In my last article, I talked about the story of the rich young man and how finances is merely one of many idols people can have in front of God. I also pointed out that the Bible does not condemn wealth, per se, but what is done with it. On the other side of the coin, however, is one of the more subversive beliefs today within the Christian Church: The Prosperity Gospel.
Pure heresy at it’s finest
Make no mistake about it; it is more than a simple misunderstanding or poor reading of Scriptures; it’s pure heresy. The Prosperity Gospel teaches that if you are a “good” Christian, you will be rewarded with success in worldly endeavors, i.e. your wishes and desires, whatever they may be, will be fulfilled.
Christianity, under this Gospel, becomes a mathematical formula in which your righteousness is directly proportional to your worldly blessings. In America and many developed nations, this false Gospel has taken root due to our unparalleled degree of personal and national wealth.
Preachers and followers of this Gospel use examples from the Bible where righteous men such as the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) were all wealthy, as were kings such as David and Solomen, under whom gold became so common that it was practically worthless.
One such verse they use to advocate this belief comes from Psalms 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
False teachers are everywhere
What makes this belief so subversive and destructive is that those who promote it do not do so blatantly, but discreetly. Prosperity Gospel preachers and churches will not state directly that if you are poor or financially struggling that you are somehow less of a Christian than someone who is rich. If you listen to their sermons, however, and listen carefully to what they are actually saying, there is a subtle, yet unmistakable theme that righteousness is connected to worldly success. Their sermons consist of how if you accept God as your savior everything in your life will get better and the things you desire can be gained through “trusting God.”
They will quote Scripture, such as Deuteronomy 30:15-20, where God promises blessings on those who are obedient to his word and trouble on those who do not.
Or they will point out stories such as King Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1-20) and King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:28-36). Both were torn from their throne and riches because of their flagrant disobedience to God. After they turned back to Him, their kingdoms and riches were restored to them.
Yet, the Prosperity Gospel falls apart under the weight of both Scripture and the example Jesus set for Christians. All one need do is point to Jesus’ warning in John 16:33:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!”
Yes, there were men in the Bible who were blessed with wealth for their faithfulness. There were also men who were not, and it had nothing to do with their faith.
The Prophet Elijah lived penniless and homeless for years while he prophesied against King Ahab. He was so poor he had to beg a woman, who was on the cusp of starvation, for food.
John the Baptist lived a spartan-like existence in the desert by himself, subsisting off of locust and honey. All he had for clothes was a leather belt and camel hair. He was ultimately was beheaded by King Herod.
Yet, in both instances, these men were praised for their righteousness. Elijah was taken up into Heaven and did not experience death. Jesus called John the greatest man – aside from himself – who ever lived.
It’s absurd that such a belief like the Prosperity Gospel has taken root, since the entire Book of Job is dedicated to squashing this attitude. Unfortunately the sad truth is that it is easy for us to jump to the same conclusion as those who follow the Prosperity Gospel.
Bible and modern day
Sometimes it can be hard to understand Biblical stories without giving them a modern comparison. As I pointed out in my previous article, Job was probably the richest man who ever lived. The Bible says he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys, as well as the necessary servants to tend to these flocks. He also had a large family, seven sons and three daughters. Later chapters in the book imply he also held considerable sway over the political issues in his region and was well-respected.
Try to imagine a billionaire businessman/politician who had a large, closely-knit family, power and influence on a national level, and outwardly showed every sign of godliness.
Then suddenly, he loses everything he owns through a series of natural and unnatural events in a single day, along with all of his children. Shortly after, he is stricken with a myriad of diseases and illnesses.
Our first reaction to such news would be, sadly, predictable. What did he do to make God so angry at him? According to the Prosperity Gospel, this is the only possible explanation. Why else would God cause one of his followers so much pain?
This is exactly what Job’s friends believed; the the Book of Job contains long lectures Job’s friends give him, telling him he had to have sinned horribly in order to have brought such a disaster down on himself, and that only by repentance could things change.
Job knew in his heart this was not so. While he did not understand why God has caused him so much sorrow, he knew that it had not been because of anything he had done.
Job 2:10 is probably the best verse to dismantle the Prosperity Gospel.
“Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
Only the reader is aware that Job is being tested by God to see if he will hold onto his faith after losing everything.
In the end, God chastised Job’s friends for their false teachings, which is essentially the Prosperity Gospel, and rewarded Job for not accepting it by returning his wealth, then doubling it.
Inasmuch as Job contradicts the Prosperity Gospel, the rest of the Bible is full of examples which disprove this myth.
Not one of Jesus’ disciples ever became rich; they all died gruesome, horrific deaths preaching the Gospel. The Apostle Paul was flogged, whipped, stoned, beaten, ship wrecked, and finally beheaded.
Other Christians in the first century were covered in pitch and burned as torches by Nero or torn to pieces by wild beasts in the Colosseum because they refused to recant their faith. Martyrs like Polycarp and John Hus were burned to death.
What about the rest of the world?
To this day, Christians in Africa and the Middle East are martyred or live in constant fear of death or imprisonment.
If the Prosperity Gospel is true, then what are they doing wrong? The sad truth is that this heresy only exists in developed countries, such as America, because only in such countries would it ever make any logical sense. Insomuch as people complain about income inequality and the 99 vs. 1 percent, we have attained such luxury that all one has to do is avoid making poor life choices and one can still live a life of relative affluence.
In Third World countries, where death, war, terror, disease, and persecution are commonplace, the Prosperity Gospel and its believers would be ridiculed. In developed countries, proclaiming faith in Jesus Christ will bring scorn or ridiculed, but in countries like Iran or Afghanistan, it’s akin to signing one’s own death warrant.
Prosperity gospel a bunch of non-sense
The Prosperity Gospel is essentially a blend of Christian gnosticism and eastern religions’ belief in karma, where the unfathomable complexity of God’s divine plan for the individual and all of mankind is reduced down to a facile modus operandi. It also takes away the true purpose for following God and replaces it with the greed desire for possessions.
Nowhere in Scripture does it guarantee that a Christian will live a life blessed with material possessions if they follow God. Any verses used to promote this idea are twisted and taken out of their proper context.
The Apostle Paul and the other authors of the News Testament state a very consistent message; if you are faithful to God, he will strengthen you spiritually. He will enable you to accomplish great things in advance of the Gospel.
He will not, however, necessarily make life easy in terms of finances or anything else. As I stated before, however, this also does not mean that as Christians we are commanded to be poor or shun wealth. Wealth can be a sign of God’s blessing on an individual, but it also may simply be an indication of what a person truly worships in life.
Christians should never look at their worldly possessions, financial security, or social status as an indication of their favor with God. Rather, they ask themselves how great their wealth is that they have stored up for themselves in Heaven.
As Jesus said,
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
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