3 Reasons I Abhor the Prosperity “Gospel”

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Why The Prosperity “Gospel” Is Destructive And Misleading

“You were destined for greatness!” “You have potential inside you, learn how to stir it!” “Give more and you’ll get more!” These are all statements you will hear from a prosperity preacher. Here’s at least three reasons I abhor their “gospel”:

1. The Prosperity “Gospel” distracts people from the real, true, beautiful good news of all God has done for us and is for us in Jesus.

   The good news of the Gospel is that God has done everything in Christ to remove every obstacle in the way of your full and eternal enjoyment of God. As John Piper famously wrote, “God is the Gospel.” The Gospel is the good news that God gives us God. But the “Gospel” of Prosperity says you were created for greatness; the Gospel of Grace says you were created to behold greatness. Anything that distracts us from this is anathema (Gal. 1:8), whether brought by an angel or a mullet-bearing, smiling preacher.

2. The Prosperity “Gospel” confuses the effects of the Gospel for the substance of the Gospel.

   Or to say it another way, the Prosperity “Gospel” confuses what the Gospel brings for what the Gospel is. Health, wealth, and prosperity are certainly effects of the Gospel: Jesus purchased all of those things for those that believe. The question is not whether He did, but for when and where. The Prosperity “Gospel” says that Jesus bought your ability to be healthy and wealthy here and now, all you have to do is believe and give enough. But this misplaces Heaven… Jesus did indeed purchase your health and wealth, but not here and not now. There will be a day, when Jesus comes back to inaugurate the New Heavens and New Earth, that you will be infinitely healthy and infinitely wealthy. But for now, we are called to a life of simplicity (1 Thess. 4:11), a life of suffering (Rom. 8:17), and a life of meekness (Matt. 5:5). Don’t worry: One day you will inherit the universe.

3. The Prosperity “Gospel” utilizes Christianity to serve the American Dream.

   Try going to an underground church in China, or a family imprisoned for Christ in Syria, or a homeless man in Ecuador that God destined them to be successful and to just give you some “seed money” to prime God’s pump. If your gospel can’t be preached to every single human being on the face of the planet, it isn’t the Gospel…

Let us never forsake the infinitely worthy God and His infinitely worthy Son’s good news for the idol of our pocketbooks.