Ten Reasons the Prosperity Gospel is a Disaster

 

Suffering 18

 

          Several times in this series on suffering I have mentioned in a negative way the creed loosely known as the prosperity gospel. Today, I am going to punch it right in the nose. It is an appalling bastardization of the actual gospel, and a wretched belief system that throws out whole cloth the idea that God might be at work in our suffering.

The gospel, a word used ninety-eight times in the New Testament, is never preceded by any word of any sort referring to money or health as a modifier. The gospel is defined in I Corinthians 15 as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The word on its own simply means good news, and that is precisely what the gospel is.

The prosperity gospel, on the other hand, is an unscriptural sham which tells us that if we are right with God He will make us rich, healthy, happy, and successful. It is often found in the already doctrinally challenged environment of the charismatic and Pentecostal circles. It is an enormous and growing presence in the Third World because it promises American prosperity, essentially.

Now, here are ten reasons why it is an unmitigated doctrinal disaster.

First, the prosperity gospel makes our religion about us and not about God. If I understand my chronology correctly, the first sermon ever preached in a church service was given by Christ in Matthew 16. In that sermon our Saviour said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Christianity is an upward oriented religion; the prosperity gospel is a downward oriented excuse of a replacement.

Second, the prosperity gospel makes our religion about stuff rather than being about a relationship with God. Again and again in the Word of God we are warned against allowing materialism free reign in our hearts. Take, for example, Christ’s words in Luke 12.15. Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Yes, we live in a materialistic society. Our families are getting smaller while the square footage of our houses is getting larger. The prosperity gospel brings this cultural preoccupation or weakness into the church and calls it good – which is the precise opposite of what our Saviour said in the passage above.

Third, Jesus modeled the opposite of the prosperity gospel lifestyle. And 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. (Matthew 8.20) And His entire earthly career proved this out. He had to instruct Peter to catch a fish so He could pay taxes. He thought so little of money He let Judas Iscariot handle it. He left no will or estate. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. This was not carelessness; it was an utter preoccupation with the eternal instead of the temporal.

Fourth, the prosperity gospel depends on bad or absent hermeneutics. Paul instructed Timothy to study the scriptures carefully. (II Timothy 2.15) The single most important factor in this is the rule of context. Yet the prosperity gospel’s theological existence depends on taking passages out of context, both the immediate context and the wider subject context. At the same time, the prosperity gospel must ignore entire sections of Scripture such as I Peter, Job, and whole sections in Psalms. This is a crucial failing, for we are instructed to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Acts 20.27) Put another way round, the prosperity gospel butchers the Word of God, hacking it into mutilated pieces it then displays like gory trophies while calmly insisting the patient is whole and sound.

Fifth, the prosperity gospel takes our eyes off of Heaven. By definition, it focuses our hearts on the here and now, which plainly violates Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3.2. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.

The mature Christian has two great hopes or expectations: the Second Coming of Christ or glorification via the valley of the shadow of death. The prosperity gospel Christian has entirely different hopes or expectations: present prosperity, present health, or present success. Things that are different are not the same.

Sixth, the prosperity gospel is not borne out by scriptural example. Jesus was crucified. Stephen was stoned. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down. Andrew, Bartholomew, James, Matthew, Matthias, Phillip, Simon, and Thomas were all martyred. When Moses got his act together, he turned his back on a life of ease in Pharaoh’s pleasure palaces and embraced a life of affliction. (Hebrews 11.24-26) Paul leaves no doubt that prior to his martyrdom, he lived a life of sorrow, pain, struggle, and suffering. In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (II Corinthians 11.23-27) You can strain that with a cheesecloth and you will not find any prosperity in it anywhere.

Seventh, the prosperity gospel is not borne out by church history. Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s anyone? And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. (Hebrews 11.36-39) The prosperity gospel is either ignorant of church history or blind to it, one or the other.

Eighth, the prosperity gospel is not borne out by life experience. I grew up in a pastor’s home. I have attended nineteen years of formal education entirely in Christian environments. I have pastored now for a quarter century. I have known many, many sweet Christian people, people who have only known poverty, illness, trial, failure, and a complete lack of what the world would call success. And their distilled Christianity was all the sweeter for it. I emphatically reject that these precious children of God were not worthy to hold the theological hem of the fraudulent television hucksters of our era.

Ninth, the word faith foundation of the prosperity gospel turns prayer into magic done by a genie at your bidding. As such, it is not the right view of God. He is majesty personified, not my personal chef, and I dare not forget that. With God is terrible majesty. (Job 37.22) God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Psalm 89.7) Our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12.29)

In point of fact, there are numerous examples in Scripture of God refusing to accede to the saint’s requests. Again, Paul comes to mind here. He labels his affliction the messenger of Satan to buffet me yet God specifically tells him He will not remove it. It is better that Paul should suffer and remain humble. (II Corinthians 12.7-9) Speaking frankly, I feel that somewhat. It is my considered reason that the Lord has allowed me to struggle with Meniere’s Disease for the same reason. I need my pride afflicted, not magnified by my ability to banish all illness in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Tenth, the prosperity gospel ignores plain Bible teaching. The tear-soaked leaves of Holy Writ contain numerous calls for us to suffer. (Acts 9.16, Philippians 1.29, II Corinthians 12.10, I Peter 3.14, I Peter 4.16) Additionally, some of us are called to experience persecution (Matthew 5.10-12) and endure the hatred and scorn of heathen men. (Matthew 10.22)

No, beloved, no. The prosperity gospel will not do at all. It is nothing more than a perversion of the real gospel by false prophets. Do not be deceived by its glitz, glitter, and glam. Do not allow yourself to be mesmerized by its passionate preaching. See clearly the folly of your own heart’s deceitful desire for riches.

Be a Berean. Reject the prosperity gospel.