What do you believe regarding the “Prosperity Gospel”?

My understanding of that term is that it refers to teachings which imply that if you follow Jesus, He will make you healthy and wealthy. It is often used to attract people to make a decision to follow Jesus so that they can spend the rest of their lives in health and prosperity.



I believe this is a dangerous teaching for several reasons. First and foremost (in my opinion) is that it contradicts the teachings and example of Christ and the apostles. Jesus taught His disciples “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). It was not a call to come and prosper but rather the opposite- a call to come and suffer. The New Testament is full of passages explaining the suffering that comes with a decision to follow Christ. I once gave a sermon where I went through every book of the New Testament and showed how suffering was in every book but one. Jesus was clear that following Him meant forsaking things of this earth to find a treasure far greater (Luke 9:58, Matthew 19:21, Matthew 13:44-46). This was exemplified by the martyred apostles who spent their lives joyfully suffering. Paul speaks about this when he compares his lifestyle of suffering in comparison to false teachers living in luxury (1 Corinthians 4:8-13, 2 Corinthians 4, 11). It is dangerous because it is not the gospel.





Jesus is the greatest prize. He is the bread of life. In John 6, as people were coming to Him looking for another miraculous meal, He refused to give it to them. Instead, He asked them if they wanted Him alone. He refused to be their genie, granting every wish they might have. Jesus let great numbers of people walk away in that moment because they wanted Jesus only if He would provide for them materially (prosperity gospel). He was then left with the disciples who treasured Him regardless of if they were homeless and poor because of it. For the Christian, Jesus is the focus of our affections and aspirations. The prosperity gospel distorts this by putting the focus on what Jesus can do for you rather than the beauty and value of who He is. This results in many people coming to Jesus (or so they think), not because they have fallen in love with Him, hate their sin, and would die for Him, but because they believe He will give them the desires of their heart in health, wealth, and prosperity. This is not Christianity, and if this is the motivation of people “coming to Jesus”, they are not truly Christian.



Another reason this teaching is dangerous is that it gives false hope to listeners that can result in confusion and discouragement. Prosperity preachers often promise greater wealth if their listeners will give more to their ministries. This is never promised in Scriptures. We can never hold God to something that He has not promised. In many impoverished nations, this has resulted in listeners giving their resources without anyone becoming rich besides the preacher. This can lead them into questioning the faithfulness of God. People need to be warned against this kind of teaching so that their faith is not damaged.



The New Testament does not teach that everyone should expect riches on earth. Instead, it teaches that we shouldn’t really care about earthly possessions. We have been given something far greater, so we can be content with basic necessities (1 Timothy 6:8). Jesus taught his disciples to pray “give us this day our daily bread”. We are promised provision, but not riches on earth (Matthew 6:31-33). If we are given more, it just means that we’ve been entrusted to use those resources for His Kingdom (2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Luke 16:1-15). Beware of teachers who spend a lot of time talking about becoming wealthy (1 Timothy 6:10).



God is supremely valuable. In an age of exaggeration, there are no words left to describe His worth. Any teaching that places focus on earthly riches gives a diminished picture of His glory.

There is much more I could write, but I think you get the gist.