Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Kenneth Copeland

I was a follower of Kenneth Copeland for several years back in the 80’s, I subscribed to his magazine, the Believer’s Voice of Victory Magazine, and devoured every word of it like it was sweet candy. If Copeland said it, it was straight from God’s mouth as far as I was concerned.

I was 100% sold into the name it, claim it way of thinking about God and His dealings with His children. But fortunately, the Spirit of God spoke to me as I was reading Copeland’s magazine one day. I don’t remember exactly what it was that I read, but I know that the Spirit clearly showed me that Copeland was wrong and it hit me like a ton of bricks!

I got out the Bible and compared what Copeland wrote and what God wrote and they were different. I then reread that entire magazine, and several of the older issues, comparing everything in the magazine to the Word of God. I was shocked at what I found. I had been duped and lead astray by a swindler!

Kenneth Copeland is not a Christian; he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing! The prosperity gospel he preaches is false and it is deadly. He teaches, among many fallacies: God has a body and lives on a planet, God created Adam and Eve as gods and that we are gods also, the words Christians speak have power and affect us, Jesus did not claim to be God, Jesus died spiritually and went to hell.

According to Gary A. Hand of “On Doctrine: Discerning truth from Error”:

Kenneth Copeland uses portions of the Bible to support his teachings, but his beliefs are completely different from what is actually revealed in the Scriptures:

1. Kenneth Copeland teaches a god that is different from the God in the Bible.

· The God of the Bible is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal and immutable.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland is "...the biggest failure in the Bible."

· The God of the Bible creates by His power.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland creates by the use of Faith.

· The God of the Bible is a Spirit who cannot be seen.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland is about the same size as an average man and looks like Adam and Jesus Christ, which is classic Mormon doctrine.

· The God of the Bible fills the earth and the universe.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland lives on a planet, which is classic Mormon doctrine.

· The God of the Bible created Adam and Eve as human beings, not gods.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland created Adam and Eve as gods just like himself

· The God of the Bible is omnipotent, possessing all power.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland is limited by "spiritual laws".

· The God of the Bible created, owns and upholds the earth.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland lost possession of the earth to Satan because of the sin of Adam and Eve.

· The God of the Bible is Truth and cannot lie or be deceitful.

· The god of Kenneth Copeland must deceive Satan in order to get his words recorded in the earth.

2. Kenneth Copeland teaches a Jesus Christ that is different from the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible died on the cross for the sins of the world.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland was tortured in hell by Satan for three days for the sins of the world.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible died physically of the cross, but His Spirit was continually alive.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland "died spiritually".

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible was raised from the dead, the same person and spirit as He was previous to death.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland died spiritually, so he had to be re-created by God, therefore he is not the same person or spirit as he was previous to death.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible was the only person who was worthy to die on the cross for the sins of the world.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland could have been replaced by any "born-again" believer, who could have accomplished the same thing.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible left no record of His appearance.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland looked and talked just like Adam.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible was sinless, righteous, without flaw or blemish.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland accepted a sin nature and gave up his righteousness while on the cross.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible conquered death and hell.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland was conquered on the cross by Satan and was taken by Satan to hell.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible was the Son of God, in whom He was well pleased.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland was forsaken "Because God was not His Father any more" while he was on the cross.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible said, "I and the Father are one."

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland says, in a direct conversation with Kenneth Copeland, that he never claimed to be God while on the earth but only that he claimed to walk with God.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible died on the cross as a ransom paid to God.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland died on the cross as a ransom paid to Satan.

· The Jesus Christ of the Bible claimed to be poor and without a place to rest.

· The Jesus Christ of Kenneth Copeland is claimed to have been rich because, "It would have been impossible for Jesus Christ to have been poor".

3. Kenneth Copeland teaches doctrines that are different from the Bible

· The Bible teaches in Ephesians 4:11-16 that the unity of the body of Christ is based on teaching to equip the saints for service.

· Kenneth Copeland teaches that the unity of the body of Christ will not be based on doctrine.

· The Bible teaches that walking in the Spirit is walking with the Holy Spirit.

· Kenneth Copeland teaches that walking in the spirit is walking in your own spirit.

· The Bible teaches that believers are children of God by adoption.

· Kenneth Copeland teaches that believers are gods.

· The Bible teaches that believers are subject to the will of God.

· Kenneth Copeland teaches that God is subject to the spoken wills and desires of believers.

(http://www.ondoctrine.com/10copela.htm)

I can attest to each and every one of the above statements as I followed Copeland and was fooled by him for several years. I believe hundreds of thousands true Christians are caught up in his evilness and are being led astray. Just as many people believe that they have become Christians under his ministry when in fact, they have not because he teaches a false christ where salvation cannot be attained.

Kenneth Copeland is leading people to hell, please don’t be one of them! Believe in the Jesus of the Bible; compare every sermon every preacher gives to the Bible to ensure you are being fed the good meat of God’s Word.