Exposing the Prosperity Gospel

By: Don Pirozok

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The idea that wealth is a sign of God's blessing, as taught in the prosperity gospel, is not supported by Scripture. Many of God's greatest servants were called to forsake material wealth in order to fully follow Christ. The message of the Gospel is not one of accumulating earthly riches but of denying oneself, taking up the cross, and following Jesus in the fellowship of His sufferings. Jesus Himself warned against the dangers of wealth, and throughout the Bible, God’s people were often required to set aside personal riches to fulfill His will.
Jesus made it clear that following Him required a willingness to forsake earthly wealth. In Matthew 16:24-26, He said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" This statement directly contradicts the prosperity gospel, which equates faithfulness to God with financial success. Jesus’ words emphasize that true discipleship is marked by self-denial, not material gain.
The call to forsake riches is illustrated in the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22. The young man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, and he responded that he had kept them since his youth. Then Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." The young man went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. Jesus then warned, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:23). This passage reveals that attachment to wealth can hinder one's ability to fully surrender to God.
Many of God's faithful servants in Scripture chose to abandon personal wealth to obey His call. Abraham, despite his great wealth, demonstrated complete trust in God by leaving his homeland and living as a sojourner in tents, looking forward to the eternal city whose builder is God (Hebrews 11:8-10). Moses, raised in Pharaoh’s palace with all the riches of Egypt, "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin" (Hebrews 11:24-26). These examples show that faithfulness to God often requires turning away from worldly prosperity