By Scott Tibbs, December 3, 2013
A common thread running through heresy is that it places man at the center of our faith, rather than the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12:2) The worship of the golden calf by the Israelites who had just been rescued from Egypt was little more than an excuse for rampant and obscene sexual immorality, and the heresy of works-based salvation allows us to proclaim our own righteousness rather than rely upon Jesus' sacrifice to atone for our sin.
The "health and wealth gospel" (HAWG from here on) follows this same path. While pretending to worship God, HAWG proponents actually worship their own bellies. They turn Almighty God into a genie with unlimited wishes, and we only have to ask "god" to provide us with whatever we want and he will give it to us. If we have enough faith, we will have material possessions, good health, children and more.
Now, of course God loves to give His children good things. Luke 11:11-13 is a wonderful example of that. But we are not entitled to anything simply because we have faith. The people of God have always experienced suffering, from everyday heartaches to war, famine, disease, natural disasters and so on. Jesus promised us in John 15:20 that we will be persecuted by this world for following Him. Proponents of HAWG would call Jesus Christ a liar.
Man was created to worship and glorify God. That is what we were meant to do, but HAWG reverses that. In the backwards world of HAWG, our Father in Heaven exists to please and glorify us by giving us whatever we want! Instead of obeying and serving God, we are served by a divine Santa Claus in Heaven. It is perverse and disgusting. Do not fall for the anti-Biblical heresy of HAWG and run away from preachers and churches that teach this blasphemy.
