Kris also does not understand what sin is or at least he knows he can't sell it. Bearing false witness and drunkenness are sins beloved. They are not "bad behaviors." They are not mistakes or oopsies. This is the end result of minimizing sin through your doctrine. You never hear any significant discussion of sin and repentance from the Bethel Churches of the world. The purpose driven model of church growth will not allow it. The Seeker-Friendly Industrial Complex will not allow it. What Kris does not understand is that our behavior is a direct result of our condition of being a sinner. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. If you want to say that you are a sinner saved by grace, knock yourself out but the theology of Kris Vallotton is to deny who you were and that is the number one trait of arrogant Christians. Consider that the Apostle Paul penned these words after all of his missionary journeys and spreading the Gospel across the known world:
For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. -- 1Corinthians 15: 9-11 (ESV)
There is not even a whiff of arrogance in these words beloved. Paul remained humble because he never forgot where God found him. We have all come across arrogant Christians in our travels through churchianity. A sense that they are better than those heathen sinners. A sense that they are super-spiritual. At the heart of the arrogance however is a true lack of humility stemming from simply forgetting where God found them. I remember the bar He found me in. Theologians have always speculated what the thorn in Paul's flesh might have been and most believe it was a physical ailment of some kind. I always thought it could be an overwhelming remorse and grief of remembering the stoning of Steven and the other Christians he killed when persecuting the church. Can anyone imagine the Apostle Paul walking around the world practicing his self-talk? Seriously? Read the teachings from Jesus Himself in our key verses today. Does He say that in order to follow Him you must learn to speak better about self? No beloved. We must deny self. That is a foreign concept when your theology makes you God.
Perhaps the worst thing in this article however is the arrogant way Vallotton views the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I was actually going to pass on this article until I saw that Kris Vallotton is teaching people that conviction is simply when the Holy Spirit reminds you how awesome you are. Wow. You're way too awesome to be acting like that? Acting like that? Is he serious? You are way too awesome to be committing that adultery! That is so below your identity! Don't you know you are too awesome for that theft, false witness and unforgiveness? I have news for Kris Vallotton -- when we sin we are not "acting." Our identity is on full and honest display then. Don't believe me?
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. -- 1Timothy 1: 15 (ESV)
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. -- 1John 1: 8-10 (ESV)
What a dangerous slope Vallotton is leading his followers down. To deceive ourselves willfully about our flesh is to deny the truths in the Bible. It is to call God a liar. To minimize willful sin as merely a way we act or behave is to deny who we are, which is why we needed a Savior to begin with! Next time you think you are awesome, read Romans 3 and see how God sees you without the blood of Christ. Vallotton continues:
If you receive an alias name, you will spend your life trying not to act out your identity. Calling someone a loser, an alcoholic, a whore, a dummy and so forth relegates them to either act out their "name" or build an accountability system that can try to police them into purity.
For example, I love the Alcoholics Anonymous program, except for the standard introduction: "Hi, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic." I understand what the program is trying to accomplish: confess your sins so you can be forgiven, and admit you have a problem so you can be helped. (You can't help someone who doesn't have a problem). BUT I am not my behavior unless I believe I am. Consequently, AA, by its own admission, never cures anyone. At best, the person simply modifies their behavior. You simply can't cure a person by convincing them that they are one thing and then building a system to help them behave differently. Therefore, you relegate people to a lifetime of meetings that are designed to keep them from drinking. This is much better than getting drunk and wrecking your family, so thank you, AA. However, it never restores you to your true identity; it only shackles your bad actions. -- Kris Vallotton
