By Oyewole Sarumi
One of the greatest challenges confronting contemporary Christianity is not open persecution from the world but confusion within the church itself.
Across many nations, particularly in Africa, a growing number of believers have come to equate the gospel with financial success, material prosperity, social influence, and personal advancement.
In some circles, Christianity is presented less as a message of reconciliation with God and more as a system for obtaining wealth.
In other contexts, church activities have increasingly been portrayed as “the work of God,” often leading sincere believers into endless cycles of unpaid labour, organizational service, and personal sacrifice that bear little resemblance to the actual work God commands in Scripture.
Yet God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). If there is confusion regarding the gospel, wealth, ministry, and the work of God, the solution is not sentiment, tradition, or popular opinion. The solution is a careful return to Scripture.
For over two thousand years, the Christian faith has proclaimed a singular message: sinful humanity can be reconciled to God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The gospel was never primarily about financial enrichment. It was never a divine strategy for creating millionaires. It was never a mechanism for building personal empires. Rather, it is the announcement of God’s saving grace through His Son.
The modern church urgently needs to recover this biblical distinction. The gospel must not be confused with prosperity. Church work must not be confused with the work of God. Service to religious institutions must not replace obedience to Christ.
Financial success should not be mistaken for spiritual maturity, and poverty should never be interpreted as evidence of divine rejection.
The Scriptures, the Apostolic Fathers, the Reformers, and the Puritan writers all testify to these truths.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE GOSPEL?
The Apostle Paul leaves no ambiguity concerning the content of the gospel. Writing to the Corinthians, he stated: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
This definition is striking because it contains no promise of wealth, no guarantee of financial increase, and no assurance of earthly prosperity.
The gospel concerns what Christ accomplished, not what believers can accumulate.
The central problem addressed by the gospel is not poverty but sin. Humanity’s greatest need is not a larger bank account but reconciliation with God.
Scripture consistently teaches that mankind’s fundamental crisis is spiritual alienation from the Creator. Consequently, the solution God provided was not a financial program but a Redeemer.
Jesus Himself declared that He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
The gospel announces forgiveness, justification, adoption into God’s family, eternal life, and restoration of fellowship with God. These blessings are infinitely greater than earthly riches because they endure beyond the grave.
A man may possess billions and yet remain separated from God. Conversely, a believer may possess little in material terms and yet be spiritually rich beyond measure.
DOES PREACHING CHRIST AUTOMATICALLY PRODUCE WEALTH?
A careful reading of the New Testament reveals that preaching Christ does not automatically result in financial abundance.
If proclaiming the gospel naturally produced wealth, the apostles should have been among the wealthiest people who ever lived. They witnessed miracles, raised the dead, healed the sick, and established churches across the Roman Empire.
However, their lives tell a different story.Peter openly declared: “Silver and gold have I none” (Acts 3:6).
Paul described his own circumstances in sobering terms: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place” (1 Corinthians 4:11).
In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul recounts imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, dangers, sleepless nights, hunger, and exposure.
These experiences are difficult to reconcile with the notion that faithful ministry inevitably produces material wealth.
The New Testament repeatedly portrays suffering, sacrifice, and perseverance as normal features of Christian discipleship. Jesus warned His followers that they would face tribulation in the world (John 16:33). He called them to take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23). Such language hardly supports the idea that Christianity is fundamentally a pathway to earthly prosperity.
THE MISUSE OF PROSPERITY TEXTS
Many prosperity teachings depend upon selective interpretation of biblical passages.
For example, Proverbs 10:22 states: “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” The verse certainly acknowledges God’s ability to bless. However, it does not teach that preaching the gospel guarantees financial wealth. What scripture teaches is that when a believer is ‘rich’ (abundance in the fullness of God by being possessed by Christ, s/he will become a blessing). The verse doesn’t neither establish riches as the universal experience of all believers.
Similarly, 2 Corinthians 8:9 is frequently cited: “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”
When read within its context, Paul is encouraging generosity among believers. The surrounding chapters of discuss financial giving for struggling Christians. Furthermore, Paul highlights the Macedonian believers, who were experiencing “deep poverty” while demonstrating extraordinary generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).
If Paul’s statement guaranteed financial wealth, the Macedonian Christians themselves become an immediate contradiction.
As I have explained above, but let me go deeper on the word RICH which is what prosperity preachers are twisting, whereas what it means is specifically stated in Luke 12. So, to be “rich toward God” (based on the parable in Luke 12:13-21) means valuing eternal treasures over temporary ones. It involves four practical actions:
- Practice Generosity: Use your resources (time, talents, and money) to bless others and support your community, rather than just hoarding them for personal comfort.
- Embrace Stewardship: Recognize that everything you have is entrusted to you by God. Manage what you own with an attitude of open-handedness and trust.
- Invest in Relationships: Value people above possessions. Show compassion and love to those around you.
- Grow in Faith: Spend time in prayer and studying scripture to deepen your relationship with God and align your priorities with His purposes.Luke 12:21 This is how it
Many respected scholars have noted that prosperity interpretations often arise from reading modern economic assumptions into ancient biblical texts rather than drawing meaning from the texts themselves. Contemporary theological research similarly argues that prosperity theology frequently rests on selective and contextually flawed interpretations of Scripture.
WEALTH IS NOT PROOF OF GOD’S APPROVAL
Another one of the most dangerous assumptions in modern Christianity is that wealth proves divine favour. The Bible simply does not support this conclusion.
Jesus taught that God causes His sun to rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain upon both the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
Throughout Scripture, wealthy unbelievers exist alongside poor saints.
Abraham was wealthy. Job was wealthy. David possessed immense resources. Yet Lazarus, the beggar in Luke 16, was righteous despite his poverty.
The church in Smyrna was spiritually rich despite material affliction (Revelation 2:9).
Even more importantly, Satan himself offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world and their glory (Luke 4:5-7). Therefore, material wealth alone can never serve as proof of God’s approval.
Success, influence, property, and financial abundance may come from diligence, inheritance, business skill, Entrepreneurship, opportunity, taking advantage of economic systems, or numerous other factors. They cannot automatically be interpreted as evidence of superior spirituality.
THE WITNESS OF THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS AND PURITANIC AUTHORS
The earliest Christian leaders after the apostles understood these truths clearly.
Ignatius of Antioch emphasized faithfulness to Christ rather than the pursuit of worldly gain. His letters repeatedly call believers to endure suffering with courage rather than seek earthly advantage.
Polycarp warned ministers against loving money and encouraged contentment and godliness.
The Didache, one of the earliest Christian writings outside the New Testament, cautioned believers against religious leaders who sought financial gain or attempted to exploit Christian generosity.
These early leaders lived much closer to the apostolic era than we do. Their writings consistently reveal a Christianity centred on holiness, discipleship, sacrifice, and eternal hope rather than material accumulation.
They viewed ministry as service, not a pathway to wealth.
What about some kessons from the Puritanic authors? The Puritan writers also understood the biblical balance regarding wealth.
Richard Baxter wrote: “Take heed of loving riches too much, and of making them your chief delight.”
John Owen warned believers against setting their affections upon earthly possessions rather than heavenly realities.
Thomas Watson famously observed: “The world is but a great inn where we are to stay a night or two, and be gone.”
These men were not opposed to honest labour, productive enterprise, or responsible stewardship. They encouraged diligence and industry. However, they consistently taught that wealth was a tool, not a measure of spirituality.
Their focus remained fixed upon holiness, godliness, and eternal life.
Please note that the Puritans built schools, hospitals, charities, and social institutions while emphasizing personal responsibility and community care. They did not create systems designed to enrich ministers at the expense of congregations.
WHY PROSPERITY THEOLOGY CONTINUES TO SPREAD
Beloved, despite overwhelming biblical evidence, prosperity theology remains influential in many regions.
May I posit that part of its appeal is understandable. Let me explain, and don’t get me wrong. People naturally desire relief from poverty, suffering, sickness, and uncertainty.
In economically challenged societies, promises of supernatural financial breakthrough can appear especially attractive.
However, several contemporary studies have concluded that prosperity theology often elevates material success above the core message of the gospel and can encourage unrealistic expectations regarding wealth and poverty. Research examining its impact in Africa notes that the growth of prosperity preaching has not necessarily translated into broad-based economic transformation and frequently shifts attention from community responsibility toward individual accumulation.
The danger lies not merely in theological error but in spiritual disappointment.
When people are taught that faith guarantees prosperity, many become disillusioned when hardship inevitably arrives.
All faithful and truthful Bible teachers knows that Scripture never promised a life free from suffering. Instead, it promises God’s presence amid suffering.
THE RICHES THAT TRULY MATTERS
The New Testament repeatedly speaks of riches, but often in spiritual rather than material terms.
Believers are described as rich in faith (James 2:5). They possess an inheritance that cannot perish (1 Peter 1:4). They have every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Paul speaks of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).
These riches cannot be lost through economic downturns. They cannot be stolen. They cannot be destroyed by inflation. They endure forever.
This perspective helps explain why many faithful Christians throughout history lived with modest means while experiencing extraordinary spiritual depth.
Their treasure was not located primarily on earth. It was stored in heaven.
REMEMBER CHRIST’S WARNING ABOUT EARTHLY GAINS
Jesus asked a question that remains profoundly relevant: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). This question exposes the limitations of prosperity-focused religion.
Even if a person acquired every earthly possession imaginable, such achievements would remain temporary. Death eventually separates every individual from material wealth.
The gospel addresses something infinitely more significant: humanity’s eternal destiny. Its through Christ, that sinners receive forgiveness. Through Christ, enemies become children of God. Through Christ, death loses its final victory. Through Christ, eternal life becomes available. There’s No earthly fortune can compare with these realities.
THE GOSPEL IS NOT ABOUT BECOMING RICH.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message about becoming rich. It is the announcement that God has acted in Christ to save sinners. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus remain the heart of Christian proclamation.
Scripture nowhere teaches that preaching Christ automatically produces financial wealth. The apostles themselves provide overwhelming evidence to the contrary. While God may bless some believers with material abundance, wealth is neither the goal of the gospel nor the measure of spiritual maturity.
Likewise, the work of God must not be confused with endless institutional activity. Church service has its place, but Jesus clearly identified the foundational work of God as believing in the One whom the Father has sent. Genuine Christian service flows from faith in Christ, not from manipulation, coercion, or systems that exploit the labour of sincere believers.
The testimony of Scripture, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Puritan writers points in the same direction. Christianity is about knowing Christ, following Christ, and making Christ known. It is about salvation, holiness, discipleship, and eternal life.
A believer may be wealthy or poor, influential or obscure, celebrated or forgotten. None of these conditions determine spiritual standing before God.
What ultimately matters is whether one belongs to Christ.
For the greatest riches God offers are not measured in currency, property, or possessions. They are found in forgiveness, reconciliation with God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the eternal inheritance secured through Jesus Christ our Lord.
These are the treasures that neither moth nor rust can corrupt, and these are the riches that endure forever.The article above incorporates biblical exposition, historical Christian sources, and contemporary theological research on prosperity theology and its effects in Africa.
Relevant research has consistently argued that prosperity theology often depends on questionable interpretations of biblical texts and tends to elevate material success beyond the central message of the gospel.
Prof. Sarumi, a Bible scholar and teacher of the Word of God, write from Lagos. Email:oyewolethecoach@gmail.com
