Are Word of Faith Declarations Biblical?
Why Word of Faith Declarations of Healing Are Biblically Troubling:
In many Christian circles, the Word of Faith movement has popularized a practice: declaring healing into existence through spoken words. Proponents teach that by claiming health with unwavering faith—often citing verses like Mark 11:23 (“If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go,’ and does not doubt… it will be done”) or James 5:15 (“The prayer of faith will make the sick person well”)—believers can unlock God’s healing power. It’s an appealing idea: speak it, believe it, receive it. Honestly, I wish it were true. However, when we hold this teaching up to the full counsel of Scripture, cracks appear. Here’s why Word of Faith declarations of healing are troubling—and why a deeper, more God-centered faith offers something better.
1. The Bible Doesn’t Teach Faith as a Force We Control
At the heart of Word of Faith theology is the notion that faith is a tangible power we wield. Declarations of healing turn words into a kind of spiritual lever: say the right thing with enough conviction, and God must act. But Scripture presents faith differently. Faith isn’t a force we generate; it’s trust in a Person—God Himself. Hebrews 11:6 says we must believe that God exists and “rewards those who earnestly seek Him,” not those who master a technique. When Jesus heals in the Gospels (e.g., Mark 5:34), it’s His power and will at work, not the mechanics of someone’s speech. Reducing faith to a formula flips the script: it puts us in the driver’s seat, not God. In fact, many word of faith preachers more than hint that we are like "gods" (small g). Yikes!
2. Declarations Misread Key Scriptures
Word of Faith often leans on verses like Mark 11:22-24, where Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Sounds like a blank check, right? But context matters. Jesus had just cursed a fig tree—a symbolic act tied to God’s judgment, not a personal healing claim. The “mountain” He mentions likely points to obstacles in God’s redemptive plan, not a promise to remake reality to our liking. Similarly, James 5:15 ties healing to “the prayer of faith,” but it’s offered in humility by elders, not demanded through bold declarations. These passages call for trust in God’s power, not a script for manipulating outcomes. Plus the entire context of scriptures make it clear that prayer is answered in accordance to God's will as we'll see next.
3. God’s Sovereignty Trumps Our Words
The Bible is full of examples where healing doesn’t come, even for the faithful. Paul prayed three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), but God said no, offering grace instead. Timothy had chronic stomach issues (1 Timothy 5:23), yet Paul didn’t tell him to declare health—just to take a little wine. Even Jesus, the sinless Son of God, prayed, “If it be Your will, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42), submitting to the Father’s plan. If declarations guaranteed healing, why didn’t these giants of faith use them? Because God’s will isn’t bound by our pronouncements. He heals when it aligns with His purposes, not our commands.
4. It Shifts Focus from God to Us
Declarations of healing often make our faith, words, and positivity the key to unlocking God’s action. If healing comes, we get the credit for believing hard enough. If it doesn’t, we’re blamed for weak faith. This turns prayer into a performance and God into a vending machine. But Scripture keeps the spotlight on God’s glory, not our effort. In John 5:19, Jesus says He only does what He sees the Father doing. Healing flows from God’s initiative, not our ability to speak it into being. When we declare outcomes as if they’re ours to dictate, we risk pride—or despair when reality doesn’t bend.
5. It Ignores the Bigger Story of Suffering and Redemption
The Word of Faith focus on health and prosperity often sidesteps a biblical truth: suffering has a purpose in God’s kingdom. Romans 5:3-4 says we “glory in our sufferings” because they produce perseverance and character. James 1:2-4 echoes this: trials test and mature our faith. Healing is a gift, not a right—and it’s not the ultimate goal. Revelation 21:4 promises a day when sickness ends, but until then, God often uses pain to draw us closer to Him. Declarations that demand healing now can miss this redemptive thread, reducing faith to a tool for comfort rather than a lifeline to eternity.
A Better Way: Trusting Prayer, Not Triumphant Declarations
So how should we pray for healing? I do believe that we speak with a delegated authority (Jesus even told us that we do), however, we can't decree or declare anything unless it is God's will. In the case of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and 18, he responded to God's desire to cause the rain to start and stop. He wasn't just looking for good weather because it suited him. So, it isn't necessarily wrong to command healing, but according to what the Holy Spirit is revealing, not my will. James 5:14-16 gives us a model: call the elders, confess sins, and pray in faith—trusting God’s power and submitting to His will. Jesus shows us this in Gethsemane: “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:39). We ask boldly, believing God can heal, but we rest in His wisdom when He chooses another path. This isn’t doubt—it’s dependence. It frees us from the pressure to perform and the guilt if healing doesn’t come. Our words don’t command God; they connect us to Him.
Conclusion
Word of Faith declarations of healing sound empowering, but they twist Scripture into a human-centered promise it never makes. True biblical faith doesn’t claim control—it surrenders to a sovereign God who loves us, heals when He wills, and sustains us always. Next time you’re tempted to declare healing, try this instead: pray with passion, trust with patience, and rest in the One whose ways are higher than ours. That’s the faith the Bible calls us to—a faith not in our words, but in His. Now, before I close, let me make one thing clear, we have authority that is delegated, and it isn't necessarily wrong to declare or command something (there is a pattern for it, but I would argue it isn't normative) however, the Word of Faith movement declares with an authority that comes from self, not God. If we declare or command, it comes out of a surety that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you but always in submission to what the Spirit wants to do, not because I decided it (I hope that clarifies things).
EDIT: I just added this. I heard the phrase "we don’t have the authority of Christ, we have authority in Christ" in a podcast. It emphasizes the distinction between Christ’s ultimate power and our delegated authority as believers. Here’s the explanation:
Christ’s Authority vs. Our Authority
Authority of Christ Authority In Christ
Why This Matters
Believers are not given Christ's supreme authority to act independently or force outcomes (e.g., commanding miracles or controlling events autonomously). Instead, we are called to operate in His name, aligning with His will and relying on His power (John 15:5). Our authority is tethered to our dependence on Him—it's His authority working through us, not something we possess inherently.
This keeps us humble, reminding us that we are instruments of His purposes, not equals with Him in authority.
In many Christian circles, the Word of Faith movement has popularized a practice: declaring healing into existence through spoken words. Proponents teach that by claiming health with unwavering faith—often citing verses like Mark 11:23 (“If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go,’ and does not doubt… it will be done”) or James 5:15 (“The prayer of faith will make the sick person well”)—believers can unlock God’s healing power. It’s an appealing idea: speak it, believe it, receive it. Honestly, I wish it were true. However, when we hold this teaching up to the full counsel of Scripture, cracks appear. Here’s why Word of Faith declarations of healing are troubling—and why a deeper, more God-centered faith offers something better.
1. The Bible Doesn’t Teach Faith as a Force We Control
At the heart of Word of Faith theology is the notion that faith is a tangible power we wield. Declarations of healing turn words into a kind of spiritual lever: say the right thing with enough conviction, and God must act. But Scripture presents faith differently. Faith isn’t a force we generate; it’s trust in a Person—God Himself. Hebrews 11:6 says we must believe that God exists and “rewards those who earnestly seek Him,” not those who master a technique. When Jesus heals in the Gospels (e.g., Mark 5:34), it’s His power and will at work, not the mechanics of someone’s speech. Reducing faith to a formula flips the script: it puts us in the driver’s seat, not God. In fact, many word of faith preachers more than hint that we are like "gods" (small g). Yikes!
2. Declarations Misread Key Scriptures
Word of Faith often leans on verses like Mark 11:22-24, where Jesus says, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Sounds like a blank check, right? But context matters. Jesus had just cursed a fig tree—a symbolic act tied to God’s judgment, not a personal healing claim. The “mountain” He mentions likely points to obstacles in God’s redemptive plan, not a promise to remake reality to our liking. Similarly, James 5:15 ties healing to “the prayer of faith,” but it’s offered in humility by elders, not demanded through bold declarations. These passages call for trust in God’s power, not a script for manipulating outcomes. Plus the entire context of scriptures make it clear that prayer is answered in accordance to God's will as we'll see next.
3. God’s Sovereignty Trumps Our Words
The Bible is full of examples where healing doesn’t come, even for the faithful. Paul prayed three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9), but God said no, offering grace instead. Timothy had chronic stomach issues (1 Timothy 5:23), yet Paul didn’t tell him to declare health—just to take a little wine. Even Jesus, the sinless Son of God, prayed, “If it be Your will, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42), submitting to the Father’s plan. If declarations guaranteed healing, why didn’t these giants of faith use them? Because God’s will isn’t bound by our pronouncements. He heals when it aligns with His purposes, not our commands.
4. It Shifts Focus from God to Us
Declarations of healing often make our faith, words, and positivity the key to unlocking God’s action. If healing comes, we get the credit for believing hard enough. If it doesn’t, we’re blamed for weak faith. This turns prayer into a performance and God into a vending machine. But Scripture keeps the spotlight on God’s glory, not our effort. In John 5:19, Jesus says He only does what He sees the Father doing. Healing flows from God’s initiative, not our ability to speak it into being. When we declare outcomes as if they’re ours to dictate, we risk pride—or despair when reality doesn’t bend.
5. It Ignores the Bigger Story of Suffering and Redemption
The Word of Faith focus on health and prosperity often sidesteps a biblical truth: suffering has a purpose in God’s kingdom. Romans 5:3-4 says we “glory in our sufferings” because they produce perseverance and character. James 1:2-4 echoes this: trials test and mature our faith. Healing is a gift, not a right—and it’s not the ultimate goal. Revelation 21:4 promises a day when sickness ends, but until then, God often uses pain to draw us closer to Him. Declarations that demand healing now can miss this redemptive thread, reducing faith to a tool for comfort rather than a lifeline to eternity.
A Better Way: Trusting Prayer, Not Triumphant Declarations
So how should we pray for healing? I do believe that we speak with a delegated authority (Jesus even told us that we do), however, we can't decree or declare anything unless it is God's will. In the case of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and 18, he responded to God's desire to cause the rain to start and stop. He wasn't just looking for good weather because it suited him. So, it isn't necessarily wrong to command healing, but according to what the Holy Spirit is revealing, not my will. James 5:14-16 gives us a model: call the elders, confess sins, and pray in faith—trusting God’s power and submitting to His will. Jesus shows us this in Gethsemane: “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:39). We ask boldly, believing God can heal, but we rest in His wisdom when He chooses another path. This isn’t doubt—it’s dependence. It frees us from the pressure to perform and the guilt if healing doesn’t come. Our words don’t command God; they connect us to Him.
Conclusion
Word of Faith declarations of healing sound empowering, but they twist Scripture into a human-centered promise it never makes. True biblical faith doesn’t claim control—it surrenders to a sovereign God who loves us, heals when He wills, and sustains us always. Next time you’re tempted to declare healing, try this instead: pray with passion, trust with patience, and rest in the One whose ways are higher than ours. That’s the faith the Bible calls us to—a faith not in our words, but in His. Now, before I close, let me make one thing clear, we have authority that is delegated, and it isn't necessarily wrong to declare or command something (there is a pattern for it, but I would argue it isn't normative) however, the Word of Faith movement declares with an authority that comes from self, not God. If we declare or command, it comes out of a surety that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you but always in submission to what the Spirit wants to do, not because I decided it (I hope that clarifies things).
EDIT: I just added this. I heard the phrase "we don’t have the authority of Christ, we have authority in Christ" in a podcast. It emphasizes the distinction between Christ’s ultimate power and our delegated authority as believers. Here’s the explanation:
Christ’s Authority vs. Our Authority
- The Authority of Christ:
Jesus has ultimate, inherent authority. As God the Son, He is sovereign over all creation and holds supreme power over everything—heaven, earth, sin, death, and the spiritual realm (Matthew 28:18, Colossians 1:15-20). This authority is uniquely His and cannot be transferred or replicated. - Our Authority in Christ:
Believers are given authority through their relationship with Christ. This is a delegated authority, meaning it is derived from Jesus, not from ourselves. It flows from our union with Him (Ephesians 2:6) and is empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). For example, Jesus granted His disciples the authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel (Luke 10:19, Matthew 10:1), but that authority was entirely dependent on their connection with Him and submission to His will.
Authority of Christ Authority In Christ
| Inherent and absolute | Delegated and dependent |
| Rooted in Jesus' divinity | Rooted in our relationship with Him |
| Unlimited in all realms | Limited to His purposes and will |
| He controls all outcomes | We act under His guidance and power |
Why This Matters
Believers are not given Christ's supreme authority to act independently or force outcomes (e.g., commanding miracles or controlling events autonomously). Instead, we are called to operate in His name, aligning with His will and relying on His power (John 15:5). Our authority is tethered to our dependence on Him—it's His authority working through us, not something we possess inherently.
This keeps us humble, reminding us that we are instruments of His purposes, not equals with Him in authority.
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