The Kenotic (Kenosis) Doctrine is Heresy

In Christianity, there exists a so-called kenotic doctrine (kenosis). The doctrine argues that Jesus gave up some of His divine characteristics when He was on earth in the flesh. According to the doctrine, Jesus gave up His omnipotence and omniscience and His ability to be present everywhere at the same time. The doctrine teaches that Jesus voluntarily gave up His divine characteristics - and was thus a human being - in order to fulfill salvation and redemption. Gottfried Thomasius, a Lutheran theologian, is said to be the first to introduce the kenotic doctrine in the 19th century. Different versions of the doctrine have emerged after that time, and people still teach them. Movements based on prosperity theology, and extreme charismatic movements have different versions of the doctrine.

The roots of the kenotic doctrine (kenosis) can be traced back to Gnosticism. Gnosticism has many kinds of variations and teachings about Jesus. One variation teaches that the physical body of Jesus was not real, but it looked real, even though it was not, and that the real spirit of Jesus was poured into Him when He was baptized in water, but the spirit left Jesus right before His crucifixion and death. This is the backbone of different variations of the kenotic doctrine. The gnostic conception of Jesus and the Bible was not based on the Bible, but on intelligence and divine knowledge, which exist as information in the hearts of people for the sake of a higher level of understanding, which is the deceptive Gnostic doctrine.

In prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements, faith is not solely based on the Bible, but on revelations and information, and understanding that those involved in the movement get in the "Spirit". Because they get information and revelations directly in the "Spirit", they teach that the information and revelations need not always be based on and found in the Bible because they believe that God also operates in different ways than those specified in the Bible. Movements based on prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements teach that Jesus did the miracles while only being a human being, not God; that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit after He was baptized in water; and that He did not atone sins on the cross, but in Hell where He was reborn, etc.

The teachings of prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements are very similar to Gnosticism because they have the same spirit of deception, which first led gnostics astray, and is now deceiving those involved in prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements through teachings very similar to Gnosticism. In the present text, I will address the heresy of the gnostic doctrine, and the Biblical truth about the Deity of Jesus. This topic is dead serious because the goal of the kenotic (kenosis) doctrine is to lead people away from Biblical salvation, i.e. to eternal hellfire. Spend time in prayer, and compare the present text to what the Bible teaches.

Content:
The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape
The Kenosis doctrine
The lie of you becoming a god
Salvation and Jesus' Deity
 

The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape

Luke 3:
21 ¶ Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

The Gospel of Luke in the Bible shows the most specifically what happened after Jesus was baptized in water - so that we would not be mistaken in this topic and so that we could understand it right.

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in a bodily shape, i.e. in the shape of a dove. The Holy Spirit was upon Jesus, in a bodily shape of a dove. This means that the Holy Spirit did not enter Jesus, i.e. did not enter His heart, but remained upon Him in the shape of a dove. This means that the Holy Spirit did not enter Jesus' heart, but remained upon Him in the shape of a dove. Jesus was not filled with the Holy Spirit, because He Himself is God, an eternal Spirit. Because Jesus already in Himself had the Spirit of God, it was not necessary for Him to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and that is why the Holy Spirit remained upon Him, in the bodily shape of a dove.

In the verses above, the Bible clearly shows what happened, by using the phrasing "in a bodily shape like a dove" so that everyone would understand what happened. "In a bodily shape like a dove upon him" (over Him) means that the Holy Spirit did not enter Jesus' heart, that is, Jesus was not filled with the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit remained as a sign upon Him, i.e. the Holy Spirit was outside Jesus.

We need to understand and see this event exactly as it is clearly reported to us by the Gospel of Luke. Jesus did not experience the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit remained upon Jesus in the shape of a dove. The Bible does not teach that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit or that He would have needed the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit because He Himself is God, an eternal Spirit.

The Kenosis doctrine

There are many variations of the kenosis doctrine, but the main doctrine and idea is that in order for Jesus to be capable of being a human being, i.e. in order for Him to be able to come in the flesh, He had to give up some or, in some variations, even all characteristics of God and God's power and to walk on earth as a human being only. In different variations of the doctrine, some say that Jesus still remained God, even though He gave up some of His Deity. The kenosis doctrine is based on Philippians Chapter 2:7. "But made himself of no reputation (ekenosen - kenoo), and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (KJV)

In the original text, the Greek work ekenosen (basic form kenoo) means to empty and make empty.

Based on the above, the kenotic (kenosis) doctrine says that Jesus gave up (was emptied of) His Deity or some characteristics of Deity. As shown above, Philippians Chapter 2 clearly says what the emptying (making himself of no reputation) was all about. Jesus was only emptied in the sense that He, being an eternal Spirit and God, took the shape of a human being by coming in the flesh (the likeness of men) and emptied (humbled) Himself as the servant of men, while being the true God at all times. The Bible does not teach that Jesus gave up His Deity partially or in full, but does teach that God came in the flesh to serve people while remaining God at all times.

Kenneth Copeland teaches the kenosis doctrine as follows: "What does God have to pay the price for this thing? He has to have a man that is like that first one. It's got to be a man. He's got to be all man. He cannot be a God and come storming in here with attributes and dignities that are not common to man. He can't do that. It's not legal. (Kenneth Copeland, What Happened from the Cross to the Throne (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1990), audiotape #02-0017).

Kenneth Copeland: Why didn't Jesus openly proclaim Himself as God during His 33 years on earth? For one single reason. He hadn't come to earth as God, He'd come as man. (K. Copeland, Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, Aug. 8, 1988. p.8.)

In fact, Jesus confessed that he is God and Lord:

John 10:
30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

According to the Bible, Jesus says that He and His Father are one, which means that Jesus said that He is God. Jews, too, understood that He said that He is God, because they said that they would stone Jesus for blasphemy, because they believed that He was only a human being who made Himself God.

Kenneth Copeland: "When Jesus cried "It is finished!" He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. There were still three days and nights to go through before He went to the throne. He was referring to the Abrahamic Covenant Jesus' death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption" (Jesus - Our Lord of Glory", Believer's Voice of Victory, April, 1982, p. 3).

Kenneth Copeland is an advocate of the JDS doctrine, according to which Jesus did not atone the sin of the world on the cross, but in Hell (this JDS doctrine is heretic doctrine). The USA-based Word of Faith movement (prosperity theology) and extreme charismatic movements teach that the blood of Jesus did not atone the sins of people on the cross because Jesus had to die spiritually on the cross, after which Jesus atoned the sins of people in Hell. This heresy, too, can be traced back to the kenosis doctrine.

Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel church, teaches that Jesus did not perform miracles as God, but as a human being. Patrick Tiainen of the Uskon Sana (Word of Faith) church based in Kokkola, Finland, teaches a kenosis variation, according to which Jesus was 100% human and 100% God, but that Jesus was not God when He performed miracles.

Victoria Osteen: "You see, Jesus walked this earth in a human body. He was man, He was God made flesh. The Bible says He was tempted and tried in every way, just like we are, but He overcame. See, Jesus was man until God touched him and put the Spirit of the living God on the inside of him. And that’s encouraging today." (Lakewood Church, November 23, 2011)

Victoria Osteen is an advocate of a kenosis variation where Jesus was a human being until God put the Holy Spirit on the inside of Him.

Redemption and salvation in the Lord Jesus are based on that while He was on earth, Jesus was a true and real human being and true and real God at the same time at all times because when He atoned the sin of the world, He had to be a true and real human being and live a perfect, sinless life - and that is what He did - and He had to be true God at all times because only God is perfect and sinless and can achieve a once-for-all, eternal, perfect atonement of sins.

If you take away some, even the slightest bit, or all of Jesus' Deity away at any given time, there are no preconditions for Biblical salvation because Biblical salvation requires Jesus being a true and a real human being and true and real Deity (Jesus was and is God at all times). The kenosis doctrine is extremely dangerous because it may lead people away from salvation, i.e. to eternal hellfire.

If you encounter Gnosticism, you can clearly see that it is similar to the kenosis doctrine. It is said that Theodotus of Byzantium, who lived in the 2nd century, taught that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit, only being a human being, not a divine human being, and Jesus only later became Christ through baptism, and Jesus only became God after his resurrection.

Gnostic valentianinism says that the divine Redeemer is called the Thought of the Spirit of the Father, and the Thought descended upon Him in the shape of a dove, and that was how the Word became flesh.

Gnostic valentianinism taught that Jesus' baptism and the Spirit descending upon Him was His redemption because Jesus, too, needed redemption, so that His imperfect thoughts would not have hindered His imperfection where He had been placed. Gnostic valentianinism says that this was the real birth from the Virgin, and the real resurrection from the dead because Jesus was reborn from the virginal Spirit.

Valentinianism Christology underlines that Jesus the human being was redeemed by joining Him to the Redeemer through baptism. Valentinianism taught that the Son is the name that descended to Jesus as a dove and set Him free. According to valentianinism, the redemption of Jesus the human being is understood to apply to everyone who are part of the higher church seed because Jesus the human being was joined to the Redeemer. The advocates of valentianinism taught that the church is identical with Jesus the human being because the church has also been joined to the Redeemer. According to valentianinism, the Son descended upon Jesus through baptism is also the redemption of Jesus the human being and the redemption of everyone who has joined him.

The advocates of Valentinianism taught that the information and knowledge (gnosis) given by the Father eliminates the power of sin because those who have gnosis are theoretically free from sin.

The Gnostic Gospel of Philip says: He who has knowledge of the truth is a free man, but the free man does not sin, for "He who sins is the slave of sin" (John 8:34).

Gnostic Valentianinism taught that spiritual people do not sin because they die to sin through gnosis and are again lifted up with Christ. According to Gnostic Valentinianism, knowledge (gnosis) eliminates their inner demons, and this makes their hearts pure and leads them to a sinless life.

The advocates of gnostic Valentianinism believed that the sacraments are important in regard to the atonement and prevention of sin. According to them, water baptism results in the atonement of sins, and water baptism makes people partakers of resurrection because the old sinner dies and the person is reborn, which is the beginning of returning to fullness. According to the advocates of Valentianinism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the anointing to receiving the Holy Spirit, and anointing through it is the way to reign over satan and to prevent sinning after that time. The advocates of Valentianinism believed in salvation through good works, which were also an indication of good works.

The lie of you becoming a god

We can find many similarities between Gnosticism and the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine of today. Of course, there are many variations of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine, but we can clearly see the similarities to Gnosticism. Valentianinism-oriented Gnosticism taught that Jesus only became God after the Holy Spirit descended into Him in the shape of a dove. There is a variation of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine, according to which Jesus only became God after the Holy Spirit descended into Him in the shape of a dove. The kenosis (kenotic) doctrine is Gnosticism.

Valentianinism-oriented Gnostics said that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the anointing to receive the Holy Spirit, and through this, people can - in the anointing of the Holy Spirit - reign over sin and become sinless. Some advocates of prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements teach the doctrine of Christians becoming sinless, according to which reborn Christians do not commit sin and do not transgress to commit sin.

Different variations of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine also include the teaching of people becoming sinless through being reborn and through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In one variation of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine, Jesus was a human being and only became God once He had received the anointing and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Due to this heresy, movements based on prosperity theology and extreme charismatic movements - at least in the United States - teach that people become little gods once they have received the baptism and anointing of the Holy Spirit. The aforementioned movements emphasize anointing and the anointed, with an emphasis on the human aspect of Jesus, but in the Spirit baptism He became God who is capable of performing miracles and wonders. Therefore, these people believe that they are little gods once they have received the baptism and anointing of the Holy Spirit, and - as a result - they operate like God, and when an anointed believer says a word of faith, it comes true in the same way as God said and that happened.

The above movements also teach that the perfect man was with God in Heaven before man was created on earth, and when a person is born on earth, incarnation (coming in the flesh) takes place, just like when Jesus came in the flesh. All the above heresies of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine stem from the false teaching that perverts the Word of God in regard to what happened when the dove descended upon Jesus. When people falsely teach that Jesus received the baptism and anointing of the Holy Spirit when the dove descended upon Him, and at that moment He became the anointed and God, the outcome is the "small gods" doctrine based on Gnosticism. In addition, the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine is new age, which teaches about deity on the inside of every human being. That is the same satanic deception as the "small gods" doctrine of the kenosis (kenotic) heresy.

Gen 3:5 because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Complete Jewish Bible - CJB)

Gen 3:5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.' (Jewish Publication Society Bible - JPS)

The kenosis (kenotic) heresy leads people to the same trap which took place in Paradise when satan lied to Eve and Adam. The evil Satan tempted them to commit sin, promising them that if she would eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would know good and evil like God. Adam and Eve did not understand good and evil like God, from the Divine perspective, but from the human perspective. Throughout the history of man, evil satan has tried to deceive people by promising them that they would be God if only they abide by the will of satan. Of course, evil satan does not introduce himself as satan when he tries to lure people into aiming for divinity, but he lies to them, masquerading as a good angel, a spirit guide, the Holy Spirit, or God.

The kenosis (kenotic) doctrine is one of the myriad of deceptions through which satan deceives people to aim to be like God. The kenosis (kenotic) doctrine lies that people will become small gods who are sinless (only God is omniscient, perfect and sinless). The kenosis (kenotic) heresy is based on the false teaching, which argues that because Jesus came in the flesh, He needed the anointing and the baptism of the Holy Spirit to be capable of becoming God and to performing miracles and wonders. According to the kenosis (kenotic) heresy, you also need the baptism and anointing of the Holy Spirit to become sinless (God), and you will then get the ability to perform miracles.

Jesus did not need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, because He Himself is the source of living waters (Holy Spirit), which baptizes those who believe in Him with the Holy Spirit and fire. We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which equals being reborn, where we get the power of the Holy Spirit to reject sin and to abide by the will of God. However, we do not become sinless and we do not become gods.

Salvation and Jesus' Deity

The Bible teaches that salvation is based on Jesus (God) coming in the flesh, where Jesus - being 100% human being and 100% God - fulfilled the requirements of God's law by living a perfect life and dying for the redemption of sins so that those who believe unto Him can be saved. If you remove only the slightest bit of Jesus' Deity, or if you argue that Jesus only became God at some stage of His walk on earth, you are preaching a false gospel.

The following verse is one of the verses people use to justify the heresy of Jesus becoming God in the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made (*poieo - epoieesen)* that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The word poieo means "to make" but it also means "to bring forth". Jesus as God has always existed, and did not become God at some point, and God did not decide to make Jesus Lord (God) because Jesus is an eternal Spirit and God who became flesh. The above verse should be understood that God brought Jesus forth as Lord and Messiah because He has always been the Lord (God).

Colossians 1:
25 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;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:'

The Lordship (Deity) of Jesus, and His coming in the flesh as the Messiah and God, and eternal salvation obtained through Him has been a secret and hidden, and was prophesied in the Old Testament, but now the prophecies have been fulfilled in Jesus - that he is the Messiah and God in the flesh, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Based on the above verses, too, we understand that, Acts 2:36 means that Jesus was brought forth as the Lord and the Messiah because God does not need to be made God because God always and eternally is God.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

You must believe that Jesus is the Lord, which is the same thing as believing that Jesus is God because the Lord is God. We have not fully understood how the early church believed in the Bible and what the Bible teaches about Jesus. Through Apostle Paul, God Himself declares that in order for a person to be saved, you need to believe that Jesus is Lord (God) whom Father God raised from the dead.

Because the Word of God (Jesus) who is and was God, became flesh (was a true and real human being), we need to believe in the full Deity of Jesus and we must not say that He was not God when he performed miracles, i.e. He only was a human being when he performed them. Some people in the prosperity theology movements and extreme charismatic movements teach that Jesus did not perform miracles as God but only as a human being.

If you remove even the slightest bit of Jesus' Deity at any given stage, you have taken a path which no longer is the path of salvation because the Bible says that you need to confess and believe that Jesus is God (that He was and is God at all times) so that you can be saved. The kenosis (kenotic) doctrine believes that on earth, Jesus was not God at all times, and it is impossible to be saved through the kenosis (kenotic) heresy because if you remove the Deity of Jesus for even a brief moment or for some time, Jesus no longer is God as declared to us in the Bible. The God of the Bible is and shall eternally remain God, and if you remove the Deity of Jesus, you have stepped off of the path of salvation because you need to confess and believe that Jesus is Lord (that He was and is God at all times) so that you can be saved. This is not my doctrine and I am not judging anyone, I am merely stating what the Bible says; Romans 10:9.

I understand that not everyone who has been saved in modern times has not immediately understood that Jesus is Lord (God), but it is certain that the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Spirit of truth, leads all disciples of the Lord Jesus to understand and know that Jesus is God, but is not the Father. Because this is not immediately highlighted when preaching the Gospel in modern times, genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus is enough for a person to be saved even though the person would not immediately understand that Jesus is Lord (God). As I said above, God's spirit of Truth will reveal this truth to all disciples of Lord Jesus.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

This verse proves that Jesus is God who is one with Father God. The Bible says that God is one with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God, being one with the Father, but Jesus is not the Father. This means that Jesus is always God in all circumstances and at all times. The one God of the Bible cannot cease to exist being God at some stage, but is - always and eternally - God.

John 1:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
........
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

2 Joh 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

The Bible says that those are in the spirit of the antichrist, who do not confess that Jesus is Messiah who is come in the flesh. How did Jesus Messiah come in the flesh? The Bible says that Jesus is the Word, and that the Word is God. Based on what the Bible in full says about this matter, the concept of God coming in the flesh means that Jesus, i.e. God in the flesh was God at all times when He was here on earth.

The above means that all variations of the kenosis (kenotic) heresy, which remove some of Jesus Deity or remove it in full, are in the spirit of the antichrist and are leading people to eternal hellfire. At the same time, it means that since the advocates of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine are in the spirit of the antichrist, the miracles and other manifestations of the spirit which happen through them are lying force of demons, not the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

Those who have been "saved" by hearing the kenosis (kenotic) heresy are on the highway to eternal hellfire if they - in their hearts - believe that Jesus was only a human being at some point, and was not God at that time. This is extremely satanic deception because the advocates of the kenosis (kenotic) doctrine almost preach the Biblical Gospel, but their gospel is a false one because they remove Jesus' Deity in part or in full.

My advice to everyone who have now understood that they are involved in a movement which is preaching the kenosis (kenotic) heresy to repent, reject the kenosis (kenotic) heresy, leave the movement and start praying so that God can lead you to a church which holds on the Biblical truth in a sound way.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Father God loves you. Dwell in his love by abiding by and believing the truth. Lord Jesus has saved you by grace when you have repented and believed in Lord Jesus. The blood, death, redemption and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the security and merit of your salvation. Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead, He lives and that is why He can help you. The Holy Spirit of God glorifies the Lord Jesus and helps you abide in the love of God and follow the truth. Through the growth of faith, the Holy Spirit of God gives you more clemency, peace and grace, and helps you know God in a deeper way.

Petri Paavola from Finland, August 1, 2016

Sources:
King James Version 1769
carm.org/kenosis
gnosis.org/Jesus_Valentinianism
gnosis.org/Valentinian_Sin
gnosis.org/naghamm/GPhilip-Meyer
wiki/Theodotus_of_Byzantium
pastoriesa.fi/array

I would like to thank Mauno Mattila for sending me a number of important links, and for sharing his thoughts and observations to me.