Biblical Study
Prosperity Theology
February 28, 2013
1. Experiences
Unfortunately, the cultural
definition of Prosperity Theology
easily results in Poverty Theology.
Poverty Theology results from the causative effects of dwelling on God’s
physical gifts while missing the infinite value of the spiritual gift of the
Christian’s eternal relationship with the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
Authentic Prosperity
Theology/Gospel consists of:
The
infinite value of the Christian’s eternal relationship with the triune God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness
of sins of all who believe in Him, enable this relationship (John 3).
Moreover, the Bible defines
Wisdom, and Understanding as greater than silver and gold (Prov 3:14, 8:11,
16:16). By defining the Prosperity Theology or “Health, Wealth Gospel” as
attaining secular wealth, good health and a physically blessed life, we
completely devalue true prosperity of Christian Theology, the Gospel.
The fruit of the Gospel’s eternal
relationship prosperity provides peace beyond human comprehension in the midst
of financial, emotional, physical and health ruin—including the loss of loved
ones. Including those having little money to live on for ten days before any
income is scheduled, or when they have no idea how they are going to pay rent
or buy food for the next month. This peace from the eternal relationship
remains amongst life’s biggest celebrations. Any amount of money does not and
cannot attain this peace, only the prosperity of the Gospel. NO! I don’t believe God promises or
guarantees health, wealth, or secular success.
I do believe that every Christian
has the right to ask of anything in Jesus’s name. The eternal relationship
enables the requester to seek and desire God’s desires for them above their own
desires. Thus, the believer in communicative, prayerful relationship with Jesus
Christ and the Holy Spirit desires only that which God desires for them or
whomever they pray for, despite secular logic.
Tuesday 28 November 2006, I stood
by my dad’s hospital bed praying, begging God to heal him. Dad awakened for the
first time all day, “No!” Three days later, he gained eternal healing as he
physically died on Friday 1 December 2006. God’s wisdom surpasses Rick’s wisdom.
His wisdom offers the true Prosperity of
the Gospel.
My exposure to those seeking the
culturally defined Prosperity Gospel, remains limited to a few acquaintances.
In addition to errantly believing in rights or guarantees of success, they
attempt to judge the spirituality of others based on their health, wealth, and
secular success.
My spiritually mature friends
view their eternal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as the
greatest success, wealth and spiritual health possible. They, like me, view
these as gifts rather than guarantees. The spiritually mature strive to live
congruently with God’s will for our lives, encompassing being always joyful,
praying and giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16-18), money cannot
buy these attributes or truthfulness.
These result in our enjoying a
bounce to our step, sparkle in our eyes, glowing faces, uplifting conversations
and desiring for the success of others as much as we desire success for
ourselves, and our family—regardless of life’s storms. This results in our
attractiveness to those with whom we interact.
These spirit-filled
characteristics increase anyone’s likelihood of success, health and
wealth—absent any rights or guarantees. I have had the gift of excellent health
because of my faith induced positive attitude and constant praying for healing
and good health. This lacks being a guarantee, rather a gift to use in
glorifying God.
2. Liberation Theology vs. Prosperity Theology
Both Liberation Theology and
Prosperity Theology contain validity within the context that God desires for us
to seek Him above all else (Mt 6:33) and love Him with all of our heart mind
and soul, while loving others as much as we love ourselves (Mt 22:37-40).
Romans
9 explains that God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. We should seek
to serve and love Christ with all of our heart, soul, and mind, love others as
much as we love ourselves, use our spiritual gift to the best of our ability
and accept whatever He provides—both rewards and challenges.
Submitting to
Christ and the Holy Spirit, striving to love God with all of one’s heart, mind,
soul, and loving others as much as we love ourselves (Mt 22:37-39), frees
concern of one’s economic or physical status. God has, does and will provide
His people with different types of contrasting situations regarding money,
property, health. However, when from God—all are blessings.
3. What is the Theology of Prosperity
The danger
resides in believing in always, rights and guarantees, instead of submission.
Spiritual Authority—Christians
can claim anything they want “in the Name of Jesus” and receive it, if they
have enough faith and belief. Effectively, this group believes God to be their
puppet.
Cure and Prosperity—We
are always cured and always receive prosperity based on our
faith and proper method of asking.
Positive Confession—Name
it and claim it. The danger resides in failing to recognize that God’s wisdom
exceeds man.
Regarding Prosperity
Theology (2Co 8:9):
From the
prospective of the Prosperity Gospel extremes, they believe that since Jesus
apparently became economically poor for us then we have an inherent right to
economic wealth. However, Jesus does have the resources to feed 9,000 men plus
women and children (9,000 x 2.5 (estimated factor to include women and
children) = 22,500 people x $5.00 per meal = $112,500 for a couple of meals in
2013 dollars), in addition to medical services for healing blindness, bleeding,
and bringing the dead back to life.
Jesus made no
monetary purchase, yet wealth resides in access to resources as opposed to
money alone. Rather he humbled himself in becoming man so that we may be rich
with an eternal relationship with Him, God the Father and the Holy Spirit who
will supply all our needs.
4. Normative Teaching in the Epistles
1
Timothy 6:7-10, 17-19
Viewing and / or teaching
godliness as a Cash Cow derives from
evil, while yielding the stirring up of evil—arrogant, foolishness, falsities,
“envy, strife, malicious talk, and evil suspicions.”
Real prosperity resides in
contentment (v. 6). The key to economic wealth rests in maintaining one’s hope
in God (v. 17-19), as opposed to one’s love and resulting hope in the wealth
instead of God. False hope, the love of money over the love of God, leads to
evil and carries the danger of departing from the Faith.
A retail agronomy
business in northeast Nebraska once fired Rick for being “too honest,” following
previous warnings to stop seeking Biblical truth in business instead of seeking
profit at any cost for the employer. Any monetary profit should always
originate from our serving God (Mt 6:33; 7:21) Succinctly stated: Wealth—any
amount—should be used / viewed as tools for serving God, instead of becoming a
god.
5. Faith Healing and NT Teaching
(James 5:14-16) Have
the elders of the church pray over the sick; anoint the sick with oil in the
name of Jesus (“the Lord”). Confession and forgiveness of sins precedes
healing. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
(Job 2:4-10; Hab 3:17-19; 2Co 12:7-9) God sometimes allows us to
suffer physically and financially, to test us and to keep us humble before Him;
we are to accept this as joyfully as we do the good. His grace is sufficient
for us.
6. How Then Should We Pray?
Three Principles that Guide us in
Prayer:
Exaltation—Praising God for whom
He is, the Holy Creator of All, Savior and Lord of the Universe.
Provision—Asking and Trusting that
He will provide everything we need when we need it, in the amount we need to
achieve His will for our lives.
Forgiveness—Acknowledging our need
for forgiveness (Rom 3:23), and that salvation is found in Christ alone (Jn
3:16). We repent, turning to Him.
7. What Can We Learn?
What happens when God
does not gives us prosperity?
We are to stay faithful, prayerful, thankful and
joyful (1 Thess 5:16-18). Lack of Faith? Is He not pleased with us? Is
the Bible false? Wisdom mandates making
evaluations to assure our proper heart, effort, approach, etc. This is done in
prayer, Word, proper associations, and consulting with one’s spiritual mentor
and/or pastor.
In a Paragraph, summarize what
we can learn and what we should avoid from the Theology of Prosperity.
God’s owes us nothing. Yet, He
loves us and strongly desires intimate, communicable relationship. He does not
make arbitrary promises of everyone having a blank check to dictate to Him.
However, we should believe that God will provide His desires for our hearts—not
vice versa—we have to open our hearts to receive these.
Jesus told the blind
men in Mt 9:27-37 that they would be healed “according to your faith”. We are
to ask in reverence and submission, recognizing all as undeserved gifts. The
Bible commands us to humble ourselves
before the Lord, and He will lift us up (James 4:10). Humility lacks
dictating to God or demanding unfounded guarantees, rather trusting in God’s
wisdom and provision.
See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve God’s will with
Christ!
Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
An excerpt of a paper presented to Dr. J. Scott Horrell,
Dallas Theological Seminary, in partial fulfillment for ST104A Soteriology.
