The Scriptures declare “Money is a defence or protection” (Ecclesiastes7:2) and “Money is the answers to everything” (Ecclesiastes10:19). However, love of money or Avarice is the root of all evil.”(1Timothy 3:16). Some have interpreted this last scripture out of context and developed apathy towards money and hard work.
Philarguria is the Greek word translated “love of money or Avarice.” It denotes extreme greed for wealth or material gain, insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
Prosperity gospel poses a challenge to many, due to lack of knowledge vis-a-vis wrong attitude. Our attitude towards the word of God is crucial to our development or lack thereof… Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition (Mark 7:13); And knowledge of God’s word determine whether we will live up to our potential or not… My people are destroyed or cut off completely for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
Opponents of gospel of Christian prosperity assume that Jesus lived a poverty-stricken life during his time on earth and was homeless. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” they aver.
Jesus was not poor during his three years earthly ministry. At Bethany, he made a definite distinction between himself and the poor, saying, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me” (John1:8).
Neither was he homeless; remember when John the Baptist announced, Behold the Lamb of God! – Scriptures declare that …the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus – And when Jesus noticed he was being followed said… unto them, what seek ye? They responded … Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? Jesus invited them to where he lived, saying… Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. (John1:35-39). Where you dwell is where you live.
Members of this school of thought opine that Jesus was born in stable and laid on manger because his parents couldn’t afford a room at the Inn. But that is far from the truth. Scripture say, And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7).
Jesus being born in a stable and laid in manger was not a function of lack of money but non-availability of room due to the fact that everyone from Bethlehem was in town for Census, as decreed by Caesar Augustus.
This school of thought take offence whenever prosperity is discussed. Why should we be talking about money in the church? Jesus never spoke about money; in fact, he said you can’t serve “God and Mammon” they murmur!
Oftentimes, preachers with such pew become daunted, and quit speaking about prosperity for fear of losing members. They abdicate a core duty… to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
In my estimation, people who fight the gospel of prosperity do so because it unveils their shortcomings. They short-change themselves by rejecting knowledge.
God’s ultimate desire for us is that we prosper. Paul corroborates this assertion when he says, Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers (3John 1:2).
Being born again, we identify with Christ and accept the price he paid for us on the cross. Our identification with him confers on us blessings or makes us rich. Paul, in his missive to the church at Corinth, alludes to this, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2cor 8:9).What a profound proclamation! We have been made rich legally, but we make this vital in our life.
Jesus died as man’s substitute; all things was created by him and for him – But set aside his GOD form and riches and took human form to redeem us. Jesus became something he was not, so that we could become something we were not. Jesus became poor at the cross, and died as man’s substitute so that man can become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ in all that God owns.
Galatians3:13 declares, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Note what it says: Christ hath redeemed us…It does not say he will or is going to redeem us; he has already redeemed us.
The word redeemed comes from the Greek word “Exagorazo”, which denotes the payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, to buy out or from. Curse of the law are spiritual death, sickness and poverty.
The above text gives an explicit illustration of Kidnap scenario: one held against his will. When a captor takes someone or something captive, they usually will demand a ransom, as condition for release of the captive. Once the ransom is paid, the captive is set free. The ransom, which is given in exchange for the captive, becomes a substitute or replacement for the captive. Jesus gave himself as our ransom. Hallelujah!
Rephrased Galatians 3:13, reads, “Christ hath bought us from or out of the curse of the law (spiritual death, sickness and poverty), being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
This fact is reiterated in (1Timothy 2:6). … the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all. Ransom is a price paid to achieve someone’s freedom. Adam’s transgression brought man under condemnation and under the dominion of the adversary; Justice had ruled that man must pay the penalty of his transgression.
Thus, for man to be freed from the clutches of Satan, a substitute or ransom was required. Jesus gave himself as that ransom and secured freedom for man. For what purpose? That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians3:14.
By Emmanuel Emeke Asiwe
