Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2
“First, despite all protests to the contrary, at its base, the cult of prosperity offers a man-centered rather than God-centered theology. Even though one is regularly told that it is to God’s own glory that we should prosper, the appeal is always made to our own selfishness and sense of well-being. In fact, the only one who could possibly believe this non-biblical nonsense is someone who wants to, and the only reason one would want to is because of its appeal to one’s selfishness…
Second, this false gospel presents a totally false theology of giving. In the New Testament, as well as the Old, God’s love and giving are predicated on His mercy, and therefore in their every expression they are unconditional. God loves, and gives, and forgives — unconditionally no strings attached. The human response to divine grace is gratitude, which expresses itself in identical unconditional love, and giving, and forgiving. The cult of prosperity, on the other hand, tells us that we are to give in order to get…
Third, such an Americanized perversion of the Gospel tends to reinforce a way of life and an economic system that repeatedly oppresses the poor — the very thing that the prophetic message denounces so forcefully. Seeking more prosperity in an already affluent society means to support all the political and economic programs that have made such prosperity available — but almost always at that expense of economically deprived individuals and nations.”
Gordon D. Fee in The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels (Vancouver: Regent, 2006) 17.
When people read texts like today’s Scripture through a selfish, worldly lens, one result is the toxic thinking known as prosperity gospel. The biblical greeting must be understood simply as hoping that his reader is doing well and in good health despite the varied circumstances of life just as his soul is well because He is in Christ.
Nowhere does God promise those who follow Him that life will be rosy and filled with riches. Sadly, many believe this pipe dream in the USA and it has spread overseas, so as I prepare to teach in places like Seoul and Manila, I need to refresh my thinking to help students who wrestle with how to counteract prosperity gospel thinking where they minister.
I’d appreciate your prayers for me on this long journey. Of course, I hope all goes well with me, my wife, our son, and daughter while I am traveling even as it is well with their souls in Christ. But I also know that should trials come my way or theirs, our good God allows them to shape each of us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
I pray that wherever each member of my family and every meditations reader goes over the next three weeks while I am abroad, that our giving reflects God’s giving. I pray that we exhibit the unconditional love and grace, the mercy and kindness, the forgiveness and love of our Lord Jesus Christ in gratitude for all He so freely lavished on us.