It is a very common thing within the church nowadays to hear a preacher making references to supposed promises in the Bible that promise believers to have financial and economic prosperity. Statements like, “God doesn’t want us to live in poverty” and “God promises to bless you economically if you honor Him” and so on, give the impression that Christians should believe for and seek material, financial, economic prosperity on this earth. Frequently the impression is given which ultimately makes people think, “God wants me to have more money”. And so believers start praying and asking God for more financial prosperity and even begin to seek after increasing their economic status in this world. –But does God really promise to give all Christians in the New Testament financial and economic abundance and prosperity? Does the Lord really want us to not be satisfied if we are living in poverty (if that is our appointed lot) and to seek after increasing our material substance?
The Scriptures are very clear about the subject of financial prosperity in the New Covenant. In fact, the Lord Jesus talked about money more than He specifically talked about Heaven and Hell combined –so there’s absolutely no excuse for ignorance on this subject. We have simply to look at what the Word of God teaches. But before we do this, let us first understand that God doesn’t always work the way we work. His thoughts are as high above our thoughts as the heavens are above the earth (Isa. 55:9). So God may operate in ways that we don’t quite understand with our natural minds, and He may do things that are contrary to what we have thought or understood about Him.
Many times we hold to traditions, mindsets, or beliefs that aren’t Scriptural, and when we do, there comes a time when God is faithful to confront us with truth and bring us correction. Whether we are obedient to the Lord or not, and whether we will continue to walk with God or not, is largely determined on how we respond to the correction He gives us. It is important to realize that He doesn’t correct us because He wants to rub our errors in our own faces, but because He loves us and wants us to walk in truth. When we are confronted with the Word of God and it teaches us that we were in error on some point, then we need to humble ourselves, repent where necessary, and correct our views.
Now, with that being said, chances are that some of the things you are about to read may not be what you have been taught or believed. So the question is: what are you going to do with the truths that you are about to be presented? Will you diligently search the Word of God and pray for understanding from above and seek the Lord in humility until it becomes clear? Or will you just reject and ignore everything you’re about to read and continue to hold to unscriptural doctrine and practices? I urge you in the name of Jesus Christ to receive with meekness the blessed Word of truth and to take your stand with God’s Word rather than with the preachers on TV, your own traditions or mindsets, or even your own church.
Before we continue, it is important for every one who is going to continue reading this lesson to get their Bible and to have it close at hand. There will be frequent statements in this lesson that are paraphrasing or relating to some particular passage of Scripture, and the Scripture reference is given in parenthesis after the statement. It is important that whenever you run across a statement with a Scripture reference after it, that you look it up in your Bible and read it for yourself. This will take some discipline and much more time to finish reading this lesson if you look up all the Scripture references, but it will be much more rewarding and will allow you to get the full benefit from this teaching. In fact, if you don’t have your Bible by your side right now, go get it, and don’t continue reading unless you have it and are ready to look up every Scripture reference.
So let us now proceed to answer the initial questions we asked about financial prosperity, namely: Is it promised to every Christian? Does God want us to live in material abundance? Does the Lord promise to increase our economic status if we serve Him? Let us not speculate or reason, but rather, to see what the Word of God says.
FINANCIAL PROSPERITY NOT SIN IN ITSELF
First of all, let us make it absolutely clear: It’s not a sin to have a large income and be financially prosperous in this world. There were saints whose lives are recorded for us in the Bible who were financially prosperous and who the Lord delighted in, and the Lord was even the cause of their financial prosperity. Their hearts didn’t depart from the Lord on behalf of their prosperity, but rather, they used it generously to glorify His name, to demonstrate His love and to serve His purposes. Let us never make the mistake of thinking that because someone has a large income that they are in sin. It is easy to judge such people and be wrong because even though we may know that they receive a lot of money, we don’t always know what they are doing with all that money, unless of course we see that they are using it to live in luxury and self-indulgence on the earth.
HOARDING TREASURE FOR SELFISH INDULGENCE IS SINFUL
So while the Scripture doesn’t condemn a large income in itself, it does emphatically condemn selfish spending, selfish accumulation, and hoarding up earthly luxuries and treasures for ourselves; as Jesus said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mat 6:19-21).
Jesus commanded us not to store up “treasures” on earth, because if we do, it proves that our hearts are not with Him in Heaven. Storing up earthly “treasures” proves that our affection is on things of the earth and not with the things of God in Heaven. It proves that we are so worldly-minded that we’re of no Heavenly good. The Scripture commands us to set our affections on the things above, not on things of the earth (Col. 3:2). If we are laying up financial abundance for ourselves on earth for the purpose of enjoying ourselves in this world then we are in disobedience. Even if we say, “Well, I know that I have much material abundance laid up on earth, but my heart is really with Jesus in Heaven”, it doesn’t matter because Jesus said that our heart will always be wherever our treasure is. If you have such treasure on earth, it proves that your heart and affection is on earth and not in Heaven, and that you love the things of this world more than you love God. If you didn’t, you would love Jesus enough to obey Him (Joh. 14:15) and you would get rid of your earthly treasures for the Gospel’s sake and store up treasure in Heaven just as He commanded (Luk. 12:33), thus proving that your affection is in Heaven (Luk. 12:34). If you refuse to get rid of your abundant earthly treasures and abundant non-essential luxuries, it proves that you love them more than you love heavenly and eternal things, because Jesus said that you couldn’t have both.
The Lord goes on to describe these “treasures”, they are things that the moth eats away (such as the extra and abundant clothes in the back of the closet that are rarely used), things that rust corrupts (such as metals, jewelry, and fancy cars), and things that thieves break in and steal (such as things of great value). Do thieves break in and steal toilet paper, food, your clothes, and other necessities? –Not usually. What they look for is treasures, for things of extraordinary value. So Jesus forbids us to store up luxurious abundance on earth for the purpose of self-gratification.
Yet, this is EXACTLY what these prosperity preachers on TV and all over the world are doing. They are living extravagant lives, living in luxury, self-indulgence, buying the most expensive hotel suites, driving in the most expensive luxury cars, living in the most lavish multi-million dollar homes, feasting on most expensive dinners as a lifestyle. They are in clear disobedience to the Lord Jesus and are living in the practice of sin as they play the harlot and commit spiritual adultery on God by being friends of the world: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jam. 4:4). There is no middle ground and no room for compromise in the Kingdom of God –they either love God and hate the fleshly appeals of this world, or else they hate God in their hearts (despite what they say with their lips) and love the things that this world has to offer. Their actions prove where their hearts are, for “ye shall know them by their fruits” (Mat. 7:16).
Furthermore, these famous prosperity preachers are RICH by ANYONE’S standards. Who would dare say that they aren’t rich when they live such lifestyles? Now hear what the Lord Jesus said: “But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.”(Luk 6:24-26). Far from pronouncing them blessed and favored by God, the Lord Jesus pronounces woes and sorrows upon them! He tells them that they have already received their consolation, which means ‘reward’. They have no reward waiting in the Kingdom of God for them, because they have lived in luxury on the earth and have decided to receive their reward here on earth. As James describes: “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.” (Jam 5:5 NIV). James was talking to the rich in this world who live in selfish luxury. In contrast, he says in the same epistle: “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (Jam 2:5). James, just like Jesus, clearly rebukes the rich who live in abundance, luxury and self-indulgence while he pronounces blessing on the poor and oppressed.
Continued here:
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