The Truth About Faith

April 25, 2021

Randy Hageman

This prosperity gospel teaches that God wants believers to be physically healthy, materially wealthy, and personally happy. —Dr. David W. Jones

In name it, claim it/prosperity gospel teachings, the biblical cornerstone of faith is redefined from the idea of

in the holy and sovereign God, despite our circumstances, to a way of

Reveal Answer

God to get what we want!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. —Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

The faith demonstrated in Hebrews 11 is a faith that sacrifices, that experiences adversity, that even goes to the cross for the sake of others, which is far from what most

gospel folks claim.

“Truth is the accurate depiction of

.” - Rev. Elizabeth Moreau

Jesus: … ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ —John 14:6 (NLT)

Texts in the Bible – even Jesus’ own words – can be taken out of their true

.

Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.’ —Mark 10:29-30 (ESV)

Some say Mark 10:29-30 is all about what we get, but the passage isn’t about giving and getting but about the priority of putting Christ

in one’s life, and the overall context speaks more about

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.

By committing to Christ, a person gains the blessing of a

of faith.

Jesus also reminds his listeners that they will gain “

” in this life.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. —Galatians 3:13-14 (ESV)

This passage is about the spiritual blessing of

, not the material blessing of wealth.

…You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (emphasis added) —James 4:2-3 (ESV)

God doesn’t answer

requests – He’s only interested in what brings Him honor and will be for our best good.

In prosperity teaching, it really comes down to

being the focus of prayer, while in Christianity the focus is on

Reveal Answer

.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. —Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

Jesus made it very clear in his prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, that while he did not want to face a horrible, excruciating death,

desires and wants weren’t the point.

Jesus: … ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ —Matthew 26:39 (ESV)

In light of Scripture, the prosperity gospel is fundamentally flawed. At bottom, it is a false gospel because of its faulty view of the relationship between God and man. Simply put, if the prosperity gospel is true, grace is obsolete, God is irrelevant, and man is the measure of all things. Whether they’re talking about the Abrahamic covenant, the atonement, giving, faith, or prayer, prosperity teachers turn the relationship between God and man into a quid pro quo transaction. As James Goff noted…, God is ‘reduced to a kind of “cosmic bellhop” attending to the needs and desires of his creation.’ —Dr. David Jones

Ultimately, the prosperity gospel doesn’t address the

, real life.

Following Jesus as his disciples isn’t a ticket to all the

things people desire but a ticket to eternal life that unleashes God’s love now, gives us true joy regardless of our circumstances, and offers us a peace that passes all understanding.

Next Week: How to Share the Truth