Should Believers Expect Blessings in Regard to Finances, Health, and Success? (Part 4 of Interaction with the Belief Statement of a Prosperity Gospel Church)

While giving a sermon at a local SBC church in Shreveport, the pastor mentioned his joyful willingness to partner a local church called the Word of God Ministries. Honestly, the name alone drew my attention as it suggests affiliation with the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel movements. Given this concern, it made sense to tour their website (See link in 1^st endnote) and determine whether or not grounds existed to support my suspicion. On their website, I accessed their belief statement which included the following words:

It is the Father’s will for all believers to become prosperous, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will and blessing while on earth. However, this should never prevent all believers from seeking the full endowment of God’s Blessings offered through Jesus Christ. Biblical wholeness affects at least four areas of one’s life:

Spiritual (John 3:3-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-13); Mental or Emotional (2 Timothy 1:7; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3); Physical (Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24); Financial (Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19; 3 John 2)[i]

In Part 1 of this series, the initial part of this belief statement was considered.[ii] After reviewing the teachings of Scripture, this statement was found to be in error essentially because it directs believers to maintain an earthly focus on temporal blessings instead of pointing believers toward Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings as Paul did. While it is true that believers may experience some earthly blessings, these blessings are never to serve as objectives that should be sought after and expected in the Christian life. Part 2 of this series considered the promises of God to believers in relation to spiritual blessings using the verses provided in this statement.[iii] Unfortunately, the verses provided by the church completely overlook the fruit of the Spirit in favor those concerns with soteriology. Part 3 examined the verses offered concerning mental or emotional blessings.[iv] For Part 4, the verses associated with physical blessings will be carefully studied.

Isaiah 53:4, 5 NASB – “However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, And our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, Struck down by God, and humiliated. 5 But He was [c]pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed.”

On the surface, these verses seem to offer believers in Christ the opportunity to have their sicknesses, pains, and wounds healed by way Christ’s work on the cross (along with sin of course). Given this apparent provision, one must wonder why Paul only advised Timothy to drink some wine so as to allay his health issues (1 Tim 5:23). Instead of healing Trophimus, he left him in Miletus (2 Tim 4:20). While speaking to the Galatians, Paul himself struggled with a physical infirmity (Gal 4:13-14).

While these examples suggest that Christians should not expect healing by default, Matthew does clearly associate this verse (by quoting it directly) with Christ’s healings during his earthly ministry (Matt 8:16-17). Christ and even His Apostles certainly performed healings, but one should consider whether these healings were descriptive as opposed to prescriptive. Given the examples above from Paul’s ministry, it would seem that this miraculous healing ministry was closely associated with the initial revelation of Christ before and immediately after His resurrection. Instead of proof-texting a belief to affirm their doctrinal stance, this Prosperity Gospel church should consider the totality of Scripture.

Matthew 8:17 NASB – “This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: ‘He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.’”

This verse is addressed in the preceding paragraphs.

1 Peter 2:24 NASB – “and He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.”

Here, Peter himself is referring back to Isaiah 53:5. The context, however, makes it all the more clear that Isaiah and Peter are looking forward to the eternal effect of Christ’s work. In this verse, Peter mentions Christ’s bearing of sin on the cross and that his act enables his followers to be made righteous. Since sickness and disease are directly related to the presence of sin, Peter contends that the only cure is Christ’s atonement. For the one receiving Christ’s atonement, the promise for relief from any and all ailments becomes affective upon death. So long as the believer remains alive and under the curse death in regard to his/her old self (and not new self), maladies will always be a factor.

Final Word: None of these verses instruct believers to focus on receiving Christ’s promised healing of temporal health issues. While one can and certainly pray to the Lord for good health, one should keep one’s focus on Christ even if one is troubled by sickness or disease.

[i]Available at: http://wogm.com/about-us.

[ii]Available at: https://battlehardenedbeliever.com/?p=859.

[iii]Available at: https://battlehardenedbeliever.com/?p=902.

[iv]Available at: https://battlehardenedbeliever.com/?p=905.