The Prosperity Gospel and the Gospel of the Suffering Servant

Pastor Brian Drummond
July 18, 2025

Scripture must be read in context. When individual verses are separated from their literary, historical, and theological settings, they can be made to promise things their authors never intended. The prosperity gospel often treats health, wealth, and comfort as the expected results of faith. The New Testament presents a different center: Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, who calls His people to faithful endurance, sacrificial love, and eternal hope.

This article examines commonly misused passages, explains why the prosperity message distorts the gospel, and points readers toward a biblical theology of stewardship, suffering, character, and hope.

Exegesis of 3 John 2

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

John opens his third letter by writing to his “beloved” brother Gaius. He prays for Gaius’s overall well-being: his circumstances, his health, and his soul. Although the verse does not explicitly define human nature in this way, Scripture often speaks of the whole person in terms of mind, body, and spirit or soul. I believe John is praying a blessing over Gaius as a whole person.

It is important to recognize that this prayer is descriptive, not prescriptive. It records what John prayed specifically for Gaius; it does not prescribe how every believer must pray or promise a particular outcome. As Dr. O’Donnell explains, “Some prosperity teachers have seized on this verse as supporting the idea that faithful Christians should expect good health at all times.”[1]

Notice the language of the passage. John is not commanding or exhorting Gaius—or anyone else—to take a particular action. He is simply praying for Gaius as a person and a friend. It is also important to remember that, in Greco-Roman culture, letters often began with a greeting and an expression of goodwill, much as Paul greets various churches in his letters. According to Yarbrough, “It is both Hellenistic letter convention and human decency for John to move to good wishes for Gaius health.”[2]

Some have misused this text to claim that God promises every believer health, wealth, and prosperity. That is not John’s authorial intent. As Yarbrough states, careful interpreters cannot responsibly use 3 John 2 as the foundation for an exposition claiming that God intends His people to prosper materially.[3] Church history shows that many believers in John’s day did not prosper materially, and the New Testament repeatedly tells believers that they will suffer and face persecution.

It is dangerous to use a passage to make God say something He did not say or intend. John was extending a prayer and blessing to Gaius, not making a promise to every believer. “The evidence of Gaius’ spiritual well-being, which had caused John great joy, had been brought to him by certain brothers. They are mentioned in this verse and verse 5.”[4]

John may have been praying for Gaius’s physical health because Gaius was spiritually strong while his physical condition was weaker. As Straus writes, “Life for him had been a spiritually prosperous Journey up to the time John had written to him, and there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that Gaius had ever departed from the straight and narrow way.”[5] According to John, Gaius was clearly spiritually mature. Without reading too much between the lines, John may have been praying either that Gaius’s physical health would improve to match his spiritual health or that his physical health would remain strong, just as John considered him spiritually healthy.

Exegesis of 2 Corinthians 8:9

“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 by his poverty might become rich.”

When interpreting this—or any—biblical text, context is essential. Both literary and historical context matter. In the first eight verses, Paul describes the Macedonian believers, who gave generously for gospel ministry even while struggling in deep poverty. The passage teaches believers to give to others out of what God has provided. It does not promise material blessing. The Macedonian church struggled financially, yet Paul did not promise its members health, wealth, or prosperity.

Paul himself experienced financial hardship and great suffering. He was eventually martyred. If the prosperity gospel were true, Paul’s life would be a troubling counterexample to its promises.

Paul is discussing money in this passage, but the riches Christ gives are spiritual. Jesus possessed all power, yet He willingly gave up His privilege, came to earth in poverty, and gave Himself to save us. “It is one thing for a billionaire to suffer impoverishment at the hands of bad fortune. It is another for a billionaire to willingly embrace impoverishment for the sake of others.”[6]

The riches believers receive are the new inheritance given to us as adopted sons and daughters of the King. Peter tells us, “To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”[7] The promised inheritance is not a temporary, material blessing. It is Christ forever.

Paul also makes clear that believers are to give sacrificially. In this chapter, he gives two examples: the church in Macedonia and Jesus Himself. Harris asserts, “The Macedonians gave when they were desperately poor; Christ gave when He was incalculably rich.”[8] This is quite different from the way prosperity teachers have interpreted the text.

Jesus became poor for us through His humiliation and sacrifice. At the cross, He cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[9] At Calvary, He gave His life and took on the debt of the world so that the world might be saved through Him. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”[10]

Paul’s point is that Jesus died so that we may live for Him in the riches of His grace and mercy, walking in light and freedom. Barnett says it well: “He picks up the theme of grace shown by the Macedonians in their poverty (v.1-5) but applies it to Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion, as the climax of his appeal to the Corinthians to exhibit such grace.”[11]

Problems with the Prosperity Gospel

First, the prosperity gospel reshapes the entire metanarrative of Scripture around health, wealth, and prosperity, treating these as the purpose of life and the benefits Jesus gives to those who ask in faith. It promotes a “name it and claim it” ideology. In I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life, Joel Osteen states, “You will produce what you say. If you want to know what you will be like five years from now, just listen to what you are saying about yourself. With our words we can either bless our futures, or we can curse our futures.”[12]

This teaching is also called the Word of Faith movement: the belief that if someone declares something with enough faith, it will happen—for example, that a person will become wealthy.

Another prominent figure associated with prosperity theology is Joyce Meyer. Her bestselling book Battlefield of the Mind emphasizes positive thinking and the rejection of negative thought patterns. In one statement about sin, she says, “I'm going to tell you something folks, I didn't stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn't a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that's heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I'm righteous and I can't be righteous and be a sinner at the same time.”[13]

No one becomes perfect overnight when coming to Christ. We are still sinners saved by grace. This teaching points back toward a heretical group of doctrines known as perfection theology. According to The Gospel Coalition, “Sinless perfectionism is not only untrue but also dangerous. People don’t tend to win battles that they don’t even realize they are supposed to be fighting.”[14]

What about sin? What about our brokenness? What about our great need for a Savior? The prosperity gospel distracts people from the true message of the Bible. It is dangerous and deeply troubling. My own family believed it for years, and it has entered many modern American churches today.

Second, the prosperity gospel offers false hope. The hope it gives can resemble the hope people place in a lottery ticket: the odds are very different from what they imagine. The lottery can take advantage of people with little money by offering the possibility of a jackpot, and millions spend what little income they have in pursuit of that hope.

The prosperity gospel can work similarly. In some cases, the people supporting prosperity churches are widows or others living on Social Security or pensions. It is troubling to see Joel Osteen and others live lavishly while people suffer and struggle, believing that they will receive a big, Costco-sized blessing.

Finally, the prosperity gospel leads people down the wrong path. Who is this Jesus people speak about? Is He a genie who grants fortunes and blessings if we pray to Him? Or is He the Lord of our lives and the ruler of all creation?

Prosperity theology is appalling because it turns Jesus into a fairy godmother or genie. This distortion is evil: it takes the Savior of the world, the one true sovereign Lord, and reduces Him to an instrument of personal gain. This is not the Jesus of the Bible, who died and rose again so that we could have new life in Him.

A Substantial, Solid, and Significant View of the Gospel of the Suffering Servant

Suffering is not merely a matter of if, but of when. Whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we will suffer. James tells believers that we will experience trials in this life:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

—James 1:2–4

James, the brother of Jesus, is not the only biblical writer who teaches this truth. Throughout Scripture, other passages teach a theology of surrender, sacrifice, and suffering. Peter writes, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”[15]

We suffer, too, just as Jesus Christ was described in Isaiah as the suffering servant. We will face trials, difficulties, and hard times, but Jesus will not forsake us. We are called to suffer, but we are not abandoned in our suffering. Paul puts it well: “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.”[16]

Scriptures That Counter Prosperity-Gospel Theology and Doctrine

Romans 5 explains clearly that believers will suffer. The people to whom Paul wrote in the Roman church—both Jews and Gentiles—suffered for Christ. He gave them this encouragement, and his words still ring true today:

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”[17]

How Should a Believer View Prosperity?

A believer should view financial success, health, and wealth as blessings. These blessings do not make one person better than another. Instead, they bring a greater responsibility to steward what God has provided wisely and well.

Prosperity can also make reliance on God more difficult because wealth can tempt people to feel self-sufficient. I believe this is a key reason Jesus said, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”[18]

Jesus also teaches biblical stewardship in the parable of the talents. We have each been given a measure of time, talent, and treasure. We will answer to the Lord for how we used those gifts while living on earth.

Whenever I speak with someone who says they have given their life to Jesus, I listen carefully and seek to understand what they believe. I respond in love and point them to the truth.[19] As Christian leaders, we are called to live and lead in love. That is how we can reach others for Christ well: by leading and living in the love of God.

Bibliography

Allen, David Lewis, and R. Kent Hughes. 1–3 John: Fellowship in God’s Family. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013.

Barnett, Paul. Second Epistle to the Corinthians. New International Commentary on the New Testament. W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997.

ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

Harris, Murray J. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005.

Hunter, Bob. “Joyce Meyer in the Twenty-First Century.” Christian Research Institute, May 11, 2023.

Koukl, Gregory, and Lee Strobel. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2019.

Ortlund, Dane C. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

Osteen, Joel. I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Book Publishers, 2014.

O’Donnell, Douglas Sean. 1–3 John. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015.

Payne, Matthew, Izaac Cowling, Mitch Everingham, Simon Camilleri, Sarah Phillips, David M. Shaw, Patty Guthrie, Jane Tooher, Greg Cooper, and Jonathan Holt. “The Godly Heresy of Sinless Perfectionism.” The Gospel Coalition | Australia, August 11, 2023.

Stott, John R. W. The Letters of John: Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1988.

Straus, Lehman. Epistles of John. New York, NY: Loizeaux Brothers, 1962.

Yarbrough, Robert W. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008.

Notes

[1] Douglas Sean O’Donnell, 1–3 John (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2015).

[2] Robert W. Yarbrough, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 366.

[3] Yarbrough, Baker Exegetical Commentary, 367.

[4] John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: Tyndale New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1988), 223.

[5] Lehman Straus, Epistles of John (New York, NY: Loizeaux Brothers, 1962), 161.

[6] Dane C. Ortlund, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020).

[7] 1 Peter 1:4.

[8] Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005), 581.

[9] Matthew 27:46.

[10] John 3:17.

[11] Paul Barnett, Second Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Commentary on the New Testament (W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997), 407.

[12] Joel Osteen, I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life (Philadelphia, PA: Running Press Book Publishers, 2014).

[13] Bob Hunter, “Joyce Meyer in the Twenty-First Century,” Christian Research Institute, May 11, 2023.

[14] Matthew Payne, Izaac Cowling, Mitch Everingham, Simon Camilleri, Sarah Phillips, David M. Shaw, Patty Guthrie, Jane Tooher, Greg Cooper, and Jonathan Holt, “The Godly Heresy of Sinless Perfectionism,” The Gospel Coalition | Australia, August 11, 2023.

[15] 1 Peter 2:21.

[16] 2 Corinthians 4:8.

[17] Romans 5:3–5.

[18] Matthew 19:24.

[19] Ephesians 4:15.