I WISH ABOVE ALL THINGS THAT THOU MAYEST PROSPER

By Akin Ojumu

I cannot begin to stress how vital God’s Word is to the spiritual well-being of the Believer. It’s not an exaggeration or a hyperbole to say that a Christian who is not fed, or does not feed himself, with the Word of God is spiritually dead; he’s nothing but a walking corpse.

Faith grows on the soil of God’s Word. When faith is not rooted in the rich soil of sound doctrine, it will shrivel and die gradually over time. The spiritual dryness and lethargy that many Christians experience in their lives often come as a result of their thirsty souls not being watered at the fountain of God’s Word.

Several Bible texts attest to this fact. Here are just a sample.

Psalm 19:7

“The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the Testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”

Psalm119:9

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word.”

Psalm 119:130

“The unfolding of your Words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”

John 6:63

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The Words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

John 8:31-32

“If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”

Romans 10:17

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.”

2 Timothy 3:16

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

1 Peter 2:2

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.”

Considering all the above Bible passages that categorically, unequivocally, and universally affirm the Word of God as the lifeblood of the Believer, you would think that Churches would be pastored by men competent in handling the Word. 

Sadly, that’s not the case. Presiding over the Churches are novices unschooled in God’s Word. These are people whose lack of theological and doctrinal depth will even make the Devil blush with embarrassment. In an alarming rate, the societal phenomenon of “babies having babies” has found its way into the leadership of the Church, with spiritual infants nursing spiritual neonates.

Recently, one of those biblically illiterate pastors exposed his own ignorance for the whole world to see in a video clip from a sermon he preached at his Church back in December. Attempting to sell the false gospel of prosperity to his audience, he made the following remarks:

“The Gospel is a prosperity gospel. It is. Read your Bible. It’s not a poverty Gospel. It causes you to prosper. I wish above all that you prosper in all things. That’s prosperity. Every time you hear a preacher say, “All these prosperity preachers,” he doesn’t understand the Gospel. But he sounds noble. You see, it sounds noble. It’s called self-righteousness. If God calls it a prosperity gospel, who are you? Because you think prosperity and…and…holiness do not go together. Of course, it goes together. You don’t just prosper financially, you prosper spiritually. As your soul prospers. It’s one package. God wants you to live right. At the same time, he wants you to have money in your pockets. He wants you to pay your rent. Say Amen! He wants you to look good and represent Him well. He wants you to smell well and not smell of sweeeeaaaat. Why am I here? Why am I here? Who are you smelling of sweat here?””

It would amount to an unproductive endeavor to dwell on the silliness of the argument the so-called pastor is making here. Instead, I’d rather focus this commentary on his misinterpretation and misappropriation of 3 John 1:2, which he flippantly quoted to support his misinformed advocacy for the prosperity gospel.

3 John 1:2

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

The Third Epistle of John was written to a man named Gaius whom John considered a beloved brother in the faith. From the little we know about him, Gaius was a faithful and hospitable believer who opened his home to itinerant preachers, enabling them to carry out their mission.

It’s important to understand that when they wrote letters in ancient times, it was customary for them to start their letters by asking about the health and well-being of the person to whom they were writing. In addition, wishing the person you are writing well was common practice.

And this was exactly what John did in 3 John 1:2. He opened his letter by asking about Gaius’s well-being and wishing him well.

3 John 1:2 (NIV)

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.”

In actual fact, this is not a foreign concept to many of us at all. In days gone by, I don't know if they still do it now, when Yoruba people wrote letters, say someone was writing his friend, they’d often start with something to the effect of:

“Ore mi owon, se alafia ni e wa gege bi mo ti wa niyin.”

Which, in English, means:

“Dear friend, I hope it is well with you as it is with me over here.”

As you can see, this is quite similar to what John wrote in the opening of his letter to Gaius in 3 John 1:2. And it’s in this context that the text should be interpreted and understood.

So, next time a preacher, or anyone, uses 3 John 1:2 as proof text to teach or affirm the prosperity gospel as biblical, know that such a person is twisting and misrepresenting what the text means. In no way is 3 John 1:2 a promise of prosperity to Christians.

Before concluding this commentary, it’s important I reiterate this crucial point. Proficiency in sound doctrine, the ability to teach it, and readiness to refute those who contradict it are qualifications a man must have before he can be made a pastor in God’s Church.

Titus 1:9

“He must hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

A pastor who can’t even correctly interpret 3 John 1:2 glaringly lacks the requisite qualifications a pastor must have. Such a person is, therefore, unfit to be a shepherd over God’s people. The hapless souls who sit under such a person’s teachings are of all people most to be pitied.