Page 24 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

charismatic Christians would not even celebrate Good Friday because they associated it
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with pain and suffering.

Once we begin down this theological road, it is hard to stop. Once we are locked in to a connection
between sin and suffering, the reverse becomes tantalizing. Start with something simple, “If I cooperate
enough with God, my life will be fine.” The next step comes easily, “I have gone to church. I have tithed. I
am a faithful husband and a loving father. God owes me.” The sovereignty of God displayed so strongly in
Job becomes subject to the desires of a human.

Prosperity in the kingdom of God is predicated on the platform of encounters
with the Bible. The Word of God is God’s highway to the world of wealth. Our
encounters with God’s commandments make us commanders. We can command
sickness at will, because we have encountered the Word of healing. By the same token
we can command wealth because we have met the Word of prosperity. Jesus said, “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the
poor (Luke 4:18).” What do we do to the poor? We preach the gospel. And what is good
news to the poor? Prosperity! What is good news to the hungry? Prosperity! What is
good news to the naked? Prosperity! What is good news to the homeless? Prosperity.
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Bildad clings to tradition. His message is typical of all societies on earth, whether religious or secular. A
variety of wisdom sayings summarize the perspective. “God helps those who help themselves.” “There is
no free lunch.” “Legalism is one more expression of the human compulsion for security. If we can
vigorously enforce an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts (with an emphasis on external behavior), we not
only can control unpredictable human beings but have God’s favor as well….”
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Both the religious and the secular varieties of works righteousness have the same source. Do more and
you will get ahead. This is the message of our world.

Like city-dwellers who no longer notice the polluted air, we breathe in the
atmosphere of ungrace unawares. As early as preschool
and kindergarten we are tested and evaluated before being
slotted into an “advanced,” “normal,” or “slow’ track. From
then on we receive grades denoting performance in math,
science, reading, and even “social skills” and citizenship.”
Test papers come back with errors – not correct answers –
highlighted. All this helps prepare us for the real world with
its relentless ranking, a grown-up version of the playground Figure 12: Air pollution
game “king of the hill.” Every institution, it seems, runs on
ungrace and its insistence that we earn our way.
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29 J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, “Did Jesus Wear Designer Robes?”, Christianity Today, 11/?, 40.
30 David Oyedepo, “Kingdom Principles for Kingdom Prosperity,” in Out of Africa, ed. Joseph Thompson,
(Ventura: Regal, 2004), 200.
31 Charles R. Swindoll, The Grace Awakening (New York: Walker and Company, 1990), 98.
32 Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 36.
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