What Salvation Isn’t (A warning against the prosperity gospel)
What’s The Issue?
As you can tell from the title, the final post of this month comes as a warning to what our culture has idolized. There is no doubt that some people don’t know what the true path to salvation is because the prosperity gospel is all they’ve ever heard. Some people actually believe that what they should experience here on earth should be a spitting image of what is to come in heaven. The prosperity gospel has swept its way through this country and has attacked more than just Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When you attack and change the message of the gospel, you attack and change the message of the Bible as a whole. As John Piper so plainly says, “Why do I abominate this so-called gospel? I think it is another gospel.” If the wrong message is being spread around the world about how to be saved and achieve salvation, this is 100% going to impact your soteriology. How you view life here on earth and certainly how you view life in heaven, will be changed dramatically. So what views has this false narrative given us? What are the aspects of this so-called ‘gospel’ that have changed the minds of many Americans on the idea of salvation? Let’s dive in.
Health
For starters, one of the first things the prosperity gospel teaches is that prosperity in all facets of life is available to you right now. The main two areas that this teaching loves to focus on are health and wealth. And as we will see, the wrong teachings about the gospel in these two areas can lead to one big mess down the road. With health being a big topic of the prosperity gospel, pain and sickness are not viewed as natural occurrences in this fallen world, but rather as a punishment for sinners here on earth. I think you can start to see why this would affect one's view of salvation. If it were true that sickness only comes to a person as a way of God punishing someone, there are probably a lot of people who are afraid to go to heaven one day. Think of all the hospitals and rehab centers that are filled with people who have permanent illnesses and issues. If they believe this gospel for a second, they must really think that God is against them, no matter what they do. Now obviously this is a ridiculous claim, however, it is heartbreaking to see the amount of people who have actually believed that before or still do. Contrary to what the prosperity gospel teaches about pain and suffering, the Bible teaches that this aspect of life is unavoidable, and in some cases, good.
Look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,” Reminder, Paul wrote a vast majority of his letters from a prison cell. And not only does Paul say suffering isn’t bad, he says it can produce for us ‘an eternal weight of glory’. Still don’t believe me? Look at what Jesus Himself says in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus tells us that in this world, we will have tribulation. If you want to argue that somewhere in the gospels we are taught differently, I’ll just let you and Jesus sort that one out. Make no mistake about it friends, God is not awaiting you in an angry state in heaven because of how much pain and suffering He has brought to you on this earth. Pain and suffering is a part of following Christ. The goal is not to avoid this suffering, but rather to honor and glorify God in the midst of this suffering.
Wealth
Furthermore, another way the prosperity gospel ruins our view of salvation is by its teaching on money. We discussed earlier how health and wealth are the two main areas that this movement focuses on, and the wealth side of things is what I wanted to save for last here. I know you may be thinking to yourself right now, ‘What in the world does money have to do with salvation?’ The answer to this is quite a bit. As you can imagine, just as the prosperity gospel teaches that sickness and pain shouldn’t be a part of a Christian’s life, they also believe that neither is being poor. If you want money and don’t have it, it’s clearly because you are not in right standing with God. Again, not only does this make us believe that an angry God awaits us in heaven, but it teaches us the exact opposite of what God has truly taught us in His Word. Jesus says in Matthew 19:24 “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” The love of money is not just another sin, but it is quite literally a sin that Jesus warns about regarding salvation. Do you love money? Then look out, because that love will take God away from your priorities and put Him on the backburner. Yes, money is a necessity to live in most countries, but don’t make that necessity an idol. You certainly don’t need money more than you need God. No matter how you view the prosperity gospel, it will not only lead you away from the truth, but it will alter your view of salvation in a mighty way. As John Piper also says, “The prosperity gospel teaches that we will have prosperity now and prosperity later. The Bible teaches suffering now and prosperity later.” This is the true view of the gospel concerning health and wealth. You may not always be wealthy and you definitely won’t always be in top physical condition. But you will always have the hope of salvation if you believe the true gospel. Yes, health and wealth are two of the biggest human desires on this side of heaven, but don’t let this false gospel paint a false heaven for you as well. God sees your suffering, and just like Christ told us in the gospel of John, we have no reason to fret over our hardship, because He has overcome the world.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] Piper, J. (2024, April 29). Why I abominate the Prosperity Gospel. Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-i-abominate-the-prosperity-gospel--2
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