“For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” 1 Corinthians 11:19
I was confronted by a man at a prayer conference in 1997 about “the flesh of Jesus Christ was not human flesh.”
No, really, he confronted me and asked, “Do you believe Jesus had human flesh?”
It was later at night, we were sitting around talking, and he came up and asked me this question out of nowhere.
I was a little caught off guard. He showed me in his Bible a few verses, and I had never heard of this.
Later that night, from a deep sleep, I woke up, and I opened my eyes, and I saw, like bright LED letters in the backdrop of a pitch dark room:
1 John 4:3
This was before the days of iPhones. I got up, grabbed my Bible, wandered into the hallway, and opened my Bible with curiosity, asking, “What is this about?” I opened my Bible and read this verse along with the rest of the verses:
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
WOW.
I later saw this man and told him, “I have an answer to your conversation and questions last night.” He looked at me with a big smile and said, ok.
I told him what happened and the verse God gave me. I asked him to read it out loud.
He read it out loud. I told him, “That is my answer. Jesus came in the flesh.”
I looked at him and said, “Jesus gave me this verse, and because of that, I know what you are trying to persuade me and others to believe is false doctrine.”
Over the next few years, this controversy was a fire around the world and in our movement.
I remember going home and calling my district superintendent. I called a handful of presbyters. I even called the superintendent where this young man lived.
At one time, some were being rebaptized around this “heavenly flesh” controversy.
I remember the Individual who this sprang from wrote a thick book on the subject. He was asked and advised not to publish or promote the book in the United States. He did anyway.
The issue came to a head, and it was addressed on the conference floor, where it was declared to be heretical. I remember some thought it was not worth debating and left it alone. However, because of my personal experience, I rejoiced.
A paper published in 2004 is linked at the end of this article.
Some people he persuaded. That is sad. However, I rejoiced that Jesus talked to me about it.
I recall from my studies that the man who originated this doctrine was from Ethiopia. The Coptic Church’s founding is rooted in this doctrine of heavenly flesh.
So, the man who was the source of the controversy did not have a revelation per se, but was preaching the tradition that had informed his land and was in the mind of that culture.
My point: Controversy is always the byproduct when ideas and doctrines disagree with Scripture.
In controversy, you have three kinds of people: those on the two sides of the issue and the ambivalent.
The one that prevails in the controversy will inform and influence the followers.
Controversy is necessary and a natural part of the Kingdom of God.
It’s inconvenient; however, these things are teaching moments to ground people in the Word of God further.
This was a gift to me. I was not deceived or deluded, but I personally received a revelation about the flesh of Jesus Christ.
“JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH!”
When you apply for a license with the organization I am a part of, it includes a variety of “cryptic” questions.
Almost 100% of those applying will have no basis for understanding the point of the question.
I have had people ask me, “What does this mean?”
In short, every one of those is a controversy that was settled.
It’s not an issue now; the issue is settled.
However, others could have prevailed, and that belief could be a part of our fundamental doctrine, rather than a qualifying or disqualifying question on the application.
False doctrine is a litmus test given to us by God.
“For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” 1 Corinthians 11:19
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
https://www.apostolic.edu/the-upci-and-divine-flesh/
https://upci.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The_True_Humanity_of_Jesus_Christ.pdf