The phenomenon known as the Prosperity Gospel has received an incredible amount of contemporary attention. Its adherents are regularly called false teachers, and the movement associated with it is often dubbed as a false form of Christianity by well-respected Evangelical leaders.
Seeing that I’m in the midst of a ten-part sermon series on finances, I feel that it is important for me to address the questions, What is the prosperity gospel? And do I espouse it?
What is the Prosperity Gospel?
Before delving into this question we must first acknowledge that the answer is not as straight forward as it might seem. Which prosperity gospel are you speaking of? Are you speaking of Kenneth Copeland’s version of the prosperity gospel? Joel Osteen’s? Or the popular caricature of the prosperity gospel articulated by those who oppose it?
The popular caricature reads like the first line of the wikipedia article on Prosperity Theology (which was obviously written by a detractor). “Prosperity Theology,” it says, ” is a Christian religious doctrine that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will always increase one’s material wealth.”
That doesn’t sound so good, does it?
Do I espouse it?
Well . . . yes. And no. I mean, what I espouse is not a popular teaching. What I espouse is the biblical teaching on money. And no one who has any degree of honor for the word of God can read it and come out saying that there are no financial promises in it. I believe those promises to be true.
Now, of course, I would never say that I espouse the “Prosperity Gospel,” because I think it’s a misnomer. What does prosperity gospel mean? Does it mean that we are saved by the teaching about prosperity? Does it mean that being financially prosperous is the sign that you are saved? Does it mean that if you are not financially prosperous there is something wrong with your salvation? I think putting the word prosperity next to the word gospel is wrong . . . all wrong!
But do I think it’s God’s will for us to financially prosper? Of course! I believe that God’s word is the final arbiter of his will, and that his promises are the epicenter of his word. And so I believe that what God promises, God wills. And since God promises financial blessings to his people, I believe that financial blessing is the will of God for his people.
Further, I believe that God’s promises are connected to God’s commands, and this means that they are conditional. If we obey God’s commands, we will receive God’s promises; and conversely, if we disobey God’s commands, we will not receive God’s promises. And I believe that at the heart of God’s commands is the command to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, his Son. And I believe that through faith in Christ, all of God’s promises . . . every promise he made to his covenant people . . . are ours.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ . . . (2 Corinthians 1:20)
And so, yes, I believe that God’s financial blessing breaks out in our lives as we bring the tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in his house! (Malachi 3:10)
Do I believe in positive confession? Yes and no. Do I believe that the words of believers create reality? Well, to a certain degree. No I don’t believe in mindlessly sitting in a room and saying, Millions of dollars, come to me . . . I speak you into existence! That’s just pure foolishness!
But I do believe that our faith is tested in times of lack, and that we must believe without seeing in the realm of our finances just as in every other realm in which faith is involved. So there are times when we must say, “I know that I have what I need to do what God has called me to do,” and we must say it even when it looks as though we have nothing. We say it because we know that our God will supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
It’s not a prosperity gospel: the gospel will always be about eternal salvation, not about temporal prosperity. Yet, there are promises for the here and now that we would do well to stand on in the here and now. They don’t have anything to do with whether or not we are or will be saved. But they do effect our experience of life on the way.
What do you think?
