Claiming God’s Promises Today: Classic and Modern Word of Faith Views Compared and Contrasted, by Paul King
Final Reflections on Claiming the Promises of God
From this research we can see that how believers view their position in Christ will affect in a practical way the manner in which they view themselves, which in turn affects their faith praxis. When believers see themselves as heirs of Christ, they can have confidence to claim the blessings of their inheritance. The classic faith leaders strike a balance between those who claim too little for the believer’s inheritance today and those who try to claim too much in claiming their inheritance, maintaining the dynamic tension of truth. Spurgeon, Simpson, and Murray all represent respected evangelicalism, and their views are widely regarded as sound and led of the Spirit. Criticisms of some of the contemporary faith interpretations and applications of the believer’s inheritance not withstanding, these classic faith leaders demonstrate wholesome faith praxis.
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Notes
1 A.B. Simpson, The Highest Christian Life (Harrisburg, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1966), 31.
2 A.B. Simpson, The Land of Promise (Harrisburg, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1969), 86.
3 Andrew Murray, The Two Covenants (Ft. Washington, Penn.: Christian Literature Crusade, 1974), 74.
4 A.J. Gordon, cited in Mrs. Charles Cowman, Streams in the Desert (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, [1925] 1972), Jan. 3.
5 Charles Spurgeon, cited in Cowman, Streams in the Desert, Jan. 13.
6 Simpson, The Land of Promise, 128.
7 Ibid., 34-35.
8 A.B. Simpson, Christ in the Bible (Camp Hill, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1992), 1:358.
9 See Kenneth Copeland, Our Covenant with God (Ft. Worth, Tex.: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1976), 20-21.
10 E.W. Kenyon, Two Kinds of Righteousness (Seattle: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Co., 1965), 20, 27; E.W. Kenyon, In His Presence (Seattle: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Co., 1969), 52.
11 Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ (Springdale, Penn.: Whitaker, 1979), 59.
12 Dale H. Simmons, “Mimicking MacMillan.” Unpublished paper, Oral Roberts University Graduate School of Theology (Tulsa, Okla.: Oral Roberts University, 1984), 12.
13 George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 68-69.
14 Athanasius, Discourses Against the Arians, Discourse I, 11:39, Nicene-Post Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff, ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 2:4:329.
15 Ibid.
16 Luther, “Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Epiphany, Matthew 8:1-13,” The Sermons of Martin Luther (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 2:73-74.
17 Athanasius, 39.
18 A.B. Simpson, cited in David F. Hartzfeld and Charles Nienkirchen, eds., The Birth of a Vision (Camp Hill, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1986), 201.
19 David McCasland, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1993), 67.
20 Oswald Chambers, The Place of Help (Grand Rapids: Discover House, [1935] 1989), 181.
21 Ibid., 94.
22 Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., [1935] 1963), 279, see also p. 99.
23 Oswald Chambers, The Place of Help (Grand Rapids: Discover House, [1935] 1989), 174.
24 Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, (New York: Anson D.F. Randolph and Co., [1886]), 140.
25 Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne (Ft. Washington, Penn.: Christian Literature Crusade, 1975), 37.
26 Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 99.
27 Ibid., 279.
28 Spurgeon, Morning by Morning (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1984), 262.
29 A.W. Tozer, Who Put Jesus on the Cross? (Camp Hill, Penn.: Christian Publications, [1975] 1996), 227. This is quite similar to John G. Lake’s interpretation of “ye are gods” as man’s divine potential that will be fulfilled “when earth becomes a part of heaven”: “He discovers the exalted purpose that Christ had in mind for every man, for the holy day when by the grace of God the sons of God will put the crown of glory on the head of Jesus Christ and the world will proclaim him King of kings and Lord of lords.” John G. Lake, Spiritual Hunger and Other Sermons, ed., Gordon Lindsay (Dallas: Christ for the Nations, 1994), 90-92. This is not to say that Tozer would agree with all that Lake taught about being gods.
30 Robert M. Bowman, Jr., “‘Ye Are Gods?’ Orthodox and Heretical Views on the Deification of Man,” Christian Research Journal (Winter-Spring 1987), 18ff.; Bob and Gretchen Passantino, Witch Hunt (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1990), 145-156.
31 Simpson, Christ in the Bible 2:319.
32 Hannah Whitall Smith, Living Confidently in God’s Love (Springdale, Penn.: Whitaker, 1984), 281-282.
33 Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1942), 67.
34 A.W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian, (Harrisburg, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1964), 59.
35 E.W. Kenyon, The Two Kinds of Faith (Seattle: Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Co., 1942), 101.
36 Charles Capps, Releasing the Ability of God (Tulsa, Okla.: Harrison House, 1978), 65.
37 Andrew Murray, The Spirit of Christ (Springdale, Penn.: Whitaker, 1984), 11.
38 Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1993), 213-215.
39 A.B. Simpson, Life More Abundantly (New York: Christian Alliance Publishing Co., 1912; Harrisburg, Penn.: Christian Publications, 1965), 116; see also Simpson, Christ in the Bible, 1:361; Charles Spurgeon, Faith’s Checkbook (Chicago, Moody Press, n.d.), 36, 44, 55, 73.
40 Simpson, Christ in the Bible, 1:81.
This article is an excerpt from Only Believe: Examining the Origins and Development of Classic and Contemporary Word of Faith Theologies (Tulsa, OK: Word and Spirit Press, 2008). Only Believe is available through the author’s website, HigherLifeMinistries.com, and through online sellers, such as Amazon. Used with permission.
About the Author
Paul L. King holds a D.Min from Oral Roberts University and a D.Th. from the University of South Africa. He served for 16 years on the faculty of Oral Roberts University as Coordinator of Bible Institute programs and Adjunct Professor in the College of Theology and Ministry. Author of 10 books and more than 50 articles, he was ORU 2006 Scholar of the Year and also served as Scholar-at-Large for the D.Min. program at Alliance Theological Seminary. He is currently Doctor of Ministry Mentor for the Randy Clark Scholars program at United Theological Seminary, Leadership and Church Ministry Consultant and Trainer, an ordained pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and Interim Consulting Pastor for the Plano (Texas) Chinese Alliance Church. www.higherlifeministries.com
Category: Church History, Fall 2012, Pneuma Review
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