Word of Faith pastors often distort or misrepresent the essentials of the faith. Repentance is one such topic. I attended my former church from 2014 – 2024, at which point I finally learned the Gospel. Now that I’m saved – and now that some time has passed – I’m able to better articulate the manipulation of Scripture.
I’ve reviewed old sermons and I’ve held them against some of the newer ones, as well. Unfortunately, the teachings haven’t changed. Let’s get into it.
True Repentance
Repentance means to turn away from sin and to turn toward God. It describes a total change of will. As we learn what God desires and commands, we find ourselves desiring alignment rather than rebellion.
For instance: Have you ever told someone that you’re on the way, when you’re really still getting dressed? That’s a lie. That makes you a liar. And that is a sin.
I thought I hated lying… until I got saved. I thought I was a great person… until I got saved.
I’m not saying that to sound self-deprecating. However, I had to learn that God’s standard is way higher than mine. There are many things that the world considers “no big deal.” But how does God view those things? How does God view lying, slander, aggression, violence and immorality? It’s not about what we think. It’s about what He thinks.
So, when you slip up with a “tiny, little lie”… or when you catch yourself hurling insults mid-traffic… or sharing someone else’s business without permission… repent. And how do you repent? You confess your sin to God, immediately. And, if you’re able to rectify it with the person you’ve offended, do that as well!
And, if you’re not sure if something is a sin, and you haven’t yet been able to glean your answers from Scripture… remain in prayer, consulting God. He desires a humble heart. And humility will keep you even when your understanding is weak.
Believers are not sinless, but we’re forgiven. We’re not perfect, but we’re repentant.
Distorting Repentance, Pt. 1
My former pastor defines repentance this way:
“Repentance is the process by which – when you find yourself in a pit – you stop digging. That’s what repentance is. Repentance is realizing, ‘Oh, I’m in a pit. Maybe I should stop digging.’ How many of you have ever found yourself in a pit because of your own sin? How many of you have found yourself sinking deeper and deeper into something that God tried to get you to stop, sooner? How many of you waited until the consequences got so bad? How many of you waited until the pain became so severe? How many of you waited to the point where now you have to pray three times as long because now you got 10 times as many issues? If you just would have said something when you started sinking… The best strategy when you find yourself in a pit of sin is: stop digging.” – My former pastor; verbatim from one of his sermons
•••
In reality: We should be aiming to catch sin at the root, not in the pit.
Now, of course, it is possible for Believers to slip into a stretch of ongoing sin. But, for clarity, and by definition: Repentance is the act of turning toward God in obedience. NOT: Turning toward God because you’re in a pit and reaping the consequences.
Everybody needs God, but Believers have a repentant heart that is turned toward God, even in times of calm.
And, thankfully for us, Believers don’t remain repentant on our own. Believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. He enables our repentance. Though we may still falter, we are no longer slaves to sin, and we are hyperaware of sin. Though we all sin in some way everyday, we confess our sins more quickly to the Lord as we want to be in right standing with Him.
Distorting Repentance, Pt. 2
I went and watched a recent sermon from one month ago. Before I list some statements, let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 4:4, as it appears in the Bible:
“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent; it is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Cor 4:4)
Now here’s what my former pastor said:
“What Paul said, not all of us can say. Verse 4: ‘My conscience is clear.’ See, we can’t all say that. When he said, ‘It is the Lord that judges me.’ just a few words later. Do you see that in Verse 4 part B? ‘It is the Lord that judges me.’ We can all say that because it’s ultimately gonna be God’s job to judge us. That doesn’t mean that people won’t hand out consequences and that your life won’t have certain verdicts that are handed to you by… life. But it means that, ultimately, it’s God who judges us. But the part we might be tripping over is that we can’t all say, like Paul, that ‘My conscience is clear.’ Because there are a lot of you who are listening to me who are listening through a filter of guilt.
•••
There are so many issues with this. First of all: Born Again Believers can absolutely have a clear conscience. Through repentance. Forgiveness wipes our slate clean, repentance keeps our conscience clear. But Word of Faith teachers do what all manipulators do: they aim to keep you in an unsettled state.
Second: he skips over seven very important words. That same verse says, “But that does not make me innocent.” We need to know that we are guilty of the sin we commit. As Believers, we are saved and forgiven. But we absolutely are guilty of the trespasses we commit against God. And, if not for Christ, we would be held accountable for them. Forgiveness does not absolve guilt, it covers it.
Yes, my former pastor has always affirmed that we are “sinners in need of a savior.” But he does not truly teach that we are in need of forgiveness, and so he never preaches repentance.
But… baby, it gets worse.
Distorting Repentance, Pt. 3
In that same sermon, my former pastor goes on to speak about how internal guilt keeps you stagnant. He preaches about the woman who was caught in adultery and how the Pharisees expected Jesus to condemn her under the Law. They “expected Jesus to agree with them.” And so, my former pastor says this:
“It’s a dangerous thing when you have made a Jesus in your mind who only ever agrees with you. Jesus might think different about it than you. Jesus might see it different than you.”
This whole section was a very sly presentation of this topic. A strong preacher would have confirmed before the congregation that the Mosaic Law did call for her stoning. (Of course that’s hard for us to stomach and hear. I don’t even want to envision it.) But, when you minimize sin and its consequence, you can’t properly elevate Jesus. The fact that Jesus spared her from the consequence of her sin is such a simple and powerful message. It affirms that though she was wrong… and though Jesus knew she was wrong (because He is God, and He set the standard for morality)… He chose, through His grace, to cover her.
Instead, my former pastor took the rather confusing route of, “Jesus might see things differently than you.”
Pastors should point us to Scripture so that we can know what Jesus commands. There may be some niche issues on which the Bible is silent. But, for the majority of our actions, there shouldn’t be much guesswork as to whether or not God agrees or disagrees with you. And for the Believer, there should be no guesswork as to whether we are forgiven.
(But, for clarity: If you are not a Believer, you are not yet forgiven. And, if you aren’t studying the Bible, you may not understand what constitutes as sin.)
A bit later, my former pastor says…
“The Holy Spirit is not an accuser. That’s satan’s job. The Holy Spirit is an advocate. And when Jesus is your jury. When Jesus – the perfect one, the spotless one, the Lamb of God, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Bright and the Morning Star, the lily of the valley, the Rose of Sharon – when that God gets down in the dirt, it doesn’t matter what people declare over your life. Even you can’t judge you when Jesus is your jury.”
And…
“Any time the enemy starts telling you, ‘You’re such a sinner. You can’t be used by God. You’re such a sinner. God won’t forgive you for that. See, you’re missing the whole point. The point [isn’t] that I’m such a sinner or that I’m such a saint. It’s that He’s such a savior.”
In reality: This is a conflation of accusation and conviction. Of course, the voice of condemnation is Satan’s, not God’s. But condemnation is not the same as correction. This type of preaching does not clearly separate the two. God will correct His children and He will place conviction in the hearts of those whom He is drawing. This should be made clear to the congregation so that people don’t disregard God’s correction, assuming that it’s the enemy’s voice.
And at the very end, my former pastor says…
“Shame can’t lift you out of your sin and grace will not leave you in it.”
•••
When you consider this sermon in its entirety, it reads like this:
You may feel guilty for things, and you will never have a clear conscience. That’s normal. But, don’t worry because God’s the only judge. You can’t judge yourself, only Jesus can. And Jesus, Himself, may not even agree with your feelings of guilt. If you feel accused by other people, they can’t judge you either. If you feel accused within your heart, that’s not the Holy Spirit, that’s the devil. God won’t make you feel bad, only the devil will. Ignore shame. Shame won’t lift you out of your sin. But grace will!
All of that… and not one mention of repentance.
You have to know the truth in order to spot the lies. Word of Faith preaching is extremely disgraceful. But you can learn how to spot red flags, once you know the truth. If you want to know more about True Christianity vs. Word of Faith preaching, click below:
Lexzie in Christ 