One of the most tragic and frustrating conversations that I have from time to time is the one that starts something like this: “I don’t understand!  I’ve been living for God—praying, reading the Bible, trying to honor God with my relationships, finances, possessions, etc.  But God isn’t following through on His promises.  Doesn’t He promise blessing for righteousness (e.g., biblical promises to prosper the nation of Israel if they obey and trust Him).”  They wonder why their experience of following God doesn’t comport with the theology that’s been peddled to them.  And they are left reeling with understandable confusion and frustration.  Tragically, for many, there is no one there to offer what they need most at that moment—a healthy dose of biblical truth.  And as a result, some walk away from God, thinking that He simply doesn’t keep His promises. 

The root of the problem
One man I spoke to just a few months ago, who vented a similar frustration as mentioned above, admitted that much of his theological assumptions came from television preacher, Joel Osteen.  Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas (with a congregation numbering 30,000), may be one of the clearest examples of a Gospel message which sets up dangerously false theological assumptions.  Assumptions which, when exposed to real life, can be the catalyst in actually destroying one’s faith in Jesus.

Aside from having poorly thought-through theology, Osteen preaches a Gospel of health, wealth and self-esteem, promising that if you follow God (with the right formula) you are guaranteed divine “preferential treatment” in this life.  For instance, an article in the “Christian Research Journal” cites one of Osteen’s stories of how God gives preferential treatment to His followers (Vol. 3, No. 3, 2007, p. 20).  He states that when he and his wife Victoria used to travel overseas for ministry purposes, they’d regularly get upgraded to first class on the plane because of His relationship with God.

I’d go up there [to the airline counter] knowing that I have an advantage, I’ve got the favor of God. . . .when I’d go up there I’d just smile real big and be real friendly and that whole time under my breath I’d be saying ‘Father, I thank you that I have your favor.  I thank you that you’re causing me to stand out in the crowd.  I thank you that your light is shining down on me.’  And Victoria will tell you time after time, for no reason at all, they’d bump us up to first class.  See, that’s the favor of God. . . .That’s God’s favor giving us preferential treatment.

This picture of what it means to follow God is what is being sold week after week to not only Osteen’s 30,000 congregates, but also the tens of millions watching his “Discover the Champion in You” program on T.V.  That being the case, is it any surprise why people question the very validity of their faith in Jesus when their lives fail to, not only get upgrades on airplanes, but also receive all these supposed “promises” of God in their careers, finances, relationships, and personal struggles?

Has God really said?
Here are two common supposedly biblical reasons people offer in support of a sort of ‘Osteenist’ theology.

(1) Proverbs: universal promises or general truisms?
One Bible reading practice that I’ve engaged in over the past few years is to read the “proverb of the day”—the proverb which corresponds to the day of the month (there are 31 chapters in the Old Testament book of Proverbs).  I love the Hebrew proverbs.  The opening of the book tells the reader that their purpose is for attaining wisdom, discipline, understanding into the minds of the wise, and for living an upright life.  And nearly all of the proverbs link faithfulness to prospering.  For instance, Proverbs 16:3 reads, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”  Even the proverb I read just this morning included this maxim, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (14:23).

Now, how is it that the Hebrew Proverbs can be the cause of someone developing bad ‘Osteenist’ theology?  Because the million dollar question is whether these proverbs should be understood as universal promises by God or general truisms.  If they are universal promises given by God, and if your hard work which you have committed to God doesn’t prosper and lead to profit (e.g., a small business venture), then God is a liar and unreliable.  And this is what many people who have bought into a health/wealth/self-esteem gospel have concluded about God.  Think about it.  If you were told that prosperity is always the outcome of universal, God-instituted, spiritual formulas, wouldn’t you think the same if they weren’t equating?

In their classic book, “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth,” the authors comment,

The book of Proverbs is the primary locus of ‘prudential wisdom’—that is, memorable aphorisms (maxims) people can use to help themselves make responsible choices in life….There is no guarantee, of course, that a life will always go well for [a person].  What Proverbs does say is that, all things being equal, there are basic attitudes and patterns of behavior that will help a person grow into responsible adulthood (231).

So, when we understand that proverbs are not universal, unqualified, ironclad legal guarantees of divine success, but rather general truths, we steer clear of the dangerous theology which only sets people up for distrust of and disappointment with God.

(2) Old Testament promises to Israel
Another common misunderstanding is that specific promises given to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament are universal promises, unbound by the particular historical setting in which they were given.  Maybe one of the most common is the “promise/salvation oracle” of Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”  We Christians often “claim” this promise for ourselves, asserting that God “gave it to me.”  However, we forget to consider the historical setting.  Jeremiah’s prophecy was to the people of Judah, telling them that only after they submitted to the pagan imperial invaders (Babylon) and going into exile for 70 years, would God follow through on His plan to “prosper” and reestablish them back in their land.  I bring up the historical setting or context only to ask why it is that we only “claim” the good part of Jeremiah’s prophecy and never “claim” the promise of judgment which had to come first?

And even if we did have the right (which I don’t think we do) to “claim” some selected portion of a national promise of God given to a particular nation, in a particular historical setting, the most we could do would be to apply it to another nation.  But it certainly wouldn’t apply to any particular individual within that nation.  After all, there were many promises of blessing to the nation of Israel as a whole which didn’t translate to eliminating all poor or sick individuals within the larger nation.  In fact, the proverb I mentioned in the previous section (Ch 14) makes two comments about the poor within the nation, recognizing that they are often shunned by their neighbors, and warning people not to oppress them (vs. 20, 31).

I particularly like the language that the Apostle Paul uses to get at how God’s interaction with “our forefathers” in the Old Testament relates to us (1 Cor 10:1).  In verse 11, Paul writes, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us….”  Take note of the italicized words.  Therefore, God’s particular promises made to Israel of judgment or blessing are best understood as being given to them, but for us as “examples” and “warnings”.  And we must not get that confused.

Splitting theological hairs?
The common retort of those who defend the 21st century American prosperity version of the Gospel will declare that this is just theological hairsplitting.  And if that’s all this is, I’ve got better things to do with my time.  But I don’t think it is.  Let me give you several reasons why I think this should be a matter of extreme import to all followers of Jesus.  There are serious consequences to this modern prosperity Gospel that I have seen first hand.  I grew up in a church which traded on the formulaic idea that if a person served God he or she could expect only blessings, and I regularly saw the human fallout:

(1) Physical: There are people I knew growing up who are now dead—young people.  And they died because they acted in accordance with the teaching that God had promised and guaranteed perfect health for them in this life, and that if they really believed such, they should act in faith and stop taking medication which was keeping them alive.

(2) Emotional: Those who didn’t die, often experienced deep feelings of guilt, as they were told that since God had guaranteed health and wealth, the problem must be on their part—either secret sin or weak faith.

(3) Financial: Many made foolish financial decision, acting upon a give-to-get gimmick which required them to give an enormous financial gift (usually to the speaker), forcing God’s hand to return “a 100-fold blessing.”  This usually only resulted in further financial strain for those who made the financial sacrifice.

(4) Spiritual: Most tragically, many people simply turned their backs on God, expressing the bewilderment and frustration stated above, “I don’t understand!  I’ve been living for God—praying, reading the Bible, trying to honor God with my relationships, finances, possessions, etc.  But God isn’t following through on His promises.  Doesn’t He promise blessing for righteousness (e.g., biblical promises to prosper the nation of Israel if they obey and trust Him).”  In fact, I am still in relationship with several friends who have completely walked away from God and church because of the fortunate-cookie-theology sold them years ago.

This is not splitting of theological hairs.  People’s lives are on the lines.  People make decisions which impact them for their rest of their lives and for eternity.

Had we only read the Bible
If we were to come to the Bible without a 21st century American prosperity filter, I can’t imagine how we could possibly walk away wondering why followers of God aren’t experiencing the lifestyles of the rich and the famous.  After all:

(1) The most famous book in the world on the topic of suffering is in the Bible (Job).  And it’s a book in which the sufferer is innocent of wrongdoing and never receives an ultimate answer to the “why” question.

(2) The Old Testament is replete with examples of great people of faith who are deeply irritated in that their righteousness doesn’t automatically translate into prosperity and ease (e.g., Ps 73:13; Jer 12:1).

(3) Jesus specifically told his followers that there will be trouble in this world (Mk 6:34; Jn 16:33).

(4) Paul warms that even engaging in God’s greatest gifts of life (marriage) there will come unavoidable difficulty and trouble (1 Cor 7:28).

(5) The writer of Hebrews dedicates an entire chapter (the ‘faith hall of fame’) to the heroes of the faith, many of whom “were tortured….Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (Heb 11:36-38).  And the author concludes by noting that all of these people “were commended for their faith…” (vs. 39).

Walking with the real God
This is what I so appreciate about the Bible.  It gives us a real life, nitty-gritty picture of walking with God.  It offers no white washed characters in serene scenarios.  No, it gives us an unedited look at the lives of those who journeyed with God amidst the tangles and snares of a fallen, sin-soaked world.  And while a true biblical portrait of what it means to walk with God doesn’t uproot all questions and feelings of frustration in the face of suffering, it does at least provide for us an explanation as to why we don’t have all the answers.  The biblical narrative reminds us that we live “east of Eden,” exiled from paradise, disjointed from God, others, creation, and ourselves.

So, why don’t God’s “promises” work?  Because God never made them.  At least, He never made the promises of universal health, wealth, comfort, and ease as mentioned above.  He does make many promises, and He even promises utter fulfillment and flourishing to those who are transformed by the power of His Spirit, but these promises are not realized this side of eternity.  In Romans 8:19-23, Paul recognizes that the entire creation is living in a state of “frustration,” languishing until the day when all creation will be “liberated from its bondage to decay.”  Finally, he notes that we too “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as children, the redemption of our bodies.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK?