I was born to be real, not to be perfect
So says Sadie Robertson, one of the newest rising stars in the prosperity Gospel movement. The Duck Dynasty star posted a quote on Instagram last week that says just that. She continued in her comment, “God doesn’t call us to be perfect. I will never be perfect, but I do serve a perfect God. just be YOU. live original. be confident. goodnight.” Robertson, who popularized the saying “live original,” after she started a line of prom clothing named after the quote, has been gaining a large following in the arena of ear-tickling watered-down-gospel Christendom. Recently she traveled with popular hip-hop rapper, Lecrae, to a conference in Georgia, and claimed that 945 conversions to Christ were made after Robertson and Lecrae spoke to the crowd. This inconceivable number of conversions isn’t so far-fetched once you understand what version of Christianity Robertson is converting people to.
Sadie Robertson, much like that of Victoria Osteen, Joyce Meyer, etc, is growing in popularity with women in particular. Unbelieving women are turning to these false teachers in droves, seeking empowerment, and they are able to find it through this false gospel of prosperity. Victoria Osteen was recently quoted as saying:
Do you ever find that you try to adjust who you are in order to be accepted by others? You may not be like everyone else, but that’s okay. Be who God made you to be. You may get knocked down sometimes, but just like Joseph, you will rise again! Stand strong in faith and don’t let the world strip you of your robe!
The message these women who are following these blind leaders is a message of self help, that leaves Christ only as a margin note in their personal quest to accomplish their dreams. They are teaching this concept that they, through Jesus Christ, have been empowered to accomplish their life goals, or their own will. The “self” is elevated to such a high standard, that in a sense, we are co-equals with God. This is very much a new-age teaching, and is completely antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it is preached to them in such a manner, that to doubt the message is to doubt the existence of God. Anyone who argues against these false teachings are treated as hateful people, who are just there to be stumbling blocks, trying to strip you of your identity, and should be ignored at all costs.
Joyce Meyer, whose message is identical, says:
God loves you and He has an amazing plan for your life, but in order to experience real freedom through Jesus Christ, people must first learn how to trust in Him… But if you want to have the freedom to be who God has created you to be and have the life Jesus died for you to have, then you have to face the truth.
You see, their messages isn’t about preaching our lost state, Christ crucified, and Christ risen to redeem us from our sin, it’s a gospel of false hope–a gospel of self centered fulfillment of selfish, often materialistic desires. But so many women are attracted to these wolves because they are charming, popular, and preach a message that sounds good to the lost. Lost people desire these worldly things that these false teachers promise, but those who are regenerate do not desire the things of the flesh. 1 John 2:15-17 says:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
But time after time, these teachers will claim that by trusting in God, he will give you what you desire. They teach that your relationship is a “partnership.” Meyer says, “He wants us to partner with Him in sharing His love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know Him.” This message of “partnership” between God and man just continues to serve into the importance and empowerment of self. This idea that God somehow needs our cooperation with him in order to accomplish His will serves to only to elevate the human spirit, and harden the heart towards the real Gospel–a Gospel that requires repentance and denial of self, and a complete submission to Christ. This is not something that is accomplished by our selves, it is an act of God alone. We do not partner with God for our salvation, Christ’s work on the cross alone is our salvation.
So in the wake of these false teachers, Sadie Robertson is gaining a massive following at alarming rates. She has over 1.5 million followers on Twitter, and 125 thousand on Facebook. This is an astounding number. She recently attended the Women of Faith Conference in Columbus Ohio, where she spoke along side other women “bible teachers.” In a Youtube video, with nearly 3 million views, Robertson spends seven minutes discussing body image, and teaching her followers how she “relies on God for self-confidence.” But the women who fall for this often end up even further discouraged, or even completely turned off from Christianity. In their view, God did not follow through with the promises that were made.
According to Robertson, “no matter what you want to do, confidence is the key.” It’s not Christ, but self. This comes as no surprise though, since she was raised in the Church of Christ, where she was taught that the work of water baptism was a requirement for salvation. It just serves to show that there is no letting go of self and turning in total submission to Christ. Her message is not a message from God at all. Christ did not die to help us fulfill our goals, live out our dreams, or have a better life. God is not here to serve our selfish desires. God selflessly gave his life on the cross, so that those who believe in him, those who turn from themselves, turn from their sin (repent), shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16, Luke 13:3-5, Galatians 2:20, etc.). We were created in him to do his good works, to do his will (Eph 2:10). This, more often than not, involves suffering, and persecution (2 Tim 3:12, Philippians 1:29, 1 Peter 4:1, Col 1:24, etc.). This false gospel of self-empowerment that so many people, especially women, are falling prey to is designed by Satan himself, and it’s entire purpose is to draw people away from the truth. Sadly, it is very effective, and Sadie Robertson is the newest champion of this heresy, and should be avoided at all costs.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. – Tim 4:3-4
