Is 3 John 1:2 teaching health and wealth? “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
In spite of the fact that many Christians have either health or money problems and some have both, I believe the Bible teaches that we should be healthy and financially secure. For example, Jesus said He came so that we could have an abundant life (John 10:10) and Paul wrote that we would be made rich in every way so we could be generous on every occasion (2 Cor. 9:11) .
I think our failure to achieve these goals is partly due to our lack of Scriptural knowledge and the faith to believe what it says, and partly due to a lifestyle that’s often detrimental to our health and financial well being. As two examples among many, Paul said we would be made rich in every way so we could be generous to others on every occasion, not so we could live a self-indulgent life of excess while ignoring the needs of people around us. And the average person’s daily diet consists of more things that will ruin our health than anything else. Whose fault is that?
Finally, James 4:8 tells us to “come near to God and He’ll come near to us.” As we align our lives with God’s will for us, and live healthier and simpler lives, John’s wish will begin to come true for us.