The purpose of this challenge is to point us back to God’s Word with prayer, wisdom, guidance, and revelation from the Holy Spirit. As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Scripture, what we might have been taught growing up or heard may or may not stand true when we compare it to what God’s Word says.

     When we look at twisted scripture lie #45, it says “God promises wealth and health to every believer”. This is the well-known prosperity gospel that simply believes that if you have enough faith then you can have whatever you want. In the book, the author talked about 2 different subjects-wealth then health. 

     Looking at “The Wealth Gospel”, the author gives a strong argument against this false gospel in favor of 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 6 to 9. Paul emphasizes that the combination of godliness and contentment leads to true gain, as opposed to the detrimental effects of the love of money. He identifies the love of money as the root of various evils, causing individuals to stray from the faith and experience sorrow. When we are honest with ourselves, many of us are greedy. We have this love for money. We want what this world has to offer-the comforts of life. Our focus is not about providing blessings to others, establishing food pantries, or enhancing our communities. This prosperity gospel is founded on self-centeredness and sin. 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” So basically, the Apostle Paul is saying when we are content with what we have, our possessions, and our circumstances, then that is equated to having great wealth. At the end, I can agree with the author when he said that Jesus is our secret to contentment in any circumstance.

     Looking at “The Health Gospel”, it is taught that you must not only claim your healing or have the faith to be healed but that God will heal you of all sicknesses and diseases. The main scripture the author used was from 1 Peter 2:24. This scripture says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Peter takes this verse from Isaiah 53 verse 5. As Christians, each of us must remember that the Bible was not written in English. It was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. So, we must look deeper into the meaning of words. Therefore, the word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. Nevertheless, the comparisons between Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 indicate that the focus is on spiritual healing. These passages address issues of sin and righteousness, rather than physical ailments. Thus, the concept of being “healed” in these verses pertains to receiving forgiveness and salvation, not necessarily physical healing. While healing may align with God’s intentions at times, it is not always His plan. God’s sovereignty essentially means that He has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses within His creation. I love how the author ends this lie by saying, “Our real hope isn’t life on Earth but life in Christ.”

     The point to this thought is for us to realize and shift our perspective that the amount of wealth we have or lack of it or the health of our bodies cannot be used as a standard to judge our relationship with God nor determine if God is truly God.