The Curse of Material Prosperity

Many churches today are preaching a message of prosperity. Preachers say that material goods are a sign of God’s blessing on your life. Actually, material prosperity can be a real curse. Godliness and material success are not always related. Many vile sinners are prosperous, and many dear saints are poor.

There is nothing improper about wanting to see God’s people blessed. But when the church emphasizes materialism, it veers off the foundation of truth. Economic and commercial Babylon is just as pernicious as religious Babylon.

The doctrine of material goods as a sign of God’s favor is a false teaching. But there is nothing new under the sun. The early church had to confront this false doctrine. But the danger of success being a snare to God’s people stretched back farther than the New Testament era. When the nation of Israel was formed from a group of runaway Egyptian slaves, the Lord warned them of the dangers of material success.

In Deuteronomy 6:10-15, the Lord said that wealth, which you did not work for, is a snare. The problem with prosperity is that it causes people to forget God. See Deuteronomy 8:6-19. God’s people have often put their own material interests ahead of the work of God. God is not pleased at that. Haggai 1:4.

Jesus Christ, and His followers, never had any material prosperity. The majority of the early church were people of poverty. The Lord said in Matthew 19:23-24 that it is very hard for a rich man to enter heaven. A camel can go through the eye of a needle easier than a rich man can be saved.

The doctrine of material success as a sign of God’s favor was firmly rejected by the apostle Paul 2000 years ago. What could be clearer than his statement to Timothy on this subject? Paul said that they that would be rich fall into snares; and that the love of money is the root of all evil. I Timothy 6:5-11. Verse five refers to those who suppose that financial gain is a sign of godliness. But is not! There are three important points that we should learn from this passage.

Christians are to be “content” without material possessions. This is the very opposite of coveting more.

Paul advised that Christians “flee” the desire for worldly goods. Other things, such as righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness, are much more important indicators of God’s approbation.

Those who think gain is godliness are “destitute of the truth.”

There is nothing inherently wrong in God’s people having nice things, if they do not lose spirituality and godliness in the process. If riches become a priority then the saints of God have blown it badly. The early church saints gladly surrendered their wealth to advance the work of God. Acts 4:34-35.

Jesus said in Luke 12:15 to beware of covetousness. He said that a life is not measured by possession. But many believe that God’s favor is seen in abundant “things.” The scriptures teach that covetousness is idolatry. Colossians 3:5. No covetous person will inherit the kingdom. Ephesians 5:5. The apostle wrote in Hebrews 13:5, let your lifestyle be without covetousness, and be content with what you have. This is the message of the Bible with respect to material prosperity.

When people are increased in goods, there is a danger that they will lose something very special in their relationship with the Lord. The Bible says to set your affections on things above, not things below. Colossians 3:1-2. The book of Hebrews includes a chapter devoted to the great men and women of Old Testament times. Hebrews 11:37-38, shows that our heroes were destitute, and yet the world was not worthy of them.

It is best to neither be rich nor impoverished. See Proverbs 30:7-9. God will supply your needs. But we should be careful about our wants. Sometimes we “want” things that ultimately might be a burden or a snare to us.

True Riches

What is the true measure of prosperity? If not material goods, and money, then what is it that signifies God’s blessing on a saint? Proverbs 8:18 teaches that wisdom provides riches and honor…But these riches do not refer to gold and silver…Verse 19…They refer to righteousness and substance. Verses 20-21.

The apostle said in III John 2 that he prayed that Gaius would prosper, but noted that the man’s soul was already prospering. It is vital that the soul prospers. Proverbs 11:25 states that a person’s soul can be made fat. That means that there can be spiritual prosperity – which is so much more important than material goods.

Jesus said, Don’t lay up treasure on earth. Matthew 6:19-21. He said in verses 24-34 that God will take care of you. The Lord warned in Luke 8:14 that thorny ground means that the cares and riches and pleasures of this world will choke the word. The lesson of Luke 12:15-21 is that life is not possessions – but Christians must be rich toward God.