3 John 1:2 (NKJV) 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 1:2 (KJV) 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
What does it mean to prosper?
The dictionary says it is to succeed, thrive, or flourish, especially in terms of wealth, health, or happiness.
In it’s most basic form, to prosper means to succeed in reaching.
Usually when people hear the word “prosper”, they think of finances. And it certainly includes that. But notice John says “prosper in all things”.
If you have a task or goal, and you succeed in fulfilling that task or goal, you have prospered: you succeeded in reaching your goal.
John 10:10 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus came that we might have an abundant (which means more than enough, a full supply, surplus) life. “Oh, but that’s just for spiritual things”. I would beg to differ in that. In every area where the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, Jesus offers abundant life. That covers both the spiritual and the natural. An abundant life is a prosperous life. The word “abundant” means having a full supply and more than enough.
Prosperity can be both inward and outward. 3 John 2 mentions both: prosper and be in heath, which refers to outward prosperity, for example finances. The dictionary definition of prosper mentions these. But John also talks about soul prosperity. That is inward prosperity. Even the dictionary definition mentions it when it includes happiness as an aspect of prosperity.
Financial prosperity is actually one of the lowest forms of prosperity. Think of it: what good is it being filthy rich if you don’t have your health and are dying of cancer? Also many people who are rich are miserable – they have plenty of outward prosperity but no inward prosperity.
Matthew 16:26 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
When it comes down to it, inward prosperity is more valuable than outward prosperity. When a person looks back on his or her life, what are they going to think contributed the most to classify it as having led a “good” life? By how much stuff they accumulated, or by relationships they have had, and inner peace and happiness?
Luke 12:15 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Although financial prosperity is not the most important aspect of prosperity, it is not unimportant. A person in abject poverty, who can’t feed himself or his family, is not going to feel inwardly prosperous. There is a certain minimal level of having basic needs met that is necessary, to feel “content”. The Bible backs this up:
1 Timothy 6:6-8 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
But beyond that, basic necessities, – what a person defines as “rich” or “abundance” depends on where the person lives and the environment they are in. What is considered the poverty level in America would be considered rich in some other places.
Outward Prosperity
Very briefly let’s cover some of the things that make up outward prosperity.
Finances
The attitude towards finances and prosperity has changed over the years in church history. Jesus Himself was never impoverished, but he was brought up in a working class family. His disciples were not chosen from among the wealthy.
Over the years, as the church became an institution (specifically the Catholic Church), the trappings of wealth became part of it. So much so, that some went in the opposite direction in protest – such as St. Francis of Assisi taking a vow of poverty.
In Protestant circles, especially amongst the Pentecostals, being rich was looked on as being wrong in some way. Lay people with money they could tolerate, but certainly a preacher shouldn’t have a lot of money.
In the 70’s came the Word of Faith movement, and with it what some have termed the “prosperity gospel”.
It’s been my observation that people over time tend to drift into the ditch on one side of the road or another concerning Biblical truths. The leadership of the Catholic Church went too far one way, and St. Francis went into the ditch on the other side.
Sometimes to bring back truth that has been lost, it needs to be over emphasized for a while. Word of Faith brought back the idea that God wants us to prosper, and that can include money. But some made it their main focus – it became the truth instead of a truth. There were abuses. And in reaction to that, others threw out the whole message, labeling it the “prosperity gospel” as a derogatory term.
I’ve noticed something however – as a whole, the Body of Christ has accepted the truth that God wants us to prosper – certainly to the extent of having all your needs met. Gone is the idea that God wants you to be poor.
But what about going beyond having your needs met? Paul gives what I believe is God’s will concerning prosperity for His people.
2 Corinthians 9:8 AMPC And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
They key word here is abundance – which means having more than enough, a surplus. The more you have in surplus, the more you can do for others.
Those that say a Christian shouldn’t have too much money cite these verses:
1 Timothy 6:9-10 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Vs. 10 is so often misquoted as “money is the root of all evil”. That’s not what it says. Money itself is neutral – but it gives the ability of the those who have it to fulfill what is in their heart. If what is in their heart is evil, they will do evil with it. If what is in their heart is good, they’ll do good with it.
Paul addresses those that are rich just a few verses down from these. And he doesn’t tell them to sell everything they have and get rid of all that filthy lucre.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
The problem is not money, it’s the love of money – which can also be called covetousness. There are people who don’t have a dime committing this all the time.
So yes, you can be rich and a good Christian at the same time. How should those who are rich act?
- Don’t be snobbish or arrogant – judging others by their money or lack of it
- Don’t trust in riches. That’s what rich people have a tendency to do, because it makes them self sufficient. That’s why it’s harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
- Be willing to give, share – philanthropy.
Notice that it says that “God gives us richly all things to enjoy”. That means it is not wrong to have nice things that give you pleasure.
Health
Health is mentioned explicitly in 3 John 2, and it is a form of physical prosperity. What good is money if you are dying of a disease?
Healing is part of our covenant with God. This is a whole subject I’ve covered elsewhere (see Why Healing and Healing for Today) so I’ll just briefly mention a couple of scriptures here:
1 Peter 2:24 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.
“By whose strips you were healed” is a quote from Isaiah 53, that great prophetic chapter of the suffering Messiah.
Isaiah 53:4-5 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Note that true physical prosperity not only includes healing – i.e., if you get sick, you get healed – but walking in health – meaning you don’t get sick at all.
My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were saved when we were 19 years old. We learned about healing early in our Christian walk. Over the years (I’m now 70) we’ve been healthy. Now I can’t say that I’ve never been sick, but it is a rare occurrence. The last time I was sick was in 2020 when I caught COVID. I had a bad cough and felt a real weariness, but my life was never in danger. No problem breathing. I isolated myself in our house so that I was never in the same room with anybody else. No one else in my house caught it. I didn’t even take off time from work (I’m a work from home computer programmer).
Another part of health is your strength, vigor, and vitality. People who are young take this for granted. But as you reach your senior years, many people expect their body to start falling apart. Don’t! You’ll end up getting what you are expecting.
If I compared myself now to when I was in my 20’s, I had more stamina then and I could bench press more. My muscles complain a bit more after exerting myself. But I have not ceased any of the activities I did then over the years. We still go on hikes in the mountains. I make videos (see my YouTube channel youtube.com/@scottbernardi55).
Outward Peace
Having outward peace means living in circumstances that are peaceful, that are not in turmoil. So what are some examples of conditions where there is not outward peace?
- Living in a warzone, where your life is constantly in danger.
- Being subject to violent crime
- Living in areas of natural disaster (earthquakes, floods, fires, storms) where there is loss of life and property
- Living in a political climate where the economy is in ruins and the future is uncertain. For example, the Great Depression, or a collapsed economy like Venezuela
- Living in slavery – where you have no freedom to choose to leave
I want to touch a bit more on slavery. Key characteristics of slavery include:
- Loss of freedom: Enslaved people cannot make decisions about their own lives. They cannot leave.
- Forced labor: They are compelled to work under threat of violence or punishment.
- Ownership: They are treated as property, bought, sold, or inherited.
- Lack of legal rights: Enslaved individuals typically have no legal protection or recourse.
In America when we hear the term “slavery”, our thoughts turn to the period in time where Africans were bought and sold to labor in plantations. However it would be a mistake to think that slavery was an American invention. The institution of slavery has been around as long as there has been civilization, and it has been practiced by almost every civilization. It would also be a mistake to think that Africans were the only victims of slavery.
It is also a mistake to think that slavery has been abolished in the modern world. Nowadays it goes by a different term – human trafficking.
Even under the circumstance of slavery, the level of outward peace would depend on the character of the owners. Some would be harsh – the taskmaster with a whip – and others would be more in the position of servants.
In the Roman empire, there was also the practice of indentured servanthood, or debt bondage. This would be an agreement where a person would place themselves in a position of servanthood for a period of time in order to pay off a debt. Although the indentured servant did not have freedom, they were not considered property. They were under a contract.
In practice, there were abuses, and if you looked at the outward living conditions of some of these indentured servants it would be hard to distinguish between actual slavery. If the terms of the contract were such that the person had no real chance of paying off the debt, they were in essence slaves.
There were of course examples where the slaves/servants living conditions were not oppressive.
We have one very interesting Biblical example with Joseph. He was sold into slavery, yet he was also “prosperous” at the same time.
Genesis 39:2-3 KJV 2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
Genesis 39:23 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Inward, or Soul Prosperity
“Well, I could use some more of that prospering and being in health”.
John gives some revelation on that – you will prosper and be in health even as, or to the extent as, your soul prospers. In other words, inward prosperity must come first.
Outward prosperity flows from inward, or soul prosperity.
So what is the soul, anyway? Most often it is quoted as being the mind, will, and emotions. The Greek word is psuche from which the work psychology is defined.
Soul prosperity could be described as having inner peace, happiness, and being in harmony with yourself. That is the goal of many of the world religions, and each seek to achieve it in a different way.
But in a Christian context, true soul prosperity cannot be achieved without having God at the center.
The Spiritual Aspect
Can someone prosper without having a relationship with God? If they put into practice certain principles, yes, a person can prosper to a certain extent without having an active relationship with God. However if a person has a long, fulfilling life – a “good” life – but at the end of it they go to meet their Maker and are not prepared for it – that person has not prospered in the end. Jesus said it this way: “What good is it if a man gains the whole world, but forfeits his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Luke 12:15-21 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.
17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’
18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Relationship with God
To be “rich toward God”, you must have a relationship with Him. The person that John is addressing in 3 John, Gaius, was definitely a believer that had a relationship with God.
The world with its many religions will tell you there are many ways to God. But the New Testament is clear – the only true path to God is through believing in Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, “You must be born again.”
Accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, making Him the Lord of your life – the is the essential first step. What happens here is that the core of your being – your spirit – has a change of nature. It passes from (spiritual) death, which is separation from God, to eternal life. We have a change of families and a change of citizenship:
Colossians 1:13 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
Filled with the Spirit
Can you have a prosperous soul without being baptized in the Holy Spirit? The answer is yes. But being filled with the Spirit can add a spiritual dimension you would be missing otherwise. Very briefly, here are some benefits:
- You shall receive power to be a witness (Acts 1:8)
- Builds up your faith (Jude 20)
- Enables you to pray for things that you have no or incomplete knowledge of (Romans 8:28)
- Always prays according to the will of God (Romans 8:29)
- The doorway into the Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-12)
For a more in depth study of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, see That Tongues Business, Parts One and Two.
To Be Continued…
