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| Creflo Dollar teaching on the God/man Over the last several years
there have been many new disciples of the Copeland and Hagin camp that have entered on the
scene with the prosperity message. In my opinion there has been none more blatant or
conniving (and convincing) than Creflo Dollar. He may be called Dr. but listening to his teachings it
is apparent
his degree in theology was not acquired at a normal conservative Bible seminary. This
man is on the leading edge of star trek Bible interpretations, taking it where no man has
gone before. His influence is clearly from his mentor Kenneth Copeland; he
appears fairly regularly on his TV program. According to J. Lee Grady, an editor with
Charisma Magazine, Copeland provided Dollar with financial backing. Mr. Dollar has
certainly been discipled well under Copeland’s influence. He is preaching word faith to
the MAX! If one were to close their eyes and listen, they can barely tell between Creflo
and Copeland’s voice inflections and personality. I’m sure he would take this as a
compliment. Simply put-Creflo is regurgitated Copeland (and Hagin). His
teachings are based on and his spiritual mentor Kenneth Copeland, who according to J. Lee
Grady, an editor with Charisma Magazine had provided Dollar with his financial backing
(source from Atlanta Journal-Constitution - John Blake March 5, 2000 Dollar
and the Gospel http://www.rickross.com/reference/fundamentalists/fund40.html
) Creflo Dollars TV and radio
broadcast is called “Changing Your World.” His programs are
broadcast in every state and in over 15 countries outside the U.S
by the Trinity broadcasting Network and Lesea network. He is often videoed wearing
three-piece charcoal pinstriped suit as he preaches his message of prosperity as the hope
of the gospel to his church. He is the Pastor of World Changers Christian Center, a non-denominational church in College Park (meeting in a $6.5 million gold dome). Creflo says he paid 18 million in cash for his new facility (Changing your world Feb. 25, 2002, LeSea). It contains 8,000 plush theater-style seats making it comfortable for the people as his sermons can go up to two hours. (A huge white plastic container for offerings is positioned at the end of each row (source from Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “the Atlanta church's operating budget is $80 million a year” [Source: The Hamilton Spectator, January 21, 2006, Dollar and the almighty buck By Michael Luo The New York Times service NEW YORK (Jan 21, 2006) The church consists of 23,000
members making
it metro Atlanta's second-largest church.
Creflo
has two Rolls-Royce’s (which he tells his congregation was given to him -- the church
purchased the first one for him). He flies in a $5 million private jet to his speaking
engagements in the US to Europe (the church also owns a Gates Learjet. Estimated value:
$985,000). Dollar met his wife at West Georgia College in Carrollton and graduated in 1984
with a bachelor's degree in education. They have five children, three girls and two boys.
He lives in a $1 million home behind iron gates in an upscale Atlanta neighborhood and
owns another worth $1.27 million). The church has amassed a
fortune in real estate, mostly in College Park. Like other word faith teachers
Dollar is often accompanied by bodyguards in public.
(reference is http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/newsatlanta/dollar/main.html
) The
Teachings
On his website it states http://www.worldchangers.org/hspirit_t1.html “ He (the Holy Ghost) is the third person in the Trinity -- The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost.” He also states “We believe in water baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the name of Jesus, and the authority invested in that name. We should be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” The first and most important
is the primary doctrine of the Trinity which is to upheld by the Christian church.
Though his website states it this way, he has also stated in his definition a
distortion. He explains: “The trinity is of course God the Father, God the Son, God the
Holy Ghost. We have to be careful because religion has us sometime thinking we have three
different Gods. You know there’s God here...hey holy ghost- hey Jesus…its God one God
one faith one baptism not three Gods, not three faiths, not baptism’s everytime you mess
up, one. God the father, one God, three functions one and different functions
God functioning as a father, God functioning as a son, God functioning as the holy ghost.
I am Creflo Dollar I’m a husband to my wife I’m, a father to my children I’m a
pastor to gods sheep. Right now I’m not functioning as husband, I am not functioning as a
father, I am functioning as one of the 5 fold ministry gifts to God’s sheep. Same guy
other functions you follow me. One God other functions.”(Feb.19, 2001 World Changers
program Lesea broadcasting) Just as Creflo seems to confuse the nature of God, he also confuses the nature of man,
which becomes crucial. He teaches we have equality and no inferiority to God in His
righteousness and abilities on earth. But for one to get this understanding their mind
needs to be renewed in the area of righteousness (like his), so they can embrace the full
truth of it by faith. “You begin to study the righteousness of God is also defined as
having equality with God” … “we’re struggling to try and get what God says we can
have because we keep seeing ourselves as little slaves and He’s the big boss.”
“I’m going to show you a scripture now that will just shock you real good, make you
mad, upset, all kinds of things and then I’m going to go and walk you through Genesis
all the way back up through the Bible. But the first scripture is going to do all kinds of
stuff to your head, … but I’m going to show you something Jesus said and I’m going
to show you where He got it from.” Quoting Jn.10:34 and Ps.82:6 Creflo states “Wow. Let’s read verse 6, ready read: “I
have said ye are gods and all of you are children of the most High. But you shall die like
men and fall like one of the princes.” Well, we know who that is right? “Arise oh God,
judge the earth for thou shall inherit all the nations.” “
Now, notice what He says here, “Ye are gods” small g. You are gods? Somebody
says “You trying to say we’re gods?” No, I’m not trying to say we’re gods. He
already said it. But what I want to know is Lord, how can we be gods?
And He answers it in the next phrase. Because
you are the children of the Most High. See if
you are truly a child of God, if you were born out of God, you got to be a part of the God
class. I know I’m not God.
But I’m a child of the Most High…I’m a part of the God class…. But then the
next verse says, “Because you did not believe you were gods, you’re going to
die like men.” But it says you’re gods.
And I said now, Lord, wait a minute here. How
we going to prove this? Because I kept
hearing over and over again all this week, we need to have a God training class for
Christians. So they can start acting …
”(Our equality with God through righteousness 1/21/2001) This is not what the next verse
actually says, Creflo who moves in and around the Scriptures
at a fast pace makes it hard for anyone to check on these statements as he brings them
through his twist and turns to his conclusions. Ps. 82:6-8 ‘I said, 'You are gods, and
all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall
like one of the princes.’ The biblical application of this verse was addressed to
the judges of Israel they were called gods not because they were divine but because they
represented the true and only God when they judged the people. The word for God that is
used here is
elohim, which can mean rulers, (not Yahweh elohim used only for the one God). The word for Judges is found in
Ex.21:22; 22:8-9 it is ha elohim (other scriptures of how the acted
Deut.1:16;16:18; 25:1; 2 Sam.11:7). Jesus
goes on to explain: They ‘will die as mere men and fall
as one of the princes’, that prince was Satan. They thought they were like God but they
will die as mere men. It is then they will know the difference between the creator who is
the true God and their own mortality. Juxtapose
this with the end of Ps.82 in verse 8: “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall
inherit all nations.” It points to only one
God who eventually will judge righteously and rule over all the people one day. Nowhere in
Scripture is there a teaching of little gods verses big God, but instead the scripture
teaches about false gods verses
the true God. So in reality to claim to be a little god is to put one in the category of a
false god. To understand what Creflo teaches
we need to go back to the beginning, man’s beginning in the garden and compare what he
says happened in the biblical account. Creflo has constructed a unique fairy tale from the
Genesis record about Adam and God; from this distortion it affects almost everything else
he believes; tithing, righteousness, Christ, healing, etc. In fact it goes to the core
difference on the nature of man and God. For it affects the concept of mans relationship to
God- we being servants to him as our King. “What was the blueprint for
man” Creflo asks his members. God made a man that reflected his image; is that correct.
When you look in the mirror what do you see? A reflection of your what? Your image
yourself. But who is that in the mirror? That’s you. Now you see and image a reflection
of you. Because if you were not real, then you couldn’t produce a reflection of
something that’s not there. Umm, Humm. So when God made man. All He did was take a
reflection of Himself. You all ain’t listening to what I’m saying. He [speaks in
tongues], son, help me, the Hebrew translation here “God made another speaking
spirit”. The actual meaning there “He made another speaking spirit”… So when God made man all he
did was take a reflection of himself… So he said let us make another speaking spirit.
When God made Adam all he did was make an exact imprint of hisself. He duplicated
himself, he was the image and from his image came hisself…(Our equality with God through
Righteousness 1/21/2001). “Because the first Adam, he
had my blood in him. He had blood type G on
the inside of him. I mean, the blood of any
child comes from the father. Well, the
father, God, was the one that had to create the blood to flow into Adam, cause he was the
first one. So I got to get the same thing
happening here and this last Adam got to have blood type g like this first Adam had
blood type g. And then I got to have
myself on the inside of that body like
I was on the inside of Adam” (Creflo
Dollar April 16, 2002 Changing your world LeSea Broadcasting) Here Creflo is making the
comparison of Adam being God, as Jesus was God. So he is saying Adam was the first
incarnation of God created from the ground and Jesus is the second incarnation of God
created from Mary. Clearly Creflo holds to Adam
being God in the flesh just as Jesus is. It is here where we take off into new star trek interpretations: “Mars and Venus and
Jupiter, all of the handiwork of God was now placed in the authority of the God of the
earth. And here’s what He told him.
He said I want you to guard it and keep out all intruders.
Now that gives us a little insight on why When God made Adam all he did was make
an exact imprint of hisself. He duplicated himself, he was the image and from his
image came hisself…”(Our Equality with God through Righteousness 1/21/2001) Where does it say this in the
Bible? I’m sure Creflo can find one obscure Scripture and contort it to fit his man/ god
theology. But the Bible in Genesis does not say this at all.
Image (as in the case of Adam) is only the reflection of another thing, it is not the other thing it is to reflect. “ The Bible
explains that God gave Adam
authority as a caretaker over the things on the earth and it specifically mentions them
(Gen.1:26-27), but not those things outside the earth. “Everything that God has made. He has given man authority over His handiwork. [speaking in tongues] even the moon.”(ibid) “I believe with all my heart that those planets out there are just a bunch of unfinished work that God was designing for man to finish as they entered into God training 101. Now, let’s get back to scripture” (Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001). That would be a good idea, to get back to Scripture, the way
it was written, not
imagination, but then he would not have this revelation would he. Here’s the proof
that the word faith teachers borrow the words from each other, and that it doesn’t matter if it’s in the Bible
or not. Copeland who is Creflo’s discipler says “I am totally convinced that this is
the reason that our surrounding planets are unfinished.
I really believe that God intended for us to have a part in that.” (Kenneth
Copeland Quotes “Believers Voice of Victory Program” week of March 12-16, 2001) What we need to ask, is God
not in control? Does He need to make another; a man, a creature to be a god and have
control on earth? The Bible says in Col.1:15 Jesus (the Son of God) always controlled
everything, it was never Adam or any man (creature). It seems Creflo wants to justify
his
control, so he and his companions in this error (Copeland etc.) have made up this fantasy from
the Bible, fables if you will, to justify them-self in wanting to control their reality. The
Bible actually states God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and
over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen 1:26). Nowhere does it say what Creflo wants it’s to say. For even
the psalmists says Ps. 8:5-8 “For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and
You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the
works of Your hands; you have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen-- even the
beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the
paths of the seas,” reiterating Genesis the things man had dominion over are named. The writer of Hebrews quotes
this verse in Heb. 2:5-9. If one wants to isolate this verse without its context they can
preach on it to prove man is to have control. However, if we read on” v.8-9 “For in that He
put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we
do not yet see all things put under him. But
we see Jesus, (him) who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone.” Adam lost his headship and so Jesus the son of God came from heaven to regain
it. Jesus fulfills this verse and whatever wider application it has, it is
not yet appeared. So it meaningless to presume any other meaning than what the Bible has
already given it. Creflo doesn’t believe we are lower than angels but a little lower than God himself, according to him, we were made out of Him, “we like him just a little lower, see he was there for us first and he poured us out of himself so were a little lower, a little lower than who? Then el eloheem - the God and creator of all physical things now the implication here is that like the God and creator of all physical things you and I, we can be like el eloheem” (April 16, 2002 Changing your World, LeSea Broadcasting). This conflicts with Creflo's other
statements about Adam: who was made an exact
imprint of hisself, “He duplicated himself” that he was on the inside of Adam's body.
God is not lower than himself is He? Either we are equal or we are not. Creflo
further explains “So the rank is: God, man... [clapping] because He said He made man out
of His reflection. He made man, He didn’t make angels out of His reflection, He made
men, He made another speaking spirit.... God. Man. Angels. And Satan is in that class of
angels” (Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001).
Creflo
“God made man. All He did was take a reflection of Himself. You all ain’t
listening to what I’m saying. He [tongues], son, help me, the Hebrew translation here
“God made another speaking spirit.” “The actual meaning there He made another speaking spirit.” No, this is not
the actual Hebrew translation.
[Maybe Creflo read or heard someone quote the Targum of Onkelos
where it says of Gen.2:7 when God breathed into man the breath of life man became a speaking
spirit, or soul. The soul in the body of man became a speaking spirit. Man was endued with
a natural faculty of speech… a speaking animal, or as a rational, a reasonable one. Certainly what Onkelos writes does not mean what Creflo is inserting
into it to mean.] Gen.1:26 “God made man in
his image” Gen 1:24-31 the word for man is “the red soil,” from which the human body
was formed (Gen 2:7). This is the earthly physical aspect of man, related to his body. MAN - Hebrew
'Adam ruddy i.e. a
human being (meaning the individual and the species of mankind from his offspring, etc.)
This Hebrew word appears about 562 times in the Scripture. Nowhere does these words mean man
became a speaking spirit, although he could think, speak, and move on his own, he doesn’t
have the capabilities that Creflo attributes to him. Adam means man from the dirt not
God who is man, which is uniquely found in Jesus Christ. Lets look at what the Bible actually says “And the Lord God formed man (Adam) of the dust of the ground.” What are the features that man was created in, that would reflect his creator to be made in his image and likeness? God is Spirit (Jn.4:24)(uncreated) He is invisible. When it states we were created in His image and likeness in the Hebrew language Image (tselem) and the word likeness in Hebrew (demuth) is related to nature in the immaterial part of man. It means we have a spiritual/moral nature like God in a finite way. Any similarity is with finite qualities. God is a personal being; Image means man is in his likeness, personal. God has communicable and incommunicable attributes. The communicable attributes put in man are finite qualities, God has holiness in His nature (perfect no flaws in any part). Man like his creator had holiness in his original state in the garden. Man having been created in His likeness we have the ability to think, gather knowledge, we have rationality, logic, we have communication skills using language, we have feelings and emotions such as love. We are able to hear and see. God is unlimited in knowledge, he knows all things. Man is limited in his knowledge and needs to learn. God is present everywhere. Man is confined to one place at a time. God’s Creative abilities are almighty and unlimited, He is able to do all things, man is cannot. God the creator of all things, man cannot create from nothing but can only use what materials are already there. The incommunicable attributes such as eternality, God alone is uncaused, uncreated. God possesses eternality as His nature, He is infinite, immortal, deathless, in His spirit, God has eternal life in himself. Man was created with an eternal spirit, which can live on after the physical body dies, but it did not always exist as God’s Spirit did, ours had a beginning, we started in a point in time. Man dies physically and can die spiritually; man is dependent on God to sustain him. God never sleeps, man has to. Yet Creflo says about the temptation, “Now, Genesis chapter 2 and 3, Satan shows up in the form of a serpent. Now, here’s the big problem with this. If you eat of this fruit, you will be like God. What’s the problem? He’s already like God. … oh my goodness man, he was all God He was already like God” (Creflo Dollar, Our equality with God through righteousness 1/21/2001). How can man be all God? After looking at the comparisons above how can this be possible? God was always existing and caused man to exist. Can that which is created be the uncreated? 1 Cor. 15:45 tells us man became a living, animated being; a being endowed with life. The word “soul” psuchee, and nephesh, in the Greek and Hebrew denote that which is alive, which is animated, which breathes. 1 Cor. 15:44-49 “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”1 Cor. 15:47 It is Jesus who
is The Lord from heaven and is called in 1 Cor. 2:8, the “Lord of glory,” He is the
creator and giver of life not Adam. V.49 “And as we have borne the image of the earthy,
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” The image of the heavenly is the nature of the resurrection body. It is to be like
Christ's own glorious body. Looking at whose image Christ is in, Col.1:15; “He is in
the image of the invisible God.” Christ alone is this image, not Adam. The Greek word for image in this text is eikon
indicating a perfect image. This is related to His nature and substance, it is a spiritual
image. Meaning, He is the very substance and nature of God (the Father) who is invisible. He said
“if you have seen me you have seen the Father”, meaning that as the Son He is
expressing His Father’s nature perfectly - making the Father known. He is the very
substance and nature of the invisible God, Adam was not and we are not, He alone is the
only begotten, we are not! We are adopted sons and daughters He is the eternal Son who is
God, related to the Father in nature. Creflo-“He says now I need to
make a man to be god in this earth and over all My handiworks so this alien spirit won’t
come and destroy it again. So I’m going, heh-heh, I’m
going to make Myself, I’m going to make a reflection of Myself and I’m going to
make a physical body, giving him authority of the physical world” (Our Equality
with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001). Looks like the God of the earth didn’t fare to
well against an intruder who was a fallen creature. Seems to me that if Adam was an exact
duplicate of God and he failed against the Devil, how can this all finally work out for the God in
heaven who didn’t have as much control as Adam? (according to Creflo’s theology) “Now read Genesis chapter 3:15. Now here’s the plan now. Adam’s turned it all over. Adam… Adam now has sinned. Everything’s invaded his physical body. A god that was not supposed to ever die, was now, I believe at 969 years of age was going to die” (First service- Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001). How does God make another
God? God (Yahweh) is the only being who self-sufficient, self-existent, and perfect being
that needs nothing outside Himself. He is all knowing, all sufficient and eternal? So how
do you make another like this? Kenneth Copeland teaches, “God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself, and in the Garden of Eden He did just that. He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even. . . . Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus. . . . Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh” (Following the Faith of Abraham, side 1). Creflo repeats what his
mentor says “And God said, I tell you what I’m going to do this time.
I’m going to have to reproduce Myself.
Like I’m God up here in heaven. I’m going to make Me a god and put Myself in
the physical body so that he can guard the earth and keep out all intruders in the
earth so the next time that sucker tries to come in he will meet the God of the earth Adam” (Our Equality with God through Righteousness 1/21/2001) Notice Creflo makes it clear God
put himself in the physical body of Adam, this means Adam was just like Jesus. Adam
was not alive until this spirit came into his body, so he was an incarnation like Christ,
God in the flesh. But this God in the flesh sinned, and we all sin today. So much for
being an exact duplicate, unless you want to say God sins too.
The ramifications for this position go further than Dr. Dollar ever
dreamed. 1
John 4:2 says, “that every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is of God.” Jesus is the God who came in
the flesh once, He rose in the flesh and is still in the flesh.” Verse 3 then states,
“that every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not
of God.” To say God came in the flesh (incarnate) in any another creature (like Adam) is denying
Christ was the only God in the flesh, substituting another creature. This is the
denial that John addresses “ every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the flesh is not of God.” It is an exclusive statement to mean Him alone in
his incarnation. Creflo saying Adam was the exact image of God, Adam being God is
denying Christ was the only God in the flesh, substituting another creature that was made
by God. Jesus is the only human being
God came in the flesh - 1 Tim.3:16: “God was manifested in the flesh,” only once, in
Jesus. To say Adam was God in the flesh before Jesus is exactly what John is addressing
here, this is more serious than error, it is heresy; John says it is the spirit of antichrist. The spirit of iniquity is
mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 states, “For the mystery of iniquity (lawlessness) is
already at work: only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
The Holy Spirit in the believers, in the Church now restrains (hinders,
prevents) the Antichrist from revealing himself. Paul says the mystery is already
operating in power throughout the world. The spirit is already at work,
and will one day reach its climax in a single
man. Look at the description of the antichrist Rev. 13:5-6 “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” The antichrist is arrogant (“a mouth that speaks boastfully”) Dan.11:36-39: “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; Think about these descriptions and then relate this to the word faith movement. Self-exaltation, and self-deification (verses 36 -37). In his self-exaltation he will speak against the God of gods. Hmm that’s an interesting statement in light of what we have learned. “And shall prosper ,” lets not forget the prosperity they claim.Dan. 7:25 “He shall speak
pompous words against the Most High.” So we can see this spirit already at work in those
who are in rebellion to the word in its true context despite they’re using the word to
prove what they are teaching. He even has the congregation chant “Say it again, I’m just like
God (they repeat it)” (Creflo Dollar April 16, 2002 Changing your World, Lesea
Broadcasting) How can you chant this and not think what it means? If you're just like God do you need someone to make you aware of this. God instills humility in us,
not pride. The Anti-Christ does not come as some Devil but as a lamb
“he had two horns like a lamb and speaks like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11-12).
Listen carefully how some of the word faith teachers speak and you will know what the anti
Christ will be like in some way. Creflo moves from teaching
Adam is God to our being Gods, once we are reborn. He says “But the real Creflo Dollar
is a spirit made in the image of God I look just my daddy see I’m not telling you that
the container is like God, I’m just telling you that what’s in the container is
just like God.” (April 16, 2002, Changing your world LeSea Broadcasting) There is little difference
between calling the physical human shell God and what’s inside; neither statement is tru Creflo gives an illustration of a bottle and a cup pouring one into the other to
show how God gave Adam his spirit thereby making Adam God.
“Just because I moved it from one vessel to another it didn’t change
substance…. The same stuff that’s in this bottle is the same stuff that’s in this
cup and one day God poured out of himself into a vessel. It didn’t change just because
it was poured into a different vessel you got understand we were born from God and God
poured us out from himself and the same sap that’s is in the vine is in the same sap
that’s in the branches I’m telling you you’ve been made in the image of God almighty
… (April 16, 2002 Changing your world LeSea Broadcasting) Dollars metaphysical worldview has some interesting explanations. “Your physical body is a result of the spirit, in other words it came forth out of the spirit. The blueprint for your body is your spirit man, your spirit man does not look like your body, your body looks like your spirit man. Your spirit was first then came your body. God designed your spirit then your body grew up and took on the blueprint of your spirit man.” The Biblical evidence for this certainly would not be there, even with Adam
God made his body first then breathed in him to make him alive. Scientists
have found that it is the dna code that makes us what we are, they have not discovered the
spirit. Only by reading Mormon
literature can one come to similar conclusions, because you can’t find any justification
for this in the Bible. As Joseph Smith the prophet of the Mormon cult said “Here then is
eternal life...to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be
Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done
before you...To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until
you arrive at the station of God” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol.
6, page 306). Creflo says the same thing “ I’m going to say something, WE are gods, in this earth, and it’s about time we start operating like gods instead of a bunch of mere powerless humans” (April 17, 2002 Changing your World, LeSea Broadcasting). “Now I gotta hit this thing real hard in the very beginning because I ain't got time to go through all this, but I am going to say to you right now you are gods, little “g”, you are gods because you came from God and you are gods. You are not just human. The only human part about you is this physical body that you live in.” (Sept. 15, 22, 2002, Made after his Kind) This should be clear to anyone by now that Creflo Dollar is not teaching anything Christian but this is the essence of occultism and the new age to say such statements. Man is not a god in a body. I would recommend that those who listen to this kind of teaching search the Scripture to see how truthful this is. For you will find there is only one creature who wants to be called and recognized as a god--Satan, the Devil, the deceiver. Creflo as a guest on Kenneth Copeland's program 2002 gave his rendition of Phil.2 v.5 let this mind be in you -- “let this way of thinking that was in Jesus be in you let this confidence that was in Jesus be in you. Jesus didn’t think it was robbery he didn’t he didn’t think it was dishonor he didn’t he didn’t think it was, was “oh the you ought not think that way.” No he said let this attitude let this way of thinking be in you who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Now if I’m to take what he said here and, and put it on, the normal attitude now should be I have equality with God. That’s my way of thinkin’, now somebody says its hard to think this way, well keep saying it I have equality with God talk yourself into it, you’ve talked yourself into other things, talk yourself into this attitude talk yourself into this way if thinkin’ talk yourself into it until you feel the confidence on the inside of you that I have equality with God.”“were not gonna shine as lights until we change what the way we think. We’re not gonna shine as lights until we accept our equality with God, were not gonna shine as lights until we stop thinkin’ that being equal with God is a dishonor and a robbery.” Even a novice Bible reader would not get this from this verse if read in context, it is actually teaching that Jesus humbled himself although He (only) was equal with God. To claim such a thing for oneself, that only Jesus as the only begotten son could claim is totally repugnant, this is outrageous, especially from someone who claims to represent the Lord. What happens when your light is really darkness? He tells the people- Lets summarize some of the quotes we have read --“Because the first Adam, he had my blood in him.”
“He had blood type G”
Adam “he was all God” God speaking “I got to have myself
on the inside of that body like I was on the inside of Adam.” “When God made Adam all he
did was make an exact imprint of hisself” “I’m
going to make Myself” “I’m going to have to
reproduce Myself.” “put Myself in the physical
body” “I’m a part of the God
class” “He
duplicated himself, he was the image and from his image came hisself” “you are an exact duplicate
of the image of God” “you are gods” The problem presented in his
strained theology is this: if we are not God then neither is Jesus. This is because he is the
last Adam. And according to Creflo Adam was an exact duplicate and the Bible calls Jesus the very image of
God, so Adam is God like Jesus is God, only Adam was. This is all
clarified by him saying we too are the exact image, and since Adam was God from God, Jesus
is, and we are the same as Jesus. Speak the TRUTH Creflo says you are made of God, equal with God and are God; and claims he is just reading what the scriptures says. But did he? He didn’t read
the other Scriptures that teach YHWH is God and there is no other, that there is none like
me. Here's what the God of
the Universe said “The God’s that have not made heaven and earth will perish”
(Jer.10:11). This includes any other God that comes along, this certainly means all
Gods with a small g or a big G, which includes Creflo and his prosperous band of
followers. The Bible teaches us “I
am God, and there is none like Me”
(Isa.
46: Satan’s goal is to teach
self-deification to man, this teaching is mostly coming through those who call themselves
anointed ones (christ’s). These men have the ear of the Church, and fullfil Jesus' warning that many will come in my name saying
I am Christ, and will deceive many. They come in His name claiming authority to speak
things into existence. But only God can do this. A rule of thumb, God does not give His approval or power to
those who teach blatantly false doctrines like these, especially on His nature and mans. “Now the Spirit expressly
says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of demons”(1 Timothy 4:1). Paul states the reason for the falling
away: They are paying attention to demons and corrupt teachings of condemned spirits. So
they are being deceived by teachings that are contrary to the Word of God, and this is
occurring inside the Church today with those who say we are gods, as Satan did with Eve.
They are being told they have the same authority and ability Jesus did. In a style sounding uncannily
like Jim Jones Creflo states “I’ll tell you what blasphemy is, when God says you’re
the righteousness of God and you go around talking about I’m unworthy, that’s
blasphemy. When God says you’re the head and not the tail and you go around talking
about well I’d just be draggin’ behind all, that’s blasphemy. When God said he’s
given you authority so that you ever have to backwards and you still walk backwards
that’s blasphemy. Blasphemy folks is when you go against what God said about you true
self, (audience that’s right ) “oh were all so unworthy” shut up with that
blasphemous statement. The blood of Jesus
was shed to make you worthy how dare you go around talking about your unworthy. When you
say your unworthy you’re saying the blood of Jesus was not powerful enough to accomplish
what it was intended to accomplish, you no longer some unworthy filthy rag you now are
worthy because of the blood of Jesus you are cleansed because of the blood of Jesus, you're
not a sinner saved by grace you sons and daughters of the most high God, you’re God!”
(April 17, 2002 Changing your world LeSea Broadcasting). The real import of his
statement cannot be communicated without hearing it, but this quote should be sufficient
to show that whatever comes to his mind he says, in this case he ends up saying you are God. What
other God can he be talking about except the creator? To also make the statement we are
“Not a sinner saved by grace” goes against everything in Scripture. But when you
don’t have a correct perspective of God, everything else will be distorted as well. His
concept of salvation is very different and will be discussed later. Furthermore are we worthy or of
worth? These are very different concepts. Being cleansed by Jesus’ blood does not
make us worthy. We become inheritors of God’s promises by His grace and we should never
lose sight of this. I can only wonder if Creflo understands what blasphemy actually is
according to the Bibles definition? 1 Tim. 1:20 Paul states
“Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be
taught not to blaspheme.” Paul explains those who
do not hold onto faith and a good conscience are blasphemers, look at verse 19 also. These false teachers do not hold onto the faith given to us by Christ
and the Apostles. Today, they are instead teaching extra - biblical revelation,
not BIBLICAL revelation. Paul delivered those who did this over to Satan that they may
learn not to blaspheme, but I bet they thought they were still doing God’s work. The Jews picked up stones to
stone Jesus because He said he was equal with God, they called it blasphemy for a man to
make himself equal with God. If Jesus were only a man they would have been right, but he
spoke the truth. Creflo claims this for himself and others and instead of any rebuke, his
church cheers and claps. Blasphemy can be done in various
ways according to Scripture 2 Pet. 2:12 “But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed,
and like beasts they too will perish.” Now his ministry may tell you
that Dr. Dollar does not advocate the teaching that mankind is the supreme God. He's the
big “G”, and we're the little “g”. But
his quotes certainly prove otherwise. To call an idol God is idolatry but to call oneself,
or another human being God is what the Bible calls blasphemy. It matters little if one calls themselves a god,
with a little “g” since there is only ONE God. The only other gods that the true God calls
gods, are false gods. To further confuse what he actually teaches Creflo has this to say about Jesus “If Jesus came as God, then why did God have to anoint him? If Jesus - See God’s already anointed... Jesus came as a man, that’s why it was legal to anoint Him. God doesn’t need anointing. He is anointing. Jesus came as a man and at age thirty, God is now getting ready to demonstrate to us and give us an example of what a man with the anointing can do.....Jesus didn’t come as God, He came as a man, and He did not come perfect.” “And somebody said well Jesus came as God, well how many of you know the Bible says God never sleeps nor slumbers and yet in the book of Mark we see Jesus asleep in the back of the boat. Y'all Please listen to me, please listen to me; this ain’t no heresy. I’m not some false prophet, I’m just readin’ this out to you the Bible, I’m just telling you all these fantasy preachers have been preachin’ all of this stuff for all of these years and we bought the package” (Creflo Dollar Ministries: World Changers, 12/8/2002 Jesus’ growth into sonship)Contrary to Creflo’s explanation, his humanity does not dismiss his deity (Col.2:9; Heb.1:1; Jn.1:1-3) the real fantasy is to present to the people a Jesus who is less than being fully God. He grew in his humanity while still being God. Dollar reduces Christ to an ordinary man who has been anointed. The purpose that Creflo is trying to get across is to exalt our ability because of who we are in Christ. While doing this he diminishes the foundational teaching of which Christianity rests on. He may deny this is heresy but those who know Jesus would not agree. "Now Jesus was on the earth, why did he have to be anointed, if he was on the earth? Because he was a man, he had to be anointed, he was a man. Now God is perfect you agree with that? You can’t add to it… he knows all things, you can’t add to him, you can’t add to God, God is not to be added to, he didn’t become God he is God ok. So now if Jesus was God there should be nowhere in the scripture where we see the scripture referring to how it was added to his life… ltes go through the scripture Heb.5 .. Jesus didn’t come as God he came as a man and he did not come perfect. Heb.5:8-9..(the congregation reads it together) though he were a son yet learned he obedience by the things he suffered, stop. Wait a minute if Jesus came as God then why do we see God having to learn obedience, he’s perfect. Yet we see here that Jesus learned obedience to the things that he went through. V.9: and being made, see that word made indicates there was a process of perfection. There added to to perfection, being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation….Notice it says he was made and became… we see added things to his life to make him what he ultimately is and.” http://www.creflodollarministries.com/archive/wcm16w_120802_a.asxJesus growth and learning was in his humanity, but this does not remove his inner nature from being God which Creflo is clearly denying. The problem is—was Jesus God or did he become God. The bible says he was indeed God and there should be no dispute from anyone claiming to be a Christian, but it is this fact of Scripture that Creflo challenges; which makes all this heresy. God did add to himself another nature, His humanity which he did not possess before he was born through the virgin Mary. Dollar’s interpretation of the Scripture seems to be beyond questioning: as it is the Lord directly teaching him. Within Creflo’s teachings are woven word faith and other mystical heresies galore. In this one sermon alone Our Equality with God through Righteousness 1/21/2001 which we do not have time to review in detail by itself, he stated we are gods to rule this world, we are in the god class higher than the angels. Adam was God of this world, he gave life to the animals when he spoke their names. Satan diseased all the dinosaurs so they died before Adam was made. Adam became naked because he lost God’s glory, Adam could fly, Adam was an exact duplicate of God and like God before the temptation, Adam had God’s blood in his veins, After Mary said be it unto me and God came into her body after nine months. He also has stated, it took Adam 960 years to learn how to die. Jesus went to Hell, (illegally snuck in looking like a sinner). Jesus spoke to the Devil I want the keys back to set my children free from Hell. Jesus was the first born again man, we are gods so we should start walking and talking like him. And he interjects confidently to his audience “ you can’t disprove none of it” (Referenced from Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001 and recent programming in 2002).One thing we can be sure of, this is not a Biblical interpretation of the Bible, it is classified as word faith and is far removed from the actual meaning. Creflo Dollars teaching on faith (pt.2)
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