Renewed Daily

Why the Prosperity Gospel is No Gospel At All

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right. – Psalm 84:11

Can I be real with you here for just a moment? The so-called “Prosperity Gospel”, otherwise known as “Health and Wealth Doctrine”, is on my last nerve. I’ve stood silent as long as the Spirit will allow. It’s time to bring things into the light. See the truth is that the “Prosperity Gospel” is no gospel at all.

Gospel means ‘good news’ and what this sect is teaching is anything but. What they are teaching is being used to beat people up. It causes people to turn from God, to feel that God has turned from them. It’s losing souls and as their numbers grow, they become bolder and louder about spreading this filth and lies. Enough. I’ve had enough.

The only way I know to combat what is being taught in error is to let the scriptures speak for themselves. The scripture I used to open this post is one that the PG people really love.

The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right.

Well, gee that sounds good, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want a piece of that??

The problem lies in the fact that the worldly definition of “good” is opposite of what scripture tells us to focus on. Opposite of what we’re promised or should be chasing after. Let me show you what I mean.

The world (and the Health and Wealth Doctrine) teach that what we can expect is:

Health. Supposedly, if you ask and believe and are living uprightly, you will be freed from every shackle of sickness. It follows that chronic illness is allowed or even caused by the sick individual.

But here is what God says about it:

Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often. – 1 Timothy 5:23

So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said,“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Or perhaps Paul and Timothy were wayward or faithless?

Wealth. According to this false doctrine, God wants us to have abounding worldly riches and never have need of money. We should each have 3 new cars and at least 2 mansions, and the more earthly treasures we have, the more proof of God’s love for us.

But here is what God says about it:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:19-20

The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. – James 1:11

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? – James 2:1-4

Or perhaps it was our Jesus who misunderstood?

Power. It is taught within these doctrines that power = God’s favor. You can tell how great of a Christian one is by how much power he holds. How much respect he commands. How many followers she has.

Photo by PRINCESS THEATER – Raising the Curtain

But here is what God says about it:

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked,“Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. – John 13:12-17

“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” – Matthew 20:16

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Or maybe we’ve forgotten that the Christ was despised and rejected?

Fame. It goes hand in hand with all of the above that the followers of these lies believe that fame is a “good” gift from God. The holier their lives, the more fame is due them.

Photo by Todd Huffman

But here is what God says about it:

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:2-3

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. – 1 Peter 2:4

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” – John 15:18-20

Oh, I’m sorry, did you think those things applied only to the Son of God and His 12 disciples?

The bottom line: Know your Scripture. Know the character of our Great God. Don’t let others twist the truth around in your mind until what you cling to is actually a lie from the enemy.

The true gospel is Good News, indeed.

Heavenly Lord, Help us to cling only and always to You. Protect us from these sneaky lies and half-truths that cause us to doubt our faith and Your favor. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…

May God Bless You,

Shelly