Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 164 - Walking In The Truth Eternity Daily Bible Study - http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ Free ebook on Spiritual Warfare: http://www.aibi.ph/ebooks/spirwarfare.htm (3 John 1:1-4 NKJV) THE ELDER, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: {2} Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. {3} For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. {4} I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. I have met a few Christians who loudly proclaim "I believe in the promise of 3 John 2!". This verse has become a keystone of the 'prosperity gospel" . So today we will look at these verses and put them in context, then go on to look at the rest of this brief epistle over the next few days. John 'the elder', most probably the aged apostle, has one joy and one wish in these verses. The apostle's joy is that Gaius walks in the truth, the apostle's wish is that gaius may succeed in his endeavors and prosper in life. John gets things the right way around. he does rejoice in the prosperity - and wish Gaius walked in the truth! Rather the rejoicing is over the following of God! The prosperity is just the overflow, an extra along the way. It is clear from Scripture, especially Job and Psalms, that in a perfect world the righteous should do well and prosper. This is so clearly God's revealed will and order that the great puzzle of the OT saints was why this order was so often violated. The prosperity of the wicked was seen as an affront to God and the suffering of the righteous as very wrong. Indeed it is clear that in the Millennium the righteous will be rewarded and prosper. (Matthew 19:28-30 NKJV) So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. {29} "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. {30} "But many who are first will be last, and the last first. So it is a perfectly righteous wish and prayer that someone who walks in the truth should prosper as they do so. This verse indicates that it is God's benevolent wish that we live in peace and godliness. But it is a wish and not a promise! God has not promised Christians something to the effect that "If you are righteous you will own a nice house, two cars, have three wonderful children and be free from pain and suffering." Yet peace and godliness are worthy things to pray for: (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, {2} for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. However the very godliness that we live in, may from time to time result in a disruption of our peace and tranquility. (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So here we have a tension. We live in an imperfect fallen world that is hostile to God (Ephesians 2:1-4) and which persecutes the godly and tries to make life unlivable for Christians and where Satan prowls around like a roaring lion. In fact according to a reliable Christian statistician around 160,000 Christians are martyred each year. Some places are so manifestly unjust and cruel and it would be madness to expect to prosper as a godly evangelical Christian - in say North Korea. Yet in less hostile circumstances it is the general benevolent will of God to prosper His saints. The priority is to walk in the truth - whatever the cost. That is what will bring true joy to the apostle and to the faithful saint. The vast bulk of New Testament prayers are about spiritual growth and maturity in Christ and for things such as the coming of the Kingdom, the filling of the saints with wisdom or love and growth into the likeness of Jesus Christ. There is this one brief reference to prospering, and it is almost "in passing". The financial prosperity of Christians is not a major NT theme at all. In fact almost the reverse is true. There seems to be far, far more about being "slaughtered as sheep" than there is about doing well in business. If this is so can Christians validly pray for prosperity? Yes, but. Yes we all do pray for our prosperity, our missionary support levels, our health etc. And it is quite right to do so. But it should be "in the minor key". Financial prosperity is not the ultimate good that we are aiming at. Our major prayers should be for the honor of God, for the Kingdom, for growth in Christ-likeness etc. Those who proclaim "I believe in the promise of 3 John 2!" need to hear two things, firstly that there is no promise, just a wish. Secondly that the joyful priority is "walking in the truth" not having a large bank account. For some of these folk prosperity has become the yardstick of their relationship with God to the point that poor churches and Christians are seen as "being without God" or at least "without real faith". But there are many faithful Christians here in the Philippines, and around the world, who do not own a car of any sort and who will never own a house. The "American dream" is quite unreachable for 80% of the world's Christians. It is not a lack of faith to say that - it is simply so. Real faith believes God's truth and walks in it. Real faith grasps onto holiness, love and wisdom and incorporates these things into the life of the believer. Real faith is a walk - a long obedience in the same direction. The gracious unfolding of the eternal plans of God in our individual lives. Lets walk in the truth, and if along the way, we prosper in this life then well and good, if not, then God we will prosper in the regeneration of all things. Question to think about: Most people have a natural desire for prosperity. To what extent should a Christian acknowledge that desire in their lives? Blessings in Him, John Edmiston Asian Internet Bible Institute http://www.aibi.ph/ Free Online Bible And Ministry Training Dozens of free Christian ebooks: http://www.aibi.ph/ebooks/ Visit the Eternity home page at: http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ This devotional may be freely forwarded to others and used for non-profit ministry purposes as long as the following copyright notice is included. © Copyright John Edmiston 2003