Remember, God's will was for John to be exiled, Paul to be jailed, Jesus to be executed. Why do we assume God's will for us is to have a great job, a happy life, and a large bank account?This is another attempt to refute prosperity teachers. As I have noted elsewhere, self-appointed doctrinal police are everywhere, but their efforts too often embarrass themselves rather than refute error.
The above meme is another example. It presumes, based on three examples (John, Paul, and Jesus), that you're not a real Christian unless you are poor and suffering. Conversely, those who violate this understanding favor the prosperity teachings. Thus it sets up a false binary choice when there are actually more than two.
Being a righteous man is not a function of wealth vs. poverty. There were some very unrighteous men who were rich, and others who were poor. We certainly know that riches are often an obstacle:
Mt. 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.The issue is flipped here:
2Co. 9:11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.Upon deeper examination, it actually isn't riches, but heart attitude:
2Co. 8:1-2 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
1Ti. 6:17-18 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.We find rich righteous men, poor righteous men, rich evil men, and poor evil men all over the Bible. To reduce the equation to a formula is superficial and unnuanced.
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