deal out a blazing fire of vengeance to those who don't know God and who do not heed the good news of our Master Jesus.”

So the problem in Hagin's eyes is not that sinners need a Savior, but that sinners and believers alike just need to know "the things that belong to them". He adds that this specifically is why believers need teachers: "to tell us what's ours". Again, this is twisting scripture, not teaching it. Salvation is not at all like the $20 Hagin forgot he had which did him no good till he knew he had it; rather, it's like being flat broke and asking Jesus for the $20 he's been offering to us all this time. Likewise with the example of the man who died of starvation though he was rich; the problem was not that he just failed to use the money, but that he was too greedy to spend it even to save his own life. The reason many aren't saved is because they're too proud to humble themselves before God and accept the gift of salvation only found in Jesus. We won't see them in heaven unless they do.

Ch. 2 What Is Authority?

This chapter is mostly an account of a dream, where Hagin commands lions to stop attacking him. Because he commanded, his physical heart symptoms disappeared. What's the lesson here? Again, it seems to be all about me. Instead of asking Jesus “If you want to, you can heal me” (Mat. 26:39, Luke 22:42, John 4:46-50 1 Cor. 1:31, 4:7, 2 Cor. 12:9, James 4:15), it's “I must command the devil to leave and I will be healed. I stood my ground; I won.” These statements in the book are intertwined with scriptural principles such as remembering that the power is of God, not of ourselves. Yet who gets the glory and credit when we “stand our ground” and “win”? Rather, we should say, “Jesus, glory to you for healing me!” Our faith must be in Jesus, not in our faith.

The chapter ends with a brief claim about prophecy, allegedly quoting the Holy Spirit, though the quote does not appear in scripture. Instead of messages from God to people, prophecy here is redefined as the exercising of authority so that “in this life ye shall reign by Christ Jesus”. Indeed, we will all reign on the earth with Jesus in eternity (Rev. 22:5), but the spiritual gift of prophecy here and now is not a position of authority or power, but a means of “building up the church” (1 Cor. 14:1-3).

Ch. 3 Seated With Christ

Citing Mat. 28:18, the claim is made that when Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth had been given to him, it meant given to us/me, based on the analogy that the head and body are interdependent (Eph. 4:16, Col. 2:19). Interdependent though they are in this age, the head and body are not interchangeable. The analogy in scripture in its context is to show that believers are Jesus' hands and feet in this world, the vessels through whom God chooses to work in this age of grace, but not that everything applying to the head must also apply to the body in every respect.

The same error in reasoning is given regarding us being seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Eph. 2:6). Certainly there is great honor in this, but it's in the context of the grace of God in saving us by faith in the Jesus who rose from the dead. There is nothing in that passage about us wielding authority here on earth.

We can all agree that God's power was displayed for all to see when Jesus rose from the dead, but in the section The Source of Our Authority, Hagin claims that “You will never understand the authority of the believer only with your intellect… you must believe it by faith.” By definition, every believer has already believed the power of God by faith, but “the authority of the believer” can be accepted without full understanding of how God accomplishes this. We could say that nobody really “understands” it.

After accurately describing our identification with Jesus in his resurrection, Hagin then claims that Eph. 2:5-6 is talking about conferred authority. But verse 7 gives the real interpretation: “so that he could show in the coming ages the overwhelming riches of his favor— his kindness to us who are united with him” (TGNT). Our being seated with Jesus does not make us Jesus. Despite the repeated charge that churches don't know we were raised up with Christ, no supporting evidence is given for the claim.

The other passage about the head/body analogy is 1 Cor. 12:12-14,17, followed in the book by 2 Cor. 6:14-15 about not being in partnership with unbelievers. Recalling the statements in ch. 1 about unbelievers being already reconciled, one wonders how this can be read with any honesty. If everyone is reconciled, why does scripture command us not to partner with some of them? This is not addressed in the book.

Under Seated With Christ, Hagin states that “we've preached a 'cross' religion, and we need to preach a 'throne' religion.” But it's scripture itself that preaches a 'cross' religion, for without the cross, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22), and “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 NET). In 1 Cor. 2:2 Paul says, “For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Yes, that's the Gospel we preach to unbelievers, but there is no instance in the Letters where believers are told they need to learn more about being on God's throne.

Hagin seems to belittle the Christian who stays at the cross. Certainly we should all grow spiritually, but the fruit of the Spirit is not “knowledge of authority” but “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Hagin's teaching paints the cross-centered believer as immature and undeveloped, but those head/body passages teach that no part is superior to another part, and those parts that seem less important (enlightened? evolved?) are to be treated with special honor, not contempt.

But perhaps the most blatantly blasphemous statement in the book thus far is this: “The cross is actually a place of defeat, whereas the Resurrection is a place of triumph.” Isn't this the meaning of 1 Cor. 1:18, which says that the message of the cross is folly to those who are perishing? According to Gal. 6:14 we are to boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Col. 2:15 says Jesus publicly disgraced the rulers and authorities when he triumphed over them by the cross. The cross is where Jesus shed his blood and sealed Satan's doom; who then would want to leave the cross behind?

It would be enough at this point to dismiss the book outright, because enough evidence has been presented that there is entirely too much “leaven” in this “lump of dough”. But we must continue, especially in light of such arrogant claims as, “Some of us have exercised a little more authority… because we have a little more spiritual comprehension.” Again, the one who leaves the cross behind and “wins” is portrayed as more spiritually advanced, a more “important” part in the Body of Christ. What does the Bible say about those who have fragile faith? Accept them, and don't think poorly of them (Rom. 14:1). Continuing in verse ten, we read:

So why do you judge your brother or sister? Why do you look down on them? All of us will someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written: “ 'As I live,' says the Master, 'Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will acknowledge God!'” Since each one of us will give an account of ourselves to God, in no way should we be judging each other's personal convictions. Be resolved not to put any stumbling block or trap in front of a sister or brother. (TGNT)

Under Maintaining Balance, at least we see a nod to the need not to take things to extremes, but by practice thus far, the book does exactly that. Pushing aside the cross is extreme, and the attitude, “Let me help you up to my level of faith and authority” is condescending.

Ch. 4 Breaking the Power of the Devil

Hagin begins by saying we need to “reign over” the principalities and powers of Eph. 6:12. But resisting the devil (James 4:7) is not the same as reigning over him. Then under Adam's Treason he says that Adam was “the god of this world”. Though both Adam and Eve had dominion, to use the phrase from 2 Cor. 4:4 describing the devil seems forced, since scripture never uses that term for Adam or Eve. We can agree that they did hand over dominion to the devil by their sin, and that Jesus is called the last Adam since he was, as promised in Gen. 3:15, the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent's head.

Under Authority Now, he cites Luke 10:19 stating that “nothing shall harm you”—which is just before Jesus said not to rejoice in power over demons! But then, in violation of James 4:13-16, he dismisses the humble approach which asks God to heal and protect. Praying for God to act is not lazy or merely “asking someone else, including God, to do something” about our problems; it's what scripture tells us to do. God does indeed expect us to pray, to act as we're able, and to seek out the Spirit's guidance, but God's will isn't hindered by us; nothing can tie God's hands. When we say “I break the power… I claim salvation”, we take the credit, and we ignore the examples in scripture where the disciples glorified Jesus instead (see Acts 3:6,12, where Peter explicitly states that the healing was not “by our own power”). The underlying message, once again, is that the sick aren't healed and the lost (reconciled?) aren't saved because we don't take authority, meaning we carry the blame.

Under How to Deal With the Devil, Hagin again dismisses “the arena of reason”, though 1 Cor. 14:15 says “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind”, and verse 19 says “in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.” Many false religions also dismiss the mind and see it as an obstacle to spiritual enlightenment. If we're going to be balanced and avoid extremes, then let us practice that here by not neglecting or demonizing the mind, any more than we should do so with the spirit. And the irony of using words and arguments to convince us of our need to dismiss the mind has escaped Mr. Hagin. How does one study the Bible without the mind? See also 2 Tim. 2:15.

But then Hagin claims that the word in John 14:13-14 means demand rather than ask. But as can be seen in any interlinear, like most words it has a range of meanings: ask, request, petition, or demand. Can anyone think we actually demand things from God? No, especially since inserting that meaning here would make Jesus our helpless slave. So for Hagin to only give the last meaning in the range is not just in disregard for the context, but also disingenuous and misleading.

Under Faith's Role in Authority, Hagin speaks of being a pastor before being “baptized in the Holy Spirit”. Yet the Bible describes our very salvation in such terms. John the Baptist of all people contrasted water baptism with the “Holy Spirit and fire” baptism of Jesus (Mat. 3:11). The scriptures do mention times of “being filled with the Spirit”, which in the contexts indicates a special, temporary empowerment, but there is no Spirit baptism besides the one we receive at the moment of salvation. Never is this phrase used to describe the sign gifts such as “speaking in tongues”.

Ch. 5 Exercising Authority

This chapter focuses on Eph. 1:20 and 2:6, which state that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven and that we have been raised together with him. This is also stated in Col. 3:1, which defines what it means to focus on “things above” in verses 5 through 10: Renounce sinful passions and actions. Nothing is said there about authority. Rev. 3:21 directly states that we will sit with Jesus on his throne, but again, nothing is said about this beyond the understood honor of being there. Our reign with Christ is set for eternity, not here and now, since this verse speaks of the future rather than the present. Hagin even admits that being seated means at least that “certain aspects” (where is this specified?) “of his work are suspended.” If Jesus' works are suspended, and we're sitting with him, then so also must our “certain works” be suspended.

After once again dismissing the mind, Hagin mentions “the mind of God”, and we should note that 1 Cor. 2:16 says that we believers have “the mind of Christ”. Then he states accurately that Jesus has been given all authority, but adds his own words: “we may exercise it”. But he more clearly violates scripture by claiming that God “can't get along without” me or us. Yes, God certainly can get along without anyone at all. Acts 17:24-25 says this:

The God who made the world and all it contains is the Master of heaven and earth. So he doesn't live in temples made by human hands and doesn't need their help. The One who gives life and breath to all has no need of anything. (TGNT)

We are indeed his hands and feet in this world, but by his choice, not his inability. Remember that Jesus said God could raise children for Abraham from rocks if he so chose (Mat. 3:9). Can anyone justify saying that the clay can control or restrict the potter? (Isaiah 29:16) Hagin has repeated his misunderstanding of the Bible's head/body metaphor. Likewise with Eph. 6:12 again, regarding our “wrestling against principalities”. If we consider context as he recommends, we see that this is about being able to stand/defend against the devil's attacks (verse 11) and standing firm (verse 13). Nothing in the analogy in this passage speaks of taking authority over evil, but defending against its attacks.

Under The Demon Jesus Refused to Deal With, Hagin claims to have had yet another personal audience with Jesus. In a spiritual or visionary sense, no one in the New Testament besides Paul and John claimed such things. Be very wary of anyone like this (Gal. 1:8), and understand that it's another example of elevating some believers as more advanced or spiritual than others, since the vast majority of mature, faithful followers of Jesus do not have such experiences. Never does scripture gauge anyone's spirituality in this way, or even by whether they have been given the “sign” gifts (tongues, healing, prophecy).

Then the Jesus of Hagin's alleged vision told him, “If you hadn't done something about that (the demon), I couldn't have.” This is not the Jesus of the Bible, who holds all authority and power, as Hagin himself has emphasized so many times thus far. Hagin's Jesus lacked ability, not will. But Hagin intends to supply four scriptures proving me wrong in the next section.

Under Dealing With the Devil, Hagin first claims that the Bible never tells us to ask God to “do anything against the devil”, but Rom. 16:20 says, “may the God of peace quickly crush Satan under your feet” (TGNT). In 2 Cor. 12:8 Paul begged the Lord to take away the Satanic thorn in his flesh. But the Lord told him that this was necessary to keep Paul humble, not that Paul needed to take authority over his thorn. According to Hagin, this must mean Paul was not as spiritually advanced as he. In addition, Rev. 12:10 states that our Accuser is always accusing us before God, but it's Jesus, not us, who defends, according to 1 John 2:1. And Luke 1:37 says that nothing is impossible with God.

Now to the four scriptures. The first is Mat. 28:18, which as we've already noted, is about the authority of Jesus, not of us. But Hagin adds to Jesus' words, “I immediately delegated my authority on earth to the Church.” (Side note: It's almost always in visions of Mary that I've seen Church capitalized.) Not only did Jesus not say this, but also delegation does not mean the one delegating has lost any authority or ability. And again he misapplies the head/body analogy to make the head almost subservient and obedient to the body.

The second scripture is Mark 16:15-18 about “signs that follow them that believe”. First of all, be aware that Mark 16:9-19 is known by competent Bible scholars to be unauthentic.* Even if we disregard that, not one example exists in the New Testament for believers being told they can safely drink poison or handle snakes. It's never wise to build a theology on one “witness”, especially a disputed one. We could also include the anecdotal fact that many who take this as inspired fact have died, in spite of their faith. The exception proves (tests) the rule.

Regarding Col. 1:13, darkness not having authority over us does not mean that we have authority over darkness. If we really have this authority, then why haven't these vaunted mature believers driven out all darkness? Would the blame be shifted to the need for all believers to mature at once? We could ask the same question about the gift of healing. Surely there are enough mature believers to empty all the hospitals, at least the ones for children, who according to the next section, are the only ones we can help.

Under Exercising Authority Over Others, the authority that Hagin has so diligently promoted is now found to be restricted— by other people no less, not Jesus. Yet there is no consistency between having authority over supernatural beings but none over mortals besides ourselves. And how can any of us cast out a demon from another person, if by Hagin's analogy we have no authority in someone else's “house”?

The third scripture is James 4:7, about resisting the devil. That it says the devil will flee “from you” hardly means “not from Jesus” as Hagin claims; that's what in logic is called a non sequitur fallacy (the conclusion doesn't follow from the premises). Hagin goes on to emphasize the terror of devils when we stand against them, but seems to imply that it's us they're afraid of, when in fact it's only Jesus they're afraid of. As Hagin himself has argued, we have delegated authority, not power. And what about James 4:13-17, which commands us to be humble and say, “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that”?

The fourth scripture is 1 Peter 5:8, which is about standing, not commanding. (Regarding “the faith” or “your faith”, the Greek has “the”.) To be vigilant does not mean nothing bad will happen to us. Not every answer to prayer is 'yes', as we can see regarding the thorn in Paul's flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10). So while we can agree that every believer can, with God's power, “do something about the devil” (vague, what is “do something”?), these four scriptures don't support the claim being made.

Under Standing for Baby Christians, Hagin teaches accurately that Christians are expected to grow spiritually. 1 Cor. 2:6 speaks of us using wisdom among the mature, and Heb. 5:14 defines spiritual maturity as a developed sense of discernment. Gal. 5:22-26 defines “the fruit of the Spirit” in terms of our character and purity, as opposed to things like arrogance and impurity. So it follows that a baby/immature believer is one who has not yet exhibited these characteristics. Nothing is said in these passages about taking or wielding authority, but about the kind of people we become.

In his account of believers without the gift of healing, it seems that Hagin has forgotten that the Spirit chooses different gifts for different people. In the passages about spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 and 14), we see that gifts such as healing and tongues are not given to everyone (1 Cor. 12:29-30). We cannot claim or demand or presume that we all have any particular gift, nor judge another believer's spiritual maturity by the lack of certain gifts, which becomes victim blaming when it comes to lack of healing. The gifts are just that; they are given, not earned, and not even inherited spiritually.

We should also be aware that signs are for unbelievers, while prophecy/teaching is for believers (1 Cor. 14:22). The reason many new or immature believers may have experienced sign gifts is the same reason these gifts were so prevalent in the early church: God uses these extraordinary signs to indicate something new and profound. How many times have the Pentecostal tongues of fire descended upon the whole believing community at once? How many times has the entire Body of Christ spoken in languages they never learned? How many incidents were there of God speaking to someone through a burning bush? The precedent is clear: Signs are for special situations, not the norm.

Under Authority on the Earth, Hagin claims that Jesus told him, “If you don't do anything about it, nothing will be done.” But 2 Tim. 2:13 says “ if we are not faithful he remains faithful, because he cannot renounce himself.” In Luke 19:40 Jesus said, “if these people are silent, the stones themselves will shout!” Regardless of how many times Hagin repeats this claim, scripture refutes it. We cannot hobble God.

But when Hagin takes Eph. 1:22-23 as that we are Jesus' body so we must be the feet in that verse, he twists the scripture. The context clearly indicates that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, without restriction. To say as he does that “feet aren't members of the head” is to decapitate the body and make the head not part of it at all! This is an example of how to misuse an analogy, because analogies are never meant to be universally applied in all contexts.

Then Hagin takes Luke 10:19 out of the context of a specific group of apostles to apply to all believers of all time. Do all believers go out two by two, continually travel and expect free lodging wherever they go, and never suffer any harm? Of course not. So while we can agree that we should stand against the devil rather than run away in fear, we cannot agree that we should expect no harm in this life; in fact, Jesus promised it to all his followers (John 16:33). What we're promised here and now is peace from our security in Christ, not exemption from suffering. The true test of faith is to keep it strong even in the midst of suffering, and as stated in ch. 1, to sympathize with others in their suffering.

Under Reigning as Kings, Hagin misinterprets Rom. 5:17 as that the reign of life through Jesus means we are already reigning as kings here on earth. Scripture puts this in the future in Rev. 11: 15, 12:10 (“the kingdom of the world now belongs… now the kingdom has arrived”). And what of the statements about the Holy Spirit as a “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance” (2 Cor. 5:5, Eph. 1:14)? A deposit is a guarantee of a future delivery of goods, which in this context is the full inheritance due us by faith alone. Something due in the future is not in our possession at present. We are guaranteed many things, reigning in God's kingdom being one, but we are not yet reigning. In 1 Peter 1:4 we're told that our inheritance is reserved in heaven for us, but one does not hold something in reserve if they already use it.

Regarding Hagin's analogy of the baby bird with its eyes shut and mouth open, scripture says we should be “innocent as doves” (Mat. 10:16) and “crave the pure milk through which we may grow” (1 Peter 2:2). Jesus also told us that we shouldn't worry, since even the birds of the field have their needs met (Mat. 6:26). Certainly we aren't supposed to be gullible, as we've already seen what scripture tells us about the need for discernment. But this has nothing at all to do with reigning as kings.

Under Humility vs. Poverty, we can agree that they're not the same thing. But when Hagin says that “the donkey was the Cadillac of that day”, he speaks in ignorance. The donkey indicated humility (Zech. 9:9), in contrast to the white steed rode by conquerors (Rev. 19:11). Context is everything, and though the donkey was also used by the wealthy, scripture has already shown us the difference between the sacrificial Lamb and the conquering King.

So what point is Hagin making here? That believers only ever suffer poverty because of a lack of faith? If so, we would point to Heb. 11:35-40, where righteous people of great faith suffered hardship in this life, sometimes to the point of death. Jesus himself had no place to lay his head (Mat. 8:20), and he told us to carry crosses, not drive Cadillacs (Luke 14:27). After all, the love of money is a root of much evil (1 Tim. 6:10). Heb. 13:5 and Phil. 4:11-13 tell us to be content with what we have, and Jesus said to sell what we have and give it to the poor (Mark 10:21). How can we give away our wealth and still drive that Cadillac or fly that private jet? Rather, “godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.” (1 Tim. 6:6)

Under Exercising Authority in Your Family, again we see the claim that every sickness or accident or lack of wealth is directly attributed to the devil, and that the mature believer will not suffer such things in their own family. Regarding the anecdotal account of the brother with his back in a cast, why wasn't he completely healed? And how does this differ from the fervent prayers of so many Christians over the years who have not focused on their personal authority? Does Hagin believe God's answer to prayer must always be 'yes' or 'right now'?

Certainly there are things than can happen to us as a result of sin, disbelief, or the attacks of the devil. But that's the point: It's not always directly from the devil (beyond the general curse on nature and our mortality). Otherwise we make nonsense out of passage like James 5:14-16. Speaking of James, that chapter begins with a rebuke of the rich.

As for the repeated claim that there's a certain (undefined) point at which we can't help others, scripture says that we must bear with the failings of the weak (Rom. 15:1) and not look down on them (Rom. 14:1).

Under Learn to Be Exalted, we must ask why we need to learn something that we already believe about our Savior, whose righteousness (not our own) saves us (Isaiah 53:5, Phil. 3:9). Then Hagin advises reversing the words of Eph. 1:22 to “head to the church over all things”. But this won't help him in the original Greek, for which word order is only used for emphasis. It's better to take the verse as stated, including 23:

God put all of them beneath his feet, and he alone is the one given by God as the head of the Congregation, which is his body, bringing everything to completion.

The fact remains that Jesus isn't limited by his Body. Yes we should pray for victory over the devil; yes we should be at peace in him. But over-emphasizing authority leads to pride and judgmentalism.

*Mark 16:9-19 In A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Bruce Metzger writes: “Clement of Alexandria and Origen [early third century] show no knowledge of the existence of these verses; furthermore Eusebius and Jerome attest that the passage was absent from almost all Greek copies of Mark known to them.” See also Sharper Iron.

Ch. 6 Risen With Christ

This chapter focuses on Col. 1:15-20, which is about the supremacy of Christ. But the claim is made that we are enlivened or quickened “at the same time as Christ”. The Greek word doesn't convey any sense of time, but simply the fact of being joined.

Under The Keys of Authority it accurately states that Jesus possesses the keys of death and the grave. But though the person who claimed we'd live forever in the flesh was wrong, it's just as wrong for Hagin to call him “stupid”. Disagreement isn't always a case of one person being stupid, deluded, or more flawed.

Again, Hagin fallaciously insists that Jesus has no ability to act in this world without us. But what about the “binding and loosing” of Mat. 18:18? Citing noted commentator Dr. Constable,

This verse is identical to Matthew 16:19. There Jesus was talking specifically about the messianic kingdom. Here He was speaking more generally about how His disciples should conduct themselves in humility. The "whatever" again seems to include people and privileges in view of how the Old Testament describes the stewards' use of keys. The disciples would determine God's will in a particular instance of rendering judgment in the church. Hopefully they would consult the Scriptures and pray to do this. Then they would announce their decision. With their announcement they would give or withhold whatever the judgment might involve, but they would really be announcing what God, the divine authority, had already decided. Their decision would be God's will for the person being disciplined, assuming they had obtained the will of God before announcing it. [Note: See Craig S. Keener, "Exegetical Insight," in William D. Mounce, Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar, p. 115.]

But Hagin would have this be about authority in any and every situation, here and now instead of the future Messianic kingdom. God does indeed wait patiently for us, but we've already established that he is not helpless. When Jesus showed his disciples how to pray (Mat. 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4), he asked the Father that his will, not ours, be done on earth, just as in heaven. Jesus never said that he needed us to do it. For Hagin to claim that Jesus said (again with the Marian apparition capitalization of pronouns) “I'll do whatever you tell Me to do”, is the height of scripture twisting and even blasphemy. Jesus prayed to the Father in the garden, “Not my will, but yours” (Mat. 26:39), and he is our example of how we should relate to God.

Neither has the Lord been “hindered in his plans because his Body has failed to appreciate the meaning of Christ's exultation”. Is anything too difficult for God (Jer. 32:27)? Of course not. We have free will, but like a master chess player, God will “win the game” because of superior intellect, not force. He says in Isaiah 46:9,

Remember this and take courage; take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the prior things—from long ago; I am God, and there's no other. I am God! There's none like me, who tells the end at the beginning, from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My plan will stand; all that I decide I will do”

There is just no other way to describe Hagin's twisting of scripture than lying. We should indeed “stay with the Word”, but that's not what he actually does.

Ch. 7 The Weapons of Our Warfare

The primary scripture for this chapter is Eph. 6:10-17, about spiritual armor. While it's true that anyone saying spiritual armor won't work is making God a liar, so also it's true that saying Jesus can't do anything unless we allow him makes God a liar. Jesus' rebuke about splinters and planks comes to mind (Mat. 7:3).

Under How to Remain Undefeated, the various pieces of armor described by Paul are examined. But all the pieces except the sword (the Word of God, not of us) are defensive. And we might ask Mr. Hagin why this Body has a head, if the feet in 1 Cor. 15:27 etc. can only belong to the Body.

So we have many pieces of defensive armor, but only one weapon, and it's not our awareness of authority.

Ch. 8 Authority Over Demon Spirits, Not Human Wills

This chapter's title reminds us to ask: How can it be that we have authority to tell Jesus what he can do, or demons what to do, but not other people? And there is no support given in the book for the claim that someone can have a demon without being possessed by a demon. We can agree that supernatural beings have more knowledge than we have, but again there's no support for the claim that they can know our thoughts. The point is well-taken that this knowledge can be used to fool people and even make predictions, but this should serve as a caution once again regarding the sign gifts.

But when Hagin said that he couldn't cast out a demon in someone else, he promotes a dangerous teaching. How could Jesus or the apostles cast demons out of people, as shown throughout the Gospels and Acts? Not once do they ask permission to cast them out, and even if the man in Hagin's anecdote gave it, by his teachings he still shouldn't have been able. This takes actual authority away from the believer. Hagin has made human will the ultimate authority on earth.

Under Religious Spirits, he claims that there is such a thing as a “religious spirit” demonic entity, though scripture never says this. It does say that some have a false appearance of religion (2 Tim. 3:5), but not that it's caused by demons. No scripture is offered to support the claim— because none exist.

Under Free Will Prevails, we can agree that free will is essential to our being responsible for deciding whether or not to accept Jesus or commit sin, and that we can't become control freaks to others (Mat. 20:26). But again, demons have no choice but to leave when commanded in Jesus' name, and the victims don't have to give permission. No scriptural support has been offered to say otherwise, and the one making the claim bears the burden of proof.

Then Hagin claims that Jesus told him that the reason the demon-possessed girl in Acts 16:18 wasn't immediately healed was because Paul “had to wait until the Spirit of God gave him discerning of spirits.” This is another instance of claims without scriptural support. Anyone can say Jesus told them things, and many do, but like the Bereans of Acts 17:11, we must search the scriptures to see if the claims are true. Hagin said this himself earlier in the book, but it must be applied to him as to anyone else. He also says that he “didn't have the discerning of spirits operating” at the time, which seems to mean he thinks spiritual gifts come and go, but none of the passages about the gifts even hint at this idea.

As for his teaching that one must “seek an audible voice” (that God won't do so without your invitation), we might ask whether he gave Jesus invitations to give him all those visions and teachings that read between the lines of scripture. Then he claims that he has power over other people's ailments while they're in his vicinity. This contradicts his earlier analogy of having no authority over other people's children. Would that change if the children were near him? Who gets the glory for miracles that only happen when he is nearby?

Under Breaking the Devil's Power, we would ask why Hagin would ever have authority over his older brother, in proximity or not.

Under Why People Lose Their Healing, how does Hagin explain “mass healing” if we cannot help or control others? If it's the arbitrary “proximity rule”, then this negates the “can't help others” rule. He then blames the victims by saying, “Why did people lose it (their healing)? Because they didn't know their authority.” Are we to say that the apostle Paul and the persecuted Christians in Heb. 11 didn't know their authority? Why did Paul tell Timothy to drink some wine for his bladder problem (1 Tim. 5:23) instead of healing him, was he too far away? (If Paul could use sarcasm, so can we!) And healing that can come and go isn't healing, it's remission and relapse. Healing done by faith in the Healer is permanent. As for casting out demons, did the woman he mentions ask for help or give permission? He doesn't say.

Under Oppression vs. Possession, which we've already discussed, we can only agree that oppression is external. The one “having” a demon is possessed, while oppression is in the form of circumstances. Hagin attempts to hedge on this by saying that our body is merely a “house” and as such can have demons just as a house can have termites, since the house isn't the person. But bodies are what demons possess!

Under How to Deal With Demons, we can agree that we need both Word and Spirit, as has already been stated. But if we're to go mostly by anecdotal evidence (the bulk of the book), I can testify that many who are unaware of all this “authority” also hear from the Spirit and are told things they couldn't possibly know otherwise. And again, we can't claim to have authority and then excuse lack of results by either lack of proximity/domain on our part, or lack of knowledge of authority on others' parts. Excuses are given by tricksters.

Hagin goes on to claim that he can control other people's fear as long as they're within the undefined proximity, but only if they “didn't know how to stand against it”. Such claims require evidence, meaning examination by people who aren't biased one way or the other. Yet there's no way to examine someone's fear, which they can hide or lie about, or be too intimidated at the moment to think clearly. Any stage magician could duplicate these claims.

Finally, under Resist the Devil, once again Hagin makes up restrictions on when and where demons can be cast out. Resisting the devil concerns temptation to sin, and of course that's something only each of us can do for ourselves, though we certainly can pray for others and encourage them to renounce sin. But everything should be done with prayer to the One who has the power to answer and act. He is the vine, and we can accomplish nothing without him (John 15:5)— not that he can accomplish nothing without us.

Conclusion

This cross-examination of Hagin's book has been done in obedience to scriptural commands to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) and “weigh what is said” (1 Cor. 14:29). Just as it would have been easier to dismiss the book without having read it, so also it would be easier for those reading this examination to attribute it to immaturity, fear, or a host of other alleged faults. But we each stand before Christ as the judge of souls, not each other (Rom. 14:4, 2 Cor. 5:10).

Do people get results from the teachings of this book? If we consider only anecdotal evidence, it would seem so. But as we can see in the judgment of the sheep and goats, unbelievers can also get results (and we might ask what an unbeliever is, if everyone is already reconciled). The magicians in Pharaoh's court could mimic some of the same miracles as performed by Moses (Ex. 7:10-13, 20-24, 8:5-7), because Satan can also perform signs and wonders (Mat. 24:24, 2 Cor. 11:14).

This is why we must always study the scriptures, test the spirits, and walk in humble gratitude, rather than seek out control, authority, or power. To rest in Jesus is exactly that; not to be lazy and unproductive, but to realize that the works we do are out of love and care for lost souls, and to grow by “the renewing of your minds”.