THE THE HEALING AND PROSPERITY TEACHERS: “OF WHOM” DID THIS DOCTRINE ORIGINATE?
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The ‘healing and prosperity’ teachings so commonly heard today —— The verses and passages used to support these teachings come from the portion of God’s word that pertains to God’s program with Israel and not to this present dispensation of grace. And in order for these ‘health and wealth’ or ‘healing and prosperity’ teachers to be able to teach people that God wants them healed and prosperous they need to mishandle the Bible by failing to ‘rightly divide’ it, and thereby deceive people with promises, doctrines, and the like, that are not part of God’s program with us today.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
And this is the very thing that they do. They deceive people into thinking that things like the blessings of the Law, the promises of the prophets, along with the signs of the kingdom and the provisions for health and sustenance during the climactic stage of Israel’s program, are things that pertain to us today. They have no knowledge about this present dispensation of God’s grace, Paul’s distinctive apostleship and message, the need to be “rightly dividing the word of truth,” and the vast differences in God’s program and dealings with us today compared to His program and dealings with Israel.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As you also correctly recognize, in our epistles we are not promised anything like ‘healing and prosperity’ in this present dispensation. Rather, for example, we are taught right from the beginning of our edification in Romans 8 that we are going to be subject to “the sufferings of this present time” and that God is not going to intervene and stop them, remove them, or shield us from them. Hence we are to expect such “sufferings”; with God purposing not to deliver us from them, but providing for us to endure them to His honor and glory. Likewise we are also taught that we are privileged to experience “the sufferings of Christ,” and that God will not shield us from these “sufferings” either.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
In view of this, Paul’s epistles for this present dispensation are rarely dealt with and/or appealed to by the ‘health and wealth’ preachers. For they can find no support for their teachings therein. Instead they find things that directly contradict what they espouse, profess, and teach. Consequently they generally avoid Paul’s epistles. In truth instead of following Paul as he followed Christ, these teachers follow Phygellus and Hermogenes in their departure from Christ’s revelation to Paul; (these two individuals being the leaders of the original and foundational ‘turning away’ from Paul and his doctrine in favor of teaching and claiming promises, doctrines, and the like, from God’s program with Israel.)
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries