"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." This verse from Jeremiah is maybe the most quoted verse by those who believe in and follow the Prosperity Gospel. But if you read the rest of the chapter, you'll see that there is so much more to this passage; God is not promising us today that He will bless us with good things, He is talking to the Israelites who are in captivity.

This is often the case with texts used to support the Prosperity Gospel - they find their roots in Old Testament promises to the Israelites and try to put them in modern-day Christianity and claim them as promises to us today, taking the actual promises out of context. At its core, the Prosperity Gospel takes the perspective of a loving God and only focuses on that personality of God, while also preying on our desires for comfort and ease. It works almost like a contract: You do x, y, and z for God, so He owes you blessings.

In thinking about the Prosperity Gospel, RD and Greg are quick to point out that the whole concept of the Prosperity Gospel is based on the individual, not God. The emphasis is on the individual getting glory through their self-righteous belief, not God showing His glory through His blessings to us. By doing this, we are setting ourselves up for failure when we don't get the blessings. Greg discloses that he often talks to believers who feel they have failed in their faith when they pray for a blessing and God doesn't give it to them.

RD brings up Tim Keller's take on the Prosperity Gospel when Keller talks about the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Keller explains that you're not saved from the strain of your faith, but the object of your faith, Jesus. RD also warns to not mistake the provisions of God (like His blessings to us) for the presence of God. We can pray for blessings and gifts, but we can't say we are owed anything, or have God in our debt because of our faith or how hard we prayed. That, Greg points out, is Debtor's Ethic. 

RD also examines how the Prosperity Gospel started in the Garden, when God had given Adam and Eve everything, but they still wanted more. God gave them gifts, but they looked at the tree and saw it as something else they could get; they elevated the gift above the Giver.

So what does prosperity look like for a believer? Greg responds to this question with another question: What is God's purpose for your life? From that question, both Greg and RD reference Paul when he says "I have learned the secret of being content." That is the place where we all need to get in our relationship with God; no matter where He takes us, we will face it with joy with Him.