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 5th. 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.
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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)
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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,
