The Way International: Truth and Error Compared
This article is part of a series examining what various religious movements teach on seven foundational doctrines, compared with what the Bible actually says. Source material for cult positions is drawn from Keith L. Brooks and Irvine Robertson, "The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error" (Moody Press, 1985).
The Way International was founded by Victor Paul Wierwille (1916–1985), who resigned from the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1957 to build his own organization. Wierwille claimed that God spoke to him audibly and told him he would teach the Word of God as it had not been known since the first century. His key theological departure is a denial that Jesus Christ is God — a position he argued at length in his book Jesus Christ Is Not God. The Way International also places heavy emphasis on speaking in tongues as the necessary evidence of the new birth. Citations below use abbreviations from the original source: JC = Jesus Christ Is Not God (Wierwille); WW = The Word's Way (Wierwille); NDC = The New Dynamic Church (Wierwille); BT = The Bible Tells Me So (Wierwille).
1. God
What the Bible Teaches
Scripture presents one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The Trinity is not a degradation of God but the fullness of who He is.
What The Way International Teaches
"Elohim, God alone, is Creator of heaven and earth. The Bible teaches that there is only one true God, that God was in Christ, that God is Spirit, and that God is eternal whereas Jesus was born" (Wierwille, The Word's Way, p. 26). "God is most holy; God has no equal. God alone holds the power of salvation" (Wierwille, Jesus Christ Is Not God, p. 124). "The trinitarian dogma degrades God from His elevated, unparalleled position. Besides, it leaves man unredeemed" (JC, book jacket). "Biblically there are three: 1) God who is Holy Spirit, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2) Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the son of man, and 3) the holy spirit, God's gift, which God made available on the day of Pentecost" (JC, p. 123).
2. Jesus Christ
What the Bible Teaches
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Jesus is the eternal Son of God who took on human flesh (John 1:14). He accepted worship (Matthew 28:9; John 20:28). He declared, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). He rose bodily from the dead (Luke 24:39) and is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
What The Way International Teaches
"The gospel of John established the truth of God's word that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but not God the Son — God Himself" (JC, p. 16). "Jesus Christ's existence began when he was conceived by God's creating the soul-life of Jesus in Mary" (WW, p. 37). "The created word (Jesus Christ) was with God in His foreknowledge — the same way that 'we the chosen of God' were called in Him in His foreknowledge" (JC, p. 85). "When Jesus was born, he came into existence. . . . Foreknowledge became a reality" (JC, p. 85). "Jesus and God are not one from the beginning, but they were one in purpose" (JC, pp. 119–20). Jesus just "'took part, not all' of Adam's flesh and blood" (JC, p. 71). "He was sinless because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, yet was born of Mary with a body of flesh, as all mankind" (WW, p. 161). "Jesus Christ was a man . . . whose life was without blemish and without spot, a lamb from the flock, thereby being the perfect sacrifice. Thus he became our redeemer" (JC, p. 79). "After Jesus Christ was sacrificed, was resurrected and then ascended, it was possible for God to send His gift which dwells permanently in all believers" (JC, p. 133).
3. Holy Spirit
What the Bible Teaches
The Holy Spirit is a distinct person of the Godhead — not merely a gift or force (John 14:16–17; Acts 13:2; Romans 8:26–27). He indwells every true believer (Romans 8:9) and is not dependent on speaking in tongues as evidence.
What The Way International Teaches
"God is holy, and God is Spirit. The gift that He gives is holy spirit" (JC, pp. 21–28). "Many confuse the Giver, Holy Spirit, with the gift, holy spirit" (JC, p. 128). "In the new birth, man receives spirit from God, who is the Spirit" (JC, p. 128). "The speaking in tongues was the external manifestation of the receiving of the gift of holy spirit" (JC, p. 131). "At Pentecost the speaking in tongues was the external manifestation of the receiving of the gift of holy spirit . . . At the conclusion of his (Peter's) message, he taught them how to receive the new birth and speak in tongues" (JC, p. 131). "The holy spirit field . . . is the field God raised me up for. . . . There's no one I can't lead into speaking in tongues, if they are Christian and want to do it" (Elena S. Whiteside, The Way — Living in Love, p. 178). "To worship by the spirit we must operate a manifestation of the holy spirit . . . which produces true worship in speaking in tongues" (Wierwille, The New Dynamic Church, p. 90).
4. Man and Sin
What the Bible Teaches
"There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All humanity is spiritually dead in Adam and in need of redemption (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1).
What The Way International Teaches
"We, as well as Jesus Christ, were with God in His foreknowledge, but not in existence, before the foundation of the world" (JC, p. 29). "The Bible teaches that all men since Adam are born 'dead in trespasses and sin'" (JC, p. 70). "When Adam sinned, Satan, who was the supreme enemy of God, obtained absolute control over all that which God had originally given to Adam" (NDC, p. 59). "What does God see on the palms of our hands? He sees on them nothing but sin, doubt, fear, bitterness, quarrels, lies, hatred — everything that stains a sinner" (Wierwille, The Bible Tells Me So, p. 108). "Man fell because of disobedience to God's Word" (JC, p. 66). "The spirit departed from Adam. . . . Adam and Eve's spiritual connection with God was lost" (JC, p. 67).
5. Redemption and Salvation
What the Bible Teaches
"We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7). "By grace are ye saved through faith . . . not of works" (Ephesians 2:8–9). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). Salvation is complete in Christ — not dependent on speaking in tongues or physical healing as proof.
What The Way International Teaches
"The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ was a man conceived by the Holy Spirit, God, whose life was without blemish and without spot, a lamb from the flock, thereby being the perfect sacrifice. Thus he became our redeemer" (JC, p. 79). "Jesus brought righteousness because he willingly gave himself as a perfect, sinless sacrifice, a perfect redeemer" (JC, p. 76). "There are two parts: sin and disease, one is removed by the blood of the lamb and the other by the flesh of the lamb" (BT, p. 87). "Christ has redeemed us, not only from some of the things mentioned in the curse, but from all of them, which includes sickness and disease" (BT, p. 84). "The physical punishment which he went through . . . brought our healing" (BT, p. 84). "When we have salvation, we have wholeness, even physical wholeness, if we simply accept it" (NDC, p. 31). "All born-again believers have 'the faith of Jesus Christ' which is the measure given to EVERYONE when he believes. After a person has confessed with his mouth the Lord Jesus and has believed in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, he is a privileged son of God with access to all His promises" (NDC, p. 29). ". . . you are made alive spiritually but also your physical body is made alive even now" (NDC, p. 33).
6. Retribution
What the Bible Teaches
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). There is a final, eternal separation for those who reject Christ (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).
What The Way International Teaches
"The result of the one man's work (Adam's) was death; the result of the other was life" (JC, p. 75). "Man's freedom of will permits him to choose the seed he wants and thus determine his own destiny. . . . One who accepts the seed of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has his seed eternally. . . . When a person accepts the seed of the devil, he has it eternally. . . . One seed means eternal life; the other, eternal damnation" (WW, p. 70). "Death for the believer is referred to as falling asleep because in sleep there is an awakening point. But for the unbeliever, the Christ rejector, the ungodly, their resurrection is temporary for they shall meet a second and final death" (Wierwille, Are the Dead Alive Now? p. 98).
All Bible quotations are from the King James Version. Cult citations are taken directly from the source documents as reproduced in Brooks and Robertson.