Pastor Marc opened this new series on the Life of Paul by tackling a controversial topic — the “prosperity gospel.” But rather than attacking the theological strawman, he reframed what biblical prosperity actually means: not health and wealth, but the incredible spiritual riches we receive the moment we trust in Christ. Chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, justified, sealed, granted eternal life, and welcomed into God’s family — all before we ever did a single good work.
Introducing the Life of Paul
Pastor Marc began by introducing this new series on the Apostle Paul — his conversion, his ministry, his letters, and the life-changing gospel he proclaimed. Paul was persecuting Christians when Christ arrested him on the road to Damascus. What happened next transformed the course of human history. Through Paul’s ministry, the gospel spread to the Gentiles, the church was born, and the world has never been the same.
What Is the Prosperity Gospel?
The title “prosperity gospel” has earned a bad reputation — and rightfully so, when it’s wielded as a manipulative tool promising health and wealth in exchange for faith and finances. But Pastor Marc pushed back: Colossians 2:6-7 is all about what we receive from God. There is an “incredible miracle” that every believer receives upon salvation, and “if anything, I think prosperity doesn’t even do justice to the depth of what happens.”
The false teachers in Colossae were telling believers they needed something more than Christ — circumcision, dietary laws, religious observances. Paul combats this by doubling down on the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Lord. He is sufficient. He is enough. He is all that you need.
What We Receive When We Receive Christ
Pastor Marc laid out the catalog of spiritual blessings every Christian receives upon salvation:
- Chosen — “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4)
- Adopted — “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5)
- Redeemed — “In Him we have redemption through His blood” (Ephesians 1:7)
- Forgiven — “In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14)
- Justified — Declared righteous in the eyes of a holy God (Romans 5:9)
- A New Creation — “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- Sealed — “You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13)
- Guaranteed Eternal Life — “You have eternal life” (Ephesians 1:13)
- Access to God — “Through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18)
- Peace with God — “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)
“That is the prosperity that us as Christians receive upon salvation,” Pastor Marc said. “That is the most exciting thing. That is the best truth that you can ever participate in.”
The Bank Illustration: Not Just Forgiveness — Adoption
Pastor Marc drove home the depth of the gospel with a powerful bank illustration. Most people think of the gospel like walking into a bank with a trillion dollars in debt, being forgiven, and then working hard to never be in debt again. But the real gospel is so much better.
“You walk into a bank and you have a trillion dollars in debt. You go to the bank teller and say, ‘Can I be forgiven of my debt?’ The bank teller says, ‘Yeah, yeah, you’re forgiven.’ Hold on a second. Calls up the owner of the bank. The owner of the bank comes down and says, ‘Hey, do you want to be my son? I’m going to adopt you into my family.’ That’s the gospel. That’s the blessing. That’s the prosperity that we step into as Christians.”
The bank owner doesn’t just wipe the slate clean — He makes you His child. That is the heart of the gospel.
Walk in Him: Conduct Your Life Around the Truth
Having received these incredible blessings, Paul commands believers to “walk in Him” — to conduct one’s entire life around these truths, not around feelings or circumstances. In Greek, this word (peripateō) means to walk, to live, to conduct oneself in a certain way.
Pastor Marc challenged: “Conduct your life around the truth of Scripture that you have been given through Christ Jesus. Not in the truth of what you think is true or the truth of how you feel about yourself.” When we feel unforgiven, condemned, or distant from God, we must be brought back to the reality of what we have already received in Christ.
Rooted, Built Up, Established — All By Grace
Paul uses three passive verbs — all being done to the believer: rooted, built up, and established. This is not your work; it is Christ’s work in you. You are not the one doing the rooting — He is the one working in your life to root you.
Pastor Marc turned to Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-8 to illustrate. The person who trusts in man is “like a shrub in the desert.” But the person who trusts in the Lord is “like a tree planted by water” that does not fear when drought comes.
“Guys, we are way less capable than we think we are. And God is way more capable than we think He is,” Pastor Marc said. “When you are trusting in what you’ve received in Christ, the world can throw you absolutely anything and your mind can lie to you about absolutely anything. And if you are trusting in what you’ve received in Christ, you are like a tree planted by water. It does not fear when heat comes.”
The Church: Where Christ Builds Us Up
Christ builds us up through the church — through pastors, teachers, and fellow believers. Ephesians 4:11-16 shows how God has designed the body of Christ to equip and build up one another.
“We all get equipped. We all get built up. We all have flaws. We all feel unworthy. God is using all of that for the work of the ministry because it’s not about how high you can get built up or how much you can build up — it is about what God is doing in His glory in the building,” Pastor Marc said. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head — into Christ.”
Established in the Faith — Not Your Feelings
Pastor Marc closed with a deeply personal challenge: What are you established in? What you see on your phone? How you feel? What others think of you? Or the unshakeable truth of Scripture?
“The heart is deceitful above all else,” Pastor Marc quoted Jeremiah 17:5-8. “Surely, who can know it?” When we are established in the truth of Scripture — not our feelings, not our circumstances — we can withstand every storm because it is God Himself who is establishing us.
The evidence of being truly established? Abounding in thanksgiving. “When you understand what you’ve been given in Christ, those things don’t hold weight anymore,” Pastor Marc said. “You’re established in something new.”
He ended with one of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture — Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Your failures don’t disqualify you — they point you to your need for a Savior who is faithful to complete what He started.
Key Takeaways
- Real prosperity isn’t about money. The true prosperity gospel is spiritual: chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, justified, made new, sealed, granted eternal life, and welcomed into God’s family.
- The bank illustration changes how you see the gospel. God doesn’t just forgive your debt — He adopts you into His family. That’s the real blessing.
- Walk in Him. Conduct your entire life around the truths of what you’ve received in Christ, not around how you feel.
- You are not the one doing the rooting. Christ is actively working in you to root, build, and establish you. Trust His grace, not your own effort.
- We are way less — God is way more. Stop trusting in yourself. Rest in the all-sufficient work of Christ.
- Abounding in thanksgiving is the mark of a mature Christian. If you’re not grateful for what you’ve received in Christ, question how rooted you truly are.
- He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Your failures don’t disqualify you — they qualify you for a Savior.
Scripture References
- Colossians 2:6-7 — Walk in Christ, rooted and built up in the faith
- Ephesians 1:4 — Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world
- Ephesians 1:5 — Predestined for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
- Ephesians 1:7 — Redemption through His blood, forgiveness of sins
- Colossians 1:14 — Redemption and forgiveness through His blood
- Romans 5:9 — Justified by His blood, saved from wrath
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — New creation in Christ
- Ephesians 1:13 — Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise
- Ephesians 2:18 — Access to the Father through Christ
- Romans 5:1 — Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
- Ephesians 4:11-16 — Christ gave pastors and teachers to equip the saints for ministry
- Psalm 1 — Like a tree planted by streams of water
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 — Cursed is the man who trusts in man; blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
- Philippians 1:6 — He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion