Swaggart's Perverted Gospel

Is Jimmy Swaggart's The Expositor's Study Bible teaching the true gospel or a false gospel? The Bible warns that those who preach a perverted gospel are accursed:

William Cook, Bruce Hallman, and myself expose the perverted gospel of Swaggart's The Expositor's Study Bible.

Another concern is that Jimmy Swaggart uses the following scripture in Genesis 1: 28 to make his point. "And God blessed them [ again, speaks of the ability to re-produce], and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth [the word "replenish" carries the idea of a former creation on the Earth before Adam and Eve; according to Isaiah 4 and Ezekiel 28, Lucifer ruled this world for an undetermined period of time and did so in Righteousness and Holiness as a beautiful Angel created by God; if, in fact, he did rule the world at that time; it would stand to reason that there had to be some type of creation on the earth for him to rule; the word "replenish" refers to that creation], and subdue it [and that man has done, however, he would have done it sooner, but for the Fall ], and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the Earth. Remember Swaggart states that it "carries the idea of a former creation", meaning he himself is not 100% sure.

Notice how Swaggart twists this verse around. Like himself and the many other "gap theorists" like Finis Dake, Swaggart speaks back to front concerning this particular scripture. The writer of this Book [being Moses] first declares, "And God blessed them". Who is the writer alluding to here? Is Moses speaking only of Adam and Eve or does he include the animal, sea, land and air creation also who has the ability to pro-create. There is a 3 pronged statement following that statement by the Lord, namely "be fruitful", "and multiply", and "replenish the Earth". It is clear in scripture that this is the order in how the Lord addressed the matter, not back to front like Swaggart does.

Firstly the Lord says to, "be fruitful" meaning the whole of creation [mankind, animal, sea and air] receiving the ability to reproduce.

Secondly the Lord says "and multiply" [mankind, animals, sea and air], having the ability to reproduce over and over of themselves.

Thirdly the Lord says, and "replenish the Earth [mankind, animals, sea and air]".

Swaggart and other gap theorists argue and suggest that "replenish" means that God commanded man to re-stock\re-supply the world after destroying the pre-Adamic man with a flood. Be that as it may [according to these theorists], "replenish" also means to make full or complete again by adding continuously that substance that has been used, lost or removed [The Essential English Dictionary]. The question asked above, who was the writer referring to when he wrote? "And God blessed them". It is obvious that he is referring to all of God’s creation mentioned above, [who has the ability to reproduce]; but with one exception and that is His crown creation [man] who will have dominion and rule over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. As is very obvious from Scripture, the Lord God instructed his crown creation Adam and his descendants to fill the earth, spread out and fill the whole earth with human beings, and that includes the animal kingdom, air kingdom, sea kingdom etc.

Why would God destroy first the pre-Adamic earth, and thereafter the Adamic earth again in the same manner? It does not make sense that God would do this. Did God who is perfect, holy, righteous, mighty and powerful make the same mistake twice? Didn’t He get it right the first time in the pre-Adamic world? Jimmy Swaggart seems to think so.

Furthermore moving to the teachings of the Cross; Jimmy Swaggart is fixated on the Cross. From beginning to end in his Expositors Bible he draws the reader’s attention to the Cross. Yes, the Cross is the means by which our salvation was purchased, [one does not undermine that fact]. But as Swaggart tends to fixate continuously throughout, that our faith must be in the Cross and what Christ accomplished there. Again I say that the Cross played an important part in salvation’s plan. But the Cross must never overshadow the fact that it was Jesus Christ who hung on the Cross [which was only a piece of wood]. Our faith must be in Christ [the sacrifice] and what He accomplished there for us. As important a part that the wooden Cross played in this scenario of salvation that is not in what we must focus our faith. Our faith must be focused on Christ and Him alone, not on the Cross.

Swaggart tends to imply that most of Christendom does not understand the meaning of the Cross and what it stands for as regards the benefits of the Cross. In Swaggart’s world and many of the other prosperity preachers, benefits mean only, the prize, the money, the good living and get rich schemes etc. My understanding of the Cross is that it means pain, anguish, suffering and eventually death. Meaning that when we take up said Cross, after we have denied self we must follow Him, [Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23]. Once we have taken up that Cross we will suffer for Christ, [1Peter 4:13].

Why did the apostle Peter specifically mention that we will be partakers of Christ’s sufferings? He mentioned this because Christ clearly stated that we [his followers] will be hated by the world, because they first hated Him [John 15:18, 24, 25]. One only has to read the newspapers, see on television etc, and see how that Christians in the mission fields, in Middle East countries, or all over the world are being persecuted for the cause of Christ. Are they not suffering because they denied self and took up their cross?

My friend, "suffering" is a necessary ingredient in becoming one with Jesus Christ. Suffering is an absolute necessity for believers, although suffering is not what most of us as believers would choose to do. But Jesus was very clear about our suffering, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life", John 12:25. Now why do you think Jesus was so emphatic about this? So that we as believers should learn how to die to self and this old nature\flesh that so besets us with sin.

Yet Jimmy Swaggart has this to say in his commentary on the above scripture\verse. "He who loves his life shall lose it [hits at the very heart of man’s problem; it could be paraphrased, He who loves self shall not see fulfillment]; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it unto Life Eternal [refers to putting self last, and Christ first in all things]. Folk’s here you can see that Jimmy Swaggart says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it", can be paraphrased "He who loves self shall not see fulfillment". Now I ask you what has "lack of fulfillment" got to do with "everlasting destruction", as the scripture alludes to. Absolutely nothing correlates between the word, "fulfillment" and "everlasting death". In other words in plain down to earth meaning of this verse, "if you love yourself more than anything [more than the Lord] your eternal soul will be damned to a lost eternity". My friends, we as believers must die to the desires of self, which is in no way the same as "putting self last" as Swaggart states in the above commentary. Jesus says it clearly, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me". As mentioned above, taking up the cross means suffering, pain, anguish etc. And suffering does not mean the benefits of the Cross [money, riches etc] as Swaggart would have you think.

Swaggart teaches mostly that the Cross is the foundation of all Christendom, but the Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ is the foundation, [1Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 9:26] and many more scriptures allude to this fact. According to Swaggart he states categorically that he [JSM] received "a revelation of the Cross" and that most of the Church does not understand the Cross. That my friend is arrogance at its best, from a man who claimed that his sin is not sin but "mistakes".

For many years after the prostitute scandal many godly people who love Jimmy Swaggart have tried to counsel him so that he can see the error of his ways. Yet, Jimmy Swaggart has persisted in arrogance and pride rejecting any godly counsel. Even from his very good friend David Wilkerson who passed on recently to glory. He has openly said in arrogance, "I live close enough to Him that He can speak to me as well". You see folks, it was this same arrogant spirit that brought Swaggart’s whole world crashing down about him. Yes, he received a "revelation of the Cross" according to himself from the Lord sometime after these sordid incidents in his life, yet Jimmy Swaggart is still persisting in his arrogance today. One has only to watch him on the FWC platform when he preaches or in the studio for "A Study of the Word" and see that this is not a man who has repented of his arrogant ways.

I must be truthful and say that this is not the same man who at one time in his ministry preached and reached many lost souls for the kingdom of Christ. What has gone wrong at JSM is the question one can ask. No, I am not implying everything that Jimmy Swaggart teaches is wrong. But yes, there is certainly a lot of error in what he is presenting to the church-world at large and believers must not be fooled\misled by Swaggart’s and many others error. Search the scriptures and test every spirit as the Bible commands us to do, and the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. Much more can be said concerning the Expositors Study Bible of Jimmy Swaggart but I believe the point has been made. It is only sad that things turned out this way for a once anointed servant of God. But then again God Almighty is the One who will judge each and every one of us, despite our failures.

Mr. Bruce Hallman exposes Swaggart's perverted gospel in "Jimmy Swaggart, Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus." Here are excerpts from Mr. Hallman's message @ http://www.fmh-child.org/S6.12.11.html...

Have you ever heard someone that considers themself to be expert on a particular subject talk for hours on that same subject, when in all actuality they didn’t really know what they were talking about? And the truth being known, if you could have only gotten past all the words that were being spoken, and just come to an understanding of what was actually being said, it would have become blatantly obvious that the person doing all the talking didn’t have the foggiest idea of what he was talking about.

In fact, as a complement to our last sermonet – "Jimmy Swaggart: The Epitome Of Arrogance!" – we’re going to continue our discussion on Jimmy Swaggart with today’s message: "Jimmy Swaggart, Take Up YOUR CROSS And Follow Jesus!" Because you see Jimmy Swaggart is actually the one doing all the talking, and he doesn’t have the foggiest idea about what he’s talking about when it comes to "The Cross Of Christ!" And what makes matters even worse is that hundreds of thousands of people are "buying into" Jimmy Swaggart’s "perverted cross" through his audio, video, commentary, and bible sales. In fact the focus for today’s message is going to be the perverted bible of all perverted bibles – the Jimmy Swaggart Expositor’s Study Bible (JSESB)!

So that’s where we’re headed. But before we go there, please allow me to lay up a little groundwork on how this ghastly bible perversion all came about. Because you see in our last sermonet – "Jimmy Swaggart: The Epitome Of Arrogance!" – we laid out some of the facts on Jimmy Swaggart’s sin problem with the prostitutes, and his arrogant rejection of the godly counsel that would have prevented those sexual escapades from ever happening… that is if he would have only listened and obeyed. But seeing how Jimmy Swaggart was (and still is) beyond reproof – "I live close enough to Him that He can speak to me as well" – it was his very own arrogant ways, that brought about his very own "crash and burn", that allowed the whole wide world to finally see him as he really is… with his pants down!

But then, in his darkest hours of despair and shame, as the whole wide world gawked at his unbelievable nakedness, Jimmy Swaggart cried out to God for the understanding of just how such an ungodly thing could happen to such a godly man as he. And then, after many months of seeking God’s Face for the answer, Jimmy Swaggart says that he finally received the "revelation of the cross" that delivered him from the "sin of pornography".

Now, even though Jimmy Swaggart claims to have been delivered from pornography through his "revelation knowledge of Romans chapter 6", it’s abundantly obvious that Jimmy Swaggart has not been delivered from that lust of his flesh… as in pornography. It is still, right now, at this very moment, a very real part of Jimmy Swaggart’s physical/spiritual being! So what went wrong? Just what was the Lord trying to tell Jimmy Swaggart so many years ago?

"He said the problem is the sin nature …and the Lord said the problem is you don’t understand the sin nature. You don’t understand how it works, you don’t understand how to overcome it… The answer for which you seek is the Cross… There remaineth one sacrifice for sin and that is the, the Cross of Jesus Christ."

Jimmy Swaggart’s problem was (and still is) that he doesn’t understand the sin nature and how to overcome it. Because the "Cross of Jesus" that he so loudly proclaims in his "Jimmy Swaggart Expositor’s Study Bible" is not at all the same "cross" of which he was given the "revelation" knowledge.

"That’s the reason we preach the Cross, we sing the Cross, we shout the Cross, we talk the Cross, we dream the Cross, we pray the Cross…"

Jimmy Swaggart’s focus is on "The Cross" by which Jesus was crucified for the sin(s) of the world. And the following is what Hebrews had to say about that particular "Cross":

"Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:9-14 KJV)

So are you starting to see a problem with Jimmy Swaggart’s "revelation on the cross"? Well, let me help you out.

You see the Sacrifice that Jesus made on His cross, some 2000 years ago, was final. He did it once, never to be done again! But yet the following "revelation" is what the Lord gave Jimmy Swaggart as the answer to his question on how to overcome his sin problem:

"There remaineth one sacrifice for sin and that is the, the Cross of Jesus Christ."

The "Cross of Jesus Christ" that Jimmy Swaggart teaches/preaches, as the answer to the sin problem, is not at all the "revelation" he was given. It can’t be! Because, as it concerns "Jesus Christ and Him crucified", "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins"… not even one! It was finished on His cross some 2,000 years ago!

And now it’s time for a few quotes from the "Jimmy Swaggart Expositor’s Study Bible". I mean, after all, we’re going to use Jimmy Swaggart’s very own words to drive home the point of this message for today. In fact what better place to start than "the Magna Carta" of Jimmy Swaggart’s life – that great sixth chapter of Romans! (I’ll include the King James Version as a comparison.)

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 KJV)

"Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey (the Believer is either a slave to Christ, for that’s what the word "servant" means, or else a slave to sin, which he will be if he doesn’t keep his Faith in Christ and the Cross); whether of sin unto death (once again allow us to state the fact that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any method other than Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, the Believer will fail, no matter how hard he otherwise tries), or of obedience unto Righteousness? (The Believer is required to obey the Word of the Lord. He cannot do that within his own strength, but only by understanding that he receives all things through what Christ did at the Cross and his continued Faith in that Finished Work, even on a daily basis. Then the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, can accomplish His work within our lives.) " (Romans 6:16 JSESB)

The italicized comments (in parenthesis) in the JSESB are Jimmy Swaggart’s very own words, not God’s. And even though he seems to know what he’s talking about concerning "obedience unto righteousness" – "obey the Word of the Lord" – it’s really only a smokescreen that hides the real truth of his error. Because Jimmy Swaggart actually yields himself as a servant to obey his "Faith in Christ and the Cross" instead of "faith in the Word of the Lord" :

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:13-14 KJV)

"For if ye live after the flesh (after your own strength and ability, which is outside of God’s prescribed order), you shall die (you will not be able to live a victorious, Christian life): but if you through the Spirit (by the Power of the Holy Spirit) do mortify the deeds of the body (which the Holy Spirit Alone can do), you shall live (shall walk in victory; but once again, even at the risk of being over repetitive, we must never forget that the Spirit works totally and completely within the confines of the Cross of Christ; this means that we must ever make the Cross the object of our Faith, giving Him latitude to work). For as many as are led by the Spirit of God (the Spirit will always lead us to the Cross), they are the sons of God (we live as sons of God, which refers to total victory within every respect of our lives; if the sin nature is dominating a person, he certainly isn’t living as a son of God)." (Romans 8:13-14 JSESB)

Jimmy Swaggart the "snake oil salesman" – twisting God’s Truth into the Devil’s lie… and making it ever so believable! "We must ever make the Cross the object of our Faith – the Spirit will always lead us to the Cross", he says. And that’s the very same reason Jimmy Swaggart is still in bondage to (a slave to), his stinking, lustful flesh!

As stated by Mr. Cook and Mr. Hallman, Jimmy Swaggart claims that in 1997 God gave him a revelation - the Message of the Cross. And Swaggart boasts this is the greatest revelation given to man since the one given to the Apostle Paul! Was this revelation truly from God, or a revelation from Swaggart’s own imagination?

Swaggart’s comments in The Expositor’s Study Bible talk about “the Cross” over and over and over and over again. True Christians know that the message of the Cross is the central doctrine of Christianity. And Christians have written and sung about the Cross of Christ for years…

“Room at the Cross for You” by Ira Stanphill
"At the Cross” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts
"Beneath the Cross of Jesus” by Elizabeth Celphane
"Near the Cross” by Fanny Crosby
"The Old Rugged Cross” by George Bennard
and countless other gospel songs and hymns about the Cross of Christ

So, what is Swaggart’s “Message of the Cross”? What cross is he preaching? Is he preaching the Cross of Jesus Christ? Or is he perverting the gospel and preaching another cross – the cross of Jimmy Swaggart?

Undeniably, God’s Law makes it very clear that preachers who pervert the gospel of Christ are accursed.

1.An upright post with a transverse piece near the top, upon which condemned persons were executed in ancient times. 2. A symbolic representation of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. 3. A crucifix. 4. A sign made by tracing the outline of a cross with the right hand upon the forehead and chest as a devotional act. 5. Any trial, affliction, or frustration: Everyone has his own cross to bear. 6….

There are many crosses: Cross of Calvary, Gothic cross, Celtic cross, Greek cross, Papal cross, and other forms. And the cross is connected with heathen antiquity: Egypt, Assyria, Persia, and India, and also among the Scandinavian races of the North. However, the cross became a symbol of Christianity during the reign of Constantine.

What does Swaggart mean when he talks about the “Message of the Cross”? What cross is he preaching? Well, since he talks in circles, it’s hard to define. Does he even know what he’s talking about, or is “the Cross” just a phrase he uses over and over and over again to promote his alleged “revelation”?

And reading Swaggart’s The Expositor’s Study Bible does not make it clear. He repeatedly writes “the Cross” but never fully defines or explains it. And his comments often contradict each other and contradict his preaching.

To begin with, the word “cross” is used 28 times in the New Testament. The first recorded use of the word is in Matthew 10:38 before the Crucifixion. Jesus admonishes us:

Jesus uses the figure of the cross prophetically of His crucifixion (Romans 6:6; Galatians 5:24). Jesus proclaims that true followers must take up our cross and follow Him. In other words, we must follow Christ’s example and bear our burdens and trials and tribulations. Taking up our cross is about sacrificing our will and following - obeying - His will. “Thy will be done.” Taking up the cross is obedience to God’s will.

In other words, in Matthew 10:38, Jesus sees Himself bearing the cross and suffering on the cross as the Sacrifice for our sins. And Jesus explains that everyone who follows Him must bear a cross of obedience to God’s will. And in obeying God’s will, we will suffer persecution for His Name’s sake.

Incidentally, in The Expositor’s Study Bible, Christ’s words are printed in black and Swaggart’s comments are printed in red to give them equal authority with Christ’s words. However, in this message, Christ’s words are printed in red; Swaggart’s comments are printed in blue because they are not authoritative:

38 And he who takes not his cross (total “Faith” in the Cross to the exclusion of everything else), and follows after Me (we can only follow Him by the “Way” of the Cross), is not worthy of Me (not worthy of the blessings afforded by the “victory” of the Cross).

Swaggart is rewriting Scripture to read: And he who does not put total “Faith” in the Cross to the exclusion of everything else, and follows after Me by the “Way” of the Cross, is not worthy of the blessings afforded by the “victory” of the Cross.

And is Swaggart saying we should put total “Faith” in the Cross to the exclusion of putting total faith in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and Savior?

Notice how Swaggart refuses to correctly interpret “taketh not his cross” as following in the footsteps of Jesus: suffering, self-denial and sacrifice. Swaggart refuses to preach that Christians must walk the narrow way (Matthew 7:14).

A true Christian willingly takes up his cross and bears it as he walks the narrow way. Jesus warns us that by following Him, we must make sacrifices and suffer shame and persecution. Like Christ, we become a “suffering servant” (Isaiah 53). The world hates true Christians.

39 He who finds his life shall lose it (he who refuses the Cross loses his life): and he who loses his life for My sake shall find it (places his life into Christ, which is done by the Cross [Rom. 6: 3-5]).

What does Swaggart mean “places his life into Christ, which is done by the Cross”? When we repent and are born again, Christ lives in us.

Paul writes about “the cross of Christ” in his first letter to the Corinthians:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock,
and unto the Greeks foolishness.
I Corinthians 1:17, 18,23

The Gospel message of the New Testament is “Christ crucified.” But the Jews hate the Cross of Christ because they demand a Messiah who will set up an earthly kingdom and make Israel a great nation. And sinners and false Christians hate the Gospel message of “Christ crucified” because they believe it is foolishness. They do not believe there is power in the blood that was shed on the cross to redeem sinners. And, truthfully, they do not want to overcome the powerful temptations of the world.

The true message of the Cross is that when we repent of our sins and ask Jesus into our heart, He cleanses our heart and all our sins are nailed to the Cross. All of our transgressions are blotted out. And by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live a life of holiness; we overcome the power of the world; we glory in the Cross.

When we are born again, “the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” We live to please God, not man. In other words, the world no longer controls our thoughts and actions. We are dead to the world; we are alive to Christ and the Kingdom of God.

When we repent and truly believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior as evidenced by obeying His commandments, our old self is “crucified with Christ” (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20). We are no longer servants of sin, but servants of righteousness.

24 Then Jesus said unto His Disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself (not asceticism, but rather the denial of one’s own strength and ability), and take up his cross (the benefits of the Cross, what Jesus did there [Col. 2:14, 15]), and follow Me (if Christ is not followed by the means of the Cross, He cannot be followed at all).

Irrefutably, “let him deny himself” is plain language meaning self-denial or sacrifice. But Swaggart perverts it into “the denial of one’s own strength and ability.”

And Swaggart claims that “take up his cross” means taking up the benefits of the Cross, not taking up the cross and following in the footsteps of Christ. Again, Swaggart perverts the gospel. He preaches a perverted gospel that we receive the benefits of the cross without having to pay the price of taking up the cross – obedience and persecution and suffering.

34 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 and 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).

Deny his own strength, ability, talent, power and carnal intellect? We are called to obey the Gospel!

23 And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me (the criteria for Discipleship), let him deny himself (not asceticism as many think, but rather that one denies one’s own will-power, self-will, strength, and ability, depending totally on Christ), and take up his cross (the benefits of the Cross, looking exclusively to what Jesus did there to meet our every need) daily (this is so important, our looking to the Cross; that we must renew our Faith in what Christ has done for us, even on a daily basis, for Satan will ever try to move us away from the Cross as the Object of our Faith, which always spells disaster), and follow Me (Christ can be followed only by the Believer looking to the Cross, understanding what it accomplished, and by that means alone [Rom. 6:3-5,11,14; 8:1-2,11;1Cor.1:17-18,21,23;2:2;Gal.6:14;Eph.2:13-18;Col.2:14-15]).

Deny one’s own will-power, self-will, strength, and ability? This is contrary to Scripture. James teaches in chapter 4: 7-9,14 in plain language that faith is willing obedience. In other words, we will obey God: submit, draw nigh, cleanse, and other willing acts of humble submission.

And again Swaggart perverts the Gospel: “for Satan will ever try to move us away from the Cross as the Object of our Faith…Christ can be followed only by the Believer looking to the Cross.” Swaggart makes the Cross “the Object of our Faith.” And he preaches Christ can be followed only by looking to the Cross – not looking unto Jesus.

Unquestionably, the central doctrine and message of Christianity is the preaching of “Christ crucified” - a crucified Redeemer…

Yes, the Cross is an important Christian doctrine. But Swaggart tries to move us away from putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and putting our faith in the Cross as the Object of our faith: “for Satan will ever try to move us away from the Cross as the Object of our Faith…Christ can be followed only by the Believer looking to the Cross.”

“I am the light of the world (John 8:12)…not “the Cross” is the light of the world.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6)…not “the Cross” is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by the Cross.

“I am the living bread” (John 6:51)…not “the Cross” is the living bread.

“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7)…not “the Cross” is the door of the sheep.

Notice that Jesus says, “If I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” He does not say if the cross is lifted up from the earth, the cross will draw all men unto Me.

Christ was first nailed to the cross, and then lifted up upon the cross. Even though the wicked religious leaders plotted and attempted to stone him to death, Christ was crucified - lifted up upon the cross - to fulfill Scripture. Men are drawn by the cross to “Christ crucified.”

Christ crucified on a lifted up Cross draws men to Christ. It causes them to look heavenward. Christ was lifted up on the cross toward heaven as the Lamb of God to reconcile man and God. To put it another way, an altar is an elevated place or structure upon which sacrifices are offered. The Cross of Calvary was the altar for the Sacrificial Lamb of God.

And when we repent of our sin and obediently take up our cross and follow Christ, the shed blood of the Lamb of God redeems us from the penalty of death and eternal damnation.

And by the redemptive power of the shed blood of the Sacrificial Lamb, we are no longer under the power of this sinful world. In other words, the world has lost its hold on us.

The cross is also an emblem of death of our old self: death to sin, glory in Christ. And the lusts of the world – money, power, fame, success, and other vainglory – are dead. We live for the Kingdom of God, not this wicked world. We glory in what Christ did for us on the Cross.

Why does Swaggart refuse to preach the Truth that the message of the Cross is about self-denial and suffering and sacrifice – obeying Christ by taking up our cross and following Him? Because he loves the world and its sinful pleasures.

But Swaggart loves the world: mansions, trips to Las Vegas, expensive clothing and cars, and other worldliness! For years, he preached against the sins of the flesh while in secret he wallowed in the filthiness of the flesh. And that is why Swaggart refuses to preach the Truth that the message of the Cross is about self-denial and suffering and sacrifice. Instead Swaggart preaches a perverted gospel of a false cross that allows sinful man to wallow in worldliness instead of living a life of purity. His “way” of the Cross is “Faith” alone. If you merely profess a belief in Christianity, your faith will cover your multitude of filthy lusts and worldliness.

Irrefutably, Swaggart’s “revelation” of “the Cross” is not from God, but from his vain imagination. He is puffed up. He wallows in self-righteousness. It is not a “revelation”; it is self-delusion. In his own vain imagination he has perverted the gospel to allow his profession of “Faith in the Cross” to excuse his filthy sins: lusting after pornography and prostitutes, lusting after money, lusting after fame, lusting after mansions, and other filthiness and worldliness.

So, it is not surprising that Swaggart’s television preaching and teaching rarely mentions repentance, holiness and righteousness.

Specifically, Swaggart is preaching and teaching that Faith alone in the Object of the Cross is true Christianity.

Works is obeying God’s commandments. Obedient faith results in holy and righteous living. Obedience is the fruit of faith and evidence that the faith is genuine. A faith that does not purify the heart and result in holy living is a dead, false faith.

Unquestionably, God’s Law commands holiness: “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

The truth is Swaggart despises true Christians who strive to lead a life of holiness. He roars they are “self-righteous.” The Truth is... he does not despise man: Swaggart actually despises God and His Law of Holiness.

The truth is Swaggart hates true Christians who obey the Word and are thereby sanctified by power of the Holy Spirit!

The truth is Swaggart hates Christians who obey Christ’s command of self-denial and sacrifice: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

The truth is Swaggart hates true Christians who proclaim “the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

4…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? (If the Cross of Christ is not strictly the Object of our Faith, God looks at everything else as “worldliness.”) whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (Allow me to once again make the statement that if the Cross of Christ is not our Object of Faith, no matter how religious our efforts may be otherwise, it is still looked at the Lord as “friendship with the world.” This means the Believer in essence becomes an “enemy of God.”)

Notice how Swaggart perverts the definition of “worldliness”…“If the Cross of Christ is not strictly the Object of our Faith, God looks at everything else as “worldliness.” Specifically, he says we are worldly “If the Cross of Christ is not strictly the Object of our Faith.” This is a perverted gospel!

Swaggart preaches a perverted gospel that the cross is exclusively the object of our faith. But our faith is in Christ Jesus and evidenced by the works or fruits of repentance – holy and righteous living.

Instead, Swaggart perverts the gospel to please himself. He preaches a false cross - the cross of Jimmy Swaggart - because he refuses to be crucified to the world. He refuses to deny worldly lusts.

And the Apostle John warns us in plain language in 1 John 3: 8 – 10 that those who commit sin are of the devil:

8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brothers.

Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God. A true faith will result in righteousness.

Swaggart’s “revelation” of “the Cross” is not from God, but from his own vain imagination. He is puffed up. It is not a “revelation”; it is self-delusion. In his vain imagination, he has perverted the gospel to allow his profession of Faith alone in the Object of the Cross to excuse his filthy sins: lusting after pornography and prostitutes, lusting after money, lusting after fame, lusting after mansions, and other filthiness and worldliness.

Swaggart refuses to deny his worldly lusts and take up his cross of obedient faith resulting in holy and righteous living.

Listen to his television preaching and teaching today…he never mentions repentance and holiness and righteousness. And he roars against true Christians who preach holiness.

The truth is Swaggart despises true Christians who strive to lead a life of holiness. He roars they are “self-righteous.” The Truth is, he does not despise man: Swaggart despises God and His Law of Holiness.

The truth is Swaggart hates true Christians who obey the Word and are thereby sanctified by power of the Holy Spirit!

Jimmy Swaggart: A Whore Is No Longer A Whore!

www.fmh-child.org

Caution: This site has old fashioned, Heaven-sent, Devil-chasin, sin-killin, blood-bought, God-given, Jesus-lovin, Holy Ghost inspired preaching!