A Look at Bill Johnson at Trinity Church Pt. 3

A Look at Bill Johnson at Trinity Church Pt. 3

I conclude my 3 part review of Bill Johnson’s sermon that he gave at Trinity Church on March 5^th. The sermon can be heard online here. In part 1, which can be read here, and part 2, which can be read here, I engaged with statements made by Bill Johnson throughout his sermon. Statements that I found to be full of error when examined under the light of scripture. I conclude this 3 part review with some thoughts, summarizing the sermon as a whole. I then will end answering a few anticipated questions regarding this review. 

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul exhorts the church for turning to what he calls “another gospel”. In Chapter 1 verse 6 and 7, we read ^“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” What is the gospel? Simply put, the gospel is the “good news” that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from their sins. Any message about Christ that does not make that the center point is “another gospel”. Any message that does not highlight the work of the cross, and any message that does not center on Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) is not the true gospel. For it is by the message of the cross of Christ that we are reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:19). When we try and reconcile man to God by other means than we preach another gospel. This is what I believe Bill Johnson, and others like him, are doing. They are proclaiming the “good news” is that Christ came to empower us for signs and wonders. They are proclaiming the “good news” is that God will prosper us, or God will heal us, they are proclaiming that the "good news" is that God gives us everything we ask for. Oh, they will never say that. They will speak of the cross, they will speak of salvation. But ask yourself, what are they known for? When you think of their messages do you think of Christ and Him crucified? Or does your first thought go to what their ministry highlights? Prosperity, signs and wonders, dynamic living, walking in your destiny, these are all forms of "other gospels." Many of these things are the "bait" these ministers use to bring people to God. As Greg Gilbert says A number of “bigger” and “better” gospels have been advocated in recent years, and each of them seems to be gaining a significant following. Insofar as these “bigger” gospels make their center something other than the cross, however, I would argue that they are really less than the gospel, or no gospel at all.[1]

I don’t get the sense that Bill Johnson puts a high value on the message of the cross. If he mentioned it, it was in passing. The theme of the sermon was very man centered. To this I am not surprised. Many in the “signs and wonders” movement make their message about the seeker and his potential. Rarely do they spend much time speaking to man about God, rather, they speak to man about man. What man can do, what man can accomplish, and what man has the potential for.

I also don’t get the sense that Johnson has a very high view of scripture. He didn’t get to the text until twenty two minutes into his sermon, and when he did he read the verse in passing. It was more about his message and what he was trying to convey. As you can see from my review in parts 1 and 2, rarely did he give any scriptural reference to any of his claims. Many of the verses he quoted were used out of context and were being twisted to support his claim. Johnson makes it seem that he has some type of inside knowledge to what the scripture is trying to say. This is not the Spirit giving him new insight, in my opinion, this is soft Gnosticism. Gnosticism was an early Christian heresy that closely resembled Mysticism. It is the belief that one has some sort of “secret knowledge” given to them directly from the divine. 

The few times that Johnson made statements I agreed with, I found them to be empty. At one point in the sermon he says “the goodness of God is the cornerstone of all theology.” To this I say Amen. However, based on the sermon, one would conclude the “goodness of God” is signs and wonders. Indeed the goodness of God is the cornerstone of all theology. But it is the goodness of His love, and goodness of His mercy. It is the fact that a good God came to rescue a wretched sinner like myself. Elsewhere Johnson claims “The hope of the world is in the power of the gospel.” Yes, Johnson is exactly right. The hope of the world is in the power of the gospel. However, Johnson never articulates what the gospel is. Never is there a reference to depraved sinners in need of a righteous Savior. By listening to this sermon one would conclude the “power of the gospel” is in signs and wonders. At the conclusion of his sermon Johnson gave a typical altar call. He asked if there was anyone that wanted to “get right with God,” he also asked if they wanted to be “part of His family” and “be forgiven of sin.” There was no articulation on what it meant to be a sinner in need of a savior. There was no mentioned of the sinner being guilty before a Holy God. There was no mention of the atoning work that Jesus did on the cross. There was no call for repentance, and no call for people to abandon their sins and turn to Christ. He mentions that “this is the greatest miracle of all.” However, based off his own expression and limited attention given to this part of the service, it’s hard to see that he believes his own claim. 

In conclusion, I can see why many have taken issue with Bill Johnson’s theology. His gospel is one that makes signs and wonders the centerpiece. He twists scripture to promote his message, and he deviates from the main message of the cross. Rarely does he make the main thing, the main thing. Bill Johnson is someone I would not recommend. In fact, I would encourage people to run away from his misguided theology. Not only is it not helpful, it is one I find to be dangerous to the body of Christ.  

Below I answer some anticipated questions one may have after reading this review. 

-          Why did you write this?

I wasn’t planning to write this review. My goal was to simply listen to the sermon. I had heard what others had said about his theology and I wanted to hear it for myself. After listening for a few minutes I was astonished by the twisting of scriptures and erroneous teaching. I then felt a burden for people trapped in this theology. Good, God fearing people who are being fed this type of teaching. What he was saying angered me, I take it personal when people trample on the word of God. I heard him twist scripture after scripture and it began to break my spirit. I had sorrow and compassion for the people listening to him, so I couldn’t help but write this review. I wanted to warn them, as Ephesians 5:11 says “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” As I said when I started the review, my sole purpose was to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

-          Aren’t you being divisive?

My goal is not to be divisive, my goal is unity. But unity for the sake of unity is not always helpful. We are not to be united in error. Our goal is to be united in the truth of God’s word. In Galatians 2:11-14 we read of a time where Paul opposed Peter openly. Peter was doing things in public that caused people to be “led astray.” The reason Paul gives for his confrontation was because he believed Peter was doing things “not in step with the truth of the gospel.” I have never heard anyone accuse Paul of being divisive. Paul did not confront Peter to shame him or just to be judgemental. The purpose was to expose error in the hope that they would unite in the truth. By what we can tell from Acts and the rest of the Epistles, it seemed Peter did turn away from his error. Paul could have stayed quiet and not do anything. He could have said “well as long as Peter is reaching many Jews, I don’t want to cause division.” But Paul couldn’t help but speak out. My purpose with these post is for people to examine the errors in this movement so they too can walk “in step with the gospel.”

-          Isn’t this just a matter of interpreting verses differently?

My response to Bill Johnson weren’t over misinterpretation of scripture, they were over twisting and adding to scripture. There is room in the body of Christ to interpret scriptures differently and I believe these things should be discussed in love. However, there is a difference between misinterpreting scripture and adding to it. We can have differences in interpretation when it comes to eschatology (the end times, the tribulation, the millennium), or infant baptism, or even discussions on whether scripture properly permits elements in worship. These are things brothers in Christ throughout history have widely disagreed on. But my concern with Bill Johnson is far more than a trivial disagreement. Attributing new meanings to what Jesus said is not trivial, it is a best careless, and at worst slandering Christ. Scripture has been studied for nearly two thousand years. The early church fathers and the Reformers have painstakingly examined the word of God to form fixed doctrines. This is why it is important to study church history. To know what the Orthodox Church has believed about certain text for hundreds of years. To trace this belief all the way back to the early church and the Apostles. For Bill Johnson, or anyone else, to come along and deviate from the way the text has been interpreted for nearly two thousand years is not trivial. For him to all of a sudden come up with a new meaning and new doctrine (yes a signs and wonders gospel is a new doctrine), in my opinion is not trivial, but highly dangerous.

-          Aren’t you just attacking a man of God?

I am not attacking for the sake of attacking. Again, I am examining his message under the light of scripture. Bill Johnson is not above examination. Even the Apostle Paul’s messages were subject to examination. Scripture commends the Bereans who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11). Here was the apostle Paul, one of the greatest men of God ever, and even he was subject to examination. The Bereans were examining Paul’s message to see if what he was saying was true. And if they found out Paul was adding to, or misapplying scripture, I highly doubt they would have kept quiet for the sake of unity. As a pastor I welcome examination from my flock or anyone else. My goal is to walk in step with the gospel, if I am preaching in error I hope to be corrected.

-          Why attack Bill Johnson when he is doing great things for the kingdom?

First, we are never called to do “great things” for the kingdom. That is a pragmatic and self-centered idea that has infiltrated the church within the past 50 years. “Doing great things” is not on the list as a fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness is (Gal 5:22). We must faithfully, and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Having a successful ministry does not equate faithfulness. Scripture doesn’t commend the “good and successful servant”, but rather the “good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23). If we are going to measure “numbers” and “success” with truth, then we must say that Roman Catholicism is the truest doctrine. After all they have been the most “successful” religion that we have known.

Second, we must be careful in measuring “great things” by worldly standards. Large altar calls and spontaneous baptisms does not mean God is at work. It is only God and the Spirit’s work that can regenerate the heart and make dead man live. Raising your hand or walking down the aisle does not equate to the new birth. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 “Many” will be turned away from the kingdom, not a few but many. Many who have said “Lord, Lord,” and many who have “done mighty works.” The “altar call” has led many to believe in a false assurance of salvation. They believe because they said a prayer or were dunked in water that they truly are converted. As JD Greear puts it Salvation does indeed happen in a moment, and once you are saved you will always be saved. The mark, however, of someone who is saved is that they maintain their confession of faith until the end of their lives. Salvation is not a prayer you pray in a one-time ceremony and then move on: salvation is a posture of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life”[2] Furthermore, as I articulated above, what gospel is Bill Johnson winning them to? Is it to a gospel that says “Come to God to receive a better life” or “experience signs and wonders”? If it is a gospel that is void of the cross, atonement, sin, repentance, holiness, wrath, and grace, then it is not the true gospel.

-          But I feel good with this type of message, it has really changed my life. I now have a greater desire for God. How can this be wrong?

If your life has been fully and truthfully changed by the Spirit I believe it’s in spite of this message, not because of it. God in His providence can save, change, and restore His children in the midst of error. It’s not how we should go about it, but in His loving kindness, He does seek out His own. Scripture tells us he comes to “seek and save those that are lost” (Luke 19:10). He will find His people wherever they are. But that is no excuse to continue walking in error. “Good feelings” or “great passion” are no excuse for error. Christianity is not about “emotional experiences”, we are not called to walk in a manner of mindless emotionalism. Colossians 1: 10 says “…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Our walk should be one pleasing to him, bearing good works, and growing in our knowledge of God. We are not to surrender our knowledge to emotion and experience. Many people in this movement have a lot of zeal and passion for the things of God. We tend to excuse or overlook the truth in favor of that zeal and passion. Scripture, however, does not overlook that. In fact, Romans 10:2 mentions this very thing "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge."

-          What is the harm in this message?

There are many, but for the sake of time I will identify two. One is that “another gospel” creates a false sense of assurance. It confuses people into believing they have embraced Christ when they truly haven’t. The Christ they have embraced is one who empowers them for greatness, not one who died in their place at the cross.

Second, it can cause doubt, guilt, and lack of trust in God. For example, telling someone whose mom is dying that “with enough faith she will be healed” is reckless. What happens if the mom passes and doesn’t get healed? They will start to question God and themselves. They will live the rest of their lives with guilt, or lack of trust in the things of God. This is a dangerous teaching in the word of faith movement. One that has caused many to abandoned hope and faith in Christ all together.

I can think of a few more questions, but for the sake of making these post easily readable I will stop here. I do hope that you understand this is not an attack on those that attend Trinity Church or those that enjoy messages from the likes of Bill Johnson. My aim is not to offend, scold, or confuse people. My aim is not to do harm to the body of Christ. My aim is to assist the body of Christ. May aim is to shed light on false teachings and help expose them (Eph. 5:11). I believe the body of Christ suffers from a lack of Spiritual discernment. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 tells us For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. I believe we are well into those times.

For a closer look at the errors of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church, please visit the links below.

Grace and Peace,

http://www.piratechristian.com/messedupchurch/2016/1/the-bill-johnson-cornucopia-of-false-teaching-bible-twisting-and-general-absurdity

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15508

http://www.equip.org/article/off-map-bill-johnson-pursuit-extrabiblical-authentication/

---

[1] Gilbert, Greg. What is the Gospel? Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010. 103,104

[2] Greear, J. D. Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2014. 5