Questions for Charismatics to Answer
Those who considered themselves Charismatics are never really eager to dig up on the Scriptures, because of their fear of being refuted and discredited by them. They rather claim that God is now speaking directly to them because they have been called by Him and now they possess a higher spiritual authority. Therefore, they reply “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm”, and that would include the very same Scriptures.
So, who regulates them? Are they infallible like the catholic think the Pope is? How do we really know if what they teach is really coming from God? We must see again at the principle of “Sola Scriptura” and regulate everything to what the Bible has to say.
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside” I Cor. 5:12-13
In God’s divine order, He has determined the church leaders to judge those who are “inside” the church, because He will judge those “outside”.
“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God” I Pe. 4:17
Therefore, we must consider some questions that those who think themselves as charismatics in order to see what the Bible has to say. These questions will be divided in the 5 following categories:
1. Is Experience a valid test of truth?
2. Does God still give revelation?
3. Does God still heal?
4. Does the Bible promise health and wealth?
5. Are we really little gods?
[All further material based on book “Charismatic Chaos”, John Macarthur]
1. Is Experience a valid test of truth?
1) Have people really seen God in Heaven or Jesus here in earthly appearings?
Bible verses that apply:
- “no man has seen God at any time” (Jn. 1:18)
- “God is spirit” (Jn. 4:24)
- “no man can see me and live” (Ex. 33:20)
- “if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.” (Mt. 24:23)
- “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him” (I Pe. 1:8)
2) If experience is more important, why does Peter, who saw Christ’s Majesty and heard God’s voice witnessing of Him, say in II Peter 1:19 that we have the even surer prophetic Word? Doesn’t this mean that the Word is more certain and prime than any true or false supernatural event?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him, and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (I Pe. 1:8)
3) Why Paul, who was knocked to the ground after his unique experience in Acts 9, had as a custom to go to the synagogues and reason with everybody from the Scriptures rather than telling them his experience?
Bible verses that apply:
- “As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2)
- “He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God
4) If experience must be considered equal or first over Scripture, why God did not allow Paul to speak of the things he saw in the third haven?
Bible verses that apply:
- “…was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” (II Cor. 12:4)
5) Can we believe something related to God with all our hearts and still be wrong? Could we be extremely zealous of His things but regardless of His Word?
Bible verses that apply:
- “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” Rom. 10:2
6) Is it really spiritual to supplant our rational minds to open ourselves to the Spirit?
Bible verses that apply:
- “come now, and let us reason together” Is. 1:18
- “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is” (Rom. 12:2)
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Mt. 22:37)
7) If the experiences as Christians do not need to submit to Bible’s authority, what is the difference between Existentialism, Humanism, Mysticism and Paganism with Christianity?
2) Does God still give revelation?
1) If Scriptures are a closed system, and according to II Tim. 3:16 they have been “God-breathed” (theopneustos), how could arrogant men and women claim they receive new revelation from God, comparing their statements with the very Word of God?
Bible verses to apply:
- “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (II Tim. 3:16)
- “I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3)
- “If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll” (Rev. 22:18)
2) Would these so-called prophets keep “prophesying” if they were aware of the penalty of death if their prophecies are proven false?
Bible verses to apply:
- “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death. You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Dt. 18:20-22).
- “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations” (Ez. 13:9)
3) Do we really need more revelation to what is already given in the Bible so we can be more efficient in our ministry?
Bible verses that apply:
- “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (II Tim. 3:16-17)
4) In the light of what Jude 3 says (“the faith” = there is no other faith / “once for all” = “hapax”, something done for all time and never needing repetition / “delivered” = aorist that means an act completed with no continuing element), how should we consider those who claim to have given new revelation?
Bible verses that apply:
- “and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3)
5) If the revelation process is still open, where does the Bible end? What differences us from the Catholic Church who has been adding traditions over traditions through its history?
Bible verses that apply:
- “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” (Jude 3)
6) In the phrase “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”, does “the letter” refer to the Scriptures, so we may pay attention to what is “revealed” in the Spirit? Doesn’t all this refer to the Law not being able to save anyone, just as the context suggests?
Bible verses that apply:
- “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?” (II Cor. 3:6-8)
- “So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal. 2:16)
7) Does direct spiritual knowledge or direct “pneumatic” knowledge fit in Christianity’s way of thinking? Doesn’t it fit better in Mysticism, a modern version of Gnosticism where secret spiritual knowledge is available to a certain enlightened elite?
Bible verses that apply:
- “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” Ps. 119:130
- “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” Ps. 19:7
8) If virtually every cult and false teaching ever spawned has begun on the premise that its leader (or leaders) had access to new revelation from heaven (Jehova’s Witness, Mormonism, Christian Science, Catholicism, etc.), why should we pay attention to anything outside Scripture?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” II Cor. 2:17
- “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God” (II Cor. 4:2)
3) Does God still heal?
1) If the gift of healing was not temporary, why is it that charismatic leaders who claim to have this gift don’t go to the hospital and heal people at big scale? If signs and wonders are designed to convince unbelievers, would that kind of ministry not accomplish the purpose best?
2) Do all supernatural healings come from God? What about telepathy, hypnosis, transcendental meditation and hundred of other eastern religions and practices? Isn’t it possible that we can fall in deception through these and other false signs?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria
3) Do these healers perform their miracles in the same way Jesus or the Apostles did (healing evident diseases instantly, totally, to everyone and even raising from the dead)?
4) If those who had miraculous gifts could use their gifts at will (according to Scriptures’ pattern), why is it that contemporary healers do not heal at will? Why do they have to make the classic clarification “it is not my doing, it is the Lord’s”, passing all the responsibility to God or to the sick one and his/her lack of faith?
5) If the gift of healing was not supposed to end in apostolic times, why Paul could not heal his good friend Epaphroditus and Trophimus? Why did Paul recommended Timothy conventional methods to stay healthy instead of just give the word for him to be healed?
Bible verses that apply:
- “For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me” (Phil. 2:26-27)
- “and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus
- “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (I Tim. 5:23)
6) Did Paul follow modern faith healers’ pattern in the sense of denying any symptoms or declaring himself healthy?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me” (II Cor. 12:7-8)
7) If we promise life free of sickness and total health as the gospel to non-believers, wouldn’t people come to God for the wrong reasons?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill” (Jn. 6:26)
8) Is God always the source of health only? Can sickness come from Him?
Bible verses that apply:
- “The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?” (Ex. 4:11)
- “The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God” (II Sam. 6:7)
- “So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba Jerusalem
- “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23)
9) Is sickness always tied to a sin and/or lack of faith?
Bible verses that apply:
- “His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (Jn. 9:2-3)
A Word of Warning:
We believe God still heals, and if we are sick, we must pray to Him, but the way the Bible says. “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (Jam.
4) Does God promises health and wealth?
1) Do we really have a God that can be coerced, manipulated, cajoled, controlled and exploited through schemes like Word of Faith, Hyper-Faith, Positive Confession, Name it and Claim it, etc.? Or do we have a sovereign God that does all that He pleases?
Bible verses that apply:
- “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done”?” (Dn. 4:35)
- “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases” (Job 23:13)
- “If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?” (Job 9:12)
- “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?” (Is. 45:9)
- “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen” (Is. 14:24)
- “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” (Is. 46:10)
- “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19)
2) Is the Holy Spirit a power to put in use for whatever the believer wills? Or is He the Third Person of the Trinity with His own will, just like God the Father and the Son?
3) If the Scriptures clearly say that those who want to be rich fall into temptation and that the love of money is the root of all evil, how can we endorse a theology based on prosperity and a Santa Claus – kind of God, always willing to give willy-nilly?
Bible verses that apply:
- “not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (I Tim. 3:3)
- “and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
- “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” (I Tim. 6:5-11)
- “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” (Jude 11)
- “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
4) If God is really bound by spiritual laws at our reach, aren’t we changing the roles of who is really God, putting ourselves in that position? Aren’t we buying the same old lie that Eve bought from Satan in Genesis 3:4-5, “be like God”?
Bible verses that apply:
- “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Ps. 103:19)
- “which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (I Tim. 6:15)
- “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Is. 14:14)
- “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”?” (Is. 29:16)
- “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.” (Dt. 4:35)
- “See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” (Dt. 32:39)
- “How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears” (II Sam. 7:22)
- “So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one” (I Cor. 8:4)
5) If we ask anything in His name, is God forced to accomplish that? Doesn’t this go attached to something like “according to His will”?
Bible verses that apply:
- “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (Jn. 14:14)
- “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (I Jn. 5:14)
6) If God really knows our inner beings and the true nature of our hearts, how can He promise He will give everything He is asked for?
Bible verses that apply:
- “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom.
- “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9)
- “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Gn. 6:5)
7) Is our economical position a faithful indicator of our relationship with God? Do we really bring glory to His name when we have financial success in life? Is poverty a bad witness to the world about the nature and true will of God?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Lk. 12:15)
- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Mt. 6:19)
- “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Mt. 6:24)
5) Are we really little gods?
A Word of Warning:
This is perhaps the most dangerous and blasphemous statement coming from the Faith Movement! We must be aware of the implications this false doctrine, because not only for the appalling heresy itself, but also because of the proponents and heralds of this, where big names appear such as Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Myles Munroe, Frederick Price, Morris Cerullo, etc.
1) If we can be little gods, was Satan correct when he told Eve “you will be like God” in Genesis 3:5?
Bible verses that apply:
- “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gn. 3:5)
2) How can Christians fight statements made by cult leaders, from Jim Jones to Rajneesh (“Sir God” from India) who said “when you call Jesus, really you have called me” or that of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (famous for mentoring “The Beatles”) who quoted Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that you are God”, when preachers like Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch and Kenneth Copeland have taught that we are little gods too? Isn’t this a parallel of Christianity with Hinduism and other eastern religions?
Bible verses that apply:
- “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Ps. 46:10)
3) Did God really wanted to create Adam to reproduce Himself and thus make another god out of him?
4) If we are little gods, was Christ confused when He taught that there is only one God?
Bible verses that apply:
- “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Mr. 12:29)
5) Do the Scriptures teach in Psalms 82:6 that we are gods? Does not it mean that the judges that this Psalm addresses were “like” gods in the sense that they were to judge human matters in a justly manner, just like He does? If not, why does Jesus quote the same passage in John 10:34 when the Jews accused Him to call himself God? If human governors could be designated like “gods”, couldn’t the real Messiah call himself God?
Bible verses that apply:
- “Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”?” Jn. 10:34
6) Is it accurate the following way of thinking: dogs have puppies, cats have kittens, God has little gods”? If so, why is it that God “exploded” when asking Job who he thought he was anyway? Aren’t we sons of God by adoption rather than by nature?
Bible verses that apply:
- “to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal. 4:5)
7) If all appearances of the word “god” (“Elohim” in Hebrew, “theos” in Greek) really mean God, then is the Devil god too? Is Moses god too? (II Cor. 4:4, Ex. 4:16)
Bible verses that apply:
- “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (II Cor. 4:4)
- “He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him” (Ex. 4:16)
8) When Peter says we become partakers of the divine nature, does this mean we become little gods? Isn’t this related to us being new creatures and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us rather that common human beings becoming gods? (II Pe. 1:4)
Bible verses that apply:
- “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (II Pe. 1:4)
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (II Cor. 5:17)
- “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (Jn. 14:20)
9) Finally, if we think of all the divine qualities of God in the Scriptures (Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Holiness, Eternity, etc.), how can we think of ourselves like gods if we lack of all these in all the sense of every word?
