Jimmy Swaggart REJECTS The Cross Of Christ!

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.

5 March, 2006

Dear Children,

Throughout the past four (4) years we have written quite a few Jimmy Swaggart Sermonets, but none so bold, blatant, and to-the-point as today’s: “Jimmy Swaggart REJECTS The Cross Of Christ!” In fact it was only a few days after our first Jimmy Swaggart sermonet – Jimmy Swaggart And The Accursed! (12/30/01) – that I received my next installment of Jimmy Swaggart’s monthly ministry magazine, The Evangelist. And in that particular issue Jimmy Swaggart made the following statement concerning “salvation through the Cross of Jesus Christ”:

"...As one accepts or rejects the Cross, such will decide one's eternal Salvation...the Holy Spirit is going to make this Message so clear and plain that there will be absolutely no doubt as to what is being said. In other words, each and every Believer is going to have to take a stand." (Jimmy Swaggart - The Evangelist - January 2002)

Now that’s the Gospel Truth! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! I mean I for one can personally testify to the fact that the Holy Spirit “is” and “has been” revealing the mysteries of the “Cross of Christ” to me since the beginning of our sermonet series on the “human body and sin”. In fact the title of that particular series is How Do You Want Your Fire…Now Or Later? (6/25/00), and it has everything to do with the way that sin enters the human body…and how “Believers in Christ” can get it back out through “the Cross”. And of course this very complex “sin-removing” operation is totally dependent on what Jesus did for us at “His Cross”.

Therefore, seeing how the Holy Spirit has made the “Message of the Cross” so abundantly clear to me, it’s my responsibility as a Believer to once again “take a stand” by speaking yet another word of correction to Jimmy Swaggart concerning his erroneous teachings on “the Cross”.

Because you see a little more than 2000 years ago the “Word of God” in Heaven became the “Son of God” on earth by taking on a human body (see Yahweh – Three In One). And of course the reason for Jesus doing what He did was for the sole purpose of defeating our sin in His Flesh while on His Cross so that we wouldn’t have to burn in Hell for all eternity. Jesus was born without sin, He lived-out His entire life in human form without committing a single sin (33.5 years), and while suffering on His Cross (for the sins He didn’t commit) He took on the “sin of the world” in His Flesh and totally eradicated it. There was not one trace of sin left in the “Flesh and Blood” Body of Christ Jesus when He pronounced “It is finished”…because it was finished!!!

So, Jesus accomplished the unbelievable task that would allow each and every “sinner” to be considered “sinless” by God the Father (justification)…in order for the Holy Spirit – The Comforter – to indwell their sin-filled bodies and clean them up of their sin as they walk in obedience to His Word (sanctification). However, Father God attached one very special requirement to this awesome Salvation opportunity in that the Believer must believe in “the Cross of Jesus Christ” in order to escape the burning fires of Hell:

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

- Joe Lewis At JSM Family Worship Center 11/25/1999 -
- The Old Rugged Cross -
(Download MP3)

Well that one little old hymn (The Old Rugged Cross) paints a pretty big picture of “the Cross of Jesus Christ” that every Believer [man, woman, boy, or girl] must “believe in” if they want to escape the burning fires of Hell. I mean, after all, it not only describes the basic design characteristics of “the Cross” [rugged: rough, jagged, harsh], but also the color change [blood stained] that takes place as the Believer carries out the very painful process [suffering, shame, and reproach] of having their sinful flesh nailed to it. Because you see now that Jesus has suffered on “His Cross” for us, He demands that we be willing to do the same for Him:

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25 KJV)

“If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” (2 Timothy 2:12 KJV)

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV)

“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:13 KJV)

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10 KJV)

So that’s what the Word of God has to say about “the Cross of Jesus Christ”; not only did Jesus have one, but each and every Believer has one too. In other words, now that Jesus has defeated “the sin of the world” through His suffering on His Cross, each and every Believer can overcome their sin through their suffering on their Cross (the one that God Almighty has custom designed for them).

And getting back to Jimmy Swaggart’s opening statement (As one accepts or rejects the Cross, such will decide one's eternal Salvation), it was some thirty-one (31) months later that Jimmy Swaggart went on to say:

“…That dividing line is the “Cross.” In other words, those who look exclusively to Christ and the Cross constitute the True Church, with all others, whatever and wherever they might be, constituting the apostate Church…He (Satan) seeks to pervert, to thwart, to do everything within his power, in which he has been very successful, to shift the faith of the Believer to something else.” (Jimmy Swaggart - The Evangelist - August 2004)

Now everything that we’ve said thus far is only the introduction to this message. I mean where we’re headed to next will document “the proof” that Jimmy Swaggart has not lived “the Cross” or preached “the Cross”…and we’re even going to show the reason for it…which just so happens to be his lovely wife “Frances”. Because you see Jimmy Swaggart has repeatedly allowed his wife Frances to be used of Satan to shift his faith away from “Christ and the Cross”. And, as a direct result of his unbelievable behavior, Jimmy Swaggart has become one and the same as the apostate Church! In other words, it’s because of his wife “Frances”, that Jimmy Swaggart has rejected “the Cross of Jesus Christ” and thereby lost his Salvation in Christ Jesus! In fact as we pointed out in Jimmy Swaggart Thinks He Has Arrived….But God’s Got An Eraser! (10/23/05), God Almighty says that if Jimmy Swaggart were to drop dead right now, at this very moment in time, he would BUST HELL WIDE OPEN!!!

And having said all that, let’s proceed on with the message.

So, where do we go from here? Well how about the early part of 2002; back to our second and third message in the Jimmy Swaggart series: Jimmy Swaggart And The ‘Since’ That Should Have Remained ‘If’! (3/24/02) and Jimmy Swaggart And His Spiritual Adultery! (4/21/02). Because you see it was during the writing of those two sermonets that God Almighty directed me to use direct quotes from the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary, Romans - Volume Twelve, as examples of Jimmy Swaggart’s “error” on “the Cross of Christ”. In fact the following is just a sample of what Jimmy Swaggart had to say on “the Word of God” that’s found in Romans chapter 6, verses 3 and 5 (“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”):

“The conclusion of the question, "Were Baptized into His Death?", refers to God placing us in Christ when He died so that we might share His Death and thus come into the benefits of that identification with Him, namely, to be separated from the evil nature as part of the Salvation He gives us when we believe. In our new environment in Christ we have Righteousness and Life. Our condition is changed from that of a sinner to that of a Saint, and instantly…In effect, the believing sinner died in Him on the Cross, and was buried in Him as well. This means that the price was totally and completely paid concerning the outstanding debt of sin and sins, with simple Faith all that is required on the part of the sinner, in order for this Standing in Christ to be freely given…God actually places the believing sinner into Christ at the Cross, to share His Death and Resurrection. As stated, this is done by Faith on the part of the Believer." (Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary, Romans - Volume Twelve)

Now, in the pure and simple of it, what Jimmy Swaggart teaches in his commentary concerning “the Cross” is “The Doctrine Of Substitution And Identification”…which is the basis for Jimmy Swaggart’s belief that “God would never tell a Believer to do something they don’t want to do”…such as SUFFER!!! I mean when Jimmy Swaggart talks about “God placing us in Christ when He died so that we might share His Death and thus come into the benefits of that identification with Him”, he is not talking about the Believer having to SUFFER. On the contrary, Jimmy Swaggart believes and teaches that Jesus has done all the suffering for us on “His Cross” so that through a “simple faith” in “His Cross” the sinner can be “instantly” “separated from the evil nature” and “have Righteousness and Life”.

So, that’s what Jimmy Swaggart believes and teaches…but I’m here to tell you that it just ain’t so! Because you see “the Cross” is actually a two step process. First of all, the Believer is “justified” (considered “sinless” by God the Father) through an acceptance (simple faith) of “the Cross” and what Jesus did on “His Cross” for their sins (death, burial, and resurrection). Justification takes place “instantly”. But then comes the tough part. Because in Part II of God’s Salvation Plan through “the Cross”, the Believer is “sanctified” (separated from their evil nature) by taking part in “Christ sufferings” as they willingly deny themselves and walk in obedience to God’s Will. In other words, “God’s Word” for the Believer will become “the Cross” for the Believer that will “crucify the sinful flesh” of the Believer and bring about the “resurrected life of righteousness” in the Believer…that is IF the Believer will only SUFFER through the PAIN of “the Cross” by walking in obedience to “His Word”.

Now it was right about the time God Almighty showed me Jimmy Swaggart’s “error” on “the Cross” that He also told me Jimmy Swaggart would have to re-write the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary…and all because of his “error” on “the Cross” that’s contained in them. In fact it was the early part of 2002 that I actually spoke this prophetic Word to Brother Alan…and shortly thereafter Jimmy Swaggart announced the re-writing of his Bible Commentaries. Wow!!! Was I stunned! However, what I soon discovered was that Jimmy Swaggart was not “re-writing” his Bible Commentaries to correct his “error on the Cross” but to settle the demands of a lawsuit. And the following short compilation of news briefs pretty well describes how it all happened:

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Jimmy Swaggart, the evangelist and author disgraced by a sex scandal in the late 1980s, who once wrote that he owes his "Bible education" to Finis Jennings Dake, has been sued by the heirs of Dake and their publishing company, Dake Publishing, Inc. The lawsuit, filed May 29, 2001, in the U.S. District Court in Nashville, says Swaggart and his publisher had "wrongfully taken and used plaintiff's proprietary works for their own benefit and profit.'' Swaggart is said to have taken large portions of Dake's writings and, while at times he gave Dake credit, he neglected to receive permission to cite the extended passages. The Dake family seeks damages from Swaggart, including a share of the profits he made from the sales of his works containing the citations, along with an order to stop further use of Dake's writings. In 1987, following Dake's death, Swaggart wrote a tribute to Dake in his monthly magazine, The Evangelist. Swaggart described Dake as "a scholar unparalleled" and stated he "will forever be indebted to Finis Jennings Dake." Swaggart also wrote it was not an exaggeration that "Dake was the greatest Bible scholar who ever lived". The lawsuit includes a copy of what it says is an October 1998 letter Swaggart wrote to a Dake publishing official that said, "My appreciation for the work and ministry of Dr. Dake knows no bounds.'' In the pending federal suit, the plaintiffs said they learned in 1999 of the alleged plagiarism and infringement in books written by Swaggart from 1987 to 1999. In a few instances, Swaggart acknowledged Dake's authorship but didn't seek license to use Dake's copyrighted writings, the suit claims.

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So, Jimmy Swaggart made a great big “boo-boo” by using lots and lots of quotes from the writings of “Finnis Jennings Dake” without proper approval. And as a direct result of the “Dake Lawsuit”, Jimmy Swaggart is now in the process of taking the “Dake” out of his Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary. Not good! Because you see the void left after the removal of “Dake” is being filled to overflowing with much more of the Jimmy Swaggart “error on the Cross”. In other words, the re-write of the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary will have to be re-written one more time whenever Jimmy Swaggart comes to a true understanding and acceptance of “the Cross”. In fact the following is Jimmy Swaggart’s stated reason for re-writing the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary:

“Why Are We Rewriting These Volumes? Virtually the entirety of the Old Testament was written before the Lord gave us the Revelation of the Cross. I personally feel that this Revelation is so important that every one of our efforts must contain the information which the Lord has given to us.” (Jimmy Swaggart - The Evangelist - March 2004)

So, as you can see, the Jimmy Swaggart Bible Commentary is not the only Jimmy Swaggart publication that overflows with his “Revelation of the Cross” error. And listing just a few more, two of his most recent efforts to “pervert the Word of God” include the Jimmy Swaggart Bibles: The Expositor’s New Testament – Counselor’s Edition and The Expositor’s Study Bible. In fact it seems most likely that Jimmy Swaggart composed these Bibles by first taking the “King James Version of the Holy Bible” and capitalizing whatever un-capitalized words he saw fit (He, Him, Mother, Spirit, etc.). Not good! But then he went on to insert his “red letter” comments directly into the Scriptural Text. It’s almost like “the words of Jimmy Swaggart” become “the Word of God”! Not good!

Now in order to help you see exactly what we’re talking about, I’m going to list several Scriptures from The Holy Bible (King James Version) along with those from Jimmy Swaggart’s The Expositor’s New Testament. In fact to make things really interesting, I’m going to even include a few quotes from “the one” whom Jimmy Swaggart considers to be “the greatest Bible scholar who ever lived”. And what you’re going to see through these simple comparisons is that Jimmy Swaggart didn’t pick up on “the Truth of the Cross” that’s written in the Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. So, without further ado, here are a few more frightening examples of Jimmy Swaggart’s “error on the Cross” (emphasis mine):

Mark 8:34-35

King James Version - “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. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

The Expositor’s New Testament - “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).”

Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible - “The gospel benefits are solely on the basis of personal choice and meeting certain conditions (Jn. 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Rev. 22:17). – Habitually follow regardless of the price - even to death (vs. 35), not only when it is easy, convenient, and popular (Lk. 9:62; Heb. 10:38-39). – 2 things one must be willing to suffer and die for: 1. The sake of Christ (v 35) 2. The gospel of Christ (v 35).”

So, as you can see from Mark 8:35, 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 “a simple faith” in “the Cross” (“looking to the Cross” - The Doctrine Of Substitution And Identification). However, the one who Jimmy Swaggart personally endorsed as “the greatest Bible scholar who ever lived" is diametrically opposed to Jimmy Swaggart’s belief system. Dake states that “the Cross” that Jesus commands his followers to carry is all about “SUFFERING and DEATH”…and it applies to the Believer – the one who carries their own “Cross” for their own “crucifixion”!

Romans 12:1-2

King James Version - “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 of God.”

The Expositor’s New Testament - “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 ye 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 obtained by Faith and not works), that ye may prove what is that good (is put to the test and finds that the thing being 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).”

Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible - “Men are now to bring themselves to God instead of sacrifices to the altar as of old. They are now to be wholly the Lord’s as were the former sacrifices,”

So there you have it! Another horrible example from Romans 12:1-2 of Jimmy Swaggart’s “perverted gospel”. I mean the Holy Bible instructs Believers (the brethren) to offer (present) their own “flesh and blood” bodies as a living sacrifice (the Cross), but yet Jimmy Swaggart does a “quick change” by capitalizing the “Living Sacrifice” and giving it back to Jesus. In other words, Jimmy Swaggart does not like the idea of having to “SUFFER” on “the Cross”. Ouch! So what does he do? He changes the Holy Bible to suit his own selfish needs…and hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting souls are effected!

Philippians 3:7-11

King James Version - “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 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.”

The Expositor’s New Testament - “But what things were gain to me (Paul was speaking of his privileges as a Jew), those I counted loss for Christ. (All must be given up for Christ, and Christ is worth all we give up, and a thousand times more.) 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 else 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 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 might 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].)”

Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible - “Not fellowship with Him in His vicarious sufferings, but in the offence of the cross and martyrdom for truth (2 Cor. 1:5-7; Col. 1:24; 1 Pet. 4:13) – Gr. summorphoo [being made conformable], to be formed or fashioned. Only here. Paul wanted to know Christ and the power which was in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings, even to die as He died (v10).”

Now when it comes down to Brother Paul’s Holy Ghost inspired statement [That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death], Dake’s got it right on target! In fact Dake, once again, contradicts Jimmy Swaggart’s statement head-on [regarding our Trust and Faith placed in what He did for us at the Cross] by adamantly insisting that Paul did not mean “what Jesus did for the Believer on ‘His Cross’” [vicarious - substituted in the place of another] but what the Believer must suffer on his/her very own “Cross”.

Colossians 1:23-25

King James Version - “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;”

The Expositor’s New Testament - “If ye continue in the Faith (at the same time says it is possible not to continue in the Faith; “the Faith” is “Christ and Him Crucified”) grounded and settled (the foundation of the Faith, which object must always be the Cross), and be not moved away (moved away from the Cross) from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard (pertains to the fact that they had been brought in right), and which was preached to every creature which is under Heaven (the Message of the Cross is the same for all); whereof I Paul am made a Minister (the meaning of the New Covenant was actually given to Paul, which is the meaning of the Cross [Gal. 1:11-12]); Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you (Paul was in prison when this Epistle was written), and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh (suffering for Righteousness’ sake) for His Body's sake, which is the Church (Satan opposes the Message of the Cross like nothing else): Whereof I am made a Minister (says plainly that he is a Minister and not a Mediator, which some have attempted to read into the previous Verse), according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you (the way and manner of administrating the Work), to fulfil the Word of God (presents the Apostle not wanting to become side tracked on some minor issue that did not emphasize the centrality of the Gospel, which is the Cross);”

Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible - “One of 1,522 if’s in Scripture [If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled]…To complete, not the sufferings of Christ for my sins, but that which all believers are called to suffer for the church and truth (Rom. 8:18; 2 Tim. 3:12).”

Now in the Scripture of Colossians 1:24, Jimmy Swaggart seems to admit the fact that Believers must suffer in order to receive the righteousness of Christ…but, then again, based on what we’ve already seen in Jimmy Swaggart’s writings, we know it just ain’t so. Jimmy Swaggart likes to leave the “suffering” part of “The Cross Message” to Jesus on “His Cross”, and I guess that’s why he capitalized the words “Righteousness” and “His Body”. However, when it comes to Dake, well, there ain’t no doubt about it: “If the Believer continues in their faith in “the Cross”, the Believer will suffer!”

So that should give you a general understanding of “the error” on “the Cross” that’s contained in the Jimmy Swaggart Bibles: The Expositor’s New Testament – Counselor’s Edition and The Expositor’s Study Bible. But we ain’t even through yet! There’s just one more JSM publication that we need to address. Because you see Jimmy Swaggart has a daily devotional – The Expositor’s Word For Every Day – in which the words “Take up the Cross Daily - Luke 9:23-24” are inscribed on the front cover. And with that in mind, would anyone care to guess which “Cross” Jimmy Swaggart is referring to? Well what do you say we take a closer look and see (emphasis mine):

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(Jimmy Swaggart – The Expositor’s Word For Every Day, Daily Devotional – August 26)

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11).

The words, “believe” (Rom, 6:8) and “reckon” (Rom. 6:11), signify Faith. In fact, the three words, “believe,” “reckon,” and “yield” (Rom. 6:13), express three energies of the Christian mind which secure and make real a life of Scriptural Sanctification. The entirety of the Sixth Chapter of Romans expresses God’s manner and way of Sanctification.

The word “reckon” in the Greek is “logizomai,” which means “to conclude, impute, number.” Considering all that Paul has thus far said, we are to conclude ourselves, because of what Christ did at the Cross, “to be dead indeed unto sin,” in effect, “dead unto the sin nature.”

As stated, this Verse does not say that the sin nature is dead, but it does say that we are dead unto the sin nature, that is, if we maintain our Faith in that which made us dead, so to speak, which is the Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:6); however, the Holy Spirit through Paul doesn’t leave us in this “dead position,” but brings us to a new life altogether, totally different than what we once had, which, in effect, was no life at all, and tells us that we are now “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This means to be “alive” to all that God has, which we have through and by what Jesus did at the Cross, all on our behalf.

The Doctrine of Grace, especially that which declares Justification and Sanctification to be by Faith apart from works, excites the enmity of the natural heart, and this enmity expresses itself today in various ways, but mostly by unbelief. So the following question must be asked:

Is the rejection of the Cross a moral problem or a theological problem?

If it was theological, it would mean that the Cross of Christ is too difficult of understanding for one to grasp; however, the very opposite of that is true. The Gospel of the Cross is a principle of such simplicity that even a child can understand it. So we know from that that the problem is not theological.

To be truthful, the problem is “moral.” That means that the enmity of the natural heart is at work against God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification, and it registers itself, as stated, in the form of unbelief. In other words, it refuses to believe that what Jesus did at the Cross, and that alone, guarantees victory over every perversion, every type of sin, every work of the flesh, and, in fact, everything that is the opposite of the Lord. That’s exactly what the Cross does, but most people, even Believers, refuse to express Faith in that Finished Work.

So, as stated, the problem is a “moral” problem, rather than a “theological” problem.

As a Believer, understanding what Jesus has done for you at the Cross, all you have to do is to reckon yourself, according to the Finished Work, to be dead to the sin nature, and that you are! On the Cross, Jesus died to sin. He has done with it forever. The Believer died in Him, and this great fact, when believed, reckoned to be true, and practically obeyed, becomes a moral experience in the activities of the life of Holiness and Consecration.

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Now that’s what Jimmy Swaggart had to say for his “daily devotion” on the 26th of August in The Expositor’s Word For Every Day. However, the real “Truth” of Jimmy Swaggart’s message from the Word of God is directed straight back at him. Because you see the “seed” of Jimmy Swaggart’s rejection of “the Cross of Christ” is truly a “moral” issue. In fact, in his own words, Jimmy Swaggart describes his own basic problem of unbelief: “That means that the enmity of the natural heart is at work against God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification, and it registers itself, as stated, in the form of unbelief.”

So just what is “God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification”? I mean is “Sanctification to be by Faith apart from works”? Well, that’s what Jimmy says, but my Holy Bible says something just a little bit different: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?…faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:14-17 KJV)

In fact seeing how Jimmy Swaggart has such high regards for Brother Dake, what do you say we check out his definition of “sanctification”:

“Gr. hagiasmos, consecration: a separation unto God FROM a profane, secular, and carnal use To a sacred, religious, and spiritual use.” (Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible)

You see “sanctification” is a process; the means by which the Believer’s “life” becomes totally dedicated to serving God Almighty. I mean “sanctification” is all about – has everything to do with – the Believer using their “body” to do the “works” that God Almighty has designed it to do:

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17 KJV)

And with that in mind, let us continue on our mission of unraveling the tangled mess of Jimmy Swaggart’s system of “un-belief”. Because the “Truth” of Jimmy Swaggart’s “error” can be found in what he had to say about “Scriptural Sanctification”:

“The words, “believe” (Rom, 6:8) and “reckon” (Rom. 6:11),…and “yield” (Rom. 6:13), express three energies of the Christian mind which secure and make real a life of Scriptural Sanctification.”

Now that’s the “Gospel Truth”. In fact what do you say we go directly to God’s Word and read all about this “Scriptural Sanctification” from the “Scriptures”:

“Now if we be dead with Christ, we [believe] that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise [reckon] ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither [yield] ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but [yield] yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:8-14 KJV)

So what do you think it takes for a person to be “dead with Christ”? Well, in the pure and simple of it, the term “Lord and Saviour” describes it to a “T”! You see most often it’s not until the un-Believer has grabbed hold of the reality that they are a sinner, and “all sinners will burn in Hell for all eternity”, that this thing about making Jesus Christ their “Lord and Saviour” becomes appealing. Because the “only way” anyone is going to stop “sinning” (and thereby escape the everlasting tormenting fires of Hell) is through a personal relationship with “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. In fact it’s right about the time the sinner makes Jesus Christ their “Lord” – their Master – that Christ Jesus becomes their “Saviour”. I mean the “sinner” is instantly “saved” whenever they make Jesus their “Lord/Master”. This is what God calls “justification”. However, in order for Jesus Christ to be anyone’s “Master”, that same person must be “willing and determined” to give up what “they want” and just do what “He wants”. And of course this is right about the place the “crucified” part of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” comes into play for the Believer:

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:24 KJV)

You see in order to be “saved”, the Believer must obey His “Lord and Saviour” in all things…and even to the point of death. This is what “sanctification” is really all about – dying to what the Believer wants (self/the sinful appetite) and being resurrected (born-again) into a life of obedience to what Jesus wants. In fact “sin” is nothing more than “disobedience to God”. So once the Believer starts walking in total obedience to the Will of their Master, and likewise crucifying their sinful flesh along the way, they will sin no more!

And now that we’ve said all that, we can go back to Jimmy Swaggart’s “daily devotion” and continue with our study on “Scriptural Sanctification”:

You see it’s this word “believe” – “Now if we be dead with Christ, we [believe] that we shall also live with him…” – that ties back into our little discussion on making Jesus Christ the “Lord and Saviour” of one’s life. Because “iffin” the sinner can “believe” in the “Salvation Process” of “dying to self in obedience to Christ Jesus” (the Cross), then they are “justified” through what Jesus did on His Cross…and they are saved!

And then comes “Part II” of the “Salvation Process” in which the Believer actually becomes “sanctified”. Because once the Believer has truly “believed” in the “Salvation Process” by applying their faith to it, they must go on to “reckon” (put it in their mind) that their overwhelming “desires to sin” are “no more”…and even though they might still have an overwhelming desire to sin. In other words their “sinful flesh” has not yet been “crucified with Christ”:

“Likewise [reckon] ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

So the Believer must “believe” their “sinful flesh” will be “crucified with Christ” as they continue to “yield” themselves to a walk of obedience to their “Lord and Saviour” Jesus Christ:

“Neither [yield] ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but [yield] yourselves unto God…”

Now, there you have it! In fact it should be abundantly clear by now that “the Cross” Jimmy Swaggart refers to in his publications – “Sanctification to be by Faith apart from works” – is not “the Cross” that’s found in God’s Word. I mean there ain’t no doubt about it; God’s way of “sanctification” is a whole lot of “excruciatingly painful work” of “taking up the Cross daily” in order to crucify one’s “disobedient flesh”!

"...As one accepts or rejects the Cross, such will decide one's eternal Salvation.” (Jimmy Swaggart)

So, seeing how Jimmy Swaggart’s “Prescribed Order of Sanctification” is not God’s “Prescribed Order of Sanctification”, what do you figure is Jimmy Swaggart’s reason for the change? What is it that’s caused Jimmy Swaggart to hate God’s “Prescribed Order of Sanctification” to the point of rewriting God’s Word? I mean just what on earth could have caused Jimmy Swaggart to harbor such unimaginable “UNBELIEF” in his heart?

“…the enmity of the natural heart is at work against God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification, and it registers itself, as stated, in the form of unbelief.” (Jimmy Swaggart)

Well the answer to that question can be found in the following segment of Jimmy Swaggart’s message from the 9/14/05 Wednesday night service at Family Worship Center (Scripture reference added):

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“Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.” (Ezekiel 24:15-18 KJV)

(Jimmy Swaggart)
“…Ezekiel was in Babylonia prophesying, and when his wife died, she was in her 30’s, when she died of a stroke God told the prophet ‘Don’t shed a tear, go about your duties and prophesy to the people as if though she had not died.’ Every time I read that I can hardly get through it. I want to say ‘God what are you asking?’ Because He was showing Israel this is so important that muth, nothing must stop the message. Not even the death of the most lovely one in your life Ezekiel.”

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You see the minute I heard Jimmy Swaggart speak those words – “God what are you asking?” – the alarms went off in my head! I mean why in the round world would Jimmy Swaggart think that God’s command to Ezekiel concerning the death of his wife – “Don’t shed a tear, go about your duties and prophesy to the people as if though she had not died” – was God’s command to Jimmy Swaggart? Well the answer to that question is easy enough. Because it was only after seeking the Lord in prayer that God told me “This is what Jimmy Swaggart is required to do concerning his ‘spiritually dead’ wife Frances.”

Wow! And Double wow!! Who would ever believe that God Almighty would go so far as to break up, split up, this husband and wife ministry team of “Jimmy and Frances”? Well I for one should have seen it coming! I mean I’ll have to admit that God kinda like “put it in my face” through two very hot sermonets on the Jimmy and Frances “team”: “Is Jimmy Swaggart’s Wife ‘Frances’ Really Uncovered? (5/5/02) and Jimmy Swaggart Trashes Knee Worshipping Frances! (8/14/05)! In fact it was in the “Uncovered” sermonet that God gave us the following “red hot” ending for a very outspoken message: “For additional information on the ‘spirit in Frances Swaggart’ see the prophetic Word Covenant With Jezebel And Witchcraft In The Church”.

So just who is this Jezebel that Frances Swaggart is emulating (copying)? Well what do you say we check “her” out in the Smith’s Bible Dictionary?

Jezebel. (chaste). Wife of Ahab, king of Israel. (B.C. 883). She was a Phoenician princess, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians. In her hands, her husband became a mere puppet. 1Ki_21:25. The first effect of her influence was the immediate establishment of the Phoenician worship, on a grand scale in the court of Ahab. At her table were supported no less than 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Eastward. 1Ki_16:31; 1Ki_16:21; 1Ki_18:19. The prophets of Jehovah were attacked by her orders, and put to the sword. 1Ki_18:13; 2Ki_9:7.
At last the people, at the instigation of Elijah, rose against her ministers and slaughtered them at the foot of Carmel. When she found her husband cast down by his disappointment, at being thwarted by Naboth, 1Ki_21:7, she wrote a warrant in Ahab's name, and sealed it with his seal. To her, and not to Ahab, was sent the announcement that the royal wishes were accomplished, 1Ki_21:14, and on her accordingly fell the prophet's curse, as well as on her husband, 1Ki_21:23, a curse fulfilled so literally by Jehu, whose chariot-horses trampled out her life. The body was left in that open space called, in modern eastern language, "the mounds," where offal is thrown from the city walls. 2Ki_9:30-37. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

Now that pretty well sums it up! Ahab was the king God Almighty put in place to lead His chosen people (the nation of Israel). However, it was this woman Jezebel, that Ahab chose to be his wife, that ruled over him in such a way that he couldn’t do the work that God had called him to do…and it made God very, very angry:

“And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel…And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD…thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.” (1 Kings 21:17-22 KJV)

But, then again, let’s not put all the blame on Jezebel. I mean, after all, it was Ahab who “sold out” to his “good looking” wife by letting her have complete control:

“But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” (1 Kings 21:25 KJV)

And having said all that about the infamous team of “Ahab and Jezebel”, let’s get back to their present-day understudies; “Jimmy and Frances”. Because you see it’s through the following Scripture from God’s Holy Word, and Jimmy Swaggart’s comments on it, that we’re going to finalize this sermonet on “Jimmy Swaggart REJECTS The Cross Of Christ”:

Luke 14:25-27

King James Version - “And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

The Expositor’s New Testament - “And there went great multitudes with Him (proclaims Him having left the home of this Pharisee, and now continuing His journey toward Jerusalem): and He turned, and said unto them (He was anxious now, at the end, clearly to make it known to all these multitudes what serving Him really signified), If any man come to Me (no exceptions), and hate (prefer) not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also (no affection, however strong, must be permitted to compete with or displace Christ), he cannot be My Disciple (once again, no exceptions!). And whosoever doth not bear his Cross (this doesn’t speak of suffering as most think, but rather ever making the Cross of Christ the object of our Faith; we are saved and we are victorious not by suffering, although that sometimes will happen, or any other similar things, but rather by our Faith, but always with the Cross of Christ as the object of that Faith), and come after Me (one can follow Christ only by Faith in what He has done for us at the Cross; He recognizes nothing else), cannot be My Disciple (the statement is emphatic! if it’s not Faith in the Cross of Christ, then it’s faith that God will not recognize, which means that such people are refused [I Cor. 1:17-18, 21, 23; 2:2; Rom. 6:3-14; 8:1-2, 11, 13; Gal. 6:14; Eph. 2:13-18; Col. 2:14-15]).”

Now isn’t it convenient that the Good Lord prepared these three short verses to show Jimmy Swaggat “the Cross” that he’s refused to bear. I mean, this, in a “nutshell”, is the reason Jimmy Swaggart has tried so hard to rewrite God’s message on “the Cross”: “If any man come to me, and hate not his…wife…and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

You see it was back in our sermonet Pastor Stevens And The Rejected Word Of God! (5/27/01) that God Almighty gave me the bottom-line reason for Jimmy Swaggart’s fall with the prostitutes…and it had everything to do with Jimmy Swaggart obeying his lovely wife Frances instead of his “Lord and Saviour” Jesus Christ. Because “the Cross” that God Almighty gave Jimmy Swaggart to bear was the directive to build the Family Worship Center to seat 10,000 people…and even though his lovely wife Frances demanded that seating for 5,000 was enough. So, Jimmy Swaggart, not wanting to upset his beautiful wife Frances, built “God’s House” her way instead of God’s Way: “…the enmity of the natural heart is at work against God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification, and it registers itself, as stated, in the form of unbelief.”

And now that Jimmy Swaggart has become a mere puppet in the hands of his wife Frances, God says “Throw her out the window Jimmy”:

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.” (2 Kings 9:30-33 KJV)

“…nothing must stop the message. Not even the death of the most lovely one in your life…”

In closing, this message can be summed up in twelve (12) simple words: Take up “your Cross”…and keep on keeping the faith in Jesus!!!

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)