Can You Withstand Heresy?

Can You Withstand Heresy?
A Biblical Refutation of the Destructive Heresy of Joel Hemphill

He has won eight “Dove” awards, he is a Gospel music legend, and he is about to be installed (October 2007) in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He has appeared on the Gaither “Homecoming” videos, he has written dozens of hit Southern Gospel anthems, and he is considered by many to be a Godly man and a minister of Christ. However, the truth is that this man, by his own published admission, is a traitor to “…the faith once delivered to the saints…”. He is a denier of the Deity, the Lordship and the pre-existence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and a purveyor of salvation by works. Indeed, to find so glaring a heresy as this, one would have to look to the Ebionites, descended from the Judiazers, who existed for a brief period 1800 years ago.
Gospel music singer Joel Hemphill’s tract, “Can You Face Reality?”, is a poorly-written, self-contradictory snippet of a destructive heresy, one just as destructive as those encountered by Peter. 2 Pet 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. He flatly and plainly denies the lordship and deity of our Lord Jesus Christ and sets up a system of salvation by works. In the process, he ignores numerous scriptures, distorts and quotes others out of context, makes patently false statements about the Bible, publishes distortions and lies about history, uses unreliable theological sources, and misquotes and quotes out of context well-respected Christian teachers. His heresy is so far out that he literally exceeds other heresies of the day by denying the Lordship, pre-existence and eternality of Christ Jesus our Lord. Hemphill’s heresy exceeds that of the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, each of which has higher view of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ than Hemphill does, and it is being subsidized by the dollars of born-again believers who do not know nor realize the depth of these heresies.
Rather than give equal time to the Devil’s man, we will not answer his tract line by line, but will instead teach the truth about the Nature of God, and thereby demonstrate the gross and deadly errors taught by Hemphill and others. Secondly, we will address the total lack of discernment shown by many Christians and church leaders who mindlessly play and sing the music of lost heretics, and who even invite them in to their churches.


What is The Nature of God?

Throughout the history of the church, the enemies of God have attacked the Biblical teaching concerning His Nature, particularly the Deity of the Son of God. The doctrine we touch upon here is one of the most attacked (and best and most consistently defended) of all the major teachings of the Faith: God is Triune, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Spirit (three persons or personalities that are distinct)--yet there is only one God. This has been called the doctrine of the TRINITY since the days of the early church. The early church wars and the philosophical debates surrounding that doctrine, have obscured the fact that the doctrine of the Trinity is solidly supported by Holy Scripture, and is directly drawn from the scriptures. The simple statement we have made, stripped of the technically philosophical terms, expresses what the Bible everywhere teaches about the subject. I Frankly don't understand it for one second. However, I recognize fully that the Bible teaches these truths, so I believe them and teach them whether I understand them or not.

The key presupposition we must have as we approach the doctrine of the Trinity is this: BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES, AND DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT. This doctrine speaks of the very essential nature of God, how can we expect to understand it? Indeed, nearly every cult that has departed from the evangelical Christian faith has either begun from someone trying to explain the Trinity. The view of the entire orthodox church, including evangelicals, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholics, has always been that denial of the doctrine of the Trinity constitutes departure from "the faith once delivered to the saints." (Jude 3)

What are the Basic Ideas of the Trinity? Mat 28:19….baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

“…In the Name….” MONOTHEISM--There is only One True God. – the foundation of the doctrine of God's tri-unity is that there is only One God. It is emphatically taught in both the Old and New Testaments. "hear oh, Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD." (Dt 6:4). “...there is no god with me..." (Dt 32:39); "...I am the LORD, and there is none else..."(Is 45:18) "...before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me..." (Is 43:10). "There is one God and one mediator between God and man..."(1 Tim 2:5); "...and this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent..." (Jn 17:3).

PLURALITY: “…in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Within the One True God exists a plurality of persons. First, there are plural terms and names applied to God. The most prevalent in the Bible is the Hebrew Elohim. God also is described with plural pronouns, "...Let us make man in our image.." (Gen 1:25), Gen 11:6-8 "And the LORD said, "….. 7 "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city." Isa 6:8 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?"

In Isaiah 48:16-17 --The Trinity in Isaiah! Isa 48:16 "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me."
17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.. 18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

We next see that THE FATHER IS GOD--“…in the name of the Father,,,” Jesus is often called the Son of God, therefore God is a Father, and the Father is God. There is no scripture that even hints that the Father ever ceases to be a separate person. Jesus continually refers to the Father as a separate Person. Jesus continually talks to the Father. Jesus tells us to pray to the Father. On more than one occasion, the Father speaks. Mat 17:5 "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!""

We must understand that Jesus Christ is Eternal God. This is the foundation doctrine of Christianity--Jesus Himself said "...If you believe not that I AM he, you shall die in your sins..." (JN 8:24) This is not just a speculative, philosophical teaching--unless God redeems us Himself, we cannot be redeemed. Jesus is called God by others, John 20:28 ,Rom 9:5, 1 Tim 3:16 ; Jesus claimed the titles and prerogatives of God, John 8:58, Mat 12:8, Mat 9:2-6. Jesus is called God by the Father, Heb 1:4-14 . Finally, Jesus is called Jehovah—compare the scriptures below: John 12:37-41/Is 6:1, 9-10, Ps 24:7,10/1 Cor 2:8,, James 2:1, Is 8:13-14/1 Pet 2:5-8, Ps 23:1/Jn 10:11, Is 40:10-11/1 Pet. 5:4
Is 44:6, Jer 23:5-6, Joel 2:32/Acts 4:12.

Furthermore, Jesus is worshipped. In Is 42:8, Ex 20:3, and many other OT passages forbid the worship of anyone but Jehovah God Himself--yet we see in many passages that Christ is worshipped . Jesus is worshipped by men: Luke 24:51-52, Mat 28:9, Mat 14:31-33. Jesus accepts the worship of men—John 20:29. He is worshipped by angels at the order of the Father—Heb 1:4-14. Finally, Jesus is worshipped in Heaven itself.—Phil 2:9-11, Rev 5:6-14.

Jesus did and does The works of God : Creation (Jn 1:3, Heb 1:2) , Preservation of the universe (Col. 1:17, Heb 1:2-3), the sending of the Spirit of God (Jn 16:7) , the forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:30-31) and the giving of eternal life (Jn 17:2-3) .

Jesus possesses divine attributes. He has Self existence (Jn 5:26, 8:58), Eternity (Jn 1:1-2, 14 Micah 5:2), Omniscience (Jn 1:48), Omnipotence--(Mt 28:18-20, omnipresence (Mt 18:20--note that He was on earth, and in the flesh, and used the present tense, showing that He had this attribute even in His earthly ministry), Immutability (Heb 13:8), and Sovereignty (Mt 11:27).
ü Jesus is God, and that fact seals our redemption, for the One who died for us is Very God of Very God, a Person of infinite worth, who laid down His life and took it up again.

ü Jesus is God, which seals our resurrection
ü Jesus is God, which guarantees our preservation
ü Jesus is God, which guarantees His return in power.

Not only is the Son of God also God the Son, the Holy Spirit is a Person (not an it), and He is God. The Holy Spirit is a Person--not a force, influence, etc. Many cults and sects deny His personality. He is turned into some kind of "divine electricity,", a sort of impersonal force for God and good in the world. This, of course, goes along with their denial of the Trinity. However, when we look at the Bible, we find that He has personal qualities ascribed to Him by scripture. He can be lied to—Acts 5:1-5, He can be tested—Acts 5:1-5. The Holy spirit has Personal Qualities, such as understanding and knowledge, (1 Cor 2:10-11), a will (1 Cor 12:11), love (Rom 15:30), and Grief (Eph 4:30). The Holy Spirit performs Personal Actions: He speaks (1 Tim 4:1, Rev 2:7), He teaches (Lk 12:12, Jn 14:26), He commands (Acts 13:2), He intercedes (Rom 8:26). Personal characterizations applied to Him: Comforter (Jn 14:16), Witness (Heb 10:15, Rom 8:16), Justifier and Sanctifier (1 Cor 6:11), Intercessor (Rom 8:26). Pronouns used of Him (Jn 14:26, Jn 16:7).

The Holy Spirit is God-- The Holy Spirit is called God – Act 5:3-5, 1 Cor 3:16--Compare with 2 Cor 6:16). Indirectly, the Holy Spirit is also called Jehovah-! It was Jehovah who spoke by the prophets (Lk 1:68-70) yet Peter says it was the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20, also compare 2 Sam 23:2-3 with Acts 1:16). It was Jehovah that Israel rebelled against in the wilderness (Ps 78:4, 17-18), but Isaiah says it was the Holy Spirit (Is 63:10). In Dt 32:12, Jehovah led Israel, but in Is 63:14, It says the Holy Spirit led them. Jehovah commissioned Isaiah the prophet (Is 6:6-8), but Paul says (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) that it was the Holy Spirit who commissioned the prophet (Acts 28:25-26). The Holy Spirit Demonstrates the Attributes of God: Holiliness (Rom 1:4, cw Ex15:11), Eternality (Heb 9:14), Omnipresence (Ps139:7), Omniscience (1 Cor 2:10-11), Omnipotence ( Lk 1:35, Mic. 3:8, Is 40:28), Sovereignty (Mat 4:1--He led Jesus!) (Jn 3:8, 1 Cor 12:11, Acts 13:2-4, 20:28).


The Importance of the Doctrine of the Trinity--Mat 28:20 ""teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."
God is a God of Relationship—Mat 3:16-17 . People mess relationships--the human race is a race at war with itself. Guess what? God does not have this problem! What the doctrine of the Trinity teaches us is that God is a God of relationship! -- The most long-lasting and tranquil relationship which has ever existed or will ever exist is the all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Psa 90:1-2, John 17:5, 24, Heb 9:14. -God is not like us in our failure to relate--He does not leave us nor forsake us. God will never leave, God will never forsake--and God will never divorce one of His own.

And this relational nature of God means that we can have Representation in heaven. Christ is our Representative. Jesus is both our Representative and our example in Baptism: Mat 3:15.--Remember, we can't go to heaven without righteousness--and our righteousnesses are filthy rags..our works cannot save us....we must have the righteousness of God. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, fulfilled the righteousness of God for us. Christ Jesus lived for us! Jesus was our representative on the cross... Isa 53:5; WE could not pay the price; WE could not stand in that place and endure the totality of God's wrath against a sinful race; WE could not stand in the presence of a Holy and just God for even one second! The Sin was Ours, the Guilt was Ours, the Iniquity was Ours, the Shame was ours, the punishment and the stripes were Ours--but the blood was HIS!!!!! My Representative, my Substitute, endured the wrath of God for me. And No Mere Man Could have done that for even one of us.....Only a being, a Person of infinite strength and power could have hung on that cross enduring that wrath, and satisfied that debt! Without the doctrine of the Trinity, there is no representation, because unless God has stood in our place, we are doomed, doomed, doomed! Jesus is our representative in all dealings with God the Father (1 Tim 2:5 ). How can I, a sinful man, approach the Almighty, Holy Father in heaven? I have a Mediator, a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, a Holy Hand that joins my hand with the Father. Jesus is our Representative at the throne of Grace--He is our priest in the Holy of Holies—Heb 4:14-16. Jesus is our Representative in the court of the Most High—Zech 3:1-7, Heb 7:25-26.

The ultimate aim of the Representation by Christ Jesus is Redemption and Reconciliation through the Person and Work of Christ, through the blood of the Lamb ( 1 Pet 1:18-21). Redemption was ordained and planned before God made the world--Christ was the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the world. God the Father sent His Son on a Holy Mission--and the objective location of that mission was a small, rocky, ugly, hill outside the gates of an ancient city in the mountains of Palestine. The hill was Calvary; the City was Jerusalem; And the mission the Son accomplished on the cross was our reconciliation with God. Rom 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 2 Cor 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Will You Withstand Heresy?

Having seen the Truth plainly taught, what is to be done? First, pray earnestly for the salvation of Joel Hemphill and others caught up in this vile heresy. Second, refuse to buy or sing any song written by or recorded by this man unless and until he repents and recants. Third, write or email the Southern Gospel Music Association (www.sgma.org), and demand that they reconsider placing this self-admitted heretic in the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame. Fourth, copy, forward, reprint, and distribute this tract, to spread the word about this destructive heresy.

Charles T. Buntin
New Covenant Counseling Ministries, Bible Teacher
Mayfield, KY 42066—see my blog at http://mainto4.blogspot.com/
mainto4@newwavecomm.net

For additional reading on this subject, we recommend the following book:
The Forgotten Trinity, By James R. White, Alpha-Omega Ministries