As I have been studying and learning what God, our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, has to say about finances, prosperity, giving, sowing, etc. I have come across the phrase “Prosperity Gospel” a number of times. And, usually it is in a very negative way. Just what is considered the “Prosperity Gospel” and how does that fit what I have been seeing in God’s Word? It seemed to be a very powerful thought that was put into my mind, that I needed to look at this subject.
Here is what I first found by going to Wikipedia on the internet. “Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success, or seed faith) is a religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessings and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth. Prosperity theology views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver security and prosperity.”
Although this “definition” in Wikipedia is obviously written by a non-believer, it is pretty mild compared to some of the other statements that can be found on the internet by doing a brief search. I don’t intend to give names of individuals, although many will name people they have determined are preaching such doctrine and don’t hold to what they see in Scripture. For example, “I hate the prosperity gospel! It is of the devil. It is not the gospel. It kills the gospel and is sending millions to Hell!” I won’t continue quoting the vile comments this person was making, but it seemed obvious that since there are such comments being made that I needed to look at this subject.
Many that speak about “prosperity gospel” lump everyone together who they feel is teaching in any way that God could or would want to bless someone for giving. I’m sure that there have been some individuals that have tried to manipulate people for their own financial benefit. The Apostle Peter warns of such individuals in 2 Peter chapter 2. In verse 1 he states that there had been in past times false prophets and that there would be false teachers, even among those he was writing to. He mentions several things but in verse 3 he specifically speaks of many that would, because of covetousness, “make merchandise” of God’s people. However, I don’t believe everyone looking into the Scriptures and seeing God’s promises are trying to “rip off” the ones they are teaching.
In my own study I have seen God’s heart and desire to bless and give to His children. So, why are so many so adamant and condemning of those that speak of God’s goodness? Many different blogs, videos, articles, etc. I found on the internet referenced over and over a particular individual and his teaching about “prosperity gospel” preachers. I won’t name him but if I did you would most likely be familiar with the name. Over and over I saw references to a short piece he had written or spoken on ways to detect a “prosperity gospel preacher.” I looked it up.
I will mention some of what he says and view it from a Bible prospective. The number one thing he states is that in the teaching of those he labels as “prosperity gospel preachers” is “an absence of a serious doctrine of the biblical necessity and normalcy of suffering, the absence of a doctrine of suffering.” I may be alone in this, but, I had never heard of that doctrine. But, apparently it is quite common among many Christian groups.
This individual made a couple of statements that weren’t really clear to me as to exactly what he was saying. He asked a question regarding if it was essential in dealing with sickness and calamity and then down a couple of sentences he asks, “Is there a strong note that Christians full of the Holy Spirit get cancer and groan under the calamities and the miseries of the fall?” I still wasn’t sure but it seemed that he was indicating that if we have cancer or other things of this nature that God is desiring this for us, this being the “doctrine of suffering.” After a brief search I found another short piece written by this same person. I definitely saw that he believes that suffering disease is the same as suffering persecution. One statement he made was, “Thus, all suffering that comes in the path of obedience is suffering with Christ and for Christ – whether it is cancer at home or persecution far away.”
Still attempting to understand even better what this “doctrine of suffering” entails I located a longer piece written by another church pastor. Here are a few statements that he made, without taking time to quote everything. “God bestows or interjects Christian suffering so that the Christian learns obedience,...” “God designs suffering for the believer...” “The overriding principle of Divine suffering is the truth that all Christian suffering is designed by God...” “...God allows, designs, executes Christian suffering for discipline or punishment.” “Even such great teachers and Christian leaders as Paul required some measure of suffering as a barrier against pride.” “God’s objective for constructive suffering for the believer is...” My reaction to these statements is that this man doesn’t know the God of the Bible, a God of love who does not bring suffering and disease on anyone. He overlooks Jesus’ statements in John 10:10. Jesus says that it is “the thief that comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” And, He, Jesus, continues, saying, “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He doesn’t say, I am come that they might have suffering and disease. Isaiah 53 tells us that part of the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to take away our pain, disease and suffering.
We live in a “fallen” world, a world under the sway and influence of the adversary. There is pain and sorrow because of this, BUT it is not our Loving God that is putting it on us. Jesus did say we would have persecution if we taught and lived according to His Word. But, notice, even with that He promised blessings and prosperity. Mark 10:29-30 is very definitely speaking of physical blessings. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sister, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Houses and lands are very much physical, very much a promise of prosperity and He says they are to be received “now in this time.”
Let us move on to another of the “keys” this man gives that will detect or recognize a preacher of this “prosperity gospel.” He states, “the absence of a clear and prominent doctrine of self-denial is a tip-off that something is amiss, an absence of a clear and prominent doctrine of self-denial.” It appears that this “doctrine” entails saying “No!” to anything that smacks of pleasurable and abundant physical blessings. He goes on to say, later in the paragraph, “normal progress in the Christian life comes by saying no to lesser values and yes to Christ and many of those lesser values are the kinds of pleasures that prosperity preachers don’t want to say no to.” This man, and others promoting this doctrine of self-denial quote Jesus’ words, recorded in Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Is Jesus saying that a follower of His is to eschew anything that one might consider a “good gift” or any kind of prosperity? Notice, He didn’t just say “let him deny himself.” He continued His statement, saying, “take up his cross daily, and follow me.” What was He saying?
If we look at these three passages we will notice that just before making the statement we just quoted Jesus was speaking to His disciples. And, He told them plainly that He was to “suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” When He stated they, and all of us, are to “take up his cross daily” they recognized He was speaking about us dying just as He was soon to do. Not a physical death but a death of our old man. The Apostle Paul spelled it all out very plainly in his letters. We are to die to self, that is the self-denial. We are to go to the cross with Jesus. Baptism pictures our death, burial with Him and resurrection to new life. We are a new creation. The old man is dead. We deny those old pulls and ways of thinking. We have a whole new identity. Each and every day we are to be denying our own wisdom and way of thinking and seek God’s wisdom. We need to be renewing our minds, letting the mind of Jesus be in us. That is self-denial. It isn’t about living in poverty, living in lack.
I won’t quote the whole passage but you might want to read through it all, Col.2:20-23. In verse 20 Paul is asking, “IF ye be dead with Christ...” Exactly what we have been discussing. He speaks of various commandments and doctrines of men. Verse 23 is helpful from the New Living Translation. “These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desire.”
A doctrine of denying God’s good and wonderful gifts, perceiving one to be, perhaps, more righteous or holy or something, is not what Jesus was addressing when He told us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow Him. Our old man must die, must be denied. We must follow Jesus, allow Jesus to shine forth from us, exemplify Him in “the new creation.”
We will quickly look at another one or two of the points this individual makes about “prosperity gospel” preachers. He states that there will be “the absence of serious exposition of Scripture.” He tries to say that those teaching from Scripture about God’s desire for our prosperity will be using only a very few “proof texts” and ignore much of the Word. His words, “...he circles around to them (his favorite passages) over and over making a few texts serve his purpose.” I’m thinking that this person has never read or listened to true teaching from God’s Word. I recently came across a fairly long article, which I won’t try to repeat here, entitled “Prosperity Gospel Is it Biblical to be blessed?” In this presentation the author goes through, not just a few favorite passages, but the entire Bible from one end to the other showing God’s heart and nature. Quickly counting I found that there were over 50, closer to 60, passages quoted. And, they all paint a picture of a good God, a loving God, a God that desires to bless His children.
One more of this man’s “keys” before we quit. He says to ask, “Do church leaders have exorbitant lifestyles?” He then questions if the car or house they have is only what “the very wealthy” can possess. His rational is wrapped up in his final statement in this section, “This doesn’t smell like Jesus who had no place to lay His head.” He is of course referring to the statement Jesus made and is recorded in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58. Many, this man included, assert that Jesus was homeless and in poverty. If we don’t let ideas such as this get into our minds we will see from Scripture that Jesus likely did have a home. Notice Matthew 4:13, “He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali...” (NRSV) Mark 2:1-2, “When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and He was speaking the word to them.” (NRSV)
What was Jesus saying when He said that He had no place to lay His head? He was simply stating to this individual that He was constantly on the move, not that He had no place to stay. In the Hebrew Bible, referring to “laying one’s head down” usually means being able to do so in peace, as in Psalms 23 and in Psalms 4:8, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord only makest me dwell in safety.” We see references to animals lying down together in peace and safety. See Isaiah 11:6-7 and Hoses 2:18. Foxes and birds do not live in their respective shelters–it is where they go to be safe. Jesus is warning the “would be disciple” that following Him would put him in perpetual danger since that He, Jesus, was a marked man with a price on His head.
Back to the question that was asked by the writer of the “keys.” Should one be critical of the car a leader drives or the home he lives in? Do we know the “facts?” I am aware of an individual that is driving a bright red Cadillac Escalade, a full-size luxury SUV. One would not know if he was just judging this individual and condemning him for his “extravagant” vehicle that it had been given to him as a gift. Just because an individual has nice things is that a “sign” that he is “fleecing the flock?” I am knowledgeable of an individual that makes no “bones” about being wealthy, BUT his wealth isn’t from the ministry he is involved in. He is a business man and has wealth from his businesses. Any money sent to his ministry is used in ministry.
I am still convinced that our God is a giving God, who desires to give good gifts, who wants to prosper His children. Just as He desires to give to us He wants us to learn to give to others, to sow what He has blessed us with so that we have more to give. He loves a cheerful giver for that is what He is!
Garry D. Pifer
March 2019
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