DID GOD PROMISE YOU RICHES?

There is a popular belief in many churches today that God wants His followers to be rich or promises them material wealth. Many are taught that God guarantees material riches, often using Bible verses as proof texts. One such verse is 2 Corinthians 8:9, which states: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

At first glance, this verse seems to suggest that Jesus traded His financial riches so we could be materially rich. This view is prevalent in many Word of Faith and charismatic circles. However, the problem is that many Christians don’t dig deeper into Scripture to understand its true meaning. Today, we’ll focus on 2 Corinthians 8:9. Although there are many other verses used by the prosperity movement, we’ll concentrate on this one for the sake of time.

Let’s start with “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this context, grace refers to the unmerited favor God showed humanity. Jesus humbled Himself and endured suffering for our sake. Understand that God’s primary focus is our spiritual condition.

Next, “though He was rich.” This means that before Jesus came to earth in human form, He was infinitely rich in divine glory with God the Father in heaven. These riches are not material; they refer to His divine attributes. Nothing is richer than Jesus’ fellowship with the Father.

Now, let’s look at “yet for your sake He became poor.” This doesn’t mean Jesus gave up millions of dollars or material wealth for us. Instead, it refers to His incarnation. Jesus became poor by taking on human form and living a life of simplicity and suffering. Before His incarnation, Jesus never experienced hunger, temptation, sleeplessness, or any human frailty. It was a massive sacrifice to give up all that He had to die a criminal’s death on a cross to redeem sinful humanity. Remember, this was done for our sake, not His.

The final part of the verse says, “so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Prosperity gospel proponents use this as proof that God wants to make us materially wealthy. However, before we break this down, remember that God’s primary focus is our spiritual condition.

The richness believers gain through Christ’s poverty includes spiritual blessings like the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, adoption as God’s children, and the promise of eternal life. No financial situation compares to a person’s spiritual condition without Christ.

To make it plain: before becoming a believer in Christ, you are spiritually poor. After accepting Christ, you become spiritually rich. Christ’s self-imposed poverty was to enrich believers spiritually, ensuring the blessings of salvation and eternal life.

The issue with the prosperity doctrine is that it offers too little. Money, cars, houses, jets, and other material possessions are all temporary and will pass away. These things pale in comparison to the future that awaits believers in Christ.

When a Christian takes their last breath and leaves this world, they will be in the presence of the Lord. They will never again experience sickness, death, pain, sadness, hunger, loneliness, night, sin, wickedness, temptation, evil, separation from God, corruption, decay, and much more. These are some of the spiritual riches 2 Corinthians 8:9 refers to.

Wrapping up, I’ll leave you with Matthew 6:19-21 (NCV): “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust will destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.”

As Christians who truly desire to love and obey the Word of God, we should study the Bible with the intent to understand the proper meaning of each scripture we read. Doing this will unlock a deeper desire to walk in His ways and live a life that honors God. And by default, we will be able to discern and refute false teaching in the church. Until next time, remember: good doctrine equals good living.