Working faith: transaction or transformation?
Some within the Church today build a 'prosperity gospel' around verses like this one. They see a direct correlation between obeying God and receiving material blessings. But the formula doesn't fit with the whole of the Bible. If anything, Scripture teaches that obeying God may well bring sacrifice and hardship. If the prosperity gospel is true, Jesus' disciples must have missed the point, since their post-Easter lives were anything but materially comfortable.
The divine covenants found in Scripture are meant for interior renovation rather than exterior decoration, for inner peace rather than outer prosperity. Each covenant offers us a way out of our addiction to self by calling us to disciplined and devotional living. If we obey God, our character deepens, and we become better people living fuller lives. While this doesn't guarantee material success, it also doesn't negate it.
Joe Ritchie is a man who seems to understand the balance between godly living and worldly business. He is a Chicago-based investor who rates large companies according to the moral/ethical character of their CEOs. He scrutinizes corporate leaders not according to what they say but according to what they do - how they live their lives, the quality of their relationships, their faith activities, their personal stewardship, and other key indicators. In short, Ritchie uses the integrity of the leader as a guide for advising his own clients on capital investments. Interestingly enough, his recommendations have far out-performed most others in the investment community. A coincidence?
Once we accept the biblical premise that solid people build solid structures, Joe Ritchie's approach to investment doesn't surprise us. Good people attract good people. Morality produces morality. Lives founded on godly values withstand storms and produce true and steady growth. Not only is it common sense, it's consistent with the order God has established. By making us partners in His divine covenants, God teaches us discipline and instills within us new values. These, in turn, protect us from taking shortcuts that may lead to short-term gain but long-term loss. True success can only be measured within the context of eternity. As Jesus put it, "What does it profit a person to gain the whole world but lose his soul?"
The prosperity gospel makes religious devotion transactional, suggesting that if we do this, we will get that. The true Gospel is transformational, promising that a changed heart will show itself in a productive life. Or, again, as Jesus said, "If you first seek the kingdom of God, everything else will come to you."
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