“Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” –Psalm 73:12.
We have
been finding that the “Prosperity Gospel,” sometimes also called the “Health
& Wealth” gospel, has made serious inroads into the professing Church of
Christ here in Africa. This amazes me, considering the vast testimony of God’s
Word overall, and especially in the New Testament. It is my intention here to
“pull the plug” on this destructive false teaching by letting the Bible speak
for itself. After all, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God
(Romans 10:17). Christianity is founded on the Bible, and all churches claim
that they are based on the Word, and follow it. And so it seems best to
reference this authority source of mutual agreement when confronting prosperity
teaching. False teachers count on their followers to accept their word on
scripture, and that these same followers won’t look into the Bible for
themselves.
But what is the Prosperity Gospel?
Basically, it teaches that God will make you rich. You will also stay safe,
healthy, and get along well with almost everyone else. God is like a genie, granting your wishes. A person usually qualifies for these
privileges by giving money to their teacher and his/her ministry. The more you
give, the more you get. Anyone can be accepted, and just going along with the
program seems to qualify people as “children of God.” If these followers of the
prosperity teachings aren’t gaining much benefit, the fault is placed on them,
not on the teachings.
The testimony of scripture against
prosperity teaching is ENORMOUS. What I have listed here is very extensive, but
there is much more to draw on. The Bible opposes the “prosperity” gospel through direct teachings, and
also by examples. What’s listed here should be more than enough to grab the
attention of those who sincerely desire the truth. There are 3 main areas of
emphasis I will look at, with a number of sub-areas which relate. The main areas are destiny, wealth, and
health.
Destiny: We have run into
this term numerous times. Upon entering one church I found a large banner above
the main platform which read, “BY REASON OF RAW POWER I WILL REDISCOVER MY
DESTINY.” This is
incredible! What does it mean? There is nothing about Jesus, sin, the cross, repentance, or salvation. Such a statement is all about
self, and a “name it, claim it” attitude with God. There is a thin use of Jeremiah 1:5 to claim that we all have a
“destiny” even before birth.
In my opinion, destiny teaching is a derivative
of the New Age Movement. The idea of
each person having a “destiny” in relation to God tends to imply that everyone
is already a child of God, and that He has a purpose planned for you as
such. The talk is of “aligning” yourself to your destiny, rather than submitting
to the will of God. Sin is not regarded in any
serious way, certainly not as God sees it, and is treated more like a character flaw. The New Age declares that mankind is already a part
of God, and that the only sin is in thinking we are separate from Him.
But the Bible says something very
different about mankind’s status with God. It says that without Jesus Christ we
are condemned (John 3:18), and are children of God’s wrath, instead (John 3:36,
Ephesians 2:3). Sin has separated us from God, and Jesus
came to reconcile us to Him (II Corinthians 5:19). Romans 7:18 tells us that
there is nothing good in our flesh, even as Jesus declared that only God is
good (Mark 10:18). We can only be saved by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8,9), through
His mercy (Romans 9:16). AFTER we have been saved through the blood of Jesus on
the cross (Colossians 1:20), we then become God’s children by adoption
only (Galatians 4:5). There is no destiny to reclaim, and no purpose apart from and prior to salvation.
By claiming that everyone has a “destiny”
with God, this becomes a very flattering view
of mankind’s spiritual status. This tends to receive more approval than to
confront them with their sins! I found 18 passages warning about flattery in
the Bible, and they are all
negative.
“Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person,
neither let me give flattering titles unto man. For I know not to give
flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away”. –Job
32:21,22.
“A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted
by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” –Proverbs 26:28.
“For neither at any time used we flattering
words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness.” –I
Thessalonians 2:5.
Please remember that Lucifer’s (Satan) downfall was his pride
(Isaiah 14:12-14). He tried to be like God, and replace Him; now he is
convincing men to do the same (Genesis 3:5). And so by telling men that they
are basically good, and that God has had a plan for them all along, destiny
teaching is using flattery to win
adherents, which we were warned about well in advance. Let me also point out
that by telling people they were basically God’s children all along, you are
saying that their WORKS were acceptable to God before they had repented
and trusted Christ for salvation.
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not
upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” –Habakkuk 2:4.
So how could this “prosperity gospel” have
become so established? It does agree with our lusts, and prophecy (II Timothy
4:3,4). And somewhere along the way we forgot about testing the spirits (I John 4:1), or
holding up teachings to the light of God’s Word (John 3:21, Acts 17:11).
But we also disregarded the many warnings
about false teachers, as if we are now too smart to be fooled. God has tried
hard to warn us in advance (Matthew 24:25). Just look at this list of verses
warning us in the New Testament; Matthew 7:21-23, 13:24-30, 37-40, 24:5, 11,
24; Mark 13:6, 22; Luke 21:8; Acts 20:28-31; II Corinthians 11:3,4, 13-15;
Philippians 3:17-19; I Timothy 1:6,7; II Timothy 3:13; Jude 3,4; I John 2:18. I
feel this last one best describes prosperity teaching, printed from II Peter
2:1-3, 12-21;
“But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring
upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways;
by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose
judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not…
“But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil
of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own
corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count
it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own
deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling
unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed
children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the
way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was
rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the
madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried
with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when
they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the
flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who
live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he
brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them.”
It is a tremendous
grief to think that many who profess Christ hold worldly success in such high
regard. These people have no great esteem for God’s Word,
especially when it tells them to put away fleshly lusts, although it is only
for their best welfare.
“But he that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath
he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received
seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” –Matthew 13:20-22.
Another FACT they have forgotten is that
the devil is the god of this world, and that he disperses glory and
riches to those who serve him. Jesus
shows us this very clearly;
“And the devil, taking him (Jesus) up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all
the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All
this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto
me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all
shall be thine.” –Luke 4:5-7.
When it comes to
earthly wealth, the Bible’s
position is clearly evident; riches corrupt us. Wealth teachers will pull a few
verses out of context, usually from corrupted versions, which seem to support their perverse
reasoning. Such leaders will pay a heavy price when judged by God (II Peter
2:9). Do riches corrupt? They led to the fall of Judas Iscariot;
“Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot,
Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three
hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the
poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put
therein.” –John 12:4-6.
The corruption of riches kept Paul
imprisoned for 2 extra years;
“And after certain days, when Felix came with his
wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning
the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and
judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when
I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also that money
should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent
for him the oftener, and communed with him. But after two years Porcius Festus
came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left
Paul bound.” –Acts 24:24-27.
Our God is a
supplier of our needs, as we see in places like Proverbs 30:8,9, Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 12:27-31, Philippians 4:11-13,
19, and I Timothy 6:8. If you are saved, and you unexpectedly receive a large
sum of money, seek the Lord for the purpose He has in providing it. You did not
receive this for a reward to spend on earthly pleasures; a believer’s rewards
will come in eternity (Luke 12:33,34). Consider the following scriptures on
riches; Matthew 6:19-24, Mark 12:42,43; Luke 1:53, 6:20, 12:15-21, 16:13-15, 16:25; James 2:5,6; I Peter 1:6,7; Revelation 3:16,17.
“But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have
received your consolation.” –Luke 6:24.
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to
wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine
which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about
questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil
surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the
truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But
godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us
be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction
and perdition. 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. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight
of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast
professed a good profession before many witnesses.” –I Timothy 6:3-12.
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” –Hebrews
11:24-26.
Consider Peter’s response in Luke 5:4-11. You
know that Peter was a fisherman, and at the Lord’s instruction, he let down his
nets for a catch. Peter and his partners obeyed, though they had caught nothing
the entire night before:
“And
when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their
net brake…When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart
from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord…And when they had brought their ships to
land, they forsook all, and followed him.” -Luke 5:6, 8, 11.
Peter’s humility here is incredible! And
even though the fish represented a nice pay day, they gladly gave up all to follow Jesus-please read the whole
account. How does this compare to today, when people are seeking God to become
rich in this life?
The Bible’s teachings about gifts is an extension of the regard for
riches. We look very favourably on those who
give us things. But gifts serve to blind our judgment, and we often feel
indebted to the giver. Spiritual
gifts promote the gospel, but material gifts emphasize worldly concerns. See
Exodus 23:8; Proverbs 15:27, 19:6, 29:4; Ecclesiastes 7:7, Revelation 11:7-10.
“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not
respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the
wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” –Deuteronomy 16:19.
“And when Simon saw that through laying on of the
apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me
also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought
that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor
lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” –Acts
8:18-21.
We also cannot
separate riches from WORLDLINESS. It is a strange thing to
consider; if we are a new creation in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17), and are not
to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2), then how is it that we could lust
after riches just like the unsaved? We keep trying to put new wine in an old
bottle! Really, we still like the old wine too much, and the new doesn’t
satisfy (Luke 5:36-39). Such souls have not
been truly regenerated in Jesus Christ.
Worldliness promotes corrupt attachments,
a pride in self, and an ungodly respect of persons (James 2:9). We must forsake
all for our Lord (Luke 6:46, 14:33). Please see
Haggai 2:12-14; Matthew 16:24-26; Mark 8:35-38; Luke 6:26, 14:26,27; Romans
8:5-8; I Corinthians 1:19,20; Ephesians 5:11; Colossians 3:1-6; I Peter 4:1-4;
I John 2:15,16.
“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth,
because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” –John 7:7.
“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he
that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” –John
12:25.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.” –II Corinthians 6:14-18.
“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.” –James 4:4.
Through the prosperity teachings we can see
the fulfillment of mankind’s fallen condition in the last days. Prophecy from
these scriptures describe well our lack of Bible doctrine;
“Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine. For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” -II Timothy 4:2-4.
Modern Christian leaders like Rick Warren
openly declare that not many will end up in Hell, which is pleasing to the ears of men. But the Bible says that only few will be saved, and the
path of destruction is wide (Matthew 7:13,14; Luke 13:23,24). Rick Warren is a false teacher.
Now we look at mankind’s spiritual
condition before God. The Old Testament agrees with the New in
declaring that there are none good, that do not sin (I Kings 8:46, II
Chronicles 6:36, Psalm 14:1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20).
It is God’s power that does good work, not ours
(Zechariah 4:6).
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” –Isaiah 64:6.
Most men will proclaim their own goodness
(Proverbs 20:6), but we are warned against commending ourselves (II Corinthians
10:18). In fact, we find that only God is good (Matthew 19:17, Mark 10:18, Luke
18:19), and that salvation with men is impossible (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27,
Luke 18:27). With God ALL things are possible, but nobody can earn their own
salvation. These truths are unpopular, so the prosperity gospel steers away
from these teachings, and tends to make light of sin. I Corinthians 2:14 says;
"But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
If we continue on, we find the recurring
theme that man is not good, lost, sinful, and needs the mercy of God to save
him. Just look at Romans 3:10-18, 5:6-8, 6:23; Galatians 3:22, 5:17; Ephesians
2:1-9; Colossians 1:19-23; Titus 3:3-8; I John 1:8-10, 4:10. We are not
naturally God's children from birth, but by adoption (Romans 8:15, 9:4;
Galatians 4:15; Ephesians 1:5). The "destiny" teaching, and the "health and wealth" gospel feed on the bad fruit of pride:
they declare that mankind is already basically good, deserving of good things,
and therefore God will reward us.
In one outrageous incident, a mother told
her 8 year old daughter that she must love herself first, before she
could love others! How could she get such a thing from the Bible? The
scriptures tell us that we already love ourselves (Ephesians 5:29), and that
all men seek their own (Philippians 2:21). It also says that in these last days
dangerous times will come, BECAUSE men
shall be lovers of their own selves; they will be fierce, proud,
covetous, and lovers of pleasure more than God. They will have "a form of
godliness that denies His power, from whom we must TURN AWAY (II Timothy
3:1-5). This mother's false doctrine fulfills well the scriptural prophecy in
II Timothy 4:3,4.
And the life of the Christian will seek
after, and produce humility;
such as we find in Daniel's prayer, Daniel 9:3-19. So please consider carefully
the following examples and instructions from the Word of God; Genesis 41:15,16;
Judges 7:2; Psalm 33:16-20, 147:10,11; Proverbs 16:19, 22:4; Matthew 18:4,
23:8-12; Luke 14:11, 22:26; I Corinthians 4:7; Colossians 3:12; I Timothy 1:15;
I Peter 5:5,6; Hebrews 12:2.
"And he spake this parable unto certain which
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men
went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am
not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for
every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted." -Luke 18:9-14.
"Let nothing be done through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than
themselves, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the
things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
-Philippians 2:3-8.
"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he
saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit
yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." -James
4:6-10.
The Christian faith is built around TRIALS; nobody likes them,
but everyone has them, and they often affect our health. This is a way to
grow strong in faith. Prosperity teaching says that God will keep us from
trials, or if anything, they will be small, and quickly removed. We are seeing
a steady influx of “health & wealth” prophecies directed toward anyone
reading them-they promise that any attacks
of the enemy will be turned away; they won’t get through to hurt them. That
isn’t the message of the Bible, is it? Please look at the following scriptures,
and notice how the need for humility is often built into them. (Job 3:25,26;
psalms 78:34, 94:12,13, 144:1; Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, 14, 8:6, 14, 9:11; Amos 3:2;
Matthew 10:24,25, 34-39, 16:24-26; Mark 13:13; Luke 6:22, 9:23-25, 16:13-15;
John 15:18,19, 16:33; I Corinthians 1:26-31, 11:31,32; II Corinthians 3:5,
4:16-18, 7:9,10; Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 3:7-14, 4:11-13; II Timothy
2:12; Hebrews 2:9,10, 12:5-8; I Peter 5:10; Revelation 12:11.
“All
things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the
wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that
sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner;
and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.” -Ecclesiastes 9:2.
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all
those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we
have done that which was our duty to do.” -Luke 17:10.
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and
exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” -Acts 14:22.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” -Romans 5:1-5.
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution.” -II Timothy 3:12.
These scriptures will show you the nature
of a Christian’s walk with God, through Jesus Christ. What is your church
showing you? The long lists that I have listed is far from a complete one. God
has promised to supply our needs. He brings us peace that passes
understanding (Philippians 4:6,7). He has also promised to prepare a home for
us in Heaven with Him (John 14:2,3); how good can it get? Treasures of this
world are fleeting, and we can’t keep them. “But godliness with
contentment is great gain.” -I Timothy 6:6.
In the end, riches will corrupt us and
steal our faith: why would God seek to give things that will hurt & destroy
our relationship with Him? The unsaved world seeks after riches, and we
are not to be like them. Consider what FAITH is; it is the
evidence of things not seen (Hebrews
11:1). To place our trust and affection on riches that we see is not
faith. And without faith, we cannot please God (Hebrews
11:6).
This world itself is fading away; even now we
can see it is dying. Seek to lay up treasure for yourself in Heaven, which
cannot be taken away. See Psalm 102:25,26; Matthew 24:22,35; Mark 13:20,31;
Luke 21:25,26, 33; Hebrews 1:10,11; Revelation 6:12-14, 8:7-12; 16:18-21, 21:1.
“Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and
maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the
inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her
mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with
the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath
spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and
fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is
defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws,
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the
curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore
the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left…The earth is utterly
broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The
earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a
cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall
fall, and not rise again.” -Isaiah 24:1-6, 19,20.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein
the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat?” -II Peter 3:10-12.
The Case of the Rich Young Ruler
The accounts of the “rich young ruler” can
be found in Matthew 19:16-26, plus verses 27-30; in Mark 10:17-27, plus verses
28-31; and in Luke 18:18-27, plus verses 28-30. You will need to follow along
in your Bible, and I will focus on the account from the book of Mark.
There are a number of good lessons we can
gain from this story, and through it we clearly see the corruption riches can
bring. But I see that from the verses which follow it the potential for some to
promote a prosperity gospel, and so I wish to address it.
In Mark, we find this man earnestly
seeking Jesus; he came running, and kneeling down before Him, asking Him, “Good
Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus first responds
with, “Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”
Jesus here is really affirming that He IS God, and He IS good. But God’s
standards of good are infinitely higher than ours.
Jesus then shows him that he must follow
the commandments, and mentions some of them. The man responds to Jesus that he
has indeed kept all of the commandments mentioned since he was young. In Matthew
the rich young ruler adds, “What lack I yet?” He knows that something is
missing.
Jesus then looks at him with love, and
tells him what is lacking-he must sell all that he has, and give it to the
poor; he will then have treasure in heaven. After he would do this, Jesus is
inviting him to take up the cross and follow Him.
After hearing this, the man went away grieved, because he had great
possessions. Please note the violation of 2 commandments Jesus hadn’t
mentioned; the First commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before
me.” The riches were his god. He also coveted riches,
which violates the 10th commandment.
When Jesus responded, He declared 3 TIMES
how hard it is for the rich to be saved! Surprisingly, the Bible says that the
disciples were, “astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, ‘Who then
can be saved?” Jesus’ answer is that with men it is impossible, but with
God ALL things are possible. This is important to consider; salvation itself is a MIRACLE of GOD, and never by the
works of men. But why were the disciples so amazed? They did not possess
earthly treasures like the rich young ruler, as we will look at. No, this man
was a very good man by human standards; Jesus had looked lovingly upon him, and
even invited him to join them! They also likely would have known this man by
reputation. So when they asked, “Who then can be saved?”, it didn’t relate to
material riches, because few people would have that kind of wealth anyway.
But Peter sees the connection, realizing
that he and the other disciples had already done what Jesus had told that young
man to do. Peter points out to Jesus that they have left all to follow Him, and
in Matthew he adds the question, “What shall we have?”
Before we look at Jesus’ response to
Peter, remember the three consecutive warnings Jesus
had given them about the difficulties of salvation for the rich (Mark
10:23-25). Also remember that when Jesus had told the man to give up all, and
then follow Him, the only treasure Jesus promised him in exchange was in
Heaven! So now we can consider Jesus’ response to Peter…
Jesus promised that in whatever they had
left behind for His sake, they would receive much more in return-such as
houses, lands, family, and more; along with persecutions, but they
would also inherit ETERNAL LIFE, that which the rich young ruler sought after.
After all the warnings we’ve seen in
scripture about the trap of riches-after all that’s been said in this very
account-how could anyone think that Jesus is promising His disciples the very
thing that He said would likely destroy them spiritually? Don’t let prosperity
teachers blind you to the Bible’s clear teaching from the example of the rich
young ruler.
It would be best to take Jesus’ promises
from Mark 10:28-31 in the context given, and in light of other Bible promises.
Proverbs 19:17 tells us that in what we give to the poor, the Lord will repay
us. Matthew 6:33 says that when we seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, all the things we need will be added to us. In Matthew 12:50,
Mark 3:35, and Luke 8:21 show us that our “family” will be those doing the will
of God-this could be a big family, from all over the world! In Luke 22:35 Jesus
points out to His disciples that while they were with Him, they lacked nothing,
even though they had left all. Acts 4:32-35 shows that believers will have all
things in common, and supply the needs for one another. Ephesians 3:20 tells us
that God will provide “exceeding abundantly” above all that we ask or think.
And in Philippians 4:19 God says He will supply ALL our need according to, “His
riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” These are all rich promises, and they remove
from us the need to be rich in earthly wealth.
Jesus shed His precious blood through the
judgment of the cross, enduring God’s wrath that should have been directed
toward us. This sacrifice can provide redemption for our souls and spirits for
all eternity, if we will choose to trust God. We then will be rewarded beyond
measure, though undeserved by us, for all the years of misery we’ve lived upon
this sinful earth.
Admit that you have broken God’s Laws, and
have sinned against Him. Then REPENT of your sins- confess and forsake them,
and God will show you mercy
(Proverbs 28:13). If you cling onto the world and its treasures, that’s all you
will have (Luke 6:24, 16:25).
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him.” -I Corinthians 2:9.
