Dr. Warren Litzman, founder of "Christ-life
Fellowship" in Dallas, Texas, is a long-time Assemblies of God preacher, healer, etc.
Along the way he has appropriated some "deeper life" ideas, adding them to his
full-blown Pentecostalism. Incompatible. Among others, his chief sources are the teachings
of Norman Grubb ["Christ as you"] , and DeVerne Fromke ["ultimate
intention"].
We are not here including the scriptural answers to Dr.
Litzman's multitudinous errors, but simply allowing his dangerous and irresponsible
statements to speak for themselves. The common characteristic of all such charismatic
preaching and writing is anti-doctrinal, out-of-control subjectivism.
Two Litzman books will be evaluated. First, Messages
For the New Creation Race People (1988), and then, The Believer's Secret of
Happiness (1989) (Christ-life Publishing House).
Christ in us, as us. Christ in him, as him.
Christ-person in human form. Human container. Spontaneous "live-ers" of the life
of God in us. (Messages, pp. 20, 22, 67, 75)
This is Grubbism.
No more Satan life, for Satan is out by Calvary... the
Christian has no more nature of his own, for he never had a human nature. (Ibid., p. 20)
Dr. Litzman rejects the Adamic nature; the unsaved are in
Satan, and have his nature.
I am suggesting that any believer wanting to come to
full stature* in Christ must be willing to start at point zero doctrinally. This is how
faith comes-not by reading the Scriptures, but by hearing Him Who is the Word speak to us.
The ultimate intention* of the Father. [*Fromkeism]
Jesus plainly says that the essence of the Pentecostal
experience is a believer coming to the "revelation that Christ is his only
life."
It is not so much what we believe or what our
doctrines are that is most important, but the most important thing is coming to know Him
Who is our life. (Ibid., pp. 25,28,48,61,105)
The objectivity and authority of scriptural doctrine, to
say nothing of its being rightly divided, is persistently disobeyed.
They are healed of "killing diseases"
without the self-effort of "human faith efforts."
The growing believer begins to see that the Christ in
him has overcome sin, sickness, and death, and that because He has His living through us,
we can overcome them also.
Paul says, "I no longer live; Christ liveth in
me," and so do we enter into a new existence of health and freedom.
By this moving of God, disease, sin, and death are
overcome in the believer who is a knower. (Ibid., pp. 30,70,71,77)
Evidently Dr. Litzman and his followers, the "new
creation race people," never really become "knowers," at least when it
comes to death!
"Old things are passed away," meaning that
the "corruptible seed" given by our former father is gone.
The believer sees that he is "crucified with
Christ," his self-dependence killed out at Calvary.
God's purpose is for the Christ in him to swamp and
overwhelm him until the only life he lives is Christ.
The old nature, Satan, is put out with its death-life.
The Christ-life purges us of the sin which might be within. (Ibid., pp. 51,55,99,114)
This is standard "one naturism."
"Reckoning" is never mentioned.
But while the body would never be regenerated.... Body
of sin--sinning body. (Ibid., pp. 64,69)
The body is neutral, not sinful.
His knowledge of His pre-existence and of His very
nature which was God in Him, gave Him spiritual insight of truth and love which literally
destroyed all the forces of the flesh and the carnal mind. (Ibid. , p. 79)
"Forces of the flesh," and "carnal
mind"? A sad indication of Dr. Litzman's "knowledge" of the Lord Jesus
Christ!
The believer is indeed a true son of God and literally
coexistent with His Creator before the foundation of the world was laid.
Feelings of superiority or inferiority concerning one's
mortal ancestry give way before the recognition that one has been eternally in God.
(Ibid., pp. 80, 83)
Dr. Litzman would raise the believer to the infinite level
of Deity.
Since mankind is a reflection of this Christ, and
since even the universe is a reflection of this Christ, all things will function according
to God's idea if we let Him. (Ibid. , p. 85)
The Arminian is sovereign, not the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ!
The Believer's Secret of Happiness
Man is to decrease, and be crucified (killed out). Our
flesh-life is cancelled out at the Cross, and all that is left of us is the earthen
vessel. For too long believers have been erroneously taught that they had an inward battle
between two natures. That is not so. (Ibid. , pp. 14, 103)
The error of one naturism.
In 1946, I was born again, and a year later was
baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. I still do. It has been my joy in the
ministry to lead over 50,000 souls into the experience of Pentecost. (Ibid. , p. 24)
Compounding the Pentecostal problem, evangelistically
speaking.
The Holy Spirit, in the baptism of the Spirit, comes
subsequently to regeneration. The baptism of the Spirit is a gift for service. (Ibid., pp.
31, 32)
This is basic Pentecostal teaching.
I no longer live--I am just a vessel. The real me is
now Jesus. Christianity is an exchanged life, where God exchanges Satan for Jesus. You are
somebody--Jesus in human form. (Ibid., pp. 37,75).
This is more Grubbism.
My identification to Him, in every regard of my life,
makes Him my doctrine--my only doctrine. (Ibid., p. 55)
The lack of doctrinal foundations results in an abundance
of error.
Even though the Satan-nature was cancelled out at the
Cross, the body in which we live and in which we will remain until the Resurrection
morning, is a body of sin. (Ibid., p. 67)
Dr. Litzman fails to realize that the believer's body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19), to be presented as "a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1).
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body" (1 Cor. 12:13). This says that the Holy Spirit will take the sinner out of
Satan and place him in Christ as a believer. (Ibid., p. 67)
Dr. Litzman refuses to acknowledge his Adamic nature.
Being eternal not only means we have an eternal
future, but also that we have an eternal past. My eternal life is without beginning and
end. (Ibid. p. 102)
Again, the believer is raised to the infinity of Deity!
Many times I have been miraculously healed and have
had the thrill of seeing Jesus heal others thousands of times.
He is my health (Rom. 8:11). Since I had a revelation
of Christ as my life [1960], I have known total health. (Ibid., p. 99,152)
Here Dr. Litzman has caught himself in one of the typical
psychotic Pentecostal lies!