THE BIBLE AND PROSPERITY

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND PROSPERITY

Devotional Text: 3John 2 (NKJV)

Introduction:

Prosperity issue has become a worrisome phenomenon in today’s church, owing to the fact of lopsided presentation of the subject-matter by some unscrupulous preachers. But, prosperity is God’s desire for His people (3 John 2), and should not be jettisoned because of the unholy attitude of certain pulpit robbers who parade themselves as apostles of Jesus Christ, (2 Cor. 11:13-14). Having cited the above, what is then prosperity? According to the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary – 3rd Edition, “Prosperity is the state of being successful”… Now, does God want His people to be successful? The answer is in the affirmative. Thus, the Scripture says, “this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success”, (Joshua 1:8).

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)       Prosperity; according to the Bible, is achieved in righteousness; (Psalm 1:1-3).

(2)       Prosperity is portrayed in the Bible as God’s desire for His people, (3 John 2).

(3)       Prosperity is legitimate only when its attainment is in line with what the Bible says, (Joshua 1:8).

(4)       Prosperity is pictured in the Bible as false and destructive, when it is obtained fraudulently, (psalm 73:1-20).

GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO PROSPER IN ALL THINGS (3 JOHN 2A)

The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible renders, in support of the subtopic under review that the writer’s prayer, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is that God’s people may prosper in all things…. (3 John 2). Also, a Psalmist portrays the righteousness (God’s people) as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf never withers, but prospers in whatever he does, (Psalm 1:3). The cited scriptures are indicative of the fact of God’s strong desire for His people to prosper in every economic or business venture.

But, His rule for prosperity is “righteousness”. For, the Scripture says, “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear…. for terror shall not come near you”, (Isa. 54:14). This means that when God establishes one in a domain of prosperity, He also secures the proceeds of one’s venture(s). In this connection, it becomes factual that:

(i)        God prospers, cum establishes His people in righteousness, (vs. 14)

(ii)      the righteous will prosper unhindered, if they keep pace with God’s Word, (Psalm 1)

(iii)     when God is with one in what one does, one prospers, (Gen. 39:2-3).

GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO PROSPER IN HEALTH (3 JOHN 2B)

Health, they say, is wealth. And, anyone who does not prosper in health, is not really prosperous. But, the Scripture shows the way to the fullness of health, as it says; “My son give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For, they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh, (Proverbs 4:20-22). Having cited the above, now what is health? According to Wiktionary of the English Language, “health is the state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness or malfunction”… This indicates that certain health matters do not affect the body alone, but also the mind and behaviour.

Be it as it may, sickness, which is the opposite of health, is not desirable, but remains an element to fight all the time(s). However, one thing to keep in mind is that, healing, which is the restoration of health, is only possible with God and not with any health personnel, orthodox or traditional. For, health practitioners only care, but God heals. Therefore, because God is interested in the healing or health of His people:

(i)        He promises not to put on them any diseases He put on the Egyptians, as a result of rebellion, if they obey Him, (Ex. 15:26)

(ii)      He promises also to restore health to his people, as they repent from sins that cause them health problems, (Jer. 30:15-17)

(iii)     and, even when sickness that are not caused by people’s sins show up, He promises to heal and deliver them by the Power of His Word (Psalm 102:20).

GOD WANTS THE SOUL OF HIS PEOPLE TO PROSPER (3 JOHN 2C)

The human soul is that part of the individual that relates with the environment. While the human spirit interacts with God, the human soul works with fellow human beings. In other words, the human soul is the working part of the human being, and thus, the very one that requires prosperity. Therefore, for this human soul (which is the person that works for prosperity) to really prosper, he needs a shepherd, who leads to the point of prosperity (Psalm 23:1-2), as well as restores strength, when labour saps energy, (vs. 3), and this, equally reveals relationship and support. So, one can only be said to be prospering, as one’s soul prospers, only when one:

(i)        is in good relationship with the Lord, (Psalm 23)

(ii)      is at peace with God, (Rom 5:1)

(iii)     does not work to prosper outside God, (Mark 8:36).

In conclusion, this lesson is a biblical endorsement of the fact that God wants His people to prosper in every dimension of life, (spirit, soul and body) and in whatever (legitimate) they do, as it also stresses the need to preach prosperity within the context of proper interpretation of God’s Word, noting that God prospers His people in righteousness. BE MINDFUL OF THIS TRUTH.