In this post, I examine the three foundational scriptures Kenneth E Hagin used to argue that God wants believers to be rich. I focus on the scriptures.
Kenneth E Hagin (Papa Hagin) is without any doubt the father of the Prosperity doctrine. He is also the father of the Word of Faith movement. The Word of Faith movement descends from the Healing revival movement. Notable names in the healing movement included Gordon Lindsay and William Braham. Gordon Lindsay cited Alexander Dowie as one of his own inspirations. I think Lindsay grew up in the Christian city founded by Alexander Dowie, Zion City, Illinois.
Papa Hagin was also influenced by an older minister, E W Kenyon. Some of his books were clearly inspired by Kenyon’s, with similar titles. I read virtually all of Kenneth E Hagin’s books. I also read EW Kenyon’s books.
The most important chapter in Kenneth Hagin’s teachings in his book, “Biblical Keys to Financial Prosperity”, is the very first one. It is titled “Poverty: A Blessing or a Curse?” This is the chapter where he defined poverty as a curse. He relied heavily on Deuteronomy 28:15-19,38-40:
However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:
16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
17 Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
….
You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. 39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.
These are indeed serious curses. Papa Hagin then tried to link these verses to Christians by quoting Galatians 3: 13 – 14
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith
If you look at the context of these verses though, it is very hard to apply them to Christians. This is especially true for Christians who are Gentiles. As Gentiles, we came into the faith through grace, John 1: 17:
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Those curses under the Mosaic law in Deuteronomy never applied to Gentile Christians in the first place, but us Gentiles had our own problems, as Ephesians 2:12 shows:
remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world
Galatian 3:13 and 14 were also grossly misunderstood and misapplied. This is easy to do when you separate the scriptures from its context. The book of Galatians was primarily written to Jewish Christians who were going back into keeping the law. To show this, In Galatians 1:6,7, Paul said:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all.
Very early in the book, Paul set out the issues he was addressing. He made this very clear in Galatians 2:14
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?”
Paul here tells the Galatians. Peter, one of the leading apostles, tried to force Gentile Christians to follow the Mosaic laws. Paul challenged him. How dare you try to force Gentiles who are Christians to keep laws? You, a Jewish Christian, no longer keep these laws. Paul challenged Peter with this question.
In the book of Galatians, Paul did not use innuendo or figures of speech. He spoke plainly about the issues there. He even called the Galatians foolish:
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish?…
Paul was teaching the Galatians the futility of trying to please God by obeying the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law outlined several sacrifices to atone for sin because it was not humanly possible to keep the law. Galatians 3:10-12:
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.
We can now see verses 13 and 14 that Papa Hagin quoted in its proper context. It was to remind the Jewish Christians. They no longer needed to try to please God by keeping the law. Paul pointed them to the sacrifice of Christ. These verses were written to show those who used to be under the law that they are now free.
So the verses Kenneth E Hagin quoted can be seen in its context. It was a reminder to Jewish Christians. No longer do they need to try to please God by keeping the law. Paul pointed them to the sacrifice of Christ. These verses were written to show those who used to be under the law that they are now free.
Yes, Papa Hagin has established that poverty is a curse. This curse affects those under the Mosaic law who broke the law. He has not established it affects those not under the Mosaic law. Those verses Papa Hagin cited were meant for the Jewish Christians regressing back to keeping the Mosaic law. Gentiles were never under the law and these verses were not written to them.
This the next thing Papa Hagin tried to do in the chapter. He wanted to show that God wanted us to be rich. He used 2 Corinthians 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich
Is this a scripture to take literally? Before reaching that conclusion, look at the full picture. Here, Paul was trying to raise funds for the Christians in Jerusalem where famine was raging. What did Paul say in the same chapter about the Macedonia Christians? He said they were poor and gave out of their poverty! 2 Cor 8:1-5:
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us
In the passage above, Paul spoke glowingly about Christians who were poor and insisted on giving, regardless of their poverty. If 2 Cor 8:9 is to be interpreted literally, Paul should have been challenging the Macedonian Christians. He should have told them not to be poor. He should have been encouraging them to realise the wealth God wanted for them.
In acts 11:27-29, Agabus prophesied famine and the disciples raised money for the needs of the Christians in Judea:
27 At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, 28 and one of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world, and it happened under Claudius. 29 So the disciples determined that, according to ability, each should send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea
Paul did not send a message to those Christian to remind them. Isaac reaped 100 fold in the middle of a recession. They were not told they were under a curse because they had to rely on handouts.
There were seven churches in the book of Revelation. One of the most commended was Smyrna, Rev 2:7-10
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown
Not a single rebuke for the church in Smyrna. And this was a church that was poor: “I know your poverty yet you are rich”. Doesn’t that remind you of 2 Cor 8:9? A church that was poor can still bless others. This happened despite her poverty.
And before we move on, ponder again on the expression “I know thy poverty, yet you are rich”. It looks like it is possible to be rich and poor at the same time. This scripture from the book of Hebrews 10:34 also came to mind:
for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven
The properties and possessions of these Christians in the book of Hebrews were destroyed. Yet, Paul said they have a better and enduring possession in heaven. How can somebody just conclude that 2 Cor 8: 9 refers to earthly riches?
What about the church in Laodecia? It was rich, but read carefully Revelations 3:14-19
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.
I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!
You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent..
The church in Laodecia was rich in material possessions but the scripture described it as poor, blind and naked. It is really hard to conclude that the wealth Apostle Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 8:9 was material.
The Prosperity Message is founded on poverty being a curse. This may be narrowly true for those who are under the law. They will be under a curse if they do not obey the law. Gentiles who come to Christ were never under the law before their salvation. They are also not under the law after salvation. That scripture does not apply to them. Jewish Christians are no longer under the law and those curses do not apply to them.
Another significant building block is the Galatians 3:13,14 where Paul said Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Again, the context of the Scripture was to educate Jewish Christians. They were being misled to continue to obey the law.
Finally, the scripture that for our sake Christ became poor so we can become rich ignored the context. The context in which the scripture was spoken is crucial. Paul was praising the generosity of a church that was in poverty, the Macedonia Church. One of the most commended church in Revelations was Smyrna, a church described as poor but rich.
In conclusion, it is hard to justify the assertion that God wants Christians to be wealthy based on these scriptures. To close Luke 12:15
Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.
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