Truth: Financial Prosperity

Truth is what the “verses” say and ‘not’ what ‘men teach’ (with “no” verses stating their points correctly).

Well, here are a few facts:

(i) No verse says that *financial prosperity* is the promise of God to His people in the New Testament.

(ii) Only certain individuals (not all Jews) were given the financial prosperity blessings under the Old Testament.

(iii) Feeding the poor is taught under the New Testament at an individual level (person to person wherever you are, “no” logistics/facility costs are required).

(iv) Building orphanages & such facilities is “not” wrong if done under the name of the “needy” (or humanity) but “not” God since that’s the Truth (don’t mix it with religion).

(v) God doesn’t judge a “giving” by its “effects” but by “intent & percentage” (relative to what you’re given).

The famous proof of this is the “poor widow who gave only 2 coins” compared to the giving of the rich into the “temple (church) treasury” which can certainly feed more people (more effect).

Though the widow’s giving has almost “no effect” (I don’t think her 2 mites would have been sufficient to feed a few also if any), but yet the Lord judged her “giving” as best (“gave more than all”).

(vi) Our Lord didn’t Bleed to Die to make any *financially prosperous* (a false opinion of man, “no” verse says this).

(vii) In the case of the rich young ruler, the typical advice of most church pastors, i.e. “stay where you are & use the money earned from your business/possessions to give a sustained monthly amount” toward the poor, is NOT told.

On the contrary, our Lord told him to “sell all you have & give to the poor, then come & follow Me”.

In other words, our Lord instructed an “one time giving” of “all you have” rather than the ‘wiser’ (earthly) advice of using your wealth for a “continuous” giving in order for one to move toward “perfection” (‘if you want to be perfect’, He said).

(viii) The money box was held by Judas (the least role is believed to be given to Judas —> managing other people’s giving of money to do ‘charity’ perhaps). God prefers ‘direct’ giving individual to individual as the Gospel’s illustrations imply (unknown to others).

(ix) Point (vii) is not an isolated event as commonly erred and Christ wasn’t joking.

The early church in Acts also recorded the “one time selling of their possessions” and putting it to “common use”.

Note again, it’s a “one time” thing rather than a “continuous” support (means this is “perfection”).

(x) Surprisingly, verses in the New Testament doesn’t seem to encourage “financial prosperity” (note that it doesn’t state it’s the ‘wrong’ financial prosperity which the Bible is referring to but just plain *financial prosperity* only).

For example, when Christ remarked that “it’s easier than a camel…than a rich man to enter His Kingdom”, He was NOT referring to a “sinful” rich man but a “Law abiding, rich ruler who KEPT ALL commandments from his youth” (pretty sure this guy would have been a ‘good donor’ too). Interesting.

Last example, James pronounces a *curse* to the *rich* who have *hoarded wealth* (note that it doesn’t say that it refers to an “evil/sinful” rich but just the rich):

“Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” (James 5:3)

So, the “command” is pretty clear that we are “NOT” allowed to *hoard wealth* (surpassing financial prosperity) in these “last days” (under the New Testament “times”). Hoarding is an attitude of ‘amassing wealth’ without ‘sharing’ it out.

This phrase “last days” explains out the cases during the Old Testament (“those days”) where some men of faith were allowed to be *surpassing-ly financially prosperous* (Job, Abraham etc.) but it’s so clearly ‘not’ allowed in these *last days* and the consequences seem “pretty serious” to those who disobey (“eat your flesh like fire?”). We also know for example, Job “shared” his riches.

Finally, remember that in the parable of the “rich man & Lazarus”, the *reason* Scripture gives for the rich man’s *torment in Hades* is because “he has received good things in life and fed sumptuously every day whist living in luxury” (let’s “not” add any context beyond what is written —> to leave anything hidden as it is).

🙂