Prosperity preachers treat material prosperity as the definitive sign of faith and spiritual growth. Even a glancing look at the Old Testament tells us that one can be well off and far from God; healthy and on their way to hell.

The prosperity gospel teaches that God wants his people to be wealthy and healthy. At its core is often the idea that in Christ God has restored to us the blessings of the covenant made with Abraham. These blessings are understood in a primarily material way, including good health, economic prosperity, and an all-round victory in most areas of life. Prosperity gospel preachers rely heavily on the Old Testament to make this case, arguing that God promises his people abundant wealth and abounding health.

The threat of the prosperity gospel has been well-documented, from the devastating revelations concerning the late T.B. Joshua to the undeniable ways it distorts both an individual’s faith and the church’s corporate witness. In this article I want to show how having a better understanding of the Bible’s overarching redemptive story—and covenants—is an important corrective to the prosperity gospel.

Meet the God Who Lacks for Nothing

The Bible’s creation account teaches that God created the world and everything in it. At every stage of the creation, God calls what he has made “good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This is a testament to the all-surpassing wealth and abundance of our God. The work of creation isn’t merely functional but bountiful. We don’t only see God’s power, but also that he lacks nothing.

There’s an implication here. God is self-sufficient. His working in this world is not incentivised by our giving or sacrifices. The same is true of how he treats us. Importantly, this understanding of God guards against the temptation to treat God as a kind of talisman, who is motivated to give us wealth because of what we do for him.

Meet the People Who Lost Everything

Having met the Creator God, let’s consider the zenith of his creation: people (Genesis 1:31). These opening chapters of Genesis teach that God grants man dominion over the rest of the world (Genesis 1:28-30; 2:15). Why? Well, just like everything else God made, humankind exists to bring God glory. Our ruling over the world, this dominion, was meant to display God’s splendour; to give him honour. As God’s representative, those who image God (Genesis 1:27), man was entrusted with the blessings of God’s rule and power.

But man turned from, rather than to, God in search of satisfaction, significance, and security. We forsook the all-sufficient Creator and put our faith in the creation (Genesis 3:6; Romans 1:21-23). The worst result of this wasn’t poverty or poor health. In fact, the people we meet in Genesis after the fall live incredibly long lives and enjoy economic prosperity. The problem is, all of them die; all of them endure spiritual poverty, being kept from entering Eden and enjoying the presence of God that Adam and Eve had.

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