What do John Wimber, Peter Wagner, Patricia King, Bill Johnson, Heidi Baker all have in common? They all preach a false Jesus – the Kenotic Jesus. Chris Rosebrough exposes the heresy behind the NAR Kenotic Jesus and debunks it with the scriptures.
At the bottom of this article are examples of NAR leaders promoting their false Kenotic Jesus.
Debunking the False Kenotic Christology of the N.A.R.
PROGRAM SEGMENTS:
Debunking the False Kenotic Christology of the N.A.R.
Source: Chris Rosebrough, Debunking the False Kenotic Christology of the N.A.R., PirateChristian, http://www.piratechristian.com/fightingforthefaith/2016/12/debunking-the-false-kenotic-christology-of-the-nar, Published 09/12/2016. (Accessed 18/12/2016.)
Because the NAR emphasize their ‘Gospel of Power’ and ‘Power Evangelism’, they get their definitions and categories on the concept of ‘power’ confused. Because their gospel emphasizes not only power and authority but restoration, they end up mortalizing Jesus and immortalizing man by revisiting the Adam of Genesis.
In saying this, it is worth noting that Bill Johnson and Heidi Baker are close friends. When you look at what they are saying below, it becomes apparent they are immortalizing themselves and mortalizing Jesus in a categorical fallacy.
Johnson: “[Jesus] emptied Himself of His divinity and became a man.”
Baker: “I empty myself out like Jesus … I connect to the Father.”
See the error?
We can’t empty ourselves of our divinity.
So what is it that these people are emptying themselves of?
NARpostle John Wimber teaches,
“But I want you to know, the same guy that knew Zaccheus’ name didn’t know how long the kid was demonized, had been in that condition. The same one that knew of these things didn’t know everything, every time. Jesus operated both in his divinity and his humanity. And from time to time, his information was limited because Jesus operated in the Spirit, of the Spirit and by the gifts of the Spirit. I believe what we’re seeing here is a gift of the spirit…
“Jesus looked up and said, ‘Who’s that guy?’ And the Father said, ‘That’s Zaccheus. Tell him to come on down.’ Because Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. He only said what the father had given him to say. He only did the bidding of the father.” [Source]
NARpostle Bill Johnson teaches,
“While Jesus is eternally God, He emptied Himself of His divinity and became a man (see Phil. 2:7). It’s vital to note that He did all His miracles as a man, not as God. If He did them as God, I would still be impressed. But because He did them as a man yielded to God, I am now unsatisfied with my life, being compelled to follow the example He has given us. Jesus is the only model for us to follow.” [Source]
NARpostle Che Ahn teaches,
“I believe Jesus is one hundred percent God. And he’s also one hundred percent man. There’s the mystery of the incarnation. I believe when he started his ministry he functioned as a man under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit.” [Source]
NARpostle C. Peter Wagner teaches,
“… you will see that all of Jesus’ mighty works—His miracles, His signs and wonders, His prophecies, His deliverance ministry and the rest—can be explained adequately by the supernatural working of the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus as a human being. … This should dissipate any doubts as to how Jesus could tell us, as mere human beings, that we would do the same works He did and even greater works. The same Holy Spirit who did miracles through Jesus is available to do them through us today.” [Source]
NARpostle Jack Deere teaches,
“Thus the Old Testament prophets, Jesus himself, and his apostles all attribute the divine power in [Jesus’] ministry not to the uniqueness of his deity, but rather to the ministry of the Holy Spirit through him.” [Source]
NARpostle Heidi Baker teaches,
“I want to be full of holy spirit, I want to hear him, I want to be full of him and … when I’m praying in the spirit, I’m participating in the triune nature of God, why? … How was that? I’m saying Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I become empty … I don’t even know what I’m saying … but I become empty … I empty myself out like Jesus … I connect to the Father… and I yield myself … to holy spirit.” [Source]
NARpostle Mike Bickle teaches,
“What the angels, what the living creatures and the elders are saying- they say, ‘You were slain. When you had all the power, when you were fully God-‘ again, he is forever fully god- ‘but when you had all the privileges of deity, you laid aside the privileges! Became a man! When you had all the power, you used your position to manifest love for us. Yes we trust you. When all authority was yours, you laid down the privileges, took upon the form of a man, bore the wrath of God and included us by your free grace. You’re worthy because, when another man has all the power he waivers with what he does with it. He doesn’t always do with it what he set out to do before he had the power.’
But with Jesus it’s the opposite. He had all the power on the front end and he laid down the benefits of walking in that power and he became a man.”
Source: Mike Bickle, Jesus Received as King by All Nations (Rev. 5:12), MikeBickle.Org, https://mikebickle.org/resources/resource/3604?return_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmikebickle.org%2Fresources%2Fseries%2Fthe-millennium-heaven-on-earth, Date: October 10, 2014, Accessed 18/06/07. [26:55]
You can read more about Mike Bickle’s Kenotic Jesus in his sermon notes here:
Session 5 Jesus Received as King by All Nations (Rev. 5:12)
NARpostle William Branham teaches,
“He came down on earth and took the form of a bondsman, not an Angel. Not come down in the great Jehovah glory, but He came down as a Man to redeem man, to die for man, to die for–as a man. He never died as God. He died as a man. The sin of man was upon the Son of man, and He had to become a man in order to pay the penalty.
What did He do? The Bible said He was made a little lower than the Angels in order for death that He might take away and abolish sin and take away sickness from the world. Now, when He came down from the highest, Logos from God, He came down through Angels, and came down, and was made a man, and He said, “I am not even a man. I am a worm and no man,” for He was despised and rejected.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Mighty Conqueror, Branham.ru, http://branham.ru/message/message10cf.html?sermonum=309, Sermon at Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 01/04/1956. (Accessed 29/07/2017.) [Cached] [Archived]
“You know what He did? That was the highest thing of heaven become the lowest thing on earth to redeem you and I. Just think. Jesus became me, a sinner, that I, a sinner, might become as He, a Son of God. Jesus became me that I could become Him. Tell me that wouldn’t make you love Him. When you was without hope, without God, without anything alienated from God without mercy, and Jesus came and taken your place as a sinner and represented you at the cross of death there ate Calvary to redeem you. That you would not have to die, but have everlasting life.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Faith Of Abraham, Branham.ru, http://branham.ru/message/message3d38.html?sermonum=288, Sermon at Tent Meeting, San Fernando, CA, 18/11/1955. (Accessed 29/07/2017.) [Cached]
“Notice, all the Glory that is in God is in the Word. All the blessings that’s in God is in the Word. It’s hid, to the unbeliever, by traditions. See what I mean? But It’s all in Christ. All that God was, He emptied Himself, “kenos,” and came into Christ; and we, into Christ, are behind the veil.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Unveiling Of God, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.lwbcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=64-0614M.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 14/06/1964. (Accessed 29/07/2017.) [Cache]
“God was in His Son reconciling the world to Himself. God’s manifestation–God Almighty emptied Himself into Jesus Christ. That’s right. And Jesus Christ emptied Himself into the Church. Hallelujah.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: Show Us The Father, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-0811.htm, At Shriner Temple, Los Angeles, CA, 11/08/1954. [Archive]
“God wants you to get well. God is in His creation, you believe it? God is in His Word, you believe it? God was in His Son, you believe it? God emptied Himself in Jesus Christ, you believe it? Jesus Christ emptied Himself into the Church, is that right? Then God’s in His Word, God’s in His creation, God’s in His Son, and God’s in His people, you believe it? Then Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, is that right? What He did then He can do now, is that right? We love Him. We believe Him. We’re got out souls magnetized with power tonight that’ll take us up in the rapture.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: Show Us The Father, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-0811.htm, At Shriner Temple, Los Angeles, CA, 11/08/1954. [Archive]
“Now, we know what the Holy Spirit is. We found out last night that It’s God. Now, when we think of God the Father (as Jesus spoke of here), His Father, God the Son as Jesus, God the Holy Spirit, as what we call It today, now, that does not mean that there is three individual, distinct gods. It means that there is one God in three offices. May we say it like this: All that God was, He poured into Christ, because He emptied Himself and poured it into Christ. And Christ was the Fullness of the Godhead bodily. All that Jehovah was, He poured into Christ. And all that Christ was, He poured into the church, not into one individual, but into the entire Body. There where we come together in unity, we have power. All that God was, was in Christ, and all that Christ was, is in you. “For God was made flesh and dwelled among us.””
Source: William Branham, Sermon: What Was The Holy Ghost Given For?, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=59-1217.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 17/12/1959. [Archive]
“In Joel 2:28, He promised, that, “In this last days there would be a latter rain poured out upon the people, in the last days.” I think the Greek word there is kenos, which means that He “emptied” His self out. Not in the way that we would say, like something was inside of somebody, that He emptied out. But, He poured Himself out.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Mighty God Unveiled Before Us, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.lwbcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=64-0629.htm, At Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, 29/06/1964. [Cache]
“It’s the–it’s the promise of God, and we cannot go against that, ’cause the Scriptures cannot be broken. Yes. We find that He promised that. He had emptied Himself into His people. And He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Mighty God Unveiled Before Us, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.lwbcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=64-0629.htm, At Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, 29/06/1964. [Cache]
“You’ll see the full value, and see the unveiled God come right in view. That, He’s just the same as He was when He fell on the Day of Pentecost, upon the people, when He kenos’ed His self, “emptied” right into It. That’s right.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: The Mighty God Unveiled Before Us, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.lwbcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=64-0629.htm, At Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, 29/06/1964. [Cache]
“Everything that God was in the Pillar of Fire, He emptied into the Son, Jesus Christ. In Him dwelt the Fullness of the Godhead bodily. Is that right? The Bible said that God, G-o-d Himself, Jehovah, the Mighty One, the Buckler, the Shield, all His redemptive Names, everything that He was, He emptied into Jesus Christ.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: He Swore By Himself, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-1212.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 12/12/1954. [Cache]
“The Bible said that God emptied (You know what you do, when we empty anything?)–emptied Himself into Christ. Just think. God emptied Himself into Christ. And Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God, for He was God.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: He Swore By Himself, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-1212.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 12/12/1954. [Cache]
“Now, and everything that God was, He emptied into Christ. And everything Christ was, He emptied into the Church.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: He Swore By Himself, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-1212.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 12/12/1954. [Cache]
“For God had emptied Himself into Christ, and Deity was in Christ. Whew. I hope you get it. And then what Christ was, He emptied into the Holy Ghost believer.”
Source: William Branham, Sermon: He Swore By Himself, Living Word Broadcast, https://www.livingwordbroadcast.org/LWBWBTextfiles/gettf.php?textfile=54-1212.htm, At Branham Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN, 12/12/1954. [Cache]
Categories: New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)