We’ve all heard of prosperity preachers. Name something you want, claim it in faith, and expect God to give it to you. Want a new car or a promotion? God wants to prosper you and bless you…Right?
If you answered a hard no on that last one, you may want to think again. Evangelicals rooted in the gospel know this heresy well. It has thousands of religious people trapped in its grip. But is it possible we’re throwing out the baby with the bathwater? In other words, are we scared to ever ask God for anything like blessing or prosperity or even health for fear of falling into false teaching? If we do, surely we’re doomed to trespass into the prosperity gospel. Right?
Not necessarily. In fact, did you know there’s a biblical basis for praying for these things? We’ll review some passages together and construct a theology of blessing rooted in Scripture and God’s character.
Let’s start in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word barek (translated “bless”) is used 330 times. In Hebrew culture, fathers often blessed their sons. Remember how much Esau craved the blessing of his father Isaac after Jacob stole it from him?
Sometimes the text states that God prospered someone’s way, like Abraham’s servant when he was finding a wife for Isaac. Basically, God allowed the servant’s desired accomplishment to occur. The servant actually prayed for this to happen. Who wants to fail in a mission?
There was a link between doing right actions and prospering, both because acting wisely yields its own practical benefit (such as saving money and then having it for later use) and because God honored righteous behavior with blessing—just as he’d promised in his covenants with Abraham and Israel. Deuteronomy 29:9 is a good example of covenant blessing: “Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.” We see God’s providence and faithfulness on full display.
From Old to New
But, you might say, that’s the Old Testament. What about the New? The story gets even better. The New Testament emphasizes many types of blessings. There are physical blessings (e.g. health or wealth), which may fall on us or may not. There are also spiritual blessings. Ephesians 1 talks about the many spiritual blessings we have in Christ. These are superior in that they are guaranteed for all believers. For instance, all believers are blessed with the Holy Spirit (see John 15). Negative circumstances can also be a blessing; they can bring us closer to God in profound ways.
It’s a good thing to seek blessings from God. In his third letter, John says to his faith-brother Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” And do you know Hebrews 11:6? “…Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” God rewards his children.
It’s a good thing to seek blessings from God.
Think about it. If God blessed you with a bigger paycheck or ideal physical health, what would that mean? Yes, you could use it for your own selfish lifestyle. But what if it means more resources to give others, such as your family, church, and overseas ministries? If you’re healthy, you can go on mission trips, start Bible studies, and on and on.
Prosperity in the Gospel
Did John guarantee physical blessings to Gaius? He was an apostle. Surely he could have accessed God’s bank account. No, John prayed for these things but didn’t make a guarantee. In other words, if the prosperity preachers tell you to expect it, they’re misleading you. By John’s example, we should pray for good things, and God will bless us as he sees fit.
Don’t get trapped into false extremes. For one, God cares about both the spiritual and the physical things in your life. He isn’t just concerned with your prayer and Bible study; he’s involved in the nitty-gritty physical things, too! Also, it isn’t more spiritual to be poor or sick than rich and healthy. Having physical blessings allows you to move forward confidently in what God has planned for you. Thank him for how he’s blessed you!
You don’t have to be scared of words like blessing and prosperity. It’s not the prosperity gospel; it’s prosperity in the Gospel. Even if you don’t get every physical blessing you want, you always have the spiritual blessings just by knowing Christ! And that is a very encouraging theology of blessing, indeed.