Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dr. David M. Berman

We have all seen the “Prosperity Preachers” on T.V. They often have elaborate successful looking churches or studios. They always wear really nice clothes, and clearly there is an allure in what they say to those that do not have spiritual discernment. Is it any wonder that a world which has turned its back on the truth of the Bible would be attracted to the “get rich, all is well, name it and claim it gospel?” As I always say when speaking about this topic; “There is always an element of truth contained in deception.” Let us look at this con:

1. “God wants you to be rich financially always.”

This is the big lure since the Bible teaches us that love of money is the root of all evil.

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Their idea is this; God owns everything. Since Christians are His redeemed children, Jesus made a way for us to prosper. We now have the right to sow and reap to the point of gaining prosperity being defined as loads of money. There is an element of truth to this. There is no doubt that the Bible teaches the principle of sowing and reaping in the following verse;

2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

We see from this the principle is valid however what the prosperity preachers do is focus on this passage in order to get people to “sow a seed” into their ministry. I never hear these preachers speak of sowing seed into the local church or another ministry. It is always their ministry and then some of them begin to get really loopy while speaking what they say is a specific “prophetic word” that goes something like this;

“The Lord had said for me to tell you to sow a seed into this ministry of $53.00 because of Isaiah 53…but God has said if you want a double blessing send $530.00 oh….but if your faith is really moving today you can send for a triple anointing prosperity blessing of $5300.00…release your faith with this seed and receive all God has for you.”

This is the typical thing you hear from these preachers and their focus is constantly on “blessings.” They teach that God is at your beck and call and all you have to do is claim something by faith and sow and God will give it to you. This leaves no room for God to decide who should have what when. It places God in an obligatory relationship with His people that leaves no room for God to say no. It is a theology that is out of context and balance. They often use the following verses;

Matthew 18:19 “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

They take these verses totally out of context because they do not have proper Hermeneutic skills.  Mathew 18:19 is in the context of church leader authority in church discipline matters. John 14:13 clearly teaches that what we ask must be in keeping with the “Father being glorified in the Son.” This is the key. If what we “name and claim” is not in keeping with what God decides will glorify Him, he can and will say no. Furthermore we look at the another passage to gain more understanding;

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

We see here that if we ask anything “according to His will” he hears us. According to His will is the key. We certainly may ask God however it is human arrogance to think that we always know His will in every situation.

2. God has given us the ability to always walk in divine health with no room for sickness if you have faith.

Again the Bible is clear that we may pray for the sick and that God heals. By the grace of God we can come to Him in prayer;

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Here we see we can boldly approach God and petition Him for our needs. If a person prays and wants to stand on their prayer for healing, that’s great and I would stand with them. Having said that, here is when these prosperity preachers get whacky. I have heard some say; “if you have a headache do not confess it because that is a negative confession and shows a lack of faith. So if you have a headache and someone asks you if you have it tell them no.” That of course would be lying and it is clear that God is not in favor of lying. It in no way is a lack of faith to tell the truth but their twisted theology tells them it is.

These “purveyors of truth” completely neglect the Bible passages that speak of infirmities like the following;

1 Timothy 5:23 “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.”

Here the Apostle Paul advises Timothy to mix some wine with water for a medicine due to Timothy’s struggle with stomach problems. Why did Paul not just pray for him, and why would Paul mention Timothy’s sickness if that was a “negative confession”? It is simple. We live in a fallen world and bad things happen. I have to confess that I sort of find it strange when a prosperity preacher speaks about this topic while wearing eye glasses. It would seem that he is not really believing what he says in that those eye glasses are an admission of his eye problem and quite a “negative confession.”

3. Spirituality is defined by how many things you have, how much money there is in the bank, and if you are as Osteen says living “your best life now.”

This is what the Word of God says about life;

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

If we were not going to have difficulties God would not have to comfort us in all our tribulation. Look at what he says in Romans 8:35 (above).  We shall not be separated from the love of Christ by “famine, nakedness, peril, or sword.” That means these things will challenge us. We may go through them in this life. It is not a lack of faith that we may go through these things. It is that we live as strangers in this earth. We belong to God and yet we live here in this fallen world.

Let me say this clearly. I believe in the principle of sowing and reaping. I believe in the principle of praying for the sick, and I have seen people healed. I also believe that there in nothing wrong with having large sums of money if one attains it by honest means. Money is not evil, it is the ”love of money” that is the “root of all evil.” If God blesses you that is great, I hope you use it for the furtherance of the gospel as well as taking care of your family. But let us always remember that the gospel is not a message about prosperity at its root. The gospel is the message of salvation in Christ alone by grace through faith and repentance. The next time you hear some gimmick being spewed out by a preacher to get money….go read your Bible. Tithe to your local church, give offerings to others in ministry, feed the poor with alms, but please do not get caught up in the “prosperity gospel,” since it is out of balance at best and heretical at worst.