Prosperity Doctrine and the new testament teachings?

Question

A lot of Christian churches ascribe to the teachings of the Prosperity Doctrine (a la Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen).

Look at the New Testament, how many Christians in the new testament were rich? To me it seems contrary to what Jesus taught.

Your thoughts?

Lady's looking...Job is Old Testament, not New Testament.

Answer 1

Well, the New Testement does not ever suggest that we will be rich, in fact it gives a warning to those who desire to be rich. Being rich is not wrong in the bible, but the bible does recognize that being rich has its disadvantages when it comes to spirituality in God's view.

Anyone who claims to follow the bible but preaches and believes the prosperity doctrine is not following the teachings of Jesus.

Answer 2

I believe that this Prosperity Doctrine began with a mistranslation of the Bible concerning the Prayer of Jabez (1 Chron 4:9-10).

There are people that believe that Jabez was more "honorable" than his brothers, but the Hebrew word means "honored", not honorable. This prayer started a book that put the theory out there that, if we as people were "honorable", then God would surely answer our prayers. The belief was also started that God's will mirrors our own if we are honorable.

This goes directly against Scripture, from when Jesus was in the Garden, where He basically says that let God's will, not Jesus' own will, be done. Who would be more honorable than Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

So, that's my 2 cents on the Prosperity Doctrine. I think that, unfortunately, it has turned Scripture upside down in order to line some very large pockets. Trying to convince people that if they do enough "honorable" works, then God will bless them with whatever they ask, is wrong and against Scripture.

Answer 3

At the new testament period many Jews were rich.

Information;-At antioch people who followed Christ were called christians, it was period after the death and the resurrection of christ!

The number of people who are rich were few when compared to the poor people. Read the passage of the young rich man who asked "What i must do in order to enter the kingdom of heaven?"

Answer 4

Like "believe" and get rich? No I can't say that I believe that. But Christians who are already rich have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate.

Answer 5

Are you talking about the "name it and claim it" bunch? I absolutely agree with you. I don't know where on earth this thinking came from. I am trying very hard to be generous and say....I hope it's not to line the pockets of the ones who came up with it. Whatever is behind it, it's unfortunate and misleading.

Answer 6

JOB was very rich, the devil said no wonder Job worships you , look at all he has, God told satan he could do what ever he wanted to Job, but he couldn`t kill him, and satan did, he took all that Job had, even his kids, and still Job worshiped God, even Jobs wife tried to get him to curse God, but Job was faithful, and in the end, God gave Job back all satan had taken, plus more, even gave Job more children.well God Is our father, If any of you are a father, what would you want for your children, would you want them to be poor?

Answer 7

The prosperity gospel is a demonic teaching that seeks to get people to worship mammon in Jesus' name. Carnal preachers cherry pick verses out of the Bible in order to draw others to themselves and fleece the flock. The typical progression of this type of false doctrine goes like this.

In the New Testament it says that the promises made to Abraham were not to his physical descendants but to those who are children of Abraham by faith. One of the promises God made was that He would prosper Abraham and his seed and therefore Christians who are the "seed of Abraham" can claim this promise made by God as if God is some cosmic vending machine where we just plug in the coin of prayer and pull the handle with a sufficient amount of faith and out pops our financial blessing.

When their followers don't receive this blessing they cherry pick a couple of more verses out of the Bible to get them to contribute more money and to blame themselves when they still don't receive some miraculous blessing in the financial area of their lives.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

So the fault doesn't lie with the false doctrine of the wolves in sheep's clothing, it lies in the people who are not donating enough or who are not asking in faith to claim their blessing. That's one of the reasons the Holy Spirit gave Peter this prophetic revelation.

2 Peter 2:1 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. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 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.

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Then He went on to say that we could trust that God would meet our basic needs as we honor Him in how we live our lives, but not that we would all be made rich.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Answer 8

There is NO contrary to what Jesus taught.

You are not understanding something.

Answer 9

The whole Bible is Prosperity.
Just don't make a Religion outta one Part of it.