Do our words carry the same power as God?
Genesis 3:5-6 ESV
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Eve with the fruit of the one tree God told her husband Adam that they shall not eat from. To become like God in the temptation of higher knowledge.
Eve was tempted into taking the fruit, and Adam despite being told directly to not eat of the tree of knowledge, decided to deliberately disobey God.
Sin was born, and the curse of Adam has been evident in every descendant of the human race. The fall of humanity is evident that we could never be “like God”.
There is still a growing movement that falls for the original lie of Satan. “You can be like God”.
The history behind the New Age movement, New Thought movement, Word of Faith theology, and Name it claim it theology is rooted in Gnosticism.
Definitions:
Gnosticism - a term that refers to the thought and practice of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries that held that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis (secret/ hidden knowledge or lost revelation that can be rediscovered).
The Gnostic is on a quest of secret or hidden meanings behind the reality of their perception. They seek to find their true self in relation to the cosmos and often believe they are like god themselves but must activate such power to manipulate the world (matter) around them.
New Age Movement- through the 1970s and 1980s a man named Marilyn Ferguson gave rise to the philosophical understanding behind the new age movement. It is defined as
• monism- humanity’s fall into ignorance and the gradual ascent into enlightenment.
• We all are god
• A change in conscience of perspective must take place to believe we are a god
• You can create your own reality
• A universalism of sorts where one day all will be united in this eternal higher consciousness
• Some to the more extreme cases in order to reach a higher perspective they try to contact the spiritual realm
New Thought Movement- beginning in a 19th-century movement by a man named Phineas Quimby. Quimby believed that illness in the body originated in the mind and could be overcome with “his” truth. Essentially explained by the law of attraction or the belief that thought can bring things into existence.
Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth).
Spiritual evolution- to ascend the densities (frequencies) of consciousness is often portrayed by eight to an infinite stages of frequencies that someone can achieve to alter their perspective and create their own reality. How do they obtain higher levels? Higher levels of consciousness by listening to their heart, finding their own truth, or to love unconditionally. (Example of this in the image below)
Name It Claim It- similar to new age metaphysics but instead of us creating our reality with our thoughts, we can use our faith to shape or manifest our reality and obtain health, wealth, etc.
What does all this mean?
By reading the definitions you may begin to see some similarities and to make things more difficult to understand, people often cherry-pick parts from each of these while excluding other parts.
None of these beliefs are Biblical and that can be defended but the purpose here is to highlight the connections and roots of certain beliefs. All are rooted in Gnosticism with the pursuit of a higher power to manipulate their reality.
I can not tell you how many times I have heard people trying to prophesy or extract hidden out-of-context interpretations behind the scriptures.
The more progressive side of Christianity has adopted much of these beliefs by promoting the idea of listening to their heart, finding their own truth, or loving unconditionally. Relativism- everyone can hold their own truth. Universalism- is where all paths lead to god.
Prosperity teachers feed off the idea of being like God (some have even said we are like gods)
Creflo Dollar a modern prosperity teacher was quoted saying "You are gods (little 'g')"
We as Christians are created in God's image but we are not of the same being. We are created not begotten. Jesus was the only begotten (monogenes) Son of God John 3:16. Meaning He was one of a kind sharing the same nature as His Father.
How do we protect ourselves from such errors?
One must first accept the Bible as the only authoritative Holy Spirit-inspired source of all truth.
The Christian can not cherry-pick where God has been clear on. Sure we have some areas of debated theology but where God is clear we hold to that truth. The Bible does not teach that we are little gods or have the power to manifest things, shape our reality, or claim anything beyond the will of God.
Prosperity teachers try to twist scripture to say that God wills us to be healthy, wealthy, and have a life of bliss but in context, the Bible tells us that isn't physically promised. Not that God never allows that but it has to be in harmony with scripture that speaks on trials, discipline, and suffering.
You may read this and find parts you adhere to while others not so much. It is important to see the connection and tactic of Satan. The same tactic has been used in different ways. Always ending with the lie “You can become like God”.
Ephesians 1:11 ESV
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
Genesis 3:5-6 ESV
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Satan in the form of a serpent tempted Eve with the fruit of the one tree God told her husband Adam that they shall not eat from. To become like God in the temptation of higher knowledge.
Eve was tempted into taking the fruit, and Adam despite being told directly to not eat of the tree of knowledge, decided to deliberately disobey God.
Sin was born, and the curse of Adam has been evident in every descendant of the human race. The fall of humanity is evident that we could never be “like God”.
There is still a growing movement that falls for the original lie of Satan. “You can be like God”.
The history behind the New Age movement, New Thought movement, Word of Faith theology, and Name it claim it theology is rooted in Gnosticism.
Definitions:
Gnosticism - a term that refers to the thought and practice of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries that held that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis (secret/ hidden knowledge or lost revelation that can be rediscovered).
The Gnostic is on a quest of secret or hidden meanings behind the reality of their perception. They seek to find their true self in relation to the cosmos and often believe they are like god themselves but must activate such power to manipulate the world (matter) around them.
New Age Movement- through the 1970s and 1980s a man named Marilyn Ferguson gave rise to the philosophical understanding behind the new age movement. It is defined as
• monism- humanity’s fall into ignorance and the gradual ascent into enlightenment.
• We all are god
• A change in conscience of perspective must take place to believe we are a god
• You can create your own reality
• A universalism of sorts where one day all will be united in this eternal higher consciousness
• Some to the more extreme cases in order to reach a higher perspective they try to contact the spiritual realm
New Thought Movement- beginning in a 19th-century movement by a man named Phineas Quimby. Quimby believed that illness in the body originated in the mind and could be overcome with “his” truth. Essentially explained by the law of attraction or the belief that thought can bring things into existence.
Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth).
Spiritual evolution- to ascend the densities (frequencies) of consciousness is often portrayed by eight to an infinite stages of frequencies that someone can achieve to alter their perspective and create their own reality. How do they obtain higher levels? Higher levels of consciousness by listening to their heart, finding their own truth, or to love unconditionally. (Example of this in the image below)
Name It Claim It- similar to new age metaphysics but instead of us creating our reality with our thoughts, we can use our faith to shape or manifest our reality and obtain health, wealth, etc.
What does all this mean?
By reading the definitions you may begin to see some similarities and to make things more difficult to understand, people often cherry-pick parts from each of these while excluding other parts.
None of these beliefs are Biblical and that can be defended but the purpose here is to highlight the connections and roots of certain beliefs. All are rooted in Gnosticism with the pursuit of a higher power to manipulate their reality.
I can not tell you how many times I have heard people trying to prophesy or extract hidden out-of-context interpretations behind the scriptures.
The more progressive side of Christianity has adopted much of these beliefs by promoting the idea of listening to their heart, finding their own truth, or loving unconditionally. Relativism- everyone can hold their own truth. Universalism- is where all paths lead to god.
Prosperity teachers feed off the idea of being like God (some have even said we are like gods)
Creflo Dollar a modern prosperity teacher was quoted saying "You are gods (little 'g')"
We as Christians are created in God's image but we are not of the same being. We are created not begotten. Jesus was the only begotten (monogenes) Son of God John 3:16. Meaning He was one of a kind sharing the same nature as His Father.
How do we protect ourselves from such errors?
One must first accept the Bible as the only authoritative Holy Spirit-inspired source of all truth.
The Christian can not cherry-pick where God has been clear on. Sure we have some areas of debated theology but where God is clear we hold to that truth. The Bible does not teach that we are little gods or have the power to manifest things, shape our reality, or claim anything beyond the will of God.
Prosperity teachers try to twist scripture to say that God wills us to be healthy, wealthy, and have a life of bliss but in context, the Bible tells us that isn't physically promised. Not that God never allows that but it has to be in harmony with scripture that speaks on trials, discipline, and suffering.
You may read this and find parts you adhere to while others not so much. It is important to see the connection and tactic of Satan. The same tactic has been used in different ways. Always ending with the lie “You can become like God”.
Ephesians 1:11 ESV
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
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