Six Ways to Identify the Prosperity Gospel
1. They rarely hit the Doctrine of Suffering
Look out for the absence of a severe doctrine of the biblical necessity and normalcy of suffering — the lack of a doctrine of suffering. As Paul went through the churches, he said that basic discipleship was to teach that you must enter the kingdom through many tribulations (Acts 14:21). Is this primary doctrinal teaching in the church? Tribulations are necessary, and there are many, and you must walk through them.
Is Romans 8:23 essential in dealing with sickness and calamity? We who have the Holy Spirit groan, waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Is there a strong note that Christians full of the Holy Spirit get cancer and groan under the calamities and the miseries of the fall?
In John 15:20, Jesus says, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” Is there a strong note that a faithful Christian will be persecuted? We see in Hebrews 12 and 2 Corinthians 1 that God is sovereign over our pain and ordains it for our holiness. So that is the first one: Is there a profound doctrine of the necessity and normalcy of suffering?
2. No Clear Call to Deny Yourself
Watch out for the absence of a clear and prominent doctrine of self-denial — a tip-off that something is amiss. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Paul said, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). “I count everything as loss, because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
In other words, average progress in the Christian life comes by saying “No!” to lesser values and “Yes!” to Christ. Many of those lesser values are the kinds of pleasures that prosperity preachers don’t like to say no to. So, is there a sound doctrine of self-denial?
3. No Serious Exposition (Explanation of the scriptures)
Look out for the absence of solemn exposition of Scripture. Does the preaching take the Bible seriously by explaining what is in texts? Does it work through passages of Scripture, explaining the flow of the thought? Or does it feel like the pastor has his favorite topics — he circles around to them repeatedly, making a few texts serve his purpose? So watch for careful and continuous handling of the Scriptures in an expository way. And, be suspicious if all you ever get is topical preaching with a few of the pastor’s favorite topics that lean toward prosperity.
4. No Wrestling with Tensions
Watch out for the absence of dealing with tensions in Scripture. Does the preacher bring up passages that seem like problems with the ones he is dealing with and then give careful explanations to show how they fit together? Or is he content to say what appears in one text and never even raise the question? There may be ten other texts that say something else. I think that is a bad sign if, week after week, you get the impression: Doesn’t he realize that what he just said from this text contradicts a few other places in the Bible? And he doesn’t seem to know that or care about that. That is a severe problem.
5. Expensive Lifestyles
Do the church leaders have exorbitant lifestyles? Do they drive cars, live in houses, wear clothes, and travel to places that only the wealthy can go or that only the wealthy can possess? Is the pastor living above the average person in his parish? Now, why might that be? And there might be cultural and traditional reasons, but are there biblical reasons for it? Try to sniff that out.
“Is the preacher in love with the glory of God in the gospel?”
What makes this pastor tick? Why is he so concerned with the clothes he wears, the car he drives, the neighborhood he lives in, how he travels, and the accommodations he gets while traveling? This doesn’t smell like Jesus, who had nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).
6. Too Much Self
Is there a prominence of self and a marginalization of the greatness of God? Does the preacher seem to parade himself? Does he figure into the talk too much? Is God’s greatness, majesty, and glory the centerpiece of all he says and does? Is the preacher in love with the glory of God in the gospel? Is he brokenhearted for his sin? Is he contrite and humble? Is he publicly self-effacing? Does he repent his sins and model how to appropriately appreciate the sweetness of what Jesus did for us on the cross daily? Or is the majesty of grace marginalized while he exalts himself?
So those would be some of the things I would watch out for in trying to discern where a church may be going about the prosperity gospel.
Look out for the absence of a severe doctrine of the biblical necessity and normalcy of suffering — the lack of a doctrine of suffering. As Paul went through the churches, he said that basic discipleship was to teach that you must enter the kingdom through many tribulations (Acts 14:21). Is this primary doctrinal teaching in the church? Tribulations are necessary, and there are many, and you must walk through them.
Is Romans 8:23 essential in dealing with sickness and calamity? We who have the Holy Spirit groan, waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Is there a strong note that Christians full of the Holy Spirit get cancer and groan under the calamities and the miseries of the fall?
In John 15:20, Jesus says, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.” Is there a strong note that a faithful Christian will be persecuted? We see in Hebrews 12 and 2 Corinthians 1 that God is sovereign over our pain and ordains it for our holiness. So that is the first one: Is there a profound doctrine of the necessity and normalcy of suffering?
2. No Clear Call to Deny Yourself
Watch out for the absence of a clear and prominent doctrine of self-denial — a tip-off that something is amiss. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Paul said, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). “I count everything as loss, because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
In other words, average progress in the Christian life comes by saying “No!” to lesser values and “Yes!” to Christ. Many of those lesser values are the kinds of pleasures that prosperity preachers don’t like to say no to. So, is there a sound doctrine of self-denial?
3. No Serious Exposition (Explanation of the scriptures)
Look out for the absence of solemn exposition of Scripture. Does the preaching take the Bible seriously by explaining what is in texts? Does it work through passages of Scripture, explaining the flow of the thought? Or does it feel like the pastor has his favorite topics — he circles around to them repeatedly, making a few texts serve his purpose? So watch for careful and continuous handling of the Scriptures in an expository way. And, be suspicious if all you ever get is topical preaching with a few of the pastor’s favorite topics that lean toward prosperity.
4. No Wrestling with Tensions
Watch out for the absence of dealing with tensions in Scripture. Does the preacher bring up passages that seem like problems with the ones he is dealing with and then give careful explanations to show how they fit together? Or is he content to say what appears in one text and never even raise the question? There may be ten other texts that say something else. I think that is a bad sign if, week after week, you get the impression: Doesn’t he realize that what he just said from this text contradicts a few other places in the Bible? And he doesn’t seem to know that or care about that. That is a severe problem.
5. Expensive Lifestyles
Do the church leaders have exorbitant lifestyles? Do they drive cars, live in houses, wear clothes, and travel to places that only the wealthy can go or that only the wealthy can possess? Is the pastor living above the average person in his parish? Now, why might that be? And there might be cultural and traditional reasons, but are there biblical reasons for it? Try to sniff that out.
“Is the preacher in love with the glory of God in the gospel?”
What makes this pastor tick? Why is he so concerned with the clothes he wears, the car he drives, the neighborhood he lives in, how he travels, and the accommodations he gets while traveling? This doesn’t smell like Jesus, who had nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).
6. Too Much Self
Is there a prominence of self and a marginalization of the greatness of God? Does the preacher seem to parade himself? Does he figure into the talk too much? Is God’s greatness, majesty, and glory the centerpiece of all he says and does? Is the preacher in love with the glory of God in the gospel? Is he brokenhearted for his sin? Is he contrite and humble? Is he publicly self-effacing? Does he repent his sins and model how to appropriately appreciate the sweetness of what Jesus did for us on the cross daily? Or is the majesty of grace marginalized while he exalts himself?
So those would be some of the things I would watch out for in trying to discern where a church may be going about the prosperity gospel.
