It sounds unbelievable. Surely nobody believes that “Jesus Christ” the Son of the living God had to be “born again.” Add to that the idea that He took the nature of Satan and became just as vile in His spirit as the devil himself. Could this idea or doctrine actually be at the very foundation of a religious movement that calls itself Christian? It is true, though hard to believe, that leading ministers who are followed by millions around the world actually teach this dark idea. Here are the actual words of Kenneth Hagin: “Physical death would not remove our sins. He tasted death for every man – spiritual death. Jesus is the first person ever to be born again. Why did His spirit need to be born again? Because it was estranged from God.” (The Name Of Jesus, Kenneth E. Hagin, pages 29-30.)
Mr. Hagin totally denies that the physical death, the shedding of Jesus’ blood, would remove our sins. As he continues this discussion, he states that:
“spiritual death also means having Satan’s nature.” (ibid, p. 31) In other words, Jesus had to take on the demonic nature of the devil and go to hell. In hell, under Satan’s bondage, the Son of God was “born again.” To make matters worse, Mr. Hagin plainly states that Jesus was not the only Begotten Son of God until He was “born again” in hell and then resurrected. Only at this moment was He the “Only Begotten.” Here are his words: “‘No, thou are my son, this day have I begotten thee’ is not talking about the day He took upon Himself a body. Then what day was it? When was it that Jesus was begotten? When He was raised up! On that Resurrection morn! Why did He need to be begotten or born? Because He became like we were, separated from God. Because He tasted death for every man, His spirit, His inner man, went to hell in our place.” (ibid, p. 29)
“The Cross” is Rejected by Hagin
The only reasonable explanation of this whole doctrine of a born again Jesus is the rejection of the cross of Jesus Christ. The blood of our redemption as the only plan or possibility for forgiveness and new redeemed life has been totally denied by Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Paul and Jan Crouch, and the majority of the Charismatic World. To explain a “born again Jesus” in any lesser words is to play games with this foul doctrine. The plain statement by Hagin, “physical death would not remove our sins,” is a statement of finality. The only way His blood could have been shed for us is by His physical death. To suggest anything needed above or beyond that act of “the shedding of blood” is heresy. Jesus Himself said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
Kenneth Hagin does not end his questionable teaching at this level. He clearly states that no one can understand the authority in the Name of Jesus until they understand the “born again” Jesus. He emphasizes this as follows: “You will not be able to understand the authority in the name of Jesus until you understand this fact. Down in the prison house of suffering, down in hell itself, Jesus satisfied the claims of justice on the behalf of each one of us, because He died as our substitute.” (ibid, p. 33)
This makes Jesus a totally different person than the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29). The prophetic idea of a lamb as a type of Christ’s death was the heartthrob of the First Testament sacrifices. Jesus’ death was a perfect fulfillment of that First Testament shadow. Messianic prophesies all show His “blood sacrifices” as the perfect act of redemption. There is not one type in the Old Testament prophecies, which do not suggest “blood” as God’s accepted offering for our sin. It is so firmly established that to argue further is to belittle the facts.
As Hagin develops his teaching on this subject, he appears to also support the idea of the “Jesus Only” heresy. He quoted a book by E.W. Kenyon, who is well known as a meta-physical cult writer. Mr. Kenyon was quoted by Hagin as stating: “He has given to Him the name that has within it the fullness of the Godhead…”(ibid, p. 37) Leaving off the Biblical word “bodily” totally changes the Scripture as written by Apostle Paul. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus was not the “fullness of the Godhead” but the “fullness of the Godhead Bodily.” It was in His person as the Son of man to reveal all that God is to the human race.
But He continues. He stated in his chapter on “The Name and Baptism,” “I believe in being baptized in the Name of Jesus. I do not believe in being baptized in the name of ‘Jesus only.’ When I baptize people in water, I say this, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”(ibid, p. 68). This statement appears to be an effort to please the “Oneness” doctrine and the Trinity truth all at the same time. Farther on in this same book, he quotes Kenyan again. This time he said, “We are baptized into the name, and being baptized into the name, we are being baptized into Christ Himself.” (ibid, p. 117). The “Oneness” theology teaches that we are not assured of salvation until we are baptized in His name and into Christ Himself. These statements in Kenneth Hagin’s book only serve to make his teaching on “The Born Again Jesus” more questionable.
Kenneth Copeland: To Another Level
Kenneth Hagin is the mentor of Kenneth Copeland. As always in false doctrines, the ideas continue in a downward spiral. Copeland takes this idea to a greater extreme. Here are his words Copeland said: “The Spirit of God spoke to me and He said, ‘Son, realize this.’ Now, follow me in this. Don’t let your tradition trip you up. He said, ‘Think this way. A twice born man whipped Satan in his own domain,’ and I threw my Bible and I said, ‘What!’ He said, ‘A born again defeated Satan. The first born of many brethren defeated him.’ He said, ‘You are the very image and the very copy of that one.’ I said, ‘Goodness, gracious sakes alive!’ And it just began, I began to see what had gone on in there. And I said, ‘Well, now, you don’t mean, you couldn’t dare mean that I could have done the same thing.’ He said, ‘Oh, yeah, if you’ve known and had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, ’cause you are a reborn man, too.’ He said, ‘The same power that I used to raise Him from the dead, I used to raise you from your death in trespasses and sin.’ He said, ‘I had to have that copy of that pattern to establish judgment on Satan, so that I could recreate a child, and a family, and a whole new race of mankind.’ And He said, ‘You are in His likeness.'” (Audio Voice, undated). This idea of the “Born Again Jesus” serves to reveal what lies at the heart of this teaching. They are not dealing with men and women saved by the Blood but with the cultic idea of creating a superior race of godlike humans. Note Copeland’s words that came to him by revelation from the/a spirit. “I had to have that copy of that pattern to establish judgment on Satan so I could recreate a child, and a family, and a whole new race of mankind.”
Frederick K.C. Price: To An Even Deeper Level
Let’s see what Fred Price says about this poison that Kenyon, Hagin, and Copeland have made so popular. Price stated: “Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God…Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence.”(Ever Increasing Faith Message, June 1980 Audio). This statement makes no bones about denying the Blood sacrifice on the cross. This individual that Price is discussing is not the Son of God but, “I believe”, is a lying spirit masquerading as the “Son of God.” Satan hates the Blood above every truth in Holy Scripture. Nothing is so totally defeating to the devil as the “Precious Blood of the Lamb of God.”
Jan Crouch makes a great boast on a book written by Paul Billheimer. She has often spoken of this book and on our video, “The Born Again Jesus,” she even speaks of Jesus burning like a cracker in hell. Let’s read a quote that she approvingly (by Paul Crouch) read on a live TBN telecast. This was during a communion service. “Because He was ‘made sin,’ impregnated with sin, and became the very essence of sin, on the cross He was banished from God’s presence as a loathsome thing. He and sin were made synonymous…[I]t was not sufficient for Christ to offer up only His physical life on the cross. His pure human spirit had to ‘descend’ into hell…His spirit must not only descend into hell, but into the lowest hell…The Father turned Him over, not only to the agony and death of Calvary, but to the satanic torturers of His pure spirit as part of the just dessert of the sin of all the race. As long as Christ was ‘the essence of sin’ He was at Satan’s mercy in that place of torment…While Christ identified with sin, Satan and the hosts of hell ruled over Him as over any lost sinner. During that seemingly endless age in the nether abyss of death, Satan did with Him as he would, and all hell was ‘in carnival.'” (Destined For The Throne, Paul E. Billheimer, Sped. P. 83-84)
Could a Defiled Jesus, Save?
The question that begs our answer is “could a defiled Jesus that had become satanic in nature save mankind from sin? “Notice that Mr. Billheimer said that Jesus was “impregnated with sin.” He called Jesus a “loathsome thing.” The Bible speaks of Him as “being made perfect” in His suffering, not a loathsome thing.
It’s amazing to read the new edition of the Paul Billheimer book issued after his death. His wife states the following about the use of his book to apparently support “a born again Jesus” and the changes she directed under her supervision. “Prior to his death Mr. Billheimer expressed concerns that some of his statements had been taken to unbiblical extremes by readers of Destined For The Throne. This revised edition, updated under my supervision to more precisely convey his views, underscores the distinction between God and His creation, both in the present world and during our eternal reign with Christ. It also makes clear the Cross as the focus of Christ’s completed suffering.” (Destined For The Throne, Paul E. Billheimer, General Editor’s Preface.)
Benny Hinn Received the Same Revelation
This doctrine of the “born again Jesus” is called revelation knowledge. Almost everyone that I have researched states the same. Jan Crouch told about Paul Billheimer (our video: The Born Again Jesus) receiving this revelation. She stated how overwhelmed he was and how he had such a hard time ever writing it down. She also states that the publishers argued about publishing it. The Bible is of no private interpretation. You can always be certain when someone comes up with an idea called “revelation knowledge” that you are dealing with deception. The devil is a master at imitation and if he can get religious people to move beyond plain truth into mystical doctrines, he can create havoc.
Listen as Benny Hinn is receiving revelation knowledge right on a TBN television program. “My, you know, whoosh! The Holy Ghost is just showing me some stuff. I’m getting dizzy! I’m telling you the truth – it’s, it’s just heavy right now on me…He’s [referring to Jesus] in the underworld now. God isn’t there, and the Bible says He was begotten. Do you know what the word begotten means? It means reborn. Do you want another shocker? Have you been begotten? So was He. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn. You say, ‘What are you talking about?’…He was reborn. He had to be reborn…If He was not reborn, I could not be reborn. Jesus was born again…If He was not reborn, I would never be reborn. How can I face Jesus and say, ‘Jesus, you went through everything I’ve gone through, except the new birth?”… ( Benny Hinn, Our Position in Christ, Part One, Video tape # TV – 254).
The “Jesus Only Connection”
The idea of a born again Jesus is strangely connected to the “Jesus Only” doctrine. In both camps, you have a confused picture of Jesus Christ’s birth, when He became the anointed, when He was begotten and other questionable ideas. William Braham is being heralded today by the Charismatic leaders as a great prophet. He stated that his miracles were performed by his angel assigned to him. They often pictured him with a halo around his head.
He was a staunch “Jesus Only” believer. He stated unequivacably that the doctrine of the “trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” was a doctrine of devils. Here is a quote that I took from a sermon aired on R.G. Stairs radio broadcast He stated: “How can He be an eternal Son when eternity never ends and Son is something that is begotten of, how can it make sense.” (Radio Message, undated). How do the leaders of our day call this man a great prophet unless they share his “Jesus Only” teaching.
Finis Dake, in his bible and commentary, clearly presents a Jesus that missed the Biblical model. While Dake shows no leaning toward “the born again Jesus” or “the Jesus Only,” his doctrines certainly have been picked up by the Charismatic leaders like Copeland, Hinn, and others. Read carefully this commentary that Dake uses to begin the New Testament Commentary. Mind you that this is the first commentary of the entire New Testament. It must be very important.”
The new faces in the Charismatic world are beginning to reflect “Jesus Only” personalities. T.D. Jakes is clearly a “oneness” (we like to call them two-less) minister. He clearly states his concept on God in a rebuttal to Christianity Today. These are his words. “The rites of baptism are celebrated in our church by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ. I have always, without exception, baptized as the early church did in Acts 2:38, 10:44 and 9:1-4. That is my conviction, based on Scripture.” (Christianity Today, Website by Bishop T.D. Jakes, entitled “My View on the Godhead”). Another “Jesus Only” is Tommy Tenney, author of The God Chasers. This book is one of the most deceiving books I have read. He stated clearly in a Charisma interview that he believed in three manifestations of God. This was in response to a question about his background in the United Pentecostal Church (UPC). His answer stating that he believed in “three manifestations” is a classical UPC answer. They deny being “Jesus Only” and call themselves “oneness.”
Conclusion
Many of the ideas in the Charismatic world cannot be attributed to everyone else. There are many variations of almost everything believed in Charismatic circles. Probably the one idea believed in some version in almost all camps of the Charismatic main leaders is the teaching of a “born again Jesus.” This is also the most damnable teaching in their midst. This makes Jesus into a militant and arrogant person instead of the “meek, compassionate, Lamb of God.”
Satan hates the simple “Gospel.” The blood of Jesus alone can redeem and transform the soul into a new creation. Any teaching or doctrine that reduces or reflects negatively in reference to the “cross” is to be rejected. Apostle Paul, the veteran of spiritual warfare, stated, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14). “I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus Name”, and Him crucified.