Evangelist T.J. Roberson’s ‘One Way Ministry’ Is Not ‘The Way’!

FMH Children’s Club International
–– A Company Of Prophets ––
P.O. Box 640109
El Paso, TX 79904

JSM Notice

The following letter-form was brought about as a means of teaching my children the Word of God through the mail. And of course, quite naturally so, that’s the reason I begin these letters with "Dear Children" and end them with "Love Dad". So for the rest of you who participate in these weekly messages, please keep their original intended purpose in mind.

19 December, 2010

Dear Children,

It was at 6:59 pm on the 27th of November 2010 when Evangelist T.J. Roberson left a message on our answering service. An hour and a-half later I tried returning his call but only got a recording. So in a true spirit of meekness, I left a message requesting a day and time when we could talk over his concerns. However, seeing how Brother Roberson has yet to return my call, we’ll just have to address his concerns another way. Because you see the title of today’s message is “Evangelist T.J. Roberson’s ‘One Way Ministry’ Is Not ‘The Way’!”

And to kinda like get things rolling, this is what Brother Roberson had to say to me back on 11/27/10:

- T.J. Roberson -
(Download MP3)

“Yes, ah, this is evangelist T. J. Roberson, uh, from North Carolina. And, uh, want you to know that the things you are saying about, uh, the cross and, uh, the suffering for Christ, you are in total error. Jesus Christ Himself suffered for us, and yes we do suffer. Because the Word of God teaches that ‘many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.’ How does He deliver us out of them all? It’s through the cross of Jesus Christ; that we look exclusively to the Cross of Christ. We could not suffer for our sins. We were tainted from the fall. Jesus Blood was holy, righteous, and is still holy, righteous Blood. His Blood atones for our sins. The sacrifice of His Body was given to God, back to God. His death, His burial, His resurrection paid the price. You have no right – and I won’t call you Brother, because I don’t see you as a Brother – but you have no right doing what you are doing to Jimmy Swaggart or to anyone else for that matter. And if you don’t repent of your sins you will bust Hell wide open and you can consider yourself as being one.”

Now, without a doubt, that message was SMOKING! I could almost smell Brother Roberson’s “flesh” overheating as he unloaded his “religious anger” on me. In fact Brother Roberson needs to “crucify that flesh” before it makes him do something he’ll end up regretting!

And as it concerns the cross of Christ, Brother Roberson could have spoken his short message without ever mentioning “Jimmy Swaggart” and I would have still known where he was coming from. Because you see the Jimmy Swaggart catch phrase – “look exclusively to the Cross of Christ” – is always a dead give-away when it comes to those who follow Jimmy Swaggart’s erroneous teachings on the cross of Christ.

But anyway, it’s abundantly obvious that Brother Roberson doesn’t agree with what the Lord has had me to speak about Jimmy Swaggart and the error of his ways. I mean something I said inflamed his flesh to the point that he just had to speak his mind. But what was it? Was it our sermonet “Jimmy Swaggart REJECTS The Cross Of Christ”, our expose’ “Jimmy Swaggart Expositor’s Study Bible: THE LIE From Satan”, or maybe just our “Jimmy Swaggart Sermonets” page in general? Well, whatever it might have been, it’s given us the glorious opportunity to help Brother Roberson see God’s Truth (and Jimmy Swaggart’s error) concerning the cross of Christ:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us… Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father… Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed… For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (John 1:1; 14, Galatians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:24 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 KJV)

Now the preceding Scriptures are a pretty good composite of what God’s Word has to say about salvation through the cross of Christ. Regardless of what Brother Roberson might think or say about me, I believe what the Bible says about salvation through the cross. And in order to give Brother Roberson (and maybe a few others like him) the chance to recover from the error of Jimmy Swaggart’s cross, let’s start out with the following verse and take it from there:

“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will (G2307) of God and our Father:” (Galatians 1:3-4 KJV)

Will (G2307) [thelema] - From the verb thelo (G2309), to will. The suffix –ma indicates that it is the result of the will. The will, not to be conceived as demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes God’s will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure… Paul uses it especially with reference to God’s saving purpose (Eph. 1:5, 9, 11)… the will of God which must be done. (The Complete Word Study New Testament With Greek Parallel)

The key to what Jesus did on His cross for us has everything to do with Him “doing” the “Will (G2307) of God”. It was all about obedience! And seeing how Jesus was the “Last Adam” who obeyed the “Will (G2307) of God” throughout His entire life, let’s take it back in time to the “First Adam” who didn’t:

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 KJV)

You see it was the “Will (G2307) of God” that the “First Adam” not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… but seeing how the “First Adam” didn’t obey the “Will (G2307) of God” he sinned! And it was because of that one little old sin that the “First Adam”, along with all his descendants (which even includes us), was destined to an everlasting fiery grave in Hell.

I mean things did not look good for the human race, but yet there was still hope! Because the Almighty promised to give mankind one more shot at getting it right. God the Father was going to send another Man (the “Last Adam” – Jesus), who would be born of a virgin, without the sin of Adam in His Blood, to live out His entire life in total obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God”… which even included His death on His cross. Because it was during those last three hours on His cross that Jesus took on the “sin of the world” in His Body and defeated “all sin” for “all eternity”. Through Jesus’ life-long suffering in total obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God”, every trace of sin was metabolized out of His Body during those last three hours on His cross. By the time He said, “It is finished”, it was finished!

Now without getting too deep into this subject of “the human body and sin”, (see our sermonet series “How Do You Want Your Fire… Now Or Later? ” for more details), the basics of what Jesus did on His cross is found in the fact that the human body is the only place where sin can reside. Sin can only exist in the human form, and of course that’s the reason Jesus, the Word, had to become Flesh in order to take on the sin of the world and defeat it.

Because as we discussed in our sermonet “Life Through The Flesh And Blood Of Jesus! ”, the smallest part of the human body maintaining it’s God-given “body/soul/spirit” characteristics is the human “cell”. And the way God designed the human body is that each cell is “natural” by design until transformed by the Holy Spirit through the Believer’s suffering in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” for their lives.

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-46 KJV)

“In the beginning” Adam had a “natural” body that would have become “spiritual” as he used it (his body) to do the “Will (G2307) of God”. However, seeing how Adam chose to do the “natural” thing instead of the “spiritual” one, he sinned. And likewise it was because of the catastrophic consequences of that one sin that God Almighty included a graphic reminder of it in the Old Testament animal sacrifices:

“And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.” (Deuteronomy 18:3 KJV)

You see when Adam used the cells of his body to satisfy his natural physical “senses” instead of the “Will (G2307) of God”, he did so in three distinct steps with three distinct members of his human body:

#1 – He used his arm (shoulder) to take the forbidden fruit from Eve.
#2 – He used his jaw muscles (cheeks) to chew the forbidden fruit.
#3 – He used his stomach (maw) to digest the forbidden fruit he swallowed.

Now with that in mind, it’s time to turn our attention to Jimmy Swaggart’s error. As a means of exposing his damnable teaching on the “cross of Christ”, we will be using excerpts from his very own “Jimmy Swaggart Expositor’s Study Bible” (JSESB). We will first present the Word of God from the King James Version (KJV), and then the word of Jimmy Swaggart (JSESB). The italicized words in parenthesis are Jimmy Swaggart’s comments that appear in his bible in red (just like the KJV Red Letter Edition present the Words of Jesus in red).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will (G2307) of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17 KJV)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. (The “world” spoken of here by John pertains to the ordered system of which Satan is the head.) If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (God the Father will not share the love that must go exclusively to Him with the world.) For all that is in the world (there is nothing in the system of this world that is of God), the lust of the flesh (refers to evil cravings), and the lust of the eyes (craves what it sees), and the pride of life (that which trust its own power and resources, and shamefully despises and violates Divine Laws and human rights), is not of the Father, but is of the world. (These things have the system of the world as their source, not the Heavenly Father.) And the world passes away, and the lust thereof (whatever the allurements of the world, they soon fade): but he that does the Will of God abides forever (the one who keeps on habitually doing the will of God).” (1 John 2:15-17 JSESB)

Jesus only did (in word and deed) the “Will (G2307) of God” throughout His entire life on earth in order to save us from the everlasting burning flames of Hell (Galatians 1:4). And likewise, Brother John admonishes the “Believer” (those who believe in what Jesus did on His cross) to also do the “Will (G2307) of God” (God’s saving purpose that must be done) in order to save themselves from the everlasting burning flames of Hell.

Now for the most part, it seems as Jimmy Swaggart agreed with that “gospel message” in 1 John 2:15-17 that Brother John preached: “the one who keeps on habitually doing the will of God” abides forever.

And with the “Will (G2307) of God” in mind, let’s focus in on the specifics of just how controlling it should be in the Believer’s life if they really want to “abide forever” in Heaven and not Hell:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8 KJV)

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Man’s problem has always been man’s will, whether Christian or otherwise. In these Passages, we are told here that we do not have the self-sufficiency to run this race alone.) Be not wise in your own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to your navel, and marrow to your bones. (The phrase, “Be not wise in your own eyes,” is, as we have mentioned in the previous Passage, the bane, blight, and terminal flaw of man.)” (Proverbs 3:5-8 JSESB)

Now for the most part, it seems as though Jimmy Swaggart had the “wisdom of Solomon” in his Proverbs 3:5-8 commentary: “Man’s problem has always been man’s will… we do not have the self-sufficiency to run this race alone.” Because you see there’s no doubting the fact that the Believer must not only constantly seek the “Will (G2307) of God” for his/her life, but also do the “Will (G2307) of God” for his/her life in order to depart from evil.

So that’s just a little bit of Jimmy Swaggart’s preaching on “the cross” in commentary form… and now let’s see how he lives it. Because in our sermonet of 8/14/05 – “Jimmy Swaggart Trashes Knee Worshiping Frances!” – we uncovered some of the sad facts of Jimmy Swaggart’s hypocrisy when it comes to him “running the race with Frances instead of God”:

[The above YouTube video has been pulled from viewing due to a copyright claim by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. However, you can watch as a Windows Media Video or listen to the MP3 audio below.]
- Posted for illustrative/instructive purposes only. -

- What Frances Wants, Frances Gets -
[Windows Media Player]
(Download WMV Video)

- What Frances Wants, Frances Gets -
(Download MP3)

[The following was taken from the May 2005, First Sunday, Family Worship Center Home Church video:]

(Jimmy Swaggart)
Now, they tell me that in a few days I’m going to have to have a knee replaced. I’m holding out! Cause I think the Lord has got another knee somewhere. But, ah, I got it from my beautiful wife telling me I had to get up and run every morning five miles. And she’d run off and leave me, honest to God, she’d run off and leave me. She could out run me and I couldn’t catch her. She could run for fifteen miles and I would give out of breath. I’d run, I ran for five miles a day, six days a week. Thank God for Sunday! And I ruined my knees. Didn’t bother her knees. I get kinda angry about that sometimes.

Well, that’s what Jimmy Swaggart said. And it should be pretty obvious from what he said that he’s the “tail” that gets wagged by the “head” Frances. She is his god! She is THE ONE who directs his paths. And it’s likewise because of Jimmy Swaggart’s sin in worshipping Frances (running five miles a day, six days a week) that he trashed up his knee. (See our sermonet “Is Jimmy Swaggart’s Wife ‘Frances’ Really Uncovered? ” for more on the subject.)

Sin has it’s rewards, Jimmy Swaggart. A bum knee!

But did Jimmy Swaggart truly seek the “Will (G2307) of God” in correcting the error of his ways? I mean after all, obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” will be “health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”

Well the bottom line to this sad state of affairs with Jimmy Swaggart’s knee is that he gave God a cut-off date to do a miracle healing… and when that date passed, without a healing, he forsook God and turned to man. Jimmy Swaggart had a man-made knee surgically implanted in his leg. I mean, after all, Jimmy Swaggart is not about to suffer for anybody if he can help it… and that even includes God!

So, was Jimmy Swaggart’s knee operation really what God wanted? Not on your life!!! Jimmy Swaggart rejected “the cross” that God designed for him to carry, and, because of it, he also rejected Christ!

And with that in mind, let’s check out what Brother Paul had to say on this matter of suffering “infirmities” for Jesus:

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 KJV)

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the Revelations (presents the reason for the thorn in the flesh), there was given to me a thorn in the flesh (I think it was all the difficulties of II Cor. 11:23-27), the messenger of Satan to buffet me (an angel of Satan), lest I should be exalted above measure. (This has the Apostle concluding this sentence as it began.) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me (the Lord responded, but did not agree), My Grace is sufficient for you (speaks of enabling Grace, which is really the Goodness of God carried out by the Holy Spirit): for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (All Believers are weak, but the Lord tends to make us weaker, with the intention being that we then depend solely upon Him, thereby obtaining His strength.) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (because of the end result), that the Power of Christ may rest upon me. (If Paul needed so humbling and painful an experience of what the carnal nature is, it is evident that all Christians need it. Whatever weakens, belittles, and humiliates that proud and willful nature should be regarded by the Believer as most worthwhile.)” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 JSESB)

So what did you think of Jimmy Swaggart’s commentary on God denying Brother Paul’s “three-time request for a miraculous healing”? Well, for clarity’s sake, this is what Jimmy Swaggart had to say about it:

“All Believers are weak, but the Lord tends to make us weaker, with the intention being that we then depend solely upon Him, thereby obtaining His strength. If Paul needed so humbling and painful an experience of what the carnal nature is, it is evident that all Christians need it. Whatever weakens, belittles, and humiliates that proud and willful nature should be regarded by the Believer as most worthwhile.”

Now that’s some mighty fine preaching, Jimmy Swaggart! Too bad you haven’t live it! I mean, after all, God allowed the infirmity of your knee to be a “humbling and painful” experience to remind you of your carnal (natural) nature with Frances. That was your cross to carry, Jimmy Swaggart! It would have really been advantageous for you to limp around with a cane, for however long God chose, in order to “weaken, belittle, and humiliate” that proud and willful nature that possesses you so that the power of Christ may rest upon you. But you didn’t, Jimmy Swaggart, and therefore He couldn’t!

But moving right along, this next Scripture graphically details the perversion of Jimmy Swaggart’s teaching on “the cross” – the one that Christ has chosen for each Believer to suffer in order for the “natural-to-spiritual” transformation to take place:

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 KJV)

“And when He had called the people unto Him with His Disciples also, He said unto them (speaks of an interval of some period of time between His rebuke of Peter in this present statement), Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself (deny his own strength, ability, talent, power, and carnal intellect), and take up his Cross (not suffering as many suppose, but rather the benefits of the Cross), and follow Me (implying that Jesus cannot be followed, unless it’s by the way of the Cross).” (Mark 8:34 JSESB)

Now as you can see, Jimmy Swaggart’s bible says that “the Cross” the Believer must take up in order to follow Jesus has nothing to do with “suffering” for Jesus…but, instead, is the act of “receiving the benefits” of “the Cross” through faith in “the Cross”. So after having read Jimmy Swaggart’s commentary on Mark 8:34, do you get the feeling that just maybe it’s not the same Jimmy Swaggart that wrote the commentary on Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (II Corinthians 12:9): “If Paul needed so humbling and painful an experience of what the carnal nature is, it is evident that all Christians need it.”

Jimmy Swaggart’s commentary is confusing to say the least… because he doesn’t know the Truth! I mean, after all, is it not “pain” that causes a person to “suffer”, whether it’s physical or mental? Was it not the “Will (G2307) of God” that Paul endured the “painful experience” of his “thorn in the flesh” in order to “crucify” his flesh that was destined to lift him up in pride and destroy his ministry! But yet Jimmy Swaggart says that “the Cross” that each Believer is suppose to carry is “not suffering as many suppose, but rather the benefits of the Cross”!

So just what is this “painless cross” of Jimmy Swaggart’s faith?

Cristo Rey Well, there you have it in picture form – a great stone statue of “Jesus and His cross”! That’s a picture of Jimmy Swaggart’s “painless” cross – “look exclusively to the Cross of Christ” for the “benefits of the Cross”, he says!

What a picture! And what an evil picture at that!

Now just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, this “Cross of Christ” that Jimmy Swaggart not only believes in, but also teaches and preaches, is nothing less than a cold, lifeless “idol”. And just in case you have any uncertainty about the deadly spiritual ramifications of “idol worship”, please check our sermonet entitled “The Demons Of Cristo Rey And El Paso, Texas!” Because what you will find is a true story about the demons hiding behind the statue of King Christ (Cristo Rey) that's on top of the mountain overlooking the city of El Paso, Texas, who likewise receive all the worship that's given to it (the cross) by the people down below.

Jimmy Swaggart’s “Cross of Christ” is nothing less than an “idol”… and here’s another Scripture to prove it:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will (G2307) of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

“I beseech you therefore, Brethren (I beg of you please), by the Mercies of God (all is given to the Believer, not because of merit on the Believer’s part, but strictly because of the “Mercy of God”), that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice (the word “Sacrifice” speaks of the Sacrifice of Christ, and means that we cannot do this which the Holy Spirit demands unless our Faith is placed strictly in Christ and the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to carry out this great work within our lives), holy (that which the Holy Spirit Alone can do), acceptable unto God (actually means that a holy physical body, i.e., “temple,” is all that He will accept), which is your reasonable service (reasonable if we look to Christ and the Cross; otherwise impossible). And be not conformed to this world (the ways of the world): but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (we must start thinking spiritually, which refers to the fact that everything is furnished to us through the Cross, and is attained by Faith and not works), that you may prove what is that good (is put to the test and finds that the thing tested meets the specifications laid down), and acceptable, and perfect, Will of God (presents that which the Holy Spirit is attempting to bring about within our lives, and can only be obtained by ever making the Cross the object of our Faith).” (Romans 12:1-2 JSESB)

Wow! What a twisted, distorted, perversion of God’s Holy Word! Jimmy Swaggart’s “JSESB” trashed that one up BIG TIME!

I mean, “thinking spiritually” is not what “renewing of the mind” is all about. Don’t we wish it were that easy! That’s “Gnosticism” at it’s best! That kind of “thinking” will only take a person straight to Hell! So just what is this “renewing of the mind” really all about?

In the plain and simple of it, the “mind” (the organ of mental perception over good and evil) of the Believer (those who believe in what Jesus did on His cross) becomes “renewed in Christ” (desiring only the things of the “Spirit” instead of the things of the “natural/flesh”) as they take control of their body by doing the “Will (G2307) of God” for their life.

Don’t be deceived! A “no compromising” obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” is the only way a human “mind” can become “renewed in Christ”! The Believer actually becomes the “living sacrifice to God” as they die to “self” by forcefully making their body do the “Will (G2307) of God” for their life. But yet Jimmy Swaggart perverts the meaning of God’s Holy Word by capitalizing “Living Sacrifice” and deifying it through his comments: “the word ‘Sacrifice’ speaks of the Sacrifice of Christ”.

Remember that great stone statue of “Jesus and His cross”? Well, that’s the “Living Sacrifice” Jimmy Swaggart says the Believer should “look to” for their salvation… and he’s adamant about it too: “everything is furnished to us through the Cross, and is attained by Faith and not works”.

Just “look to the Cross of Christ” for your salvation, Jimmy Swaggart says. Have “Faith in the Cross of Christ”! Just kick back and trust in what Jesus has already done for you. There’s no “work” involved, he says! But that’s not at all what God’s Word says:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)

Mankind, starting out with Adam, was created by God to do the “Will (G2307) of God” for their life. When the human body is used to perform the task of “doing the Will (G2307) of God” it uses up energy stored in the body to do it. In the pure and simple of it, this is the definition of “work”. (See our sermonet “Noah Built The Ark – He Worked Out His Own Salvation! ” for more on the subject.) So, what happens to the so-called Believer who doesn’t use their body to do the “work” that God has predestined them to do?

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will (G2307) of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21 KJV)

“Doeth” is an action word. It’s all about using the human body to perform the “Will (G2307) of God”… as in WORK! And, of course, if the Believer doesn’t “doeth” the “Will (G2307) of God” for their life, they ain’t about to “enter into the kingdom of Heaven”!

What a frightening thought, and the very same reason Brother Paul told us to fear that it ever happens:

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13 KJV)

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed (he commends them for their constant obedience), not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence (they continued to obey the Gospel, even though Paul was not personally present among them), work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling. (This refers to going on to maturity, to the ultimate conclusion of total Christlikeness.) For it is God which worketh in you (Divine enablement) both to will and to do of His good pleasure. (This refers to the Holy Spirit Who energizes the Saint, making him not only willing, but also actively desirous of doing God’s sweet Will.)” (Philippians 2:12-13 JSESB)

Now isn’t it amazing how Jimmy Swaggart’s commentary ignored the fact that a Believer can lose their salvation if they don’t “work it out” by “doing” the “Will (G2307) of God” for their life? How convenient! I mean, Jimmy Swaggart talks about the Believer working out “maturity” and “Christlikness”, but nothing about the frightening consequences of “losing one’s salvation” if the “Will (G2307) of God” is not “worked out” through obedience.

So are you starting to see this damnable heresy of Jimmy Swaggart’s “Cross of Christ” just a little bit clearer? In order to truly “work out your own salvation” as the Scriptures direct, the Believer must “suffer”… as in take up your cross and follow Jesus! And seeing how Jimmy Swaggart hates to suffer, he had to create a “painless cross” for himself to carry:

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11 KJV)

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which Paul gained through the experience of intimate companionship and communion with Him): for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things (“For Whose sake I have been caused to forfeit”), and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (next to Christ, everything is nothing), And be found in Him (to be united with Christ by a living Faith, which has as its object the Cross of Christ), not having my own Righteousness (“not having any Righteousness which can be called my own”), which is of the law (pertains to Law-keeping; he was done with that), but that which is through the Faith of Christ (what He did at the Cross), the Righteousness which is of God by Faith (a spotless Righteousness made possible by the Cross, and imputed by God to all who exhibit Faith in Christ and the Cross): That I may know Him (referring to what Christ did at the Cross), and the power of His Resurrection (refers to being raised with Him in “newness of life” [Rom. 6:3-5]), and the fellowship of His sufferings (regarding our Trust and Faith placed in what He did for us at the Cross), being made conformable unto His death (to conform to what He did for us at the Cross, understanding that this is the only means of Salvation and Sanctification); If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead. (This does not refer to the coming Resurrection, but rather the Believing sinner being baptized into the death of Christ [refers to the Crucifixion], and raised in “newness of life,” which gives victory over all sin [Rom. 6:3-5, 11, 14].)” (Philippians 3:8-11 JSESB)

Well there you have just another fine example of Jimmy Swaggart’s heretical teaching on his “Cross of Christ”! And in order for me to make my point as quickly as possible, we’re going to focus in on just a small portion of what Brother Paul spoke:

“That I may know him… and the fellowship (G2842) of his sufferings”

Fellowship (G2842) [koinonia] - From G2844; partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship. (Strong’s Hebrew And Greek Dictionary)

That’s what Brother Paul spoke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit… and this is what Jimmy Swaggart spoke through the inspiration of the Devil:

“referring to what Christ did at the Cross - regarding our Trust and Faith placed in what He did for us at the Cross”

“Look to the Cross”, says Jimmy Swaggart. Look, but, whatever you do, don’t suffer! I mean, after all, if you suffer as Christ did, by doing the “Will (G2307) of God” for your life, your mind will be renewed – you will become a new creature in Christ Jesus:

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will (G2307) of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2 KJV)

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh (refers to the Cross, with “flesh” referring to the fact that He died physically, and not spiritually as some claim), arm yourselves likewise with the same mind (doesn’t mean we are to attempt to imitate Christ in suffering, but rather to make the fact He suffered our source of victory; He suffered in the flesh that we might have victory over the flesh): for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin (refers to the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit; “suffering in the flesh” by the Believer refers to stopping any dependence on self-effort, and depending totally on the Holy Spirit, Who demands that our faith be in the sacrifice of Christ [Rom. 8:1-2]); That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men (since being saved, the sin nature is no longer to rule over us), but to the will of God. (This refers to the Divine Nature ruling over us, which comes about as a result of our total dependence on Christ and the Cross. In fact, Christ and the Cross are never to be separated, which refers to the benefits of the Cross coming down to us even unto this hour [I Cor. 1:17].)” (1 Peter 4:1-2 JSESB)

Brother Peter, just as Brother Paul, fully understood the meaning of “suffering for Christ”. After all, Brother Peter was the one who had that terrible sin problem of denying Jesus because of his fear of the cross… that is until he got full of the Holy Spirit and preached God’s Word to the same mob that crucified Jesus. Brother Peter presented his body as a living sacrifice unto God and proved the perfect “Will (G2307) of God” for his life by doing it. Brother Peter ceased from his sin of “fear of the cross” after having been transformed by the renewing of his mind… and so much so that he actually embraced the very real wooden cross that finally took his own life:

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind…”

But yet Jimmy Swaggart makes the following blasphemous comments about it in his bible:

“doesn’t mean we are to attempt to imitate Christ in suffering, but rather to make the fact He suffered our source of victory; He suffered in the flesh that we might have victory over the flesh”

What a perversion of God’s Holy Word, Jimmy Swaggart! Jesus suffered in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” for His life so that everyone believing in what He did would have the power to do the same… whether it’s a physical wooden cross or some other means of suffering:

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” (Hebrews 5:8-9 KJV)

“Though He were a Son (stresses Deity, but at the same time the role of Christ as “Son of Man”), yet learned He obedience (doesn’t mean He had to learn to obey, for that would mean He had sinned; it means He actively sought out the path of obedience, and then unfailingly walked therein) by the things which He suffered (concerned the entire course of His Life, but more so the Cross); And being made perfect (refers to being brought to the goal fixed by God, which had to be if He was to be the Perfect Sacrifice), He became the Author of Eternal Salvation (proclaims a perfect Salvation, because He was and is the Perfect Redeemer, because He was the Perfect Sacrifice) unto all them who obey Him (we obey Him by exhibiting Faith in the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work; this Truth was given to Paul [Romans 6:3-5, 11, 14; Gal. 1:11-12]);” (Hebrews 5:8-9 JSESB)

Jimmy Swaggart doesn’t have a clue as to what the real “cross of Christ” is all about! I mean, once again we see Jimmy Swaggart’s demonic “idol of the cross” through his Hebrews 5:9 commentary: “we obey Him by exhibiting Faith in the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work”.

We do not obey Him by “exhibiting Faith in the Cross”! We obey Him by doing the “Will (G2307) of God” for our lives, knowing that our minds will be renewed in Christ – transformed from the “natural” to the “spiritual” – through this process of suffering in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God”!

Jesus, the “Last Adam”, was made “perfect” – His Body transformed from the “natural” to the “spiritual” – as He suffered in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” for His life. And because of what He did, He became the “author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”:

“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:10 KJV)

“For it became Him (refers to God’s Way, as it concerns the Redemption of mankind), for Whom are all things (God is the final reason for all things), and by Whom are all things (through Whose agency), in bringing many sons unto glory (speaks of the Divine Purpose), to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings. (This carries the idea that Christ had to suffer the Cross in order to bring about Redemption for humanity.)” (Hebrews 2:10 JSESB)

It’s only because of what Jesus did through His sufferings that He can direct us as “Captain” through our own suffering unto salvation. He did it so that we can do it too:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16 KJV)

“For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (being Very Man as well as Very God, He can do such); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (His temptation, and ours as well, was to leave the prescribed Will of God, which is the Word of God; but He never did, not even one time.) Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace (presents the Seat of Divine Power, and yet the Source of boundless Grace), that we may obtain Mercy (presents that which we want first), and find Grace to help in time of need (refers to the Goodnes of God extended to all who come, and during any “time of need”; all made possible by the Cross).” (Hebrews 4:15-16 JSESB)

Remember the “First Adam” and the “shoulder, cheeks, and maw” that he used to commit that very first sin? Well, Jesus was tempted in every way possible to use His Body to commit sin (was in all points tempted like as we), but yet He did not sin. Jimmy Swaggart got that one right for a change: “His temptation, and ours as well, was to leave the prescribed Will of God, which is the Word of God; but He never did, not even one time.”

And it’s because of the fact that Jesus was tempted in “all points” of His body to sin, by disobeying the “Will (G2307) of God” for His life, that He’s now able to help us as we struggle to do the “Will (G2307) of God” for our lives:

“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18 KJV)

“For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted (in His Incarnation as the Last Adam, our Lord was put to the test, and was also solicited to do evil [Mat. 4:1-11]), He is able to succour them who are tempted. (The Cross alone is the answer to temptation and sin. We overcome temptation by placing our Faith strictly in Christ and the Cross, which is the only way it can be overcome, thus giving the Holy Spirit latitude to strengthen us, as He always stands ready to do [Rom. 8:2, 11].)” (Hebrews 2:18 JSESB)

Now with the word “succour” in mind, (to assist and deliver from suffering), it’s time to address Brother Roberson’s erroneous teaching on the cross (Jimmy Swaggart’s cross) that he included in his phone message to me. Because, once again, this is what he said:

“Jesus Christ Himself suffered for us, and yes we do suffer. Because the Word of God teaches that ‘many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.’ How does He deliver us out of them all? It’s through the cross of Jesus Christ; that we look exclusively to the Cross of Christ.”

The Scripture Brother Roberson quoted in his message is from Psalm 34:19, but it in no way means what he says it means. Because as we’ve pointed out throughout this sermonet of today, suffering in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” is a major part of God’s salvation plan. It’s necessary! The Lord will not take the Believer out of their times of suffering, but He will give them the strength (grace) to see them through. And what better example of a Believer being “succoured” by Christ during their time of intense suffering than Brother Paul:

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 KJV)

So, how did the Lord “succour” Brother Paul? He gave him His Word – “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” And it was this same Word, which was the “Will (G2307) of God” for his life, to which Brother Paul applied his faith. Brother Paul understood that the cross he must carry, as he suffers in obedience to the “Will (G2307) of God” for his life, is God’s amazing grace.

And with that in mind, it’s time to go back to Brother Roberson’s infamous quote – “we look exclusively to the Cross of Christ” – and give credit to whom credit is due:

“The Cross alone is the answer to temptation and sin. We overcome temptation by placing our Faith strictly in Christ and the Cross, which is the only way it can be overcome…”

So there you have it: Jimmy Swaggart’s erroneous teaching on the cross of Christ and the evangelist who believes it and preaches it! In other words, Evangelist T.J. Roberson’s ‘One Way Ministry’ Is Not The Way’!

Well that’s the message for today! But before we shut this one down, please allow me to share just one more Scripture that will help us see Jimmy Swaggart’s true feelings about the cross of Christ:

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will (G2307), but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44 KJV)

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed (His prayer life was exceptional, and ours should be as well!), Saying, Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me (speaks of that which He would have to drink in a spiritual sense): nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done (this is the price of surrender). And there appeared an Angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him (this was the peace of surrender; as a human being, He suffered now as possibly no other has suffered, thereby desperately needing the help of the Angel). And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly (Hebrews 5:7 shows that the wrath of God was to judge Him as if He, and He Alone, were the only sinner who ever existed, even though He was no sinner at all; this caused that agony; so His death was not just a great example of resignation and self-sacrifice, as multitudes vainly think): and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (portrays a recognized fact that under extreme mental pressure, the pores may become so dialated that blood may issue from them in the form of bloody sweat).” (Luke 22:41-44 JSESB)

This particular Scripture details that point-in-time when Jesus had to make His final commitment to suffer on His cross for the sin of the world. The stress was horrendous! Never had any man been put to such a task, nor would ever a man be put to such a task again. Jesus was the Lamb of God chosen to take away the sin of the world. Awesome! But yet these are Jimmy Swaggart’s comments:

“His prayer life was exceptional, and ours should be as well! - He suffered now as possibly no other has suffered”

Can you believe what you have just read? Well…

Jesus’ prayer life was not “exceptional” – it was “unequaled”! Nobody has or ever will be able to match the perfect prayer life of Jesus!

And furthermore…

Jesus did not “suffer now as possibly no other has suffered”. Jesus “suffered as no other has ever suffered or will ever suffer”!

So what’s wrong with this picture? It clearly shows Jimmy Swaggart’s lack of understanding and respect for the cross of Christ. Jimmy Swaggart has a problem – a really BIG problem! Jimmy Swaggart not only teaches/preaches “another cross of Christ” (an idol), but he also teaches/preaches “another Jesus”!

Please pray for Jimmy Swaggart and his ministry! Pray that God will do “whatever it takes” to turn him around – to bring him back to the Gospel Truth of Christ and Him crucified. Many souls depend on it… Brother Roberson’s included.

So until next time, don’t take any wooden nickels – “keep on keeping the faith in Jesus!”

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)

“ALL FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS”