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A biblical look at the "prosperity gospel"

I Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 6:7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

At the risk of offending some, I'm going to share an article that I believe is long overdue. I think much damage has been done to the body of Christ because of the false teaching known as the prosperity message. I hope that before anyone clicks away from this page, they will at least take a moment to prayerfully examine the contents before doing so. I will attempt to bring a balanced approach to this discussion, understanding that there are some valid points made within this camp, although the leaven is so bad, it almost inevitably leavens the whole loaf before it's finished. I honestly believe that many honest and sincere preachers start out well, with good intentions, only to fall prey to this heretical teaching and lead many others astray.

Some are under the mistaken impression, that the prosperity message came to being in the latter part of the 20th century. The fact is that the notion that "gain is godliness" has been around since even the time of Job, which is considered one of the oldest letters of the canon of scripture. Because we live in the last days, this has become all the more prevalent, but this idea was not born in our day- it far precedes our generation. Before I go any further, let me first give you some of the tenets of the prosperity gospel. Of course there are some variations of this-some believe all of these tenets-some believe most of them-some believe only a few of them. Not all prosperity teachers are the same, and I'm not going to name names in this article, and I don't want to paint all television evangelists with the same brush. No doubt there are some good ones out there, who are laboring honestly and sincerely for the master. I applaud those who are out there preaching the truth on television (even though they are getting fewer and harder to locate).

Some tenets of the prosperity message include:

1. Christians should expect material wealth to come their way as a seal of God's approval
2. If material wealth does not manifest in one's bank account, it's probably due to a lack of faith
3. If you are going through any suffering or sickness, you are out of the will of God, and most likely are in sin (namely unbelief)
4. Christians should speak positive confessions (i.e. "name it, claim it") until the desired amount of money is acquired (although this is a trap, because all it does is cause one to focus on the temporal, thus the person is never really satisfied or content.)
5. All the wealth in the world will be transferred to the Christians before Christ returns, then we will deliver the kingdom to Him (it's so absurd it's even hard for me to type this, but nevertheless some people believe this).
6. Jesus lived his earthly life as a rich man (I know-it's absurd, but that's what some teach)

Of course this is not an exhaustive list, and as I said earlier, not every prosperity teacher/believer will adhere to all of these facets of the prosperity message, but usually some amalgamation of them all. Now before I come full-throttle against this heresy, I'm first going to point out what the biblical concept of prosperity is. The term "prosper" is in the bible, and God has promised that if we follow Him, He will make our way prosperous. The problem comes in with how we define prosperity however. For the common WOF (acronym for Word of Faith) teacher, the word prosperity is always synonymous with earthly riches and monetary wealth. The biblical view of prosperity involves something much deeper, and much more spiritual in nature. One common passage that is referred to is found in Joshua.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success

Now this is a wonderful verse and I praise God for it. But I fear that too often we have twisted this verse to mean that God always will send prosperity in terms of monetary wealth. But let's look at the Hebrew root of the word prosper.

It comes from the term "tsalach" which means to rush, to advance, prosper, make progress, to succeed. Let's look at some other applications of the use of this same word, and I think it will give us a better perspective.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Here we can clearly see that the word for prosper goes far beyond a simple money application. In fact, the idea of material wealth is not even in view in these two passages-the term "prosper" in these two verses carries the idea of success against opposition as well as spritual progress. That's why it's always a good idea to do word studies, and find out how the same word is used in different places to get a more firm grasp on the application of terminology.

This scripture is often used as well by the prosperity teachers of our day:

III John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Here again, we have a wonderful passage of scripture that deals with the word prosper, but notice that the primary concern that John has is that our soul will prosper, and the other two will follow along as God wills. The prosperity of our soul has nothing to do with earthly riches, but the joy and peace that comes from being a part of the kingdom of God and a joint heir with Christ in eternity!

Prosperity teachers will almost always refer back to the patriarchs of the Old Testament as an example that God wants to bless His people with riches. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even Job (before his calamity and after of course) are all examples of men that God did prosper financially. The bible clearly states that these were indeed wealthy men and were blessed by God. But what about Moses, who the bible says chose the reproach of Christ, rather than the riches of Egypt (Hebrews 11:24-26)? And what about Elijah and Elisha, who apparently had meager income and associated with poor widow women? The apostle Paul made this statement in Philippians:

Philippians 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus

Paul felt blessed to receive an offering from the church at Phillipi. And notice he says that God shall supply all your need (notice the word need is singular and that it doesn't say "greed"). Paul obviously didn't think that material wealth was a sign of God's blessing or favor in every instance. I seriously doubt that he was very concerned with earthly riches just from listening to his own testimony:

Acts 20:33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 20:34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

And what about Peter and John? :

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk

Worst of all these ideas, is the portrayal of Jesus as living a rich lifestyle when He walked the earth. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let's look at some biblical truths that will show us the type of luxury that He enjoyed on this earth. :

Matthew 8:20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head

II Corinthians 8:9For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich

I mentioned earlier, that this idea that monetary wealth is always a sign of God's favor is not a new concept. Even Job's friends thought this was a spiritual truth. Let's take a look at some of the ideas that his "friends" (I use that term firmly tongue-in-cheek) explained to him. (special note-this should underscore the fact that we should always look at who is doing the talking in the scriptures and the context. Although the words of Job's friends are recorded in scripture, they are in error, and should not be used to teach prosperity doctrine. Ok-now that I've said that, let's look at what Job's "friends" had to say).:

Job 8:5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase

Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. 22:22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. 22:23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. 22:24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. 22:25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. 22:26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 22:27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. 22:28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways

Does this seem eerily similar to what you hear from the tele-pulpits today? Just serve God, and the money will come in like a flood. Just "decree" a thing and it will be established unto you- "claim your new car, more money, etc."

Job's friends thought that his poverty and sickness were a result of his sin, and that if he would only start living right (in today's vernacular "if only he had more faith, this never would have happened") the sickness would immediately vanish, and riches would come immediately. Now we know that God did bless Job in the latter end, according to His own Sovereign purposes. But the point I'm making here, is that before any of this tragedy befell Job, we have a biblical record of his standing with God. Some falsely charge that Job "had no faith" or that he was "operating in fear" and caused this calamity to come upon him. But scripture makes it very plain that Job was not an ungodly, faithless person.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

I think I'll choose to believe God rather than the ignorant musings of those who twist the word of God for their own purposes.

This idea that wealth was a symbol of God's blessing was apparently alive and well during the time when Jesus walked the earth. We can reasonably surmise this because of the disciples' response to Jesus in this passage. Pay close attention to the disciples' response:

Luke 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 18:26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

They were shocked, because no doubt the religious order of the day (i.e. Pharisees) held the opinion that money equals favor with God. I think the passage below will bear this out:

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Let's take a look at two churches in the book of Revelation. I think this will give us an absolute clear biblical example of how Jesus feels about focusing on earthly riches..

Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan

And to the church of Laodicea :

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

This really cuts to the heart of the matter. Smyrna was a poor church by monetary standards, and yet Jesus called them rich! The Laodiceans however, were monetarily wealthy apparently, but Jesus called them poor! Oh that our churches would be rich in faith, hope, and love!

Jesus himself said "For ye have the poor with you always." (Mark 14:7) and it begs the question of this Old testament scripture as well.

Leviticus 12:8 And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

Luke 2:22And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 2:23(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 2:24And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons

Why did the Lord make provision for the poor, if that was a sign of His displeasure upon them?

God makes very serious warnings for those who would try to make merchandise of His people! :

II Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not

Warnings against covetousness and living for earthly riches

The scriptures are very clear that we are not to be obsessed with obtaining monetary wealth. God does not want money to be the focus of our Christian experience. Even in the model prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, He instructed them to pray for their "daily" bread-not for an abundance of wealth.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee

Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience

I didn't attempt to come at this article from every angle, just due to time constraints and such, but I believe that we have enough biblical evidence to denounce those who would preach a message totally contrary to the word of God. My prayer is that those who are teaching this in ignorance would be shown the light, and repent and recant of this heretical belief system. And also that those who are being led astray by these false teachers will escape while they still can! There have been many casualties as a result of this doctrine. I can see how the weak could easily be deceived by this, and the moment that biblical trials and tests come their way, they could fall away. No doubt that would include this group that Jesus made reference to in Mark 4 :

Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended

The bible is very clear that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Jesus said "in this world, ye shall have trouble." Adversity or financial misfortune is not necessarily a sign of the judgement of God. Now in His Sovereign purposes, he may allow a believer to be chastised because of disobedience and this may include trials with health and finances. But we should never assume that a person who is living and striving to walk uprightly before God is in sin or unbelief just because they suffer. Suffering is a part of the Christian life. Paul said "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings." The apostle Peter tells us we are called to suffer (I Peter 2:21-25).

I will leave you once again with these powerful words from Paul to Timothy by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is now up to you to decide what you will do with the prosperity message :

I Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 6:7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.



God bless you as you study His word!