I will not lie. I had a difficult time reading this book. I could only read a little bit at a time. The errors came so fast and so furious it was a discouraging read. There are many smaller points that I could argue with here, but instead, I want to focus on just two things: his theological foundation, and his practical application.
Let me first reproduce his thesis in full:
Jesus Christ said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing." In the Greek language that word
nothing has a unique meaning - it means NOTHING, just like it does in English! He had NO
supernatural capabilities whatsoever! While He is 100 percent God, He chose to live with the
same limitations that man would face once He was redeemed. He made that point over and
over again. Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the
impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right
relationship to God...not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they
would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His
lifestyle. Recapturing this simple truth changes everything...and makes possible a full
restoration of the ministry of Jesus in His Church. (29, emphasis original)
The verse he quotes in part at the beginning of the paragraph is John 5:19: “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’”
In this verse Jesus is saying almost the exact opposite of what Johnson wishes He was saying. It is simply not true that the Son can do nothing. Rather, Jesus is telling us that He can do nothing but obey the Father. More than this, Jesus is only doing what He sees God the Father do. In other words, the Son is doing what the Father does, and He can because He “and the Father are one,” (John 10:30). He can do what the Father does precisely because He is God. The writer to the Hebrews says:
How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord,
and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders
and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews
2:3-4)
Notice the subjects of these sentences. First, the Lord declares. Second, the apostles attest that these things are true. Third, God performed miracles, wonders, and signs. Fourth, the Holy Spirit distributes gifts. That third point again: God performed miracles, wonders, and signs. This most unambiguously refers to Jesus. If the author of the letter to the Hebrews can be trusted, Jesus performed miracles, wonders, and signs, not as a man in right relationship to God...but as God Himself.
On the surface, this is simply a case of Johnson making the text say what he wants to teach. Many teachers have done this throughout the life of the Church. So why make such a fuss now? Because, below the surface lies a much more dangerous notion. In an attempt to justify the clearly defined theology of this book, Johnson has inadvertently destroyed any basis for a sinner's hope of redemption. If Johnson is correct in saying that Jesus performed His miracles not as God, but as a simple man, what other ministries did He perform not as God, but as a simple man? The reason why this is a serious matter is this: If Jesus was not acting as God on the cross, “but as a man in right relationship to God,” then our sins are not paid for and we have no legal right to call on the name of God at all, let alone stand in His presence. For us to be redeemed, Jesus must have acted as both Man and God on the cross. Only Man could represent mankind. Only God could sufficiently atone for all of mankind’s sins. Therefore, Jesus performed miracles, wonders, signs because He was God.
Bad theology aside, the real problem with this book is the practicality of Johnson’s teaching. In truth, 'Signs and Wonders' theology takes so much more away from the Gospel than it brings. There is danger in this theology, to be sure. But that is not what maddened me when I read this book. The real danger comes when believers hear the words of this book and follow without critically thinking through the consequences. Johnson himself sees the danger in this. "While I have no time for critics, I do welcome the 'wounds of a friend,'" (116). In other words, if you disagree with Johnson, he will not listen to your critiques. On the other hand if you are a friend, and fellow co-patriate of his ministry, he will gladly listen to your suggestions. Furthermore, he encourages his readership to "Be childlike and read the works of those who have succeeded in the healing ministry. Stay away from the books and tapes of those who say it shouldn't or can't be done. If the author doesn't walk in power, don't listen, no matter how proficient they may be in another field," (115). So if someone, like myself, rebukes Johnson's teaching, you are to simply ignore me, and read only those from inside the camp. This is Cult Speech 101.
But please do not walk away. Understand the consequences of Bill Johnson's teaching in this book.
Guilt - The believers who follow the advice in this book will open themselves up to tremendous guilt. For Johnson, the believer who does not experience the life he describes is either too weak of faith to accomplish the will of God, or is disobeying in some significant way. Consider this: "Light is so superior to darkness that its triumph is immediate," (73). While this statement sounds true, it is misleading. God's own light certainly triumphs over darkness, but it is not immediate. If it were we would all be in glory as of the morning of the resurrection. But Johnson is convinced that if a certain present darkness persists, you are not demonstrating sufficient light. If a certain illness lingers, you are not praying hard enough, or in the right way. If someone is crippled, or disabled, your faith to heal them has failed significantly. This leads to substantial feelings of guilt.
But this is not true. 1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes
upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar
as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is
revealed.
Discontentment - Within the framework of Johnson's theology, the believer should not be content to submit to the effects of the fall. "When His rule collides with disease, people are healed. When it runs into the demonized, they are set free. The Kingdom message's nature provides salvation for the whole man - spirit, soul, and body," (62). If you suffer from longterm illness, you will be tempted to think that you have fallen out of the kingdom of God, or at least out of favor with God. According to Johnson, it is up to you to grab hold of that power and claim it for your own. When that fails, discontentment sets in.
But this is not true. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of
the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of
Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord
about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.
Despair - In Johnson's mind, the sufferings of this world are unnatural, and outside of God's will. "If I believe that God allows sickness in order to build character, I'll not have confidence praying in most situations where healing is needed. But if I believe that sickness is to the body what sin is to the soul, then no disease will intimidate me. Faith is much more free to develop when we truly see the heart of God as good," (45). If the heart of God is good, then why am I sick? Was He not powerful enough to stop it in the first place? If He was, but I remain ill, then how is His heart good? If, on the other hand, He was not powerful enough to stop it, then I believe in a God who can be stymied by the common cold. I am suddenly lost in despair.
But this is not true. Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces
hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
By equating sickness and sin, Johnson effectively places all human illness and disease outside of God's will. If this is so, what peace do I have when the illness does not go away through prayer? What hope do I have if my wife never gets pregnant? Where is our security in a world where God has no control over the weather, viruses, human development in the womb, or any cause, besides direct sin, that you could point to for our suffering? If God is not in control of one single molecule of this world, He is no longer God, for something exists outside of Him.
But Christian, say God is in control of my sickness. Say He has given me my seasons of illness or disappointment, my seasons of hardship and trial. Let us suppose for a minute that He indeed has given me a "sickness in order to build character." Let us say that He gives these seasons to build my faith. Let us say that He puts me in the fire of the forge to purify my faith, to make me shine like gold. Let us say this. Suddenly all my pain, all my suffering, all my griefs and tears have a meaning infinitely deep. And truly, this is so. The life of Jesus is being built up in me: both His triumph over death, and His patience in the pain.
Much more could be said in refuting Johnson’s theology. But that is not my goal here. The matrix of thought Johnson creates with his insistence on a modern life of 'signs and wonders' serves only to engender fear and despair. Fear that a lack of miraculous healing in my life means a lack of the Holy Spirit. Despair that my wholeness, both physical and spiritual, rests entirely in my own hands. Furthermore, the only foundation of all my hope, the fact that Jesus acted as God on the cross, and is now the God of my pain, disintegrates in the framework of Johnson’s thesis. Is it not better to swallow my pride and allow God to be God of all things, even my weakness? Yes it is. It must be. For only if God rules all things do I have the freedom to embrace the sufferings this world brings, and still know joy.
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