Is this teaching biblical?
Joyce Meyer teaches that Jesus 'did not die a sinless death,' 'became sin,' and 'went to hell' to gain victory over Satan. This JDS doctrine denies three clear truths: (1) Jesus declared the work FINISHED on the cross; (2) He promised Paradise that same day, not hell; (3) He committed His spirit to the Father, not to Satan. Meyer's teaching makes the cross insufficient and transforms the victorious Lamb into a defeated prisoner of hell.
What did Joyce Meyer say?
"He became our sacrifice and died on the cross. He did not die a sinless death. He became sin... He went to hell in our place and gained victory there, triumphing over the enemy."
Speaker: Joyce Meyer
Source: The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make, 1991, pp. 35-36
What does Scripture actually teach?
John 19:30
"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."
— NKJV
If Jesus still needed to 'go to hell and gain victory there,' then nothing was 'finished' on the cross. Meyer's teaching empties the cross of its power by relocating the decisive victory to hell. But Jesus said the work was completed at Calvary — tetelestai, paid in full.
Luke 23:43
"And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'"
— NKJV
Jesus went to Paradise on the day of His death — His own words confirm this. Meyer claims He went to hell to fight Satan, but Jesus promised the thief they would be together in Paradise 'today.' The JDS doctrine requires Jesus to have lied to a dying man.
Luke 23:46
"And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, 'Father, "into Your hands I commit My spirit."' Having said this, He breathed His last."
— NKJV
Meyer claims Jesus 'became sin' and was handed over to Satan in hell. But Jesus's last words were an act of confident surrender to the FATHER. He was not dragged to hell by demons — He voluntarily committed His spirit to God. This is the language of a Victor, not a victim.
Hebrews 9:12
"Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."
— NKJV
The writer of Hebrews states Christ obtained eternal redemption through His BLOOD — shed on the cross, not through combat in hell. The atonement was accomplished by blood sacrifice, the same pattern established in the Old Testament. Meyer's hell-battle theology has no biblical basis.