Un-biblical Christians?

Is the Charismatic / Pentecostal movement a Christian movement? The answer is yes and no. The Charismatic movement (or any movement for that matter) can be Christian, but not necessarily biblical.

Although there are many sincere Christians in it, they are there because they don’t rightly understand the Word of God and have substituted false experiences for the truth.

Charismatic / Pentecostal Movement

The Charismatic / Pentecostal movement has made huge progress in the church for two reasons: firstly, human beings are emotional creatures and often swayed with any wind of doctrine, and secondly, Christians are complacent lacking a deep understanding of their faith.

This is why the movement is dangerous because new believers are learning to live by their feelings and by having ecstatic superficial experiences rather than by faith and the truth of God’s Word.

There is also an overemphasis on speaking in tongues, as well as superstitious beliefs such as special revelations and visions, which are all associated with this movement. This shift in focus has led to a decline in the emphasis on Scripture, resulting in believers who may not fully understand the gospel message in its simplest form or even care to understand the relevance.

It is unfortunate that at the heart of those movements are unconverted masses who are probably unable to even explain the gospel message in its simplest form. While they may believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose again, while they may not fully understand how He used His death to satisfy His justice and how He provided righteousness to those who believe.

Satan is Made sovereign in such movements

Essentially, these movements (charismatics and pentecostals) tend to make Satan the supreme being rather than God.

The following statements are examples of what is often said in such movements and it will make you wonder who is truly sovereign?

“God wants people to be saved and to keep them saved, but He’s can’t, because Satan is deceiving people.”

“God would like to solve the problems in the world, but the devil keeps messing things up.”

Also, there are a number of circumstances in life that are constantly attributed to the devil. When you have a sick child -the devil is to blame. When you lose your job – the devil is to blame. When you fall ill – the devil is to blame. When a child goes astray – the devil is to blame.

As a result of this kind of thinking, we end up making Satan supreme over God, and living in fear all the time.

There are also believers who are always trying to bind Satan, and cast out demons. Unfortunately, in the Pentecostal church, God has become the victim and cannot do anything unless we (believers) take authority and cast out the demons ourselves.

In addition, there is a strange notion of a pervasive fear of Satan (a widespread, constant anxiety or dread of Satan’s influence and power). For example, some parents cannot sleep because they are afraid that the devil will come in at night and make their babies ill, or that the devil will enter their homes, so they must pray all night to keep their houses safe and bind Satan.

There is nothing biblical about this.

According to the Bible, believers have nothing to fear from Satan.

It may sound surprising, but the enemy of God is ultimately a servant of God, and he can do only what God allows him to do. This means that the enemies boundaries, constraints, and limits are set by the sovereign God Himself.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that through Christ, believers have been given authority over the enemy. In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” This reinforces the truth that believers need not live in fear of Satan but rather in the assurance of God’s sovereign protection.

Conclusion

In summary, the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, with its emphasis on emotional experiences and supernatural phenomena, can lead believers away from a solid foundation in Scripture and the true gospel message.

This can result in a distorted view of spiritual authority, where Satan is seen to be as more powerful than actually he is and believers are constantly forced to live in unnecessary fear.

If you are a believer surrounded with these kinds of teachings or knows of someone in that movement who has reached this point in their understanding of God – it may be time to consider their options.