Steven Furtick Says God Is SNEAKY?!

The Meaning of “Sneaky” and Why Words Matter

Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where the Bible and critical thinking meet to give you real Christian commentary about the things that matter. Thanks so much for watching, let's get into the video.

Just in case you needed any more reasons to stay away from the teaching of Elevation Church and Pastor Stephen Furtick, here's a Facebook post that he put up talking about how sneaky God really is. He says this, quote, Just because you can't feel God doesn't mean He's not with you.

He's sneaky. Let me tell you what Jesus was doing up there on the cross. This is what they didn't understand. This is why they fled. This is why they lost their hope, because all they saw was death. But Jesus didn't die so that death could reign.

He died to bring victory into the earth. But He couldn't bring it looking like victory. He had to dress it up like death on the cross, because He's sneaky. And here's what He does. He'll send glory into your life, but it won't look like glory.

He'll send blessing into your life, but it won't look like blessing. He'll send patience into your life, dressed like your teenager. And He'll send the best times into your life, dressed up like some of the hardest times.

You don't see it while you're in it, end quote. So we're going to get right into this, because this isn't a matter of semantics. This isn't a word game. It's not a technicality. This is a matter of utmost importance.

The way we talk about God's character, the way we talk about Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, that matters. Psalm 19, verse 14 says, quote, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer, end quote.

Words matter a lot, to the extent that the psalmist here prays for upright and acceptable speech before the Lord. Proverbs 18, 21 says, quote, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, end quote.

The words we say matter. We are not free to speak however we please. Our mouths, just like the rest of us, are to be sanctified and brought under the Lordship of Christ. I personally pray that Christ would have more and more authority and control over the words I say.

So should we be using words like sneaky with reference to God? Absolutely not. This is flippant. It's irreverent. And this is not the way any Christian should talk about God. The same goes for the song Reckless Love.

The word sneaky has a distinct definition, a connotation, in the English language. You can't escape that. It's not a malleable word that you can use for whatever you please and whatever way you please.

Words have definitions, and those definitions matter. If the definitions of all our words could be changed by whoever wants to change them, we would not be able to understand each other consistently. We need common definitions if we're going to have conversation.

And according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the word sneaky means, quote, marked by stealth, furtiveness, shiftiness. Some synonyms include shady, shifty, slippery, sly, devious, deceitful, etc. This is by definition what the word sneaky means in the English language.

Some antonyms of the word, that is, words that have the opposite meaning of sneaky, are these, quote, forthright, straightforward, honest, trustworthy. So here's my question. Does the word sneaky characterize the Lord adequately when we read the scriptures?

God Cannot Lie and Jesus Is the Truth

No. The answer is a definite no. As we've already seen, the word trustworthy, for instance, means the opposite of the word sneaky. So does the word honest. And Hebrews 6 .18 says, quote, it is impossible for God to lie, end quote.

You see, God is not deceitful in any way. There's no deceit in him. And remember that deceitful is actually a synonym for the word sneaky. In John 14 .6, Jesus says, quote, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me, end quote. So we can clearly see that not only is there no deceit of any kind in God, but there is ultimate truth in him instead. The Lord is infinitely more trustworthy than anyone else.

But remember the word trustworthy is an official antonym for the word sneaky. It means the opposite thing. So here's the problem, folks. Stephen Furtick has used a word like sneaky to refer to God. But this word actually carries with it a negative connotation which should never be applied to God ever.

Look at the Psalms or virtually any other scriptures that talk about God's holy character. We never see the Lord being called sneaky or anything similar to that. And all over the place, in many, many books of the Bible, we see God being extolled and praised for his uprightness, his trustworthiness, and his truth.

To call God sneaky in any way is simply wrong, sinful, and a lie about God. Remember, this isn't a word game. It's not just semantics. This is not a technicality. It's a seriously unbiblical statement.

Why Calling Jesus “Sneaky” Distorts the Cross

But there's more to this. There's more to Stephen's message than simply that. Remember that he also says, quote, Jesus didn't die so that death could reign. He died to bring victory into the earth. But he couldn't bring it looking like victory.

He had to dress it up like death on the cross because he's sneaky, end quote. This just gets worse and worse, doesn't it? Now Stephen has gone so far as to say that the death of Jesus Christ was sneaky in nature.

More than this, he binds the character of Jesus to this idea of him being sneaky. Jesus is actually spoken about here as if he is limited by his sneaky nature. Stephen says, quote, he died to bring victory into the earth.

But he couldn't bring it looking like victory because he's sneaky. Notice the language here. He couldn't bring it looking like victory. Jesus did not have the ability to do that, according to Stephen Furtick, because he's much too sneaky for that.

His sneaky character is defining what his actions can be. This is absolutely unbiblical. As we've already covered, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He's not sneaky at all because he has no deception in him.

Furtick says that it's impossible for Jesus to not be sneaky. By contrast, as we've already covered, Hebrews 6 .18 says that it's impossible for him to lie. This is where it goes from mere language to dangerous false teaching.

If you say that Jesus was sneaky and that his sneakiness is baked into his character so that it governs his actions, you're simply not talking about Jesus in the way he's clearly presented in the scriptures.

You're just not. You're polluting his holy character. You're dishonoring him. This begs the question, though, why is Stephen Furtick doing all this? And I think the final statement he gives offers us the answer.

He says, quote,. And here's what he does. He'll send glory into your life, but it won't look like glory. He'll send blessing into your life, but it won't look like blessing. He'll send patience into your life, dressed like your teenager.

And he'll send the best times into your life, dressed like some of the worst times. You don't see it while you're in it. End quote. And there is the narcissus, my friends. It's all about you, you, you.

He's saying that Jesus is sneaky as an encouragement to people who are going through rough times. Don't worry. I know it looks like you can't pay your bills. I know it looks like you've got a bad diagnosis.

I know it looks like your business is failing, but don't worry. All of this is happening because God is just sneaky. He's just being sneaky and playful with you. That's all. This is the message of Stephen Furtick here.

He's trying to use this false teaching, these false ideas about Jesus, to encourage people who are having a tough time. But is this the way that the Bible encourages people? Absolutely not. And this is the central issue here.

Biblical Encouragement in Hardship

This is so important. Philippians 4, 6 says, Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, think about such things. This passage tells us to do two things when we have issues in life, both of which are being contradicted by Stephen Furtick's attempt at encouragement here.

First, it tells us to humbly offer our requests to God, and that our hearts and minds will be guarded in Christ Jesus. What it does not say is this. Why are you so worried, guys? Don't you know that God is just being sneaky with you?

No. It says that Jesus Christ, in His grace and love, will be our guard, will be our help. Instead of telling people to lean into the grace and peace of Christ and His Word, Stephen Furtick is giving them false ideas about Christ.

Biblically, we know that this will not help people. In fact, it will probably hurt them spiritually, because it causes them to misunderstand the Savior. Second, this passage tells us to meditate on and think about things that are true.

But the idea of Jesus being sneaky is not true. As we've already seen, it's false. The Word of God tells us that when we encounter hardship, we should think about things that are true. But Stephen Furtick is telling you to think about things that are false, like the hypothetical sneakiness of Jesus.

And this is something that the guys at Apologia Radio, link in description, say all the time. Bad theology hurts people. And I think that's very true. I think it's also very clear to see in Stephen Furtick's teaching as well.

But always remember this. Apart from the grace of God, all of us would think falsely about Jesus. None of us are naturally of our own sound judgment better or brighter or smarter or holier than Stephen Furtick.

We would be blind to these realities without the grace of God. I too am a wretched sinner in need of God's grace, in need of His truth and His Word every single day. So let's pray for him. Let's pray that Stephen would repent of this foolishness and turn to the truth of God's Word.

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