Prosperity Gospel - Part 1 of 2
Last week we covered the flaws in “self-help theology.” The other movement that I wanted to address is the Prosperity Gospel. This theology basically teaches that God will financially prosper us if we are “faithful Christians.” The Prosperity Gospel originates from the misinterpretation of some scripture found in both the Old and New Testaments.
It’s very important that we have a biblically accurate view of prosperity. Jesus talks about money and possessions in the New Testament more than he does about prayer, heaven or hell. Many of his parables also deal with the topic. Why? Because he knew that for many of us finances would test our faith more than any other area.
The painful truth is that we have all been guilty of buying in to at least some aspects of the Prosperity Gospel.. There is a broad spectrum of this belief system that exists ranging from churches that overtly teach it to subtle beliefs that we are all routinely tempted with. The subtle aspects are the ones that I am going to focus on because they are the ones with which we all probably struggle.
It’s easy to understand why this line of thinking would be attractive to us. We live in a performance-based society that rewards good behavior and/or winning. That’s the American Way and there are many positive aspects to it. I love trying to excel in the business world and the competitive aspects of sports. However, as it relates to our faith, this belief system has a number of fundamental flaws that disqualify it as biblically accurate.
This ideology is even more alluring because some of its key flaws are intertwined with some good aspects of our faith. For example:
While there is certainly nothing wrong with trying to live the “good Christian” life, we have to check our motivation behind why. Are we seeking to please God purely out of our love for Him or so that we get earthly rewards?
God may decide to bless us financially and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. However,, the truth is that he does not financially bless all faithful Christians. Also, finances should never be a gauge for our level of spirituality. He knows what we need and blesses us as He chooses - but it may not be in financial abundance. Prosperity comes in many shapes and forms. Peace, joy, good health, marital love, family love, deep friendships all bring incredible prosperity to our lives.
One question that has to be asked when looking at this subject is this – “How could the Prosperity Gospel be true if it isn’t true for all believers – including those in third world countries? I know that everything is relative but I also know that there are millions of Christians who live in poverty. They may not consider it poverty by their standards but they certainly would be by ours. Nevertheless, they find joy in their circumstances with no expectation from God except to help them meet their basic needs. That is a beautiful picture of peace and contentment.
Financial prosperity can be a real blessing but it can also be a curse if we allow it to become the object of our affection or it makes us feel self-reliant and not dependent upon God. Financial abundance had to be handled very carefully and with the mindset of a steward (it’s all God’s) or we run the risk of the many warnings in scripture. Ultimately, we want to be found faithful in this important area of our lives.
Next week we will look further into potential red flags that we all need to watch out for. Until then…
Stay hungry,
Big E