WHAT IS THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL? Part 1
This version of the gospel is not biblical. Sure, they appear to adhere to the main doctrinal truths It’s attractive because it highlights those things that all people want; money, good health, and whatever their little heart desires. What about God’s will? Scripture tells us we cannot serve both God and money.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]. (Matthew 6:24 Amplified Bible)
Many years ago I heard about the Prosperity Gospel. Kenneth Hagen & Kenneth Copeland were preaching this belief system back in the ‘70s & ‘80s. It didn’t sound right to me then and I still cannot sign off on it as being biblical. It was affectionately referred to by opponents to it as the “Blab it - Grab it” teaching. If you wanted a brand new Jaguar in your driveway then simply ask for it, believing and expect to see it in your driveway the following morning. If it wasn’t there you didn’t have enough faith to believe it would come to pass. How convenient. That came from Kenneth Copeland. If you had cancer and didn’t get healed you simply didn’t have enough faith. THAT is ridiculous. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20 Amplified Bible) A mustard seed was the smallest seed in Bible times, so tell me again how much faith we need to accomplish GOD’S WILL?
Now I am not one who believes that Christians should be dirt poor, but neither should they be seeking wealth above all else. My two questions regarding wealth is: How did you get it & what do you do with it? Our focus is to be on Christ, His teachings and living a holy, humble life with the cross as our symbol of a life forgiven; of death & rebirth. To say that by Christ’s death we will NEVER be sick again if we have the faith to believe is rubbish. Nobody WANTS to be sick or have a terminal disease, but we live in a fallen world. Our mission according to Jesus is to spread the message of the cross far and wide, not spend our time seeking perfect health and riches. To say we don’t have enough faith to be healed is not true. If so, why was Paul stricken with a “thorn in his side”, which could have been any number of things. Did HE not have enough faith? Or Timothy, who obviously had stomach issues, to which Paul said to drink a little wine for his stomach. Are those great men of God lacking in faith?
Tomorrow we’ll break this erroneous teaching down a bit more. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
RL Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/field-guide-on-false-teaching-prosperity-gospel
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