Yesterday, we saw a man named Asaph reveal a timeless truth that provides clarity about our role and responsibilities when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure in that when it comes to treasure, God is the owners and we are the managers. The timeless reality is that we never really own anything. We only manage God’s money, possessions, and treasure for a period of time. We are only on earth for a finite period of time and, when our time on earth is over, all of the money, possessions and treasure that we accumulate while on earth stays here.
But what can tend to happen when it comes to our role and God’s role in money, possessions, and treasure, is that we can find ourselves falling into some faulty theology. Throughout history, when it comes to theology, which simply means the study of the nature and character of God, human beings have tended to fall into one of two extreme and faulty views of how God and money relate and interact with humanity.
The first faulty view is what is referred to as prosperity theology. Proponents of prosperity theology maintain that God desires that everyone prosper financially and physically as a result of their spirituality. Prosperity theology maintains what is called a “name it and claim it” mentality when it comes to money, possessions, and treasure. In other words, if you just have faith, you can ask God for material or physical blessings and He will provide. All you need is faith. “Just name it by faith and you can claim it by faith”. Those who embrace prosperity theology will refer to themselves as being “word of faith communities”.
For those who embrace prosperity theology, spiritually mature followers of Jesus are wealthy and possessions are a right that one receives as a result of faith. So, if someone is poor materially or suffering physically or emotionally, it is due to the fact that they are either unsaved, spiritually immature, or have sin in their life. For those who embrace prosperity theology, generosity and giving is driven by the mentality that “the more I give by faith, the more I will get because of faith”. So giving is motivated by faith in what they will get from God. And for those who embrace prosperity theology, the management of the money, possessions, and treasure that they have is driven by a carefree attitude that is focused on consuming all that they have been given by God.
However, there is a huge problem with prosperity theology. And that problem is that any theology that is true to the Bible must be able to have Jesus fit into that theology. Because, when you look at the definition of a spiritually mature person in prosperity theology; that a spiritually mature person is wealthy, with good relationships and without pain or anxiety, that definition excludes Jesus. When you look at the tenets of prosperity theology, Jesus would not be able to fit into their theology.
Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed financially, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was poor. Jesus was born into a lower, working class home of a carpenter and lived His life as poor itinerant preacher who was homeless and dependant on the support of others.
Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed emotionally and relationally, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was ridiculed, rejected and scorned. Prosperity theology maintains that the spiritually mature will be blessed physically, yet, when we read the accounts of Jesus life that are recorded for us in the Bible, we discover that Jesus was beaten and crucified.
So did Jesus not have enough faith? Did Jesus have sin in His life? Was Jesus spiritually immature? You see, Jesus would not fit into the prosperity theology’s definition of spiritually maturity. And if Jesus cannot fit into your theology, then your theology is faulty.
Tomorrow, we will look at another faulty theology when it comes to money possessions and treasure...
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