Here’s How the Prosperity Gospel Really Works

God blesses us financially so that we can give generously, not live extravagantly

I’ve never believed in the prosperity gospel. In fact, I find the idea that God rewards faith with wealth in conflict with the actual gospel message of Jesus. John Piper sums it up well in this interview when he talks about how the prosperity gospel conveniently ignores the biblical calls to trials and self-denial – not to mention the grace of the real gospel message.

And yet, my personal experience with money shows that God can bless spiritual obedience with material rewards. It has happened to my family so many times that I can’t deny it. So, then, is there actually some truth to the “name it and claim it” movement?

I’ve been thinking about this question lately as my financial situation has drastically improved at the same my charitable giving has accelerated. The connection between the two trends appears so strong – and I’ll get to some specific examples later – that I’m convinced God has blessed me with more money in direct response to my generosity.

There’s also biblical support for the idea. Money is the one area of our lives that God tells us to test him:

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be good in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:10)

God challenges us to push the limits on giving, and he promises to rain down blessing in response. But that’s not the prosperity gospel.

I see one significant difference between the health and wealth preachers and what the Bible actually says about material rewards. While the prosperity gospel encourages people to give more so that they can get (and spend) more, God really provides more so that we can give more. It’s a subtle but hugely important distinction that hinges on motivation and heart.

Is the Prosperity Gospel Anti-Christian?

A great quote from theologian Charles Spurgeon speaks to this core difference. “I believe that it is anti-Christian and unholy for any Christian to live with the object of accumulating wealth,” Spurgeon said. “You will say, ‘Are we not to strive all we can to get all the money we can?’ You may do so. I cannot doubt but what, in doing so, you may do service to the cause of God. But what I said was that to live with the object of accumulating wealth is anti-Christian.”

I love that quote because it addresses the purpose of money – and by extension, our lives. If we strive to accumulate wealth to live lavishly or hoard money to feel more secure, we turn into the rich fool. But if we strive for more money so that we can give more generously and participate in God’s work, God promises he will pour out financial blessing.

The Bible frames the issue the same way in several other passages:

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. … You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:8, 11)

Any time I read the phrase “so that” in the Bible, I see purpose. In this case, God provides blessing so that we can be generous – not the other way around.

This verse also speaks to the fact that God provides so that we have “sufficiency in all things at all times.” In the original language, the word “sufficiency” can also mean “contentment,” or independence from possessions. This financial truth directly contradicts the prosperity gospel, which claims that God wants us to live extravagantly as a reward for faith and prayer.

Give More, Get More, Give More Again

There’s a second financial truth at play here that aligns with my experience: God trusts us with more when we prove we can handle less. Here’s what Jesus says in the parable of the talents about the servants who wisely invested their master’s money:

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a little; I will set you over much.’ (Matthew 25:23)

In Luke 16:10, Jesus also tells his disciples that “one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.”

This is one of the reasons I encourage readers to climb the ladder of generosity and believe strongly that every budget should make charitable giving a priority. When we demonstrate faithful giving with little, God trusts us with more. If we continue to pursue radical generosity, he continues to bless us. We give more, get more, and give more again.

I’ve experienced this cycle repeatedly over the course of my career, but it became real in a startling way over the past six years.

Steps of Faith Can Lead to Financial Rewards

I’ve seen this principle at work on a few occasions, but two experiences stand out.

The first time, in my late 20s, I was making about $45,000 a year and going for my first big promotion. About the same time, a friend who worked for a Christian organization and had to raise her own salary asked for support. I dragged my feet on the giving decision, and the promotion decision didn’t appear to be going my way.

Finally, I committed $200 per month in giving support, which was a significant percentage of income at the time. The next morning, I got the promotion and a $20,000 raise. I found out later that my manager had originally chosen another candidate, and he had even put the “winning” resume on his boss’s desk. But the night before, around the same time I set up the recurring donation online, he switched the resumes at the last minute.

I didn’t realize then that God was building my faith for an even bigger test. On March 8, 2012, at a different company, I got laid off unexpectedly. With a 6-month-old baby at home, the timing couldn’t have been worse. That night, my church held a kickoff meeting for a new capital campaign and asked members to make a three-year financial pledge. I had lost my job 10 hours earlier, but I felt God calling my wife and me to take a step of faith. I told my pastor that we would participate in the fundraising campaign. We made a three-year, $300-a-month pledge – more than $10,000 – with no employment prospects.

When I found work four months later, it didn’t come with an immediate financial blessing like the first time. I took a $10,000 pay cut and a step back in title. We faithfully fulfilled our pledge, and I eventually recovered on the salary front.

Then something funny happened: The small business that hired me took off. We became one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in the country, jumping from less than 20 people when I joined to 100 employees today. I became a partner and executive, more than doubled my original salary, and started getting big annual bonuses. This year, we’re on track to grow 60 percent in revenue. I’m continually baffled at how liberally God provides for my family financially.

I can’t claim all the credit for my company’s success, but the timing of its rapid growth aligns directly with when I started getting serious about radical generosity. As my financial situation has significantly improved, we have continued to test God when it comes to giving, even making a $10,000 donation last year. With each step of faith, an unexpected financial blessing seems to come our way.

A Prosperity Gospel Worth Embracing

Let me be clear about one thing: I don’t give more expecting to get more. That would be a prosperity gospel mentality. I give more because I believe God has entrusted me with more money than I need, and the Bible says that excess riches come with the duty to bless others. He has found me a faithful steward of his resources, and so he keeps trusting me with more of them. That blessing comes with the responsibility of using those resources wisely, which means not wasting them on frivolous or fleeting things.

Of course, I share in the blessings along the way. I’ve written before about how I consider myself rich by almost every historical standard. That has resulted in a bigger house, nicer vacations and promising retirement projections. But we also spend modestly, avoid luxuries and give a growing percentage of income to our church and other Christian organizations. We are deliberate about seeking contentment and using excess wealth to become extravagant givers, which is why we’re setting financial finish lines.

I also acknowledge that God doesn’t bless everyone in the same way. Some Christians are called to lives of ministry, suffering or poverty. Sometimes the blessing is spiritual, not material. And not every generous gift comes with a financial return on investment.

But when I read Paul praying that God would enrich the Corinthians liberally so that they can give liberally, I see a clear calling on my personal finances. I also see the wisdom in Spurgeon’s quote that it’s anti-Christian to live with the goal of wealth accumulation; however, striving for more money to advance God’s work opens windows of blessing in ways you could never imagine. That’s the kind of prosperity gospel I can embrace.