Prosperity Gospel in the context of Jesus’
Teachings on Wealth in the Gospel of Luke
Sampson M. Nwaomah
ABSTRACT—The discussions on prosperity gospel seem very
engaging and unending. In spite of the flaws of this teaching, more
and more followers seem attracted to it. One of the passages
significant to the proponents of prosperity gospel is Luke 6:38, which
seems to suggest that there will be abundant reaping following acts of
kindness. This paper therefore investigates the overall teaching about
wealth in the gospel of Luke and concludes that while Luke 6:38 may
suggest that God rewards acts of kindness, it might hurt one’s faith to
focus on rewards as a motive for generosity or service. It further
argues that rather than craving for abundance, Luke suggests caution
because of the dangers wealth could pose on faith and human
relationships.
Keywords: Prosperity, Gospel, Wealth, Evil, Reversal, Spirituality,
Godliness, idolatrous
I. Introduction
Prosperity theology has remained a religious phenomenon
contemporary Christianity still contends with. This teaching is
justified by those who argue that Jesus came to liberate the “poor”
from the bondage of poverty and brought healing to all areas of a
believer’s life. Healing, it is believed, was linked to the work of
Christ on the cross and demonstrated his victory over all forms of
affliction. In this vein, salvation is holistic and encompasses all of
Manuscript received May 16, 2014; revised August 10, 2014; accepted August
25, 2014.
Sampson M. Nwaomah ([email protected] and [email protected])
is with Theological Seminary, Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. He
is a Nigerian by nationality.
life’s problems making the presence of ‘signs and wonders’ the
realization of the presence of the kingdom of God (Anderson, 2002:
255). Therefore signs and wonders should complement the
proclamation of the word. This became an indispensable part of
Pentecostal evangelistic methodology (Saayman, 1993:46); and the
push for prosperity has attended many Pentecostal evangelistic
proclamations as well as influenced the faith of many of its followers.
Assessing this movement in Africa, Gifford (2007:20) aptly posits:
The theme of success {is} an explicit preaching of a
prosperity gospel according to which God has met all the
needs of human beings in the suffering and death of Christ,
and every Christian should now share in Christ's victory
over sin, sickness and poverty—blessings which can be
obtained by a confession of faith. This gospel is invariably
linked with ideas of "seed faith," or with the biblical image
of "sowing and reaping." Tithes and offerings become
instruments of prosperity.
Gifford identifies Enoch A. Adeboye and David O. Oyedipo as
major proponents of this theology in Nigeria (ibid; see also Nwaomah,
2012:64-87). Nevertheless in Africa one of the earliest inspirers and
promoters of this gospel is the late Nigerian Archbishop Benson
Idahosa (Asamoah-Gyaduh, 2007:339-358).
A significant biblical passage utilized by the proponents of this
movement is Luke 6:38:
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed
down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you”(NKJV).
In this Lucan passage Jesus is understood by the prosperity gospel
proponents to encourage liberality in turn for huge turnover and
surplus by the giver. The hermeneutics of this passage is done in
exclusion of other teachings on wealth in the gospel of Luke.
This paper therefore, examines the prosperity gospel theology in
the context of Lucan teachings on wealth in his gospel. The paper is
structured thus; i) a survey of the prosperity gospel theology, ii) a
wealth in the third gospel and iii) conclusion.
4 Sampson M. Nwaomah
II. An Overview of Prosperity Gospel
The prosperity gospel movement may have had its root in the
teachings of Essek William Kenyon and Kenneth Erwin Hagin. But
the movement, also called “word of faith movement”, or “health and
wealth gospel”, was however, popularized by Oral Roberts. He
advocated an alternative to secular economy which he called "the
divine economy," a system, which according to him “is …based on
the belief that God wants to provide God's people with material
prosperity” (Mumford, 2012:373). This could be ‘activated’ by faith
in the goodness of God and the law of sowing and reaping, or seedfaith. Oral Roberts predicated this on three principles. The first
principle states that God is the ultimate supplier of all human needs;
therefore, Christians should turn their lives wholly to Him. Humans
are but instruments in the hand of God to supply the needs of others.
The second principle is that of sowing and reaping. Anchoring on
Luke 6:38, he taught that whatever a Christian desires, he needs to
sow that first and God would give abundantly in response and in
proportion to the seed sown. If he needs love, he needs to sow love. If
he needs time, he needs to sow time. If he needs money, then he
needs to sow money. The third principle was that of expectant faith.
Here Oral Roberts taught that Christians have to expect miracles
immediately after they have sown a seed (ibid). Followers are urged
to believe and claim it by faith. These principles have defined the
prosperity movement in the various forms it has been propagated.
Proponents of prosperity gospel attribute poverty to the work of
the devil and see it as inimical to productivity (Mate, 2002:549-568).
This brand of gospel has been widely embraced in Africa. Michael
Okonkwo, Bishop of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission in Nigeria,
was quoted to have said “[M]any are ignorant of the fact that God has
already made provision for his children to be wealthy here on earth.
When I say wealthy, I mean very, very rich. Break loose! It is not a
sin to desire to be wealthy” (Phiri and Maxwell, 2007:23). Since
certain miraculous experiences have attended some proponents and
believers of this movement, there has been a major attraction to
Pentecostalism in Africa because many see these miracles and
healings (Akper, 2007:41-49) as validation of the word of God and
have been persuaded to become Christians. To a great degree,
Pentecostal homiletics is founded on this. In fact, it has been observed
that “prosperity preaching is a Christian theology whose signature
teaching is that God wants believers to be rich and enjoy good
AAMM, Vol. 10, 5
physical health” (Mumford, 2012:371). Thus, to advance and sustain
this teaching, the New Pentecostal Churches (NPCS) of Africa
emphasize prosperity of all kinds. Wealth, health, success, and eversoaring profits in business are coveted, cherished, and publicly
flaunted as signs of God's favor. In this new type of Christianity,
success and wealth are the only genuine marks of faith (AsamoahGyadu, 2009:38-39).
However, in assessing prosperity gospel theology, some scholars
have viewed it as an impetus for delusion and corruption even though
its proponents see material poverty as a disease of which Christians
require complete healing (Dada, 2004:95-105). Prosperity theology
may have also exposed some people to duping, false teaching, false
faith and false expectations and even loss of faith when it seems God
has not “honoured their faith” (Lausanne Theology Working Group,
2010:99-102). Prosperity gospel also has encouraged laziness at the
supposed reliance on faith (Olagunju, 2009:149-162). It has also
minimized teachings on holiness (Folarin, 69-95) and led to faulty
hermeneutics of some bible passages like James 5:13-18 where
healing of sickness through anointing is taken out of context to
include all kinds of misfortune, malfunctioned equipment, personal
and household properties and job and visa seekers, among others
(Nwaomah, 2012:73-78). Nevertheless, in spite of the challenges this
movement poses to Christian faith, its popularity is soaring and even
evangelical Churches are forced to re-assess their evangelistic and
retention methodology. As we observed earlier, Luke 6:38 is one key
passage employed by its proponents, in exclusion of other teachings
on wealth in the third gospel. The following section is therefore
devoted to surveying the teaching of the gospel of Luke on wealth
and prosperity.
III. Wealth in the Gospel of Luke
Luke’s gospel is perhaps the single most exhaustive account of the
life and ministry of Jesus Christ. More than 40% of the material in
Luke is unique to it. These include seven miracles and seventeen
parables. In his gospel, Luke also provides many accounts that
disclose Jesus’ attitude towards wealth. In fact, Luke can be said to
report the fullest and perhaps the sharpest declarations of Jesus about
money. We see significant attention given to the topics of “poverty
and riches, possessions and the renunciation of possessions,
6 Sampson M. Nwaomah
communal sharing and social obligation”(Grun, 2003:120). Further,
Jesus seems to have devoted more attention to money than any other
subject in his teaching ministry. And much of these are found in the
Lucan gospel. Luke’s presentation of the perception of Jesus about
wealth in the third gospel could be because one’s attitude towards
money and possessions reveals more about a person’s true identity
and commitments than anything else (Snodgrass, 2010:137). After
surveying the gospel of Luke, it might be argued that the attitude of
Jesus towards wealth may be gleaned from some of his discourses as
well as his attitude towards the wealthy. In order to get a glimpse of
this, this paper provides a tabular representation of some passages on
riches, money and wealth in the gospel of Luke.
No.
1
Text
Luke 1:53
2
Luke 5:11,
Luke
5:27,28
3
Luke 6:2425
4
Luke
6:30,38
Content
He has filled the hungry with
good things, and the rich he
has sent away empty.
And when they had brought
their boats to land, they left
everything and followed him.
After this he went out and saw
a tax collector named Levi,
sitting at the tax booth. And
he said to him, “Follow
me.” And leaving everything,
he rose and followed him.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your
consolation.
Woe to you who are full now,
for you shall be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep
Give to everyone who begs
from you, and from one who
takes away your goods do not
demand them back
Teaching
The emptiness of
earthly riches.
The early disciples
called, left
everything and
followed Jesus.
Jesus denounces the
wealthy and a
possibly miserable
future.
Instructions on
liberality and the
blessings that
follow.
Give, and it will be given to
you. Good measure, pressed
AAMM, Vol. 10, 7
5
Luke 8:14
6
Luke 9:2325
7
Lk 12:15
8
Luke 9:3
9
10
Luke 12:1330
down, shaken together,
running over, will be put into
your lap. For with the
measure you use it will be
measured back to you.”
And as for what fell among
the thorns, they are those who
hear, but as they go on their
way they are choked by the
cares and riches and
pleasures of life, and their
fruit does not mature
And he said to all, “If anyone
would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his
cross daily and follow me. For
whoever would save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for my sake will save
it. For what does it profit a
man if he gains the whole
world and loses or forfeits
himself?
Be on your guard against all
kinds of greed; for one' life
does not consist in the
abundance of possessions."
When you go out to do God's
work, "take nothing for your
journey, no staff, nor bag, nor
bread, nor money -- not even
an extra tunic."
But God said to him, ‘Fool!
This night your soul is
required of you, and the
things you have prepared,
whose will they be?’ So is the
one who lays up treasure for
himself and is not rich toward
God.”
22
And he said to his disciples,
“Therefore I tell you, do not
be anxious about your life,
8 Sampson M. Nwaomah
The danger riches
could pose to
spiritual health.
Wealth not a
substitute for
eternal life.
The vanity of
wealth.
Instructions to
religious leaders to
travel light.
Warning on
covetousness.
11
Luke 14:724
12
Luke 14:33
13
Luke 16:1315
what you will eat, nor about
your body, what you will put
on. 23…. For life is more than
food, and the body more than
clothing….30 For all the
nations of the world seek after
these things, and your Father
knows that you need them.
But when you give a feast,
invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind, and you
will be blessed, because they
cannot repay you. For you
will be repaid at the
resurrection of the just.”
So therefore, any one of you
who does not renounce all
that he has cannot be my
disciple.
No servant can serve two
masters, for either he will
hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God
and money
The Pharisees, who were
lovers of money, heard all
these things, and they
ridiculed him. And he said to
them, “You are those who
justify yourselves before men,
but God knows your hearts.
For what is exalted among
men is an abomination in the
sight of God.
The poor, the
crippled, the blind
and lame honor
God’s invitation.
The rich are
consumed by their
wealth.
Self-denial
necessary for
discipleship.
No one can serve
God and money
simultaneously.
AAMM, Vol. 10, 9
14
Lk. 16:1923
"There was a rich man who
was dressed in purple and
fine linen and who feasted
suptuously every day. And at
his gate lay a poor man
named Lazarus, covered with
sores, who longed to satisfy
his hunger with what fell
from the rich man's table....
The poor man died and was
carried away by the angels to
be with Abraham. The rich
man also died and was
buried. In Hades, where he
was being tormented, he
looked up and saw Abraham
far away with Lazarus by his
side.
Wealth does not
guarantee salvation.
15
Luke 18:2225
When Jesus heard this, he
said to him, “One thing you
still lack. Sell all that you
have and distribute to the
poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come,
follow me.” But when he
heard these things, he became
very sad, for he was
extremely rich. Jesus, seeing
that he had become sad, said,
“How difficult it is for those
who have wealth to enter the
kingdom of God! For it is
easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter
the kingdom of God
The young ruler's
wealth inhibits him
from following
Jesus and thereby
forfeits the
kingdom for
wealth.
10 Sampson M. Nwaomah
16
Luke 19:1-9
And Zacchaeus stood and
said to the Lord, “Behold,
Lord, the half of my goods I
give to the poor. And if I
have defrauded anyone of
anything, I restore it
fourfold….” And Jesus said
to him, “Today salvation has
come to this house, since he
also is a son of Abraham. For
the Son of Man came to seek
and to save the lost.
Zacchaeus, though
rich, yet sought
Jesus. His eager
and dramatic quest
to see Jesus
illustrates the
spiritual vacuum
that money cannot
fill.
A. Synopsis of Jesus’ Teachings on Wealth
in the Gospel of Luke
A synopsis of the Jesus’ teaching on wealth, money and riches in the
Gospel of Luke yields several principles. Four of these principles are
discussed in this section.
1. Wealth May Not Be Evil
From our survey as indicated in the table above, we can infer that
wealth in itself does seem to be evil. Rather, wealth has value and is
needful for physical sustenance. Luke does not present Jesus as
abhorring the wealthy and rich. Jesus is seen in company of the rich
and he finds them acceptable as candidates for the kingdom (Lk 5:2731; 19:1-10). He even commended certain generous expense spent on
him (Lk 7:36-38), although not flowing from abundance. Further,
using money as illustrations for the kingdom, it seems Jesus also
approved of insightful and honest investments and industry (Lk 16:114). For Luke, therefore, Jesus had no aversion to money or riches in
themselves. Wealth or material prosperity is primarily not inconsistent
with genuine Christian faith. Thus honest material prosperity may aid
the course of God and promote mission.
However, while it seems Jesus did not denounce wealth in the
gospel of Luke, he had different reactions concerning towards it.
Luke chronicles that the attitude of persons towards wealth
acquisitions and the priority of wealth over spiritual matters attracted
Jesus’ condemnation. For the purpose of this paper, the next three
themes point in this direction from the Lucan passages on riches,
money and wealth.
AAMM, Vol. 10, 11
2. Reversals for the Wealthy
Riches, wealth and money ordinarily endow those who possess
them with certain advantages and could make them objects of
jealousy. Perhaps the motivation for material prosperity could be the
assurance, satisfaction, security and might it presumably provides.
Solomon might be understood to say that money guarantees
satisfaction and provides an insurance to life’s questions (Eccl 10:19).
Nonetheless, one of the fundamental principles evident in Luke’s
teachings on wealth is the reversals that may befall the wealthy. In
other words, Luke’s gospel can be considered as a gospel of reversals
for the prosperous. This theme is noticed in several of the passages
that speak of the rich. First, in the song of Mary as she responds to the
visitation of the Angel announcing heaven’s choice of her as the
vessel for the birth of the Saviour, she proclaims
He has shown strength with His arm; He has
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good
things, And the rich He has sent away empty (Lk 1:51-53,
NKJV, emphasis mine).
While the expressions about the wealthy in the passage above
could be hyperbolic describing the disappointment of the mighty and
exalted whom God overlooked and had instead chosen and exalted a
lowly one in Mary; this passage nonetheless illustrates certain
inadequacies of wealth and riches and the disappointments they could
bring to those who are obsessed with possessing them.
Further in chapter 6 verse 24, of his gospel, Luke also pronounces
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your
consolation.” And he reports Jesus admonishing, “If anyone would
come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if
he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:2325, ESV). Similar thoughts are expressed in the story of the rich fool.
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you,
and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” (Lk 12:20
ESV). In this parable, Jesus illustrates one who had become a “victim
to the polarity between an existence oriented toward life and one
oriented toward possessions” (Green, 1997:489). To complete this
12 Sampson M. Nwaomah
reversal principle is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in 16:19
where the rich man, who had the best of earthly benefits, was
disappointed and had to languish in agony and pain at the judgment.
A chief instruction derivable from these passages, especially in
Luke 12:13-21, is that Jesus “elevates the meaning and value of life
above riches and wealth. Security of life is not in amassing
property…..possessions do not guarantee comfort and security, nor
lengthen one’s life. Thus one is not to be obsessed by it….{and}
wealth whether acquired genuinely or through dubious means, is a
vain pursuit” (Nwaomah, 2009: 157). In this vein, Bock also states:
“one cannot present a suitcase full of riches to God for admission
into heaven. God desires other priorities. Jesus tells us to be rich
toward God….The disciple should realize that the pursuit of
wealth is a dangerous distraction and a form of greed when it is
self-directed. Wealth towards self is poverty before God” (Bock,
1996:1155).
Thus, the parable speaks against greed, the urge to acquire at the
expense of others and even godly living, which is one
manifestation of the prosperity gospel. Conclusively, Luke
indicates that, contrary to the supposed advantages that attend
wealth acquisition, the prosperous may possibly end in emptiness,
disappointment, insecurity and shame—experiences of reversal
that wealth may not assuage.
3. Wealth and Godliness
Another principle we may glean from the Lucan passages relating
to wealth, money and riches is the fact that possession of them is no
measure of godliness. Wealth may bring about emptiness and does
not necessarily exemplify illustrious spiritual status before God. This
is contrary to the prosperity theology teachings which claim that
prosperity is a sign of God’s favour and poverty a curse and even
suggests sinfulness. The emptiness that prosperity may bring in one’s
heart is first demonstrated in the invitation to Levi-Matthew to
discipleship in Luke 5:27-28. His response by leaving everything to
heed the call is instructive. Luke writes, “After this he went out and
saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to
him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up, left everything, and followed him”
(NRSV) Similarly the experience of Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-9) and his
desperation to obtain the attention of Jesus, which certainly was
AAMM, Vol. 10, 13
supreme to his wealth, also demonstrates the emptiness that wealth,
riches and money can leave in the hearts of those who possess and are
obsessed by them. As Lenski puts it, Zacchaeus’ desire to meet with
Jesus “was far more than the curiosity of the crowds who merely run
to gaze on some famous man. His was a far more desire which
impelled him also to go far beyond what curiosity alone is able to
produce” (Lenski, 1946:938). He was in a quandary and in dire need
of salvation, a truth acknowledged by Jesus in verses 9 and 10. Thus,
for Zacchaeus, wealth lost its glamour and he not only recognized this
emptiness but he was willing to part with half of his wealth and
restitute fourfold to those he might have defrauded.
Zacchaeus’s experience is a significant contrast in comparison to
the rich ruler in Luke 18:18-30 who had access to Jesus but controlled
by greed, clung to his wealth. From this experience, it is obvious that
wealth, rather than being the measure of favour with God, could in
fact be a snare and muffle spirituality. This rich young ruler was
reluctant to forfeit his wealth for a spiritual journey with Jesus. Luke
puts it thus:
“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘One thing you still lack.
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ But when he heard these
things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.” Jesus, seeing
that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have
wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the
kingdom of God (Luke 18:22-25 ESV).
Thus, the warning in the parable of the seeds that fell among
thorns is likened to “the ones who hear; but as they go on their way,
they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their
fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14, NRSV emphasis added). The
warning is of the snare riches can become to Christians and their
spiritual life if it becomes the priority. This is contrary to the
proponents of the prosperity gospel who argue that wealth is indeed a
measure of spirituality and an evidence of a right relationship with
and blessings from God.
4. Wealth can be Idolatrous
A final principle evident in the Lucan gospel and which this paper
addresses is the idolatrous influence of money. The parable of the
14 Sampson M. Nwaomah
shrewd and dishonest manager, whose master required an account
because of poor managerial ability or perhaps a prodigal nature,
exemplifies this. Jesus admonished, “No slave can serve two masters;
for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Lk
16:13, NRSV). The evaluation of the servant’s action by Jesus
underlines the necessity “for faithfulness, true wealth, and the fact
that no one can serve God and money, which emphasizes the
idolatrous character of money”(Grun, 2003:141). Commenting on
this parable, Barclay opines “serving God can never be a part-time or
spare-time job. Once a man chooses to serve God, every moment of
his time and every atom of his energy belongs to God” (Barclay,
1975:210). From this, we may conclude that while wealth may not
primarily be evil, one’s attitude towards wealth may jeopardize faith
in God. Lust for money does have negative consequences. Indeed, it
could oust God, possess a person, enthrone itself and preside over his
existence, dictating to and controlling the individual.
III. Conclusion
From the teachings on wealth in the gospel of Luke and some
other related parts of scripture, we may observe that material
prosperity is attainable by Christians because wealth in itself does not
seem to be evil. In fact, material prosperity by believers could be
beneficial to the mission of the church of God. However, it seems
inappropriate to give exclusive emphasis to Luke 6:38 in the teaching
about wealth in the third gospel. This emphasis by the proponents of
prosperity gospel leads to erroneous teachings, such as making acts of
kindness an investment rather than a Christian service and limiting
blessings that flow from this service only to material prosperity. This
erroneous teaching could enthrone greed in people as well as battle
against spirituality. Thus, a balanced view of material prosperity is
essential to Christian faith.
AAMM, Vol. 10, 15
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