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Deliver
Us From Evil Mannum
Retreat 2006 Elective:
Deliverance Movements and Generational Sin. Eccles. 1:9 (ESV) What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what
will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. It seems that we all want new things and when new
things come across our path we will stop to look and examine it. As the passage above tells us the there is
nothing new, particularly when it comes to Christ (Heb 13:8). This presentation will try to explore the growing movement
in the church called deliverance ministries or more correctly ‘deliverance
movements’. The question of how they
came to be and why they are making such an impact in the church will be
examined. Also I will give an insight
as to how we should give clear direction to such a movement. Heavenly
Inheritance or Earthly Assessment I am sure that you have some superannuation and that
you have worked hard to accumulate this ‘nest egg’. Of course for some, it will not be enough but never the less, there
is something to retire on. Others may
have investments and also worked hard to get them. We all recognise the hard work but we do have an inherent
suspicion of those who didn’t work at all for their superannuation. Most of all we seem to have a certain amount
of disdain for those who have inherited all their money at birth without
working. When it comes to our spiritual life do we rely on our
investments or do we rely on God’s inheritance? Or do we try to have a ‘bob each way’ and say half of God, and
half or our work. This is called works
righteousness! This is one item that
Luther spoke against: But only when this message (crucified Christ)
is preached does the real sin manifest itself, the sin of which it is stated
here that it makes all the difference, namely, that “they do not believe in
Me.” For the world does not want to hear such preaching: that they are all
sinners before God, that their work righteousness has no validity before Him,
and that they can obtain mercy and salvation solely through this crucified
Christ. This unbelief toward Christ becomes a combination of all sins;19
it leads man into a damnation from which there is no rescue.[1] Luther rightly states that the world does not want to
hear that they are at fault of their own fallen state. In fact a description of our society is to
‘buck pass’ – “It is someone else’s fault!” Deliverance movements grew in a time of social
upheaval where people were abdicating their responsibility. Children were suing parents and parents were
splitting up. The divorce rate exploded
upwards and it was always somebody else’s fault. The courts would often take into consideration a child's
upbringing to excuse them from harsh penalties. This became so ‘successful’ that it was a standard defence in
court – to blame your upbringing as a way of excusing bad behaviour. In this context deliverance movements rode in on a
crest of a wave of discontentment telling people that their current spiritual
problems were not their own fault but the fault of either their parents or
grandparents whom they could blame.
When we take pride in tracking down the cause of sin
and pain in our spiritual lives, looking away from ourselves, we rely on
ourselves more than God and as a consequence make ourselves the centre – the
god; in other words ‘the blame game’!
Does this sound like original sin again? This is the simple error that deliverance movements
portray but before we enter into a deep discussion about their theology (or
absence of it), we need to look at our culture and its climate to better
understand how this has come about. Pendulum
Swings Over the last twenty years or so, our society has been
immersed in post modern thinking. In
short this means that no truth is ‘absolute’ and all truth is ‘relative’. As a consequence of this came
Experientialism, that ones experience validates their truth. This appealed to all those who did not
learn, rejected learning, or rebelled against learning. The fact that no truth was absolute meant
that no position was wrong – no one could tell another person they were
wrong. Postmodernism became the philosophy of many churches
such as the Pentecostal and church growth movements. They rejected the authority of the church and made there own
authority. They rejected doctrines
(teachings) and made a strong emphasis on feelings and experience. Naturally this ‘new’ philosophy was ‘good
news’ for those who did not learn or did not want to learn. The churches teachings were rejected or at
least ignored! Personal experience was
the ‘new’ truth! As with all things in life we know some fundamental
laws of physics don’t change. Newton,
the great physicist, noted one of the great laws of science “For each reaction
there is an equal an opposite reaction”.
Now while I am not talking about science this law describes human nature
very well. When there is a huge push in
one direction there appears a push in the opposite direction. Since we have been floundering in postmodern
philosophy we are now seeing an opposite reaction –fundamentalism. I need to be clear here! We all believe in the fundamentals but this does not necessarily
make one a fundamentalist. A
fundamentalist is usually one who takes an extreme position – for example
Christians who believe that murdering abortionists is condoned by
Scripture. The worst case of fundamentalism is the growing cancer
of terrorism. All of a sudden people
are now defining absolute truth (in contrast to Postmodernism) and going
further and claiming if you don’t believe their truth – you are the enemy. Currently in the church we are in a turbulent sea
between Postmodernism and Fundamentalism. Filling
the Void In the void of postmodern philosophy new ‘mushrooms’
of teaching are popping up everywhere. In business for example it is now common place to
‘outsource’ functions in an effort to streamline efficient business
practise. Therefore third party ‘Para-
groups’ approach businesses to get their business. Hence a company may get some mail offering services from a
‘Para-group’ saying they can take over payroll, creditors, invoicing, and many
other tasks and do it better and cheaper.
It is called outsourcing! This
is also happening in the church! Each
week every parish receives information from all manner of ‘Para-group’ bodies
telling that they can do better what ‘we don’t do well’ – of course it all
comes at a cost. In the church, screening such para-groups shows a
variety of different philosophical approaches.
Some tell you about administration, ministry, youth, worship, etc,
etc. Most will tell you that they are
‘ecumenical’ or ‘non-denominational’ -this I believe to be one of the most
erroneous descriptions because each para-group will promote their ‘vision’ within
their own philosophical/theological understanding. Within a few minutes of reading, one can quickly conclude what
theological approach (denomination) they have taken. Postmodernism promotes the breakdown of denominations while
fundamentalism wants to build up higher denominational walls than before
postmodernism. Para
–Groups While I have been speaking about para-groups in
general terms I believe I need to spell this out more clearly. The word para is a Greek word to mean ‘walk
beside’ or ‘travel beside’. Hence many
groups who do not officially identify as denominations wish to ‘walk beside’
you or ‘travel beside you’ in your ministry.
They usually have a very narrow focus i.e. on one topic, as is their
calling. Therefore some groups will
focus on welfare to the poor or focus on youth. In the area of deliverance ministry there are many
para –groups that promote themselves as non-denominational yet in the same
breath show very strong Pentecostal teachings.
Such para-groups that present in this way are Ellel Ministries and Elijah
House, just to mention two. Their
material on the surface seems non-confronting but after seeing their material
and teachings one can only come to the conclusion that they have a clear agenda
to teach their philosophy/theology to you. Para-groups have grown in the postmodern absence of
teaching – therefore more groups including ‘fundamental groups’ have taken this
opportunity to teach in this ‘artificial’ void. I say artificial because the church continues to teach but some
para-groups want to break the denominational walls and replace the
denominations teaching with their own teaching. At this point I also need to say that not all
para-groups carry a ‘poison chalice’.
There are some fine groups that help and assist the church. In our own LCA we have groups like LWS
(Lutheran World Service) and LCC (Lutheran Community Care) who want to walk
‘along side’ us in the church. However other groups also approach us to challenge
us. As always we need to ‘test the
spirit’ of the group and ensure that the gospel and Christ are the centre of
teaching. Why talk about this topic? This topic is
raised because essentially it causes division and confusion about the
relationship of sin and sickness! In
recent times there has been an explosion in ‘Deliverance Movements’ around the
world highlighting a battle between the devil and the world. Deliverance
movements today portray the devil as a powerful individual who has a ‘very,
very large’ force to attack humanity, i.e. you! This very, very, large force includes demons that infiltrate our
lives and cause pain and suffering. Therefore, many
look to this type of ministry as something new and innovative, hoping that it
will release them from their pain and suffering by delivering them from their
demons. Hence, many flock to these
ministries to cure them of all ailments.
Deliverance movements teach that much sickness is the result of demonic
influence, and therefore there is a simple and quick cure for these health
complaints. In this day and age of ‘instant
fixes’ this message appears to be a welcome one. The difficulty in
critiquing deliverance movements is that there is always an element of truth in
their teachings. Indeed, if there was no truth in what they teach, Christians
would find it more easy to dismiss them. But because of the mixture of truth
and error, much discernment and caution needs to be exercised in unravelling
their teaching. You may say that we may keep the truth and cast aside the
error. When the spiritual health of
Christians is at stake, we need to reject a ministry which mixes truth with
error. What is
Deliverance Ministry or Movement? “One drop of poison can render an entire body of water
useless” We live in a time where words are very
‘slippery’. For example there was a time
where I could say quite happily that I was gay (meaning happy). But today the word ‘gay’ has lost its
original meaning – its meaning now has more ‘baggage’. Many words in the church have lost part of
their initial meaning and now have added nuances such as ‘worship’, ‘prayer’,
and ‘revelation’. These words always
were spoken about in terms of corporate entity – the church – but now these
words are more understood in terms of ‘individual’ behaviour and not necessarily
‘corporate’ – in short the move is away from the ‘church’ and to the
‘individual’ i.e. the breaking of community.
With this brief introduction I hope all can see that
‘deliverance ministries’ are words which are familiar to us but seem to say
more than we understand. Certainly the
word ‘deliverance’ is not new! It is a
word that is repeated in the bible and has the simplistic meaning of ‘freedom’;
a freedom from oppression. Luther uses
the word also in this way: The faith of which we are speaking, moreover, has its
existence in penitence; that is, it is conceived in the terrors of a conscience
that feels God’s wrath against our sins and looks for forgiveness of sins and
deliverance from sin. [2] So why is there a problem with a ministry based in a
‘deliverance movement?’ The word deliverance has an understanding in Lutheran
terms that this is God’s work on us through God’s means of grace. Others use this term to indicate a personal
or individual victory over the evil one.
Also the inference is that the devil has power over the individual (even
some of the baptised) and that Word and Sacrament are not enough to ‘break the
bonds’ of the demon. Hence one needs to
go to the ‘deliverance’ ministries. In short ‘deliverance movements’ teach that the devil
can lead you into sin and you become addicted and thereby open a ‘channel’ for
the devil or demon to reside in you regardless if you are baptised or not (only
‘born again’ Christians are protected).
This demon then affects your life through illness and sickness. This demon can be transmitted horizontally
(to your spouse, your brothers and sisters, and friends) as well as vertically
(to your children, grandchildren). This
means that if you are an infant baptised individual you could be at risk and
your past could be the reason for your present problems or your family’s
problems. Hence deliverance ministries
teach they have the solution – to call out the demon and break the bond. The truth is that the LCA has always had a
‘deliverance ministry’ and it is based in baptism. The work of defeating the devil is the efficacious work of
Christ. The deliverance is linked to
the Word and the Water and that we are created new in Christ solely because of
Christ. This happens when we are
baptised even when we are infants. The
‘new’ deliverance ministry casts doubt on infant baptism because only ‘born
again’ Christians are ‘protected’ from the devil. This brings doubt on all those who have been baptised as
infants. Also the work of salvation
moves from God to the individual if you say that infant baptism is not valid,
binding, efficacious, because one could not ‘decide’ or ‘commit’ to God. This is not Lutheran teaching. The work of salvation is God’s alone and
this is why we baptise infants because they are helpless, powerless, without voice,
and yet God comes to them and makes them His own – what a powerful witness! The Origins of Deliverance Movements I am speaking here
of ‘movements’ which have a primary focus on a deliverance ministry. Of course, proponents of such ministries
will claim that the origins are scriptural, but deliverance 'movements'
appeared only recently. The question
often asked is where did they come from and what are there roots. The ‘deliverance movement’ began (in modern
times) in the early 1900’s through Pentecostal personalities such as William
Branham. As each Pentecostal
generation rolled through the ‘movement’ was refined. In fact the different approaches between Pentecostal groups in
deliverance practice caused division. The more extreme
groups became fringe movements. Of
recent times the ‘deliverance organisations’ have attempted to try and be more
'mainstream' (we think of other non-related groups such as the Mormons who are
also using their resources to do this).
In other words, the approach was to try and infiltrate evangelical
churches. But how were they going to do
this? The approach was
built on the observation that evangelicals buy books and read. Now, the Pentecostal approach is more
experiential and pragmatic and less theological. Pentecostals desire unity, but they cannot unify with groups that
don’t agree with them! The point of
difference was in doctrine – which is the Pentecostal ‘weak point’. They are not a church that puts a high value
on doctrine or theology. Hence, to be more
mainstream they needed to put their theology in print in the large evangelical
Christian marketplace. Neil Anderson found
much success with his book “The Bondage Breaker”, which proved very popular
because of its practical emphasis, but which many in evangelical and mainstream
churches regarded as dubious at best.
But, as a result of Anderson's success, many more authors promoted this
‘new’ ministry of ‘deliverance'. However,
they were all very limited on theology and so received resistance from the 'gatekeepers'
of doctrine in mainstream churches, the pastors and seminary lecturers. Some attempted to
rectify this by writing a systematic approach to the theology of deliverance
ministry. [Just a note about systematic
theology. No matter what we know about
God – it all ties together. So for example, an error in the teaching on
original sin can lead to error in the teaching on justification. This is what
Luther found with the Roman Catholics of his day. In the same way, an error in
Christology (the teaching on the person of Christ) can lead to an error in the
doctrine of the Lord's Supper. This was what Luther found with the Reformed of
his day. Systematic theology links all
the pieces together to give us one whole picture, enabling us to see how all of
Christian doctrine is inter-related, like the parts of a human body.] One of the weakest
points of ‘deliverance movements’, is an approach to try and explain God’s
work. What I mean is this. Things happen in our lives that often we
don’t want to happen, for example sickness and family fractures. When these situations happen we look to God
and ask for a reason. Often we do not
get a satisfactory reply. We are
frustrated and angry when this happens.
In Lutheran theology we teach about the theology of the cross and the
mystery about how God works through suffering to strengthen our faith. But for some this is not good enough! They want neat answers. Deliverance
ministry builds an approach which attempts to explain all suffering. It shows that one can pinpoint the ‘error’
which leads to suffering and the ‘cure’ which will solve all problems. Deliverance movements explain God’s will in
such a way to say that sickness is a punishment from a past demonic 'entrance',
either in your time or your parent's time, from which you need to be
‘delivered’. One of Deliverance
Movements teachings - Soul Ties This is what I
believe to be the most dangerous teachings of deliverance movements. Dangerous because it teaches that God is
limited in what He can do to save you and protect you. It makes the devil more powerful than God by
teaching that Christians can be possessed by demons. I need to define what a ‘soul tie’ is and how it becomes the
central tenet of deliverance movements.
The ‘so called’ scriptural
evidence for this teaching is a single solitary and vague verse. This verse is
the basis of the whole theology of soul ties – the verse is from 1 Samuel 18:1 1 Samuel 18:1 (ESV) As soon as he
had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of
David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
From this solitary
verse the teaching continues to build a ‘doctrine’ which grows like
cancer. On this basis is explained that
souls can be linked both voluntarily and involuntarily, and this linking is an
avenue for both blessings and curses.
Soul ties are formed in family relationships both vertical and
horizontally (i.e. from parents and siblings).
In addition, soul ties are formed within intimate relationships such as
sexual relationships. For example, if a
couple are having sex they are in a soul tie.
This soul tie can be good or bad.
If they are having sex in an ungodly manner then the soul tie will
become ‘evil’ and a demon will be part of this ungodly soul tie. As a consequence the demon is passed on from
the man to the woman or woman to the man.
If therefore a
woman is raped, the woman is in a compulsory soul tie relationship with her
rapist and now the demon is passed onto the woman who needs deliverance as will
her children and husband. Also ‘soul tie’
teaching asserts that a father who sexually abuses his daughter has a soul tie
with the daughter and passes the demon he has, onto the daughter. The description of
‘soul ties’ is a jargon term ‘coined’ and used by deliverance movements. The assumption is that these soul ties can
affect both Christian and non Christian alike.
However one person
states: Question: "What does the
Bible say about soul ties?" Answer: If you are looking for soul ties in the Bible,
you will come up empty. Soul ties are not in the Bible; rather, the idea
of soul ties is a man-made speculation which some teachers superimpose onto
scripture in an attempt to explain certain human behaviours. The Bible does speak of close friendships,
such as that of David and Jonathan. “The soul of Jonathan was knit with
the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel
18:1). This is simply a way of expressing Jonathan’s total commitment to,
and deep friendship with, David. To try to make this passage teach a mystical
binding of the actual soul is unwarranted. The Bible also warns against entering
ungodly relationships. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
. . . Walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path”
(Proverbs 1:10, 15). This passage and others like it caution us against
the wrong types of friends, but stop short of describing a spiritual union of
souls. We also have clear warning against
fornication in scripture. “Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy
2:22). The Bible says that one who “is joined to an harlot is one body”
(1 Corinthians 6:16). Note that the body is joined; the Bible says
nothing of the soul being joined. The Bible presents evil as addictive;
however, nowhere does the Bible speak of “fragmented” souls or “dividing” one’s
soul. In short, the Bible gives us clear direction for our lives, and we know
the remedy for sin is to confess it and forsake it (1 John 1:9; John
8:11). There is no need for overly complex, human theories such as “soul
ties.” (Source : http://www.gotquestions.org/soul-ties.html) To say the least,
one would desire far more in the way of a scriptural basis for such a novel and
central teaching. In the attempt to
explain the source of much sin and suffering, deliverance movements teach only
speculation as Scripture truth. Another Deliverance
Teaching - Generational Sin This is another
central tenet of deliverance teaching which ties in with soul ties (no pun
intended!). For the teaching of
generational sin Exodus 20:5 is vital. Exodus 20:5
(ESV) You shall not
bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the
fourth generation of those who hate me,
Deliverance
movements then teach about this verse: “The commandments warn us that the sins of
the father in this respect will be visited on the children for three or four
generations (Exodus 20:4-5). And if
during those three or four generations there is further idolatry, a new line of
demonic control is established.” (Healing Through Deliverance, vol. 1 – p100) However reading a
verse in isolation leads to misinterpretation!
Read the verses of Exodus noting the words in BOLD. Exodus 20:1-6
(ESV) And God spoke
all these words, saying, 2"I am the Lord your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3"You
shall have no other gods before me. 4"You shall not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them
or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. God is showing a
clear position between those who hate and those who love God. In Lutheran teaching this means those who
are baptised (through daily regeneration and prayer) and those who refuse
baptism. Any Lutheran who loves God
and the church is protected by God and His love. In our baptism we are given the full benefits of Christ’s
victorious defeat of the devil in all his works and ways. Deliverance
movements do not see God’s love so encompassing! If a grand-parent is involved in a practise considered to be
ungodly, then the demon lives with that grandparent and carries this demon onto
the next generation and so forth. This
demon may manifest itself in a myriad of ways but most commonly it is
manifested in sickness. So, for example,
generational depression, asthma and many more conditions are considered by
deliverance movements to be likely demonic in origin. Now our Lutheran
teaching on the Scriptures demands that ‘Scripture interprets Scripture’. This means if a passage is difficult to
interpret we look to other parts of Scripture to aid. In this instance of Exodus 20:4-5 causing some concern about the
‘curse’ on future generations as deliverance movements teaches; we look to
Ezekiel for clarification: Ezekiel
18:18-20 (ESV) As for his
father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not
good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. 19"Yet
you say, 'Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?' When
the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my
statutes, he shall surely live. 20The
soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the
father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of
the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be
upon himself. The whole of
chapter 18 spells out quite clearly, as do the verses above, that the ‘sins of
the father’ are not placed on the son, if the son loves the Lord. For Ezekiel to preach in such a way means
that many were being ‘legalistic’ and using the words of Exodus in a way they
were not intended. Like deliverance
movements they were teaching that evil runs through generational lines, even of
those who loved the Lord. This is one of the
most spiritually dangerous teachings, because this burdens a good Christian
family who may suffer with a genetic disorder.
There are many good Lutheran families who have Down Syndrome children,
arthritis, cancers, depression and many, many more challenges, who will be
burdened to hear that their current situation is a result of a demon passed on
by a grandparent, parent etc. In Lutheran
teaching we often hear about the ‘theology of the cross’, where God in His
wisdom allows suffering for His glory.
We hear this clearly in Scripture: John 9:1-3 (ESV) As
(Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind
from birth. 2And
his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that
he was born blind?" 3Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned,
or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. Jesus cautioned against undue speculation as to the
blame of sin, pain and suffering or attempting to read God's mind. He turned
our attention rather to how suffering may serve faith and the gospel.
Obviously, deliverance movements teach that “suffering for the sake of the
cross – is a mistaken doctrine”. This
teaching can only bring grief and burden to those in Christ who are suffering
because deliverance ministry plants the seed to doubt trust in God in suffering
and to look to blame someone else for the hardship. Also in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 7:14) we see
that even if one parent is a ‘practising pagan’ the Christian parent brings
‘protection’ on the children through the mercy of God. There is no sign of generational sin here: 1 Cor. 7:14
(ESV) For the
unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife
is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean,
but as it is, they are holy. God seeks mercy and not sacrifice! Religious Spirits
in Deliverance Ministries Religious spirits
are demons that take on the guise of a religious nature. Deliverance movements are very astute by
developing a systematic methodology that builds up a case against any
organisation that condemns it. In essence it works
this way. Deliverance movements build a
‘truth’ which they hold fundamental and then say that those who reject this
truth are flawed in their thinking and they themselves are under the influence
of the demonic. So any church that
rejects “deliverance ministry” is under the influence of ‘religious
demons’. The arrogance behind this
methodology gives cause to question deliverance movements motive. Deliverance
movements are scathing in their attack on ‘traditions’ and ‘doctrines’ because
they believe these are the very things that hold back the church and could be
teachings of demons. For example,
deliverance movements cite 1Tim 4:1-5 as a text which supports this premise. 1 Tim. 4:1-5 (ESV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will
depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings
of demons, 2through the
insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods
that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know
the truth. 4For
everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving, 5for it is
made holy by the word of God and prayer. While they
correctly cite examples of ‘new age’ practise in this context, they also
include denominations and their ‘man made doctrines’. Therefore, for example, to say that one is convicted by
conscience to the truth of the Lutheran confessions – means one can be open to
demonic influence through religious spirits because these are man-made
teachings. It seems ironic
that deliverance movements are not a church or a denomination but unashamedly
tells us how everything is wrong with denominations and continues to try and
teach how to build up the church – in the image of deliverance movements. The church (the LCA denomination and others)
which has nurtured our faith and sustained us through the means of grace which
are found in her congregations, may not be perfect, but it is surely not
demonic! To dismiss the churches in
such cavalier fashion is to throw back in God's face the gifts He gives to us
through them. The Lutheran
Theological Apology (Defence) Lutheran theology
teaches that we live by Word, Faith and Grace alone. There are three areas in Lutheran theology, which will show how
deliverance movements are inconsistent with Lutheran theology. First is
Christology, the second is Justification and thirdly Sanctification. We need to be consistent in what we say and
what we do! Christology Christ is the
centre of all our teaching and I am sure that no one will argue with this. In theological terms this is
Christocentric. A common
misunderstanding of Christocentric teaching is that Christ becomes only an
example of ‘how to live ones life’. In
other words, Christ becomes a model, an example only – an absent God. This means that we
have to do all the work in the memory of Christ. While not all will agree with this 100% there is more than enough
‘testimony’ in deliverance movements to suggest that subscription to this is
true, for example: An eighteen year
old girl…whose parents had been in sexual sin…was asked to forgive her parents…I
broke the curse…I took authority over the spirit. (Healing Through
Deliverance p93 vol 1) Surely our
understanding is that Christ has all authority only: Matthew 28:18 (ESV) And Jesus
came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. When such authority is taken upon yourself you are
falling into idolatry. Lutheran
teaching shows clearly that Christ is our living God and lives today with us in
our lives. Any act of ‘goodness’ is a
result of God’s grace and love for us and not because of our work. Any work is a work of love and joy and not a
work which has some ‘due’ associated with it. Anything that diminishes Christ’s work is a different
gospel. (1 Tim 6:3-5
NIV) If anyone teaches false doctrines
and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to
godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy
interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife,
malicious talk, evil suspicions and
constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the
truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Justification Justification teaches that all work for salvation is
God’s work in Christ - so we are saved by faith because of Christ’s death and
resurrection ALONE. Again many would
not have a problem with this but again actions betray teachings. Deliverance movements teach that
justification is partly our work: It is only through Jesus that we can be freed from all
that would inhibit our relationship with God, but that process requires
spiritual discipline and our willing co-operation. (Healing Through Deliverance
p248 vol 1) Deliverance movements continually qualify teaching
statements with the word BUT, and in doing so adds a qualification to include
ourselves into the process of salvation.
The first part of the quote reads well however after the BUT comes the
qualification of human work in God’s plan.
It is vital that any teaching is clear - not only in
word - but also in practise. This means
that our ‘theology’ dictates our practise.
In other words, ‘if you talk the talk, then walk the walk’. Many people try to find the middle ground of
compromise but with God there can be no compromise. The work of salvation is all God’s work as a gift to us –
anything else is a rejection of God’s love.
Luther taught against an approach which showed that we can co-operate
with God to gain His favour. This is
classically seen as ‘decision theology’ and one which Luther could not accept. That
is, I have told and reminded them of the works of (God’s) hands, to keep them
from esteeming their own works so highly. But this has angered them; therefore
they have become my enemies. The “works of the hands of God” are the pious,
whom He gives birth to and creates out of grace. This happens without any co-operation on their part, for this is how
they become new creatures in Christ. Now the works are the deeds and the
suffering which God works through those so created and in which they
co-operate. Ps. 28:5 says of this: “They do not regard the works of the Lord or
the work of His hands.” Again, Ps. 19:1: “The heavens are telling the glory of
God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork”; that is, the apostles28
preach only about the righteousness which God works in us, not at all about the
righteousness which men can produce.[3] Sanctification This term means ‘holiness’ or more correctly ‘becoming
holy’. How does one become holy before
God? In Lutheran teaching we need to be
justified first, made right with God, and this can only be done through Christ
ALONE. When we are justified we are
sanctified by God’s grace – His Holy Spirit – the Trinitarian miracle of Father
Son and Holy Spirit. In Lutheran teaching we understand that God’s grace
comes to us guaranteed in both Word and Sacraments. The miracle of Baptism and the renewing grace that we receive in
Holy Communion are God’s gifts to His church.
This is how we are sanctified! Many however denigrate the sacraments as part of a
dated traditionalism and claim that sanctification is found in themselves
through their actions – works righteousness.
Deliverance movements teach quite clearly that
sanctification is your own work: While Christians
know that Jesus is Lord of all, they also have to choose to invite Jesus to be
Lord….(Healing Through Deliverance, p53 vol2) In other words, your relationship with God is up to
YOU and your invitation – not necessarily God’s work ALONE. Our confessions teach quite clearly that we reject: that the human
nature and essence in man is not entirely corrupted, but that man still has
something good about him even in spiritual matters — for example, the capacity,
skill, capability, or power to initiate, to effect, or to cooperate in something
spiritual.[4] Also we read in our confessions: In
order to settle this controversy in a Christian way according to the Word of
God, and by God’s grace to bring it to an end, we submit the following as our
teaching, belief, and confession: 7 We believe that in spiritual and divine things the
intellect, heart, and will of unregenerated man cannot by any native or natural
powers in any way understand, believe, accept, imagine, will, begin,
accomplish, do, effect, or cooperate, but that man is entirely and completely
dead and corrupted as far as anything good is concerned. Accordingly, we
believe that after the Fall and prior to his conversion not a spark of
spiritual powers has remained or exists in man by which he could make himself
ready for the grace of God or to accept the proffered grace, nor that he has
any capacity for grace by and for himself or can apply himself to it or prepare
himself for it, or help, do, effect, or cooperate toward his conversion by his
own powers, either altogether or half-way or in the tiniest or smallest degree,
“of himself as coming from himself,”6
but is a slave of sin (John 8:34), the captive of the devil who
drives him (Eph. 2:2; 2 Tim. 2:26). Hence
according to its perverse disposition and nature the natural free will is
mighty and active only in the direction of that which is displeasing and
contrary to God.[5] Pseudo
Sanctification - Prayer is not a sacrament There is a disturbing direction in terms of
sanctification, which moves from corporate sanctification through the
sacraments (rightly administered) to the perceived belief of individual
sanctification through prayer alone.
Most Pentecostals do not believe in the real presence and hence Holy
Communion is nothing more than a memorial meal. So their desire to experience the presence of God is not through
the sacraments but through personal endeavour – prayer. The explosion of books on the topic of
prayer is testimony to the perception that prayer brings the Holy Spirit. Prayer is the pseudo sacrament of the
masses. Prayer is a gift that God gives us but it is not a
sacrament or a means of grace – it is not a means of sanctification - this is a
Lutheran held teaching! However many
believe that they receive the Holy Spirit in prayer to do great things. A Lutheran writer states: “C.F.W.
Walther noted the spiritual damage that is done when sinners are directed to
their own prayers rather than the Gospel, " ... the Word of God is not rightly
divided when sinners who have been struck down and terrified by the Law are
directed, not to the Word and the Sacraments, but to their own prayers and
wrestlings with God in order that they may win their way into a state of grace;
in other words, when they are told to keep on praying and struggling until they
feel that God has received them into grace" (The Proper Distinction
Between Law and Gospel, p. 2). Our
confidence is not to be found in our prayers but in God's work in Word and
Sacrament. Pietism, both in its classical
and contemporary forms, directs troubled consciences to prayer and thus burdens
them with the law. The fruit of faith rather than faith's source becomes the
focus and struggling sinners are set up either for despair or pride. When
law and Gospel are properly divided, prayer will be seen as anchored in and
fuelled by the Gospel. To use the words of Eugene Peterson, "prayer is
responding speech." That is, the Christian speaks to God in prayer
because he or she has first listened to the Holy Trinity in His Word. The
Sacred Scriptures, the Catechism, and the liturgy tutor us in such praying.”
Sanctification is
God’s work in us and not our work in Him.
This is the Lutheran understanding of sanctification. Conclusion The faith of a simple person knows that because of
their baptism in daily regeneration and regularly receiving Word and Sacrament
in the communion of faith, they have life eternal. This is a promise of God: John 6:54
(ESV) Whoever feeds
on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on
the last day. Anything that places doubt on this promise is not of
God. If you are the person above and
are told that because a family member was involved in some spiritual dangerous
activity and therefore you are now ‘infected’ – will you doubt God’s promise to
you because of the power of some demon? This is the quandary of good people confronted by deliverance
ministries! Thinking that your present
pain is due to the sins of your ancestors and bringing doubt on God’s victory! Stand firm in His love and promise. The results that I have seen through deliverance
movements are judgementalism, legalism, as well as mistrust in the sacraments,
corporate worship, and the Lutheran Church.
It reinforces the belief that ‘bad’ things happen to ‘bad’ people. Given this false belief, that bad things
happen to bad people, then the disciples, the prophets or Jesus Himself must
have been very bad indeed! Of course
suffering is very hard to accept and understand but God calls on us to trust
Him even when things get tough! The church is in
conflict and this is nothing new. Many
waves of ‘different teachings’ will wash across its bow each generation. Rather than bemoan the situation we should
see this as an opportunity to witness to the truth. Clearly many in
deliverance movements see God as the Old Testament God who punishes and then
the onus of responsibility is on the individual to try and measure up to
God. This is very much Jewish thinking
– Old Testament thinking. The work of
Christ has fallen between the ‘cracks’ of LAW.
This is a wonderful opportunity
to witness about the God of mercy, love, forgiveness and grace. The opportunity is to witness about the
living Christ who comes to us in Word and Sacrament who has defeated death and
the devil for all eternity once and for all.
I pray that this has
been a presentation to alert you and also to strengthen you in faith to stand
strong and witness to the truth in Christ alone. God Bless You Father
Son and Holy Spirit Pastor Raymond Pace Eastertide 2006 Back to CLA Topics Sources: Anderson, Neil T. 2003. The Bondage Breaker, Monarch
Books. Horrobin , Peter 2003 Healing Through Deliverance, The
Foundation of Deliverance Ministry - Volume 1, Sovereign World. 2003 Healing Through Deliverance, The
Practice of Deliverance Ministry - Volume 2, Sovereign World. Luther's
Works 1951-88 Helmut T Lehmann and Jaroslav Pelikan,
general editors, American edition, 55 vols, Fortress, Philadelphia, and
Concordia, St Louis. The Bible 2001 English
Standard Version, Good News Publishers. The Book of Concord 1976 The Confessions of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fortress Press, edited by Theodore G. Tappert. [1]Luther, M. (1999, c1961). Vol. 24: Luther's works, vol. 24 : Sermons on the Gospel of St. John: Chapters 14-16 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Jn 16:12). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House. [2]Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The book of concord : The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran church (Apology of the Augsburg Confession: 1, III, 21). Philadelphia: Fortress Press. [3]Luther, M. (1999, c1958). Vol. 14: Luther's works, vol. 14 : Selected Psalms III (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Ps 143:6). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House. [4]Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The book of concord : The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran church (The Formula of Concord: 1, I, 16). Philadelphia: Fortress Press. [5]Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The book of concord : The confessions of the evangelical Lutheran church (The Formula of Concord: 2, II, 6-7). Philadelphia: Fortress Press. |