Joel Osteen gets this Skull and Crossbones Award for his dangerous “positive” teachings! Please listen to his own words while on TV with Larry King. You can verify the words below:
King: Phoenix, Arizona. Hello.
Caller: Hello, Larry. You’re the best. And thank you, Joe, Joel, for your positive messages and your book. I’m wondering, though, why you cite that Larry’s earlier question about how we get to heaven. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and the only way to the Father is through him. And it’s not really a message of condemnation but of truth.
Osteen: Yeah. I would agree with her. I believe that. That’s what you ....
King: So then if you(?) was not going to heaven.
Osteen: No. I, I ... Well, here’s my thing, Larry, is I can’t judge somebody’s heart, you know. I don’t know. Only God can look at somebody’s heart and so I don’t know. I just, to me it’s not my business to say, you know, this one or this one isn’t. I just say, “Here’s what the bible teaches,” and I want to put my faith in, you know, in Christ, and I just, I think it’s wrong when you go around saying you know, “You’re not going, you’re not going, you’re not going” cause it’s not exactly my way. I’m just, I’m not going to be God.
King: But you believe your way.
Osteen: I believe my way. I believe my way with all my heart. But ah,
King: So someone who doesn’t share it ...
Osteen: Well,
King: It’s wrong isn’t it ...
Osteen: Well, I don’t know if I look at it like that. I would, I would present my way, but I’m just gonna let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know. I don’t know.
King: So you make no judgment on anyone?
Osteen: No, but I ...
King: What about atheist?
Osteen: No, I just, you know what? I let, I let, someone, I’m gonna let God be the judge of who goes to heaven or hell. And I just again, I present the truth, and I say it every week, you know, I believe it’s a relationship with Jesus. But you know what? I’m not gonna go around telling everybody else, if they don’t want to believe that, that’s gonna be their choice. God’s gotta look at your own heart. God’s gotta look at your heart. And only God knows that.
********************
Observations:
1. Joel Osteen wants to remain positive in his messages rather than preaching the Bible’s message. The Biblical emphasis is on TRUTH and SPIRITUAL REALITY, not being positive, especially since being positive from one man’s perspective can be much different than from a different person’s view. Preachers are commanded to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2) and often it can be very disturbing to deceived people in SIN because truth exposes deception.
2. Joel Osteen has a double message (like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics, eternal security teachers, etc.). The caller mentioned the Bible truth that Jesus is the only way to heaven (Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5; Jn. 10:9,11; 1 John 5:12). Joel said he agreed, then afterwards contradicted himself and the caller by saying he didn’t know about an atheist having salvation!
Joel Osteen misuses the old, “I can’t judge somebody’s heart .... only God can look on somebody’s heart” phrase for his compromise. He then claims he presents the truth! That is another contradiction because he will not say an atheist, Muslim, Hindu, Catholic, witch, murderer, thief, liar, sexually immoral person, etc. will be cast into the lake of fire, UNLESS that person repents and commits to the Lord Jesus to follow him (Acts 20:21; 1 Thess. 1:9; etc.) for initial salvation and endures to the end for final salvation (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; etc.). To be consistent he would have to say that message is wrong, even though it is Biblical.
3. Joel Osteen also doesn’t know if another is saved or not, yet the Bible is clear:
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10)
Similarly, Paul knew a sorcerer (like Harry Potter) was a child of the devil, proving we can tell if another is unsaved by their present tense behavior:
You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? (Acts 13:10)
Dear reader, if you have been programed by Joel Osteen (or even someone different such as an eternal security teachers, then you also need to know a Christian can tell if another is saved or not by their present tense behavior, as Scripture shows. Do NOT be deceived.
4. How can Joel Osteen say he doesn’t know if some who disagrees with him is wrong, yet claim to preach the Bible? Doesn’t he know the Bible is 100% absolute truth and therefore categorically and dogmatically identifies many different people as wrong and unsaved? His preaching is NOT the way New Testament preachers felt about their message. They knew the truth and declared that truth, as fact, for the benefit of others (and in obedience to God).
5. Since Joel Osteen doesn’t know if another is wrong, how can he know he is right? Joel needs to resign and learn the Biblical message before he teaches another sermon. How can he refute those who oppose sound doctrine and thereby qualify for spiritual leadership (Titus 1:9) when he continues to spread his ear-tickling, positive, nobody-is-wrong, wishy-washy, lukewarm, dribble which doesn’t refute anyone?
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)
Joel, if you ever read this: Repent before God, then publicly renounce what you have been teaching for your sake and the sake of multitudes who have heard you.
GRAPHIC COPYRIGHTED BY EVANGELICAL OUTREACH
Return to Evangelical Outreach
www.evangelicaloutreach.org