From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 5 of a series. Read part 4.

"Prosperity preachers write checks with their mouths that the Bible doesn't cash."

Denial of Reality

In his book, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel, former prosperity preacher Costi W. Hinn (nephew of the notorious Benny Hinn) talks of the denial of the reality of sickness within the Hinn family, and within the "word of faith" movement generally.

The prosperity gospel teaches it is never God's will for His children to be sick, and sickness means you are the problem. Muster up enough faith or give a big enough offering, and you will get your healing. This belief often led to two things: (1) the bragging of prosperity gospel preachers from the pulpit that nobody in their house is sick, because they practice what they  preach, and (2) prosperity gospel followers hiding their sickness for fear of being condemned in their community as someone with no faith. [1]

He writes of his fiancee nearly dying of an asthma attack because, as she told her husband-to-be, "we can't talk about my asthma because sickness is not allowed in your home." He found her near death in a basement storage room where she had gone to try to use the nebulizer she was hiding from his parents. When Costi Hinn's own mother developed severe neurological symptoms, the family denied there was any cause for concern, and his father declared that God would heal her, and probably already had. But in desperation she began to see doctors - always when her husband (Benny Hinn's brother, also a prosperity preacher) was out of town, so she could hide the fact from him. Ultimately she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which was removed by a surgeon and from which she recovered. For Costi Hinn it was, as he put it, "the ultimate shock to the prosperity gospel system." He continued: "Not one of the healers in our family just showed up to handle it." [3]

Why The Prosperity Gospel Denies the Realities of Sickness

As this former prosperity gospel preacher continues his analysis of the deadly problems of this false gospel in an Answers magazine article, Costi Hinn explains what is behind all of this: The prosperity gospel weakens the atonement - in fact, denies its true purpose.

Jesus accomplished the atonement when he bore our sins on the cross and rose again, conquering death (1 John 2:2). Though here on earth we can enjoy the expectation of what is to come in eternity, the full benefits of the atonement await in the future. For example, Jesus died for our sins and gave us eternal life, but we're not living in eternity yet (John 3:16). Jesus promised his disciples that everyone who sacrifices to follow him will receive a hundredfold and eternal life (Matthew 19:29). But is everyone getting their hundredfold yet? No. The atonement provides for a heaven with no sickness, no tears, no sin, and no pain (Revelation 21:4). But are we all sinless, free of disease, never to cry again or wince in pain? No. The atonement means that those who inherit everlasting life in heaven will receive a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:42-53). But are we...in glorified spirit-bodies yet? Again, no.

Prosperity preachers write checks with their mouths that the Bible doesn't cash. They teach that salvation and healing are a "package deal," guaranteeing health and wealth here on earth. According to them, all you have to do is, by faith, tap into those things Christ already paid for. This damaging lie takes something beautiful about our Savior's eternal work on the cross and turns it into a petty transaction for fleeting comforts.[2]

Scripture and Sickness

Scripture everywhere declares these things. Let us focus on New Testament passages in this regard.

In our last article we saw that the Apostle Paul spoke of the sovereign dealings of God in his own case, in not healing Paul of an infirmity that affected him greatly. It is worth repeating what Paul said:

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me [literally, to strike me with the fist], lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

We also find two cases recorded in Scripture in which Paul as an apostle certainly had God's power to heal - even from a distance - yet he did not:

Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. (Philippians 2:25-27)

Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. (2 Timothy 4:19-20)

In Romans 8:18 Paul spoke thus:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Paul never looked to Christ's atonement for relief from "the sufferings of this present time." Prosperity preachers want to deny that the word "sufferings" in Romans 8:18 has to do with physical illness. But the Greek word used here (pathemata) speaks of physical and emotional sufferings resulting from both external and internal causes. In light of Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 12 above, we have no basis to deny that it can and does refer to, among other things, physical illness.

As God opened Costi Hinn's eyes, he saw these truths, culminating in a realization of facts that are the complete antithesis of prosperity gospel preaching:

God is in control. He's not some cosmic genie who exists to give me what I want and do what I command Him to do. He is the majestic Creator of heaven and earth whom we exist to worship. He heals at will because of His power. He saves our lost souls because of His mercy. He calls us to a purpose greater than ourselves, and we owe Him our lives. He can't be controlled with an offering. He doesn't heal if we just have enough faith. And He most certainly does not require money, special music, and a mystical healing televangelist to accomplish His divine purpose.

As he came to these realizations, he continues,

The Gospel suddenly made sense. My life existed for the glory of God, not my own glory. God's highest purpose was not to make me happy, healthy, and wealthy; it was to give Him glory! [4]

As he came to these realizations, Costi Hinn now understood the actual purpose of Christ's atonement. The now former prosperity preacher testifies that it was at this point that he came to genuine saving faith in Christ. "I got Biblically baptized after what I considered to be my true conversion. I was stripped of my title of pastor [as the heir-apparent of the Hinn dynasty] and became a pastor in training [in a small Bible-believing church]. Family members cut me off after I tried to privately reach them with the truth. The Lord opened doors for further mentorship from faithful pastors...I sought Biblical counseling to learn from the past and prepare for the future." [5]

References:

1. Costi W. Hinn, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2019), page 123.

2. Costi W. Hinn, "Healthy, Wealthy, and Lies", Answers magazine, January-March 2022, pages 72-73. Used by permission.

3. Ibid, pages 123-127.

4. Ibid, page 141.

4. Ibid, page 145.

Next: The Prosperity Gospel Demeans Jesus Christ

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