Know this, I do NOT see wealth as a sin. I do NOT deny that God materially blesses people for the purpose his kingdom and to bring himself glory. HOWEVER, I would suggest to you that wealth and material provision is more often a curse than it is a blessing for the believer.
I recently listened to a sermon by a mega-church pastor entitled, "Abiding in the Word." I was amazed that there was only one reference to scripture during the first 27 minutes of a 45 minute message. I heard several prayers casually interjected into the message. I heard a great deal of 'prophetic' speech. But the over-arching theme that I gleaned from this message on "abiding in the word" was classic prosperity gospel speech mixed with a super-spiritual understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit.
First, I'll quickly address the prosperity gospel. Jesus said, "it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven." We are also told that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. My question is that if wealth makes eternal life so much more difficult and Jesus has come so that our burden's are light, why would God's will for our lives be to make it that much more difficult to follow Christ? The apostle Paul said that he discovered that the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need, is that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. The secret is contentment in Christ. God's plan is not abundant material provision for all believers, but to be the all satisfying savior of their lives. That they would be content through him in both seasons of plenty and seasons of lack.
The greater our dependency on Him, the more we can walk in tune with his spirit. When we have plenty, our focus tends to gravitate inwardly and on self. We look to meeting our own needs and managing our own wealth, rather than to steward all things according to God's will for the purpose of his kingdom. Indeed, there is purpose in our lack. We should not scorn it. We should be grateful in ALL circumstances. When we isolate a few scriptures on God's provision, we forget the overarching theme of the word of God which is that He is all satisfying. We are to seek first His kingdom, not our abundance.
Though I could spend hours upon hours writing on my distaste for this prosperity gospel, I want to move my attention to a statement this pastor made about two thirds into his message. Here is the statement.
"Its hard to have the same fruit as the early church when you value a book they didn't have more than you do the Holy Spirit they did have."
I take great offense to this statement. I hold the Bible as the infallible, final authority over the governance of believers and our conduct according to our faith in Christ. I do NOT deny the power of the Holy Spirit or the importance of this person of the Holy Trinity. I believe the three persons of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) are the same in substance and equal in power and glory. God the Father is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and Jesus Christ is God. They are the same God, yet made up of three persons. This is imperative to understand.
The passage of scripture the pastor used to defend this statement was John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me..." The pastor reminds us that Jesus is saying that eternal life is in himself. I agree, but understand this verse to point to the Mosaic law, since the term Scriptures here cannot possibly refer to the Bible, as the cannon was not yet closed and the New Testament was not yet written. He goes on to say that "this book is not a box that contains God, it reveals God." Based on what I heard him saying, I feel I can safely assume that he see the word of God as separate from the Holy Trinity. He references a 'false idea' that he has heard often in churches that notes "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible." He further corrects this assertion by exchanging Holy Bible with Holy Spirit. Though he has correctly completed the names of the Trinity, he has missed the point and thus, unknowingly or otherwise, taught a principle that is contrary to the truth of Holy Scripture.
Let me explain by using a passage from the book out of which he was teaching.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."
(John 1:1-18 ESV)
Jesus Christ was the embodiment of the word of God, both old and new testament. It matters not that the New Testament cannon wasn't written or completed until long after the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ. If we believe the Bible to be the infallible, divinely inspired word of God, then when we look to the Holy Scriptures and see this passage from John, we can rest assured that Christ was the embodiment of this word which was begotten of God from the beginning. The Bible is not meant to replace the Holy Spirit person of the Godhead, but represent a material manifestation of Jesus Christ. To "abide in the word" is to abide in Christ. The Psalmist said, "I hide your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you." To abide in Jesus as we are commanded by our savior, is to read, meditate on, and ultimately savor the truth in scripture above all else. The Bible is truth. Our freedom is found in this truth. Our salvation come through our faith, which is established by the word of this truth. Our conduct should be measured by this truth. Our revelation and insight should be consistent with this truth. We are to compare everything to this word and to seek the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as our counselor, the source of our conviction, and the guide for our steps.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
(2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV)
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
(Ephesians 5:18-21 ESV)
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