The prosperity gospel is a theology that asserts that God’s aim is to make believers healthy and wealthy in this life. Prosperity teachers commonly put forward a distorted view of God, a distorted view of man, a distorted view of health and wealth, a distorted view of salvation, and a distorted view of Scripture, among other things. However, there is a wide spectrum among prosperity teachers when it comes to the substance of their teaching or the seriousness of their errors.
Some prosperity teachers completely distort the gospel, while other teachers misinterpret and misapply Scripture in less significant ways. Regardless, Christians need to be alert to the dangers of the prosperity gospel. Twelve of these dangers are listed below along with relevant Scripture references
1. It perverts our understanding of wealth in this world.
Wealth is not always a sign of God’s approval, nor is poverty always a sign of God’s disapproval (Proverbs 30:7–9).
2. It disregards the purpose of wealth.
God gives us more not so that we can get more, but so that we can give more (2 Corinthians 8:13–14; 9:6–12; 1 Timothy 6:17–19).
3. It minimizes the dangers of wealth.
Wealth is not always a blessing from the King; it can also be a barrier to the kingdom (Mark 10:23). Wealth often feeds the desire to be rich, a desire that Scripture warns us against (1 Timothy 6:9–10).
4. It ignores the clear shift in Scripture from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
The Old Testament contains an abundance of promises of material blessings for spiritual obedience (Genesis 17:1–2), while the New Testament lacks such promises. Whereas the temple—the place where the true God manifested his presence in a unique way—was a physical building in the Old Testament (1 Kings 10:1–9), the New Testament identifies the temple with Christ (John 2:19–21), the people of God (2 Corinthians 6:16), and the bodies of individual Christians (1 Corinthians 6:19). In the Old Testament, God blesses his people, Israel, so that the nations might come and see his glory (1 Kings 8:41–43); in the New Testament, God blesses his people, the church, so that they might go and tell of his glory (Matthew 28:18–20).
5. It commends selfish luxury over selfless generosity.
The prosperity gospel movement explicitly encourages people to indulge in pleasures (Mark 4:18–19) while implicitly leading people to ignore the poor (Galatians 2:10).
6. It appeals to the desires of the flesh instead of calling people to deny the flesh.
Those who follow Jesus must die to themselves and their sinful desires. Instead of claiming health and wealth, Jesus says we must renounce all that we have to be his disciples (Luke 9:23–24; 14:33).
7. It encourages people to waste their lives on things that do not last.
The prosperity gospel’s emphasis on health and wealth puts people’s focus on earthly treasure rather than heavenly treasure (Matthew 6:19–21). God’s Word, on the other hand, says that things that are seen are “transient” while things that are unseen are “eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
8. It exalts God’s gifts (things we receive from God) above God’s glory (the treasure we have in God).
Jesus himself—not his gifts—was the bread of life given by God to satisfy our most significant needs and desires (John 6:35).
9. It abuses God by making him a means to an end.
Instead of trusting God for our needs, the prosperity gospel uses God for our wants (Philippians 4:10–13). Instead of God-centered intercession, prayer becomes man-centered coercion (James 4:3).
10. It subtly infuses all of Christianity.
The influence of prosperity theology is evident in how little we give and how much we own. Even Christians who reject explicit prosperity teaching struggle and often fail to sow bountifully for the sake of the gospel (2 Corinthians 9:6).
11. It overlooks the design of suffering.
Sometimes Christians suffer despite their righteousness (Job 1:1), while at other times they suffer because of their righteousness (John 15:18–20; 2 Timothy 3:12). Suffering produces endurance (Romans 5:3), steadfastness (James 1:3), and evidence that one’s faith is genuine (1 Peter 1:7).
12. It fails to acknowledge the necessity of suffering.
Suffering is inevitable for those who follow a Savior who was persecuted by the world (John 15:20). Suffering is a means by which the gospel spreads through us (Acts 7:54-8:4; Colossians 1:24-2:5). Ultimately, suffering prepares us for the glory that will be revealed to us at Christ’s return (Matthew 10:25; Acts 14:22; Romans 8:16–18; 1 Peter 4:12–14).
This article is an adapted excerpt from David Platt, Secret Church 18, “Cults and Counterfeit Gospels.”
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
