By Mark W. Christy, PhD
Steven Furtick, Seven-Mile Miracle: Journey into the Presence of God through the Last Words of Jesus (Multnomah: 2017).
In Seven-Mile Miracle, Steven Furtick offers his readers a pathway to knowing more of God (2-3).[i] Before continuing to read, the observant and informed (biblically) reader would note that one cannot know more of God. One can either know God or not. As a Christian, one can either walk in fullness of the Holy Spirit or not.[ii] Ignoring this error concerning one’s relationship with God, the reader will soon find themselves being led on what Furtick calls a seven-mile journey (a length which he derives from the Emmaus Road experience) to know more of God.
Each mile of this journey, according to him, coincides with one of six statements of Christ while on the cross (in the order in which he spoke them) with the seventh mile associated with the Emmaus Road post-resurrection appearance of Christ. To accomplish this overlay of ‘truth’ upon the final remarks of Christ, Furtick deliberately employs a hermeneutical license that shows no concern for the original intent of Christ or the authors of the gospels. Rather, he simply wants to use Christ’s divine words and the divinely-inspired recording of those words as a platform for his message. This can be clearly seen from the following excerpt from page 14:
The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross
1. A word of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
2. A word of salvation: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
3. A word of relationship: “Woman, here is your son. . . . Here is your mother” (John 19:26–27).
4. A word of abandonment: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
5. A word of distress: “I am thirsty” (John 19:28).
6. A word of triumph: “It is finished” (John 19:30).
7. A word of reunion: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
As noted from the previous excerpt, the seven miles (steps) in a relationship with God, according to Furtick, are “forgiveness”, “salvation”, “proper relationship with God” and His people, “a temporary sense of abandonment from God”, “distress in life’s circumstance”, “triumph through his grace”, and “reunion with God in heaven” (13). Basically, Furtick is just trying to offer a basic overview of the Christian experience. His separation of the first 3 steps offers his readers an opportunity to misunderstand what occurs at the point for salvation. Namely, forgiveness, salvation, and restoration to right relationship with God occur simultaneously. Believers can and will experience steps four, five, and six throughout their earthly experience.
Moving into the book’s main focus, Furtick begins his discussion on forgiveness. He boldly informs the reader that Jesus “went to the cross to atone for sins—the sins of everyone who ever lived” (18). If Furtick has carefully chosen his words (and he probably has not), he seems to be advocating a universal atonement for all the sins of humankind. In the next chapter however, he clearly states that believers can not be declared righteous unless they repent: “Nothing we could do will ever be enough to get rid of our sin. We just have to receive forgiveness Jesus offers. We repent, confess, and ask to have our sins washed away” (20-21). While claiming that no one can be saved by self-effort, he fails to explain to his audience whether or not repentance is a divine gift or a mere human response alone (20-21).
Since Jesus purchased God’s pardon for sin for the penitent, Furtick tells his readers that people can “boldly” approach God to seek forgiveness with “confidence in Jesus’ authority and willingness to forgive” (25).[iii] From the context, he is calling even those who are presently unsaved to approach the throne of grace boldly. Such an act, despite Furtick’s advice, would be improper for a sinner approaching holy God and seeking an undeserved forgiveness through the precious shed blood of His Beloved Son. In the Scriptures, Christians, who have received the gift of repentance and faith, are told to approach the throne of grace boldly (Eph 3:12; Heb 4:16). Taken at face value, Furtick’s inept employment of what otherwise would be sound scriptural guidance could end up convincing the sinner to approach God in pride demanding his perceived right to the forgiveness purchased at the cross of Christ.
Within his broader conversation on forgiveness, Furtick notes the ongoing struggle with sin that all Christians experience (27-28). While his comments seem to be in line with the Scripture, the lack of depth would cause any poorly informed reader to fail to understand how to keep to the path of holiness and live a victorious life in Christ. From his comments, he fails to separate unwilful (sometimes spur-of-the-moment) sins from the practice of sins (1 John 3:4). While Christians can and do sin as they wrestle with the flesh and these sins require ongoing repentance and confident approaches (in faith) to the throne of grace, they should avoid the practice of sin as this would involve a deeper commitment to willfully rebel against God (cf. Rom 7:14-25).
Also with his exploration of forgiveness, Furtick asks, “Why was Jesus’s suffering on the cross so terrible? Why is it such a big deal that he intercedes with the Father to grant us forgiveness? (33-34). His answer to these questions is quite revealing—“Because our debt is simply enormous” (34). The enormity of our sin is, of course, beyond question. Even so, this enormity would not exist nor would it be a point of concern if it were not for the Person of God. Furtick, unfortunately, fails to answer this question by first pointing to the holiness of God who cannot abide in sin and, for this reason, has been filled with wrath against all humanity who have been given over to sin since the Garden of Eden. While Jesus’s death covered the sin of those who are saved, its intensity was in direct proportion to God’s anger due to sin.
Finishing his remarks on forgiveness, Furtick begins his discourse on the second step, salvation. He rightly states that saving faith is a gift (cf. Eph 2:8-9). This venture into a more solid understanding of the biblical requirements for salvation seems misplaced because Furtick, in his hermeneutically misguided approach to the last words of Christ, failed to mention this key component in his chapter on forgiveness.
He goes on to inform his readers that leading people to receive salvation is the purpose of his church: “We exist so that people far from God will be raised to life in Christ” (45). While most Christians (especially those who are Southern Baptists like the author of this article) would celebrate with Furtick over his stance regarding evangelism, some concerns need to be raised. First, Jesus states that he will build His Church (Matt 16:18; 1 Cor 3:6). Since this is true, He will do so regardless of the existence of Furtick’s church. Second, the task of the church is to train God’s people in correct doctrine while witnessing for Christ (1 Cor 3:6; 2 Tim 3-4). With these two objections having been considered, it would seem that Furtick is guilty of leading his church toward a hyper-focus on evangelism (with its outward trappings of success as numbers of decisions for Christ are counted) instead of carefully and correctly instructing God’s people in sound doctrine.[iv]
Further demonstrating his lack of awareness of the need for the ongoing study of Scripture for the growing believer, Furtick tells the saved who are now in the renewal process (who are being saved) that they are to engage in this process actively by persistently praying (53-54). While this is certainly true, Paul makes it abundantly clear in Ephesians that the renewal work of the Spirit (the filling of the Spirit) requires ongoing instruction and submission to the Word of God. This astounding omission could lead the unwary toward the Word of Faith heresy.
The tendency toward the Word of Faith heresy in Furtick’s work is also found in his comments on the third step—relationship. For him, one’s “intimacy” with God requires prayer and active fellowship with believers (69-73). Notably missing from his remarks is the need for believers to consistently grow in their knowledge of God through interaction with His Word. One wonder why Paul, in his last words to Timothy, employed such a serious tone when he commanded Timothy in the presence of God and Christ to “preach the word” (2 Tim 4:2).
For the fourth step of abandonment, Furtick seeks to comfort believers who are maturing and facing moments where God seems distant. While his discussion does not exhibit any easily perceived theological missteps, his advice to these believers once again reveals the potential for a Word of Faith hermeneutic to spawn among those who sit underneath his tutelage. Among his directives, the only advice given in regard to the use of Scripture is his admonition to believers to “[h]old on to the promises of Scripture” (96). While all Christians should most certainly do this, they must also receive ongoing instruction in the Word in such a way that their thinking is renewed to be in keeping with the mind of Christ and not the worldly mindsets of those who have not been redeemed (cf. Eph 4). Furtick’s readers may unknowingly fail to actively engage in this call to the training of the mind through the constant study of Scripture, and instead fall into a Word of Faith approach to Scripture whereby one works themselves up into an emotional frenzy as they treat God’s promises like little more than magical mantras.
In the fifth step derived from Christ’s final words, Furtick covers the times of distress that believers experience. He seems to conflate times of distress that believers face when persecuted for the cause of Christ with unfulfilled selfish desires that arise from believers’ fleshly nature. “As targets of persecution and spiritual attack”, Furtick perceives that Christians will face “troubles” including “illness”, marital problems, unemployment, undignified treatment, purposelessness, family issues, addiction, relationship issues, pain, and on-the-job relationships (110-11). Throughout Furtick’s writings and videos, this blending of traits associated with the old and new self within those born again and corresponding advice (derived from his notorious hermeneutic) becomes a matter of constant concern.
For those who are suffering, Furtick tells them “that there is a purpose to [their] pain”, and they “need to “[a]sk [God] to reveal it to [them]” (122-23). While believers can and should turn to God for discernment regarding his purpose at times, his readers once again find no mention of the necessity to seek such advice first and foremost in Scripture. In his closing chapters on the final steps, triumph and reunion, Furtick continues his neglect of the centrality of the study of God’s Word in the maturation process of Christians and instead advises them to keep praying and “practicing the presence of God (164). To close this review, a final comment is warranted given Furtick’s open admission to being a friend of T.D. Jakes. Jakes, pastor of Potter’s House, is known to be a false teacher who holds to modalism which denies the personhood of the individual members of the Trinity.[v] Responding to questions in an interview regarding this charge, he responded, “We have one God, but He is Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Spirit in regeneration.”[vi] This combined with abundant evidence available to establish Jakes as a proclaimer of the prosperity gospel makes Furtick’s close association with this known heretic a clear violation of Scripture: “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and [h]hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them” (Rom 16:17 NASB).
[i]Furtick claims that even Paul “had a hunger for M.O.G.” (9). To be clear, M.O.G. means ‘more of God’. It may be the Furtick is simply discussing growth within the Christian relationship to God. Unfortunately, his notorious imprecision when it comes to delivering theological content is working against him.
[ii]See Mark Christy, “Filling of the Spirit Coincides with Ongoing Instruction in and Submission to the Word of God,” Battle Hardened Believer (Nov. 12, 2020), available at: https://battlehardenedbeliever.com/?p=518.
[iii]The boldness with which one can approach God for salvation can even be observed in a close reading of a prayer of repentance and salvation prescribed by Furtick on page 26: “Father, forgive me of my sin. I know now that I am unworthy to stand in your holy presence unless you cleanse me by the blood of Jesus. So make me new by your free grace. Accept me because of the sacrifice Jesus offered for me on the cross. Amen.”
[iv]Furtick does indeed maintain a hyper-focus on evangelism and tells his members that once they join the church no longer exists for them. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm6r6iB2QAE.
[v]Statement of Belief, Potter’s House of North Dallas, available at: https://tphnd.org/statement-of-belief/. “There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three Manifestations: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.”
[vi]Interview of T. D. Jakes by Jim Coleman, “Living By the Word”, KKLA-FM (August 23 and 30, 1998), as quoted by Douglas LeBlanc, “Apologetics Journal Criticizes Jakes,” Christianity Today (Feb 7, 2000), available at: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/february7/5.58.html.