The fallacy of the "prosperity gospel"

You may have heard the expression the "prosperity gospel" or the "health and wealth gospel." But what exactly is it? Is it truly the heart of God's good news? We definitely prosper through the gospel, but in what way? 

The prosperity gospel subtly implies God is not our ultimate pursuit but only a means to another goal of a healthy and wealthy life; a life where our greatest joy is in circumstantial or physical and material comfort/ benefits, not in our relationship with God. 

Tim Keller touches on this in the following quote:

"We tend to see God as a means through which we get things to make us happy. For most of us, He has not become our happiness." - Timothy Keller (@timkellernyc):

This is only "seeking and praising God" for what he ¹gives us, not for who he is, therefore it is not actually seeking God in the truest sense, but created things. God is important only because he is considered the best means by which to obtain something else, i.e. health and wealth. In essence, the prosperity gospel does not truly seek God or seek to honor God but only use him. No one wants to be used in this way.

For these reasons, the "prosperity gospel" is ultimately destructive. Why? It can draw us away from God, not to him. It draws us to a sense of value and meaning in created things, which are temporary, when true meaning and value are only in Him. It is appealing because it caters to our fallen condition i.e. to our desire to be our own god (our bent towards independent self-trust) instead of dependence on the only true God. 

The problem however is not in the prosperity gospel in itself, it is in our hearts. Our hearts, in our present broken condition (even as his children), are naturally inclined to seek life apart from or outside of God. 

If our hearts were truly and fully inclined to God and not to rebellious distrust and independence from God, there would be no prosperity gospel. It would have no appeal.

Only when we find God to be the one and only true satisfier of our heart and the sustainer of life, might he grant us uncommon health and wealth if (and only if) it advances his good purposes in us and the world for his glory. 

This is contingent on two things. 

1. Our gifts/calling 

    and 

2. our heart. 

Not all are gifted to do well in business, and only he knows our hearts well enough to know when they are after him and not wealth. We only think we know.

However, we must also keep in mind we are in a broken world, and in this world, we will face tribulation i.e. trouble (John 16:33). Not to mention, we will all eventually die. Our joy does not come primarily from God granting us circumstantial bliss and success, but that he redeems our brokenness and the brokenness of this world in bondage, for our ultimate good and His greatest glory i.e. he has overcome this broken world by allowing himself to be broken by it and raised back to life. Because he was raised to life, so will we be in him. The ultimate hope of the prosperity promised in the gospel is a life of bliss in God's presence for all eternity - not necessarily in this life.

Once we find God to be our life - not use Him for personal/private gain - our health and wealth is no longer our focus, for we have true life in him now and will experience it fully (i.e. circumstantially) once we are in his once-obscured, unfettered presence and totally restored (glorified) in eternity with him.  

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 1Cor 13:12(ESV)

"People knew God, but they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him. 

Their ideas were all useless. There was not one good thought left in their foolish minds. They said they were wise, but they became fools. 

Instead of honoring the divine greatness of God, who lives forever, they traded it for the worship of idols—things made to look like humans, who get sick and die, or like birds, animals, and snakes. 

People wanted only to do evil. So God left them and let them go their sinful way. And so they became completely immoral and used their bodies in shameful ways with each other. 

They traded the truth of God for a lie. They bowed down and worshiped the things God made instead of worshiping the God who made those things. He is the one who should be praised forever. Amen." - Rom 1:21-25

For a discussion on excellence click here

For a discussion on diligence click here

For a discussion on the importance and necessity of sowing click here.

Is competition good or bad? click here

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¹This way of "approaching God" leads to disastrous results. I think it is the reason many walk away from Christianity. In truth, they are not walking away from Christ but from an adulterated version of Christianity called the "property gospel." If you listen to Kanye West's reason for walking away from Christianity, he basically said it was because he asked God to do certain things that He didn't do. When God didn't do them, Kanye decided he could take care of it better than God i.e. basically he decided he is better at being God than God is. This is the very attitude Adam took in the garden and the exact opposite of Paul's response when Paul asked God to remove his thorn three times.

The desiring and pursuit of creation over the Creator is actually at the heart of mankind's problem and why we turned (and turn) away from God.

 

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." - i.e. created things. -  Romans 1:21-23 ESV‬

https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.1.21-23.ESV

What exactly is privilege?

You may have heard the expression the "upside-down gospel."  What exactly does this mean? The gospel is counter-intuitive. We are told to become weak is to be strong, to find your life you must lose it and to be exalted you must be humbled. The meek, not the demanding, inherit the earth. This cuts against common sense and everything within us. 

But the gospel is what we are called to build our lives on by Christ himself, no matter who we are or what ethnic group we belong to. Why do I raise the race question? Because the current racial tension is due to men ignoring the essence of the gospel. To self identify or identify others by a certain race is divisive - and I would suggest often intentionally so. Our true identity can only be found in a relationship of perfect love with our Creator, not some group. Race in today's climate is a destructive label unless in reference to the human race. Then it is uniting. We are all made in the image of God and therefore all equal in the eyes of God. And if we are in Christ and under His rule-kingdom, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. This is our identity, not the pigment of our skin regardless of what others think, say, or do to us. 

In God's economy, the gospel takes privilege - used in the present political sense - and puts it on its head. What is that message? In God's gospel ruled kingdom, the 1st shall be last and the last shall be 1st. This says that those who are last - from the

world's perspective - are more privileged than those who are first with all their earthly advantages and benefits. This is not the message we are given by the world, more so now than ever. 

We must be careful not to forget God's ways are not ours, and ours are not his. Man seeks to understand his world independent of infinite wisdom, i.e. God's wisdom, expressed above. Why? Because he seeks to be his own god and believes his own independent understanding of himself and the world around him is right and sufficient, i.e. it alone can lead him to the truth. But only God is infinite in knowledge and ¹in every other way; man is not. Finite man can never gain access to the infinite on his own. He needs help from someone far greater than himself i.e. someone infinite in knowledge and wisdom. The finite - you and I - can not reach up and bring the Infinite down to us. The Infinite must come down and reveal Himself. And He did in Christ! Yet man rejects God's Son and the wisdom and revelation he offers.

To operate contrary to our design - i.e. to ignore our limits - is foolish. This is like trying to care for a delicate plant or rare animal or operate a complex machine to the maximum of its potential and ignore the manual that tells us how to do so. Man can observe himself and the world around him and definitely discover certain things. But can he discover all that needs to be known unaided? Is there a difference between facts and truth? 

There is. Let me illustrate.

We can all see the sun - unless we are literally blind, but even then we can feel its warmth. No one would dispute there is something bright or warm in the sky. Over time, with enough study, we can discover the specifics of how the sun operates; all are important facts, they are just not all the "facts." 

As hard as science tries, science has never been able to answer the why question. This is different from the "how" questions. Why is the sun there? Why are we here to observe it and experience the benefits that come from it? We may try to find the answer to the why questions through science but discovering the facts of what is, is the role of science, why something exists is not. To this day science has not concluded with certainty why anything is, only how it works. The why must be found elsewhere. We must go to the Designers manual and see what He says about the why of His creation. 

There is man's way of seeing and doing things. Depending on one's worldview, those ways could be the polar opposite of each other. Why? Because man is limited in his understanding if left only to his own reasoning and finiteness i.e. we are not all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present of all loving. Hence all the tension in the world today. Everyone thinks their knowledge is absolute, independent of the source of absolute knowledge. There is usually ²some truth in all views, mixed in with some fallacy, some being more or less true than others. Who decides what is true and who is the arbitrator when these differences create great tension and conflict? Man's sole reliance on his own reasoning and resources in determining truth instead of confiding in the Source of all wisdom and truth will not settle a matter, only inflame it.

When there are opposing views, the truth often lies somewhere in the midst of the tension of those views. Both sides are seeing truth the other is not. Then there is God's way or a 3rd way if you will. The way of infinite knowledge. The way none of us as finite beings, can see unless God reveals it. And who does he reveal himself to? Those who know they need to see it-Him i.e. those humble enough to recognize that along i.e. without God who is infinite, man can not see all he needs to see to know with certainty his understanding of the world is correct (remember the why questions). 

If we are to resolve the tensions of differing views, we must recognize our limitations and acknowledge true understanding and correct view of the world must come outside us and from the Source of infinite knowledge, love, life, and all things. To see this, we must humble ourselves and recognize we need to see more than we need to be seen or heard. This same source tells us the 1st shall be last and the last shall be 1st and to find our life we must first lose it.

 

So to bring this back around to privilege, those who complain the most about someone being privileged over them or another is to miss the whole gospel message. If one is a believer they will rejoice in their low standing not be envious of what they think is someone else's high standing. 

For a further discussion on strength in weakness, click here.

For a further discussion on identity politics, click here. 

For a further discussion on the necessity of forgiveness, click here. 

For a further discussion on values, culture and racism click here. 

For a discussion on my personal experience of discrimination, click here. 

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*All the "omni's" Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence and Omni benevolence. Or to say it more practically, all-wise and all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere present and all good and loving.

**We live in a world of design where we can observe how things operate a particular way. And that is because there is design and a designer who created them to do so. Though we can observe this design and discover to some extent how things operate - some truth about their operation - we can never grasp the full purpose of creations design without acknowledging the Creator who designed them. 

And what is that purpose? All things are from, through, and to God. To him be the glory i.e. He must be recognized as the Creator and sustainer of all things if we are to see them as they truly are.

 

 

 

Cultural vs grace driven Christians

Broadly speaking there are two kinds of "Christianity" in ¹America:

1.  Cultural Christianity (the majority)

2.  Grace-driven followers of Christ

The first is more of a worldview. The second is a relationship with God or state of being if you will. 

A. Cultural Christianity acknowledges certain fundamental truths of the Christian faith. Some of the most basic and common elements in contrast with a secular worldview are...

·      Man has the capacity for good but is naturally inclined toward selfishness i.e. corrupt by nature.

·     There are moral absolutes and values i.e. objectively there is right and wrong, and these don’t change i.e. they are absolutes.

·      Mankind should be and will be held accountable by His Creator (God) for his choices and actions if not in this life, the next.

These are very important and distinct from a non-Christian worldview, which generally asserts or assumes three contrary beliefs...

·      Mankind is basically good and corrupted by his environment - i.e., from without vs within.

·      Morality is relative and subjective. We have our own truth. What is right for you is not necessarily right for me or others. There are no absolutes -- a key tenet of postmodernism.

·      This life is all there is, so eat, drink, and be merry, i.e. make the most of it... if it feels good, do it, and the like.  

Prior to postmodernism, a cultural Christian worldview was common among the majority of Americans - particularly after the 1st Great Awakening from the early 1730s on - though it has slowly declined from when it was a majority-held view in America (not only among the general population but, to a great extent, among institutional heads and centers of influence) up until the 1960s. Since Postmodernism, the contrast between a Christian and non-Christian worldview has become more pronounced and clear. 

The fundamental differences of cultural Christianity are very significant when compared to a non-Christian worldview and, for this reason alone, are important. So I do not want to dismiss its significance entirely. As a result, how a cultural Christian approaches life is very different compared to a nonbeliever. Holding these different views is not insignificant. 

B. Grace-driven Christianity is rooted in the good news that God did all that was needed to restore us to himself and free us from our inclination to serve ourselves. He did this because we could not free ourselves. It agrees with and holds to the same fundamental truths/values as the Cultural Christian, but goes beyond these i.e. these cultural aspects will still be a key part of a grace-driven Christian's worldview but is not the essence of what defines or drives them to action. To say it another way, their worldview influences their approach to the world but does not alone or in itself empower them to rightly act, i.e. for the glory of God. Only the Spirit of God via the grace of God extended to us in and through the gospel can empower us to live for God, not simply willing ourselves to. 

The distinction between cultural and grace-driven Christians is important for two reasons:

1.  Non-Christians do not understand this difference (because they have not partaken of and experienced the power of grace and God's perfect forgiveness) and therefore lump these different "kinds" of Christians into the same group. 

     Does this matter? Many attitudes and approaches to various cultural issues can be very ³different between cultural and grace-driven Christians. As a result, grace-driven Christians are attributed certain views and attitudes the cultural Christian holds which they don’t necessarily agree with. For these reasons, these two approaches may look and sound the same on the surface to a non-Christian (and on the surface, they are in fact similar) but they are driven by a very different reason-motive. 

2. Those who adhere only to cultural Christianity do not necessarily understand or agree with the message of grace and may in fact be Christian only culturally in how they view the world (the first 3 bullet points above). They are not, in fact, true followers of Jesus as the bible defines it, i.e. they may not be true believers when it comes to the central message of Christianity — the gospel of grace.

So the differences are not immediately apparent on the surface to a nonbeliever (or even necessary to those who claim to be Christians - what I am ⁴calling a cultural Christian). It’s not until you look “under the hood” that you see the difference that drives these externally similar yet very different flavors of Christianity. 

So, is cultural Christianity truly Christian? Yes, in so far as it adheres to these fundamental principles but not in so far as one's relationship with and posture toward God. As his child, our relationship with God is solely based on God’s work in and through Christ, not our work or views. There are many within and without the Church who are cultural Christians i.e. Christian in name only. 

To say it another way, the views of a Cultural Christian may be aligned with the Bible and in that sense are Christian, but this alone does not make one a true believer (a follower/disciple of Jesus) as defined by scripture. The Bible is clear that one’s standing before God is based on the good news (gospel) of grace (the work of Christ on our behalf) and accepting God's offer of righteousness earned by Christ, not in trying to adhere to a certain worldview or moral values or even being able to explain the gospel. I have known several nonbelievers who can explain the gospel well and who professed to be a Christian but never expressed true affection for God. I also know those who claimed to be a believer but later professed true faith, acknowledging they never understood grace or had genuine saving faith before then. 

For a grace-driven Christian, these same views held by cultural Christians are also adhered to but are the fruit of their relationship with God, not the grounds or cause of it. It is only by grace we are restored to a right standing and heartfelt relationship with God and not believing certain things taught in the Bible or about God. As James says, demons believe in God and tremble... but they're still demons. 

For a discussion on why there are hypocrites in the church click here. 

For a discussion on the church's tendency to legalistic morality, click here. 

For a discussion on the difference between the gospel and religion click here. 

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¹and elsewhere though this appears to be more common in the western church and particularly in America. 

²there can be some blending of worldviews between cultural Christians and nonbelievers but generally, if someone adheres to one of the distinguishing fundamentals of a cultural Christian worldview, they tend to adhere to all of them i.e. they all tend to hang together or not at all.

³"Cultural Christians" tend to be more rigid and unyielding in their approach to life. Their emphasis is more about being right than caring i.e. loving your neighbor. Grace-driven Christians tend to be more patient, understanding, and loving (though not automatically). To say it another way they bear the fruit of the Spirit. Like their Lord, they operate by grace and truth, and in that order. They understand the key essence of how we live is based on loving God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourselves i.e. truth is vital but love - is the primary driving force of their lives. They also understand to love God with all our heart... we must first know the love of God personally -- our love for Him and obedience to him is a response to His love for us. For more on this click here and here. Of course, there are always exceptions among any of these various groups. 

⁴I make this distinction based on my own experience not theory. What do I mean? I used to be a cultural Christian to a great extent up until around 1998 (I came to Christ in 1971). And this was after I had gone to Bible College and been involved in lay ministry for several years. I have found there is a huge difference between being able to articulate the gospel message (which I could do well) and actually experiencing grace. I think I genuinely knew Christ before then but it was far more in my head than my heart. I have concluded there are many (maybe most) within the church today that are like I was rather than how I am now. I think many of those folks are truly Christians as the Bible defines it, but I have observed many who may not be. Only God knows their hearts we do not. Christ did say however by their fruits you will know them. Loving God and our neighbor is the greatest evidence and fruit of grace (Spirit) driven followers of Christ; not how we feel or how much we know but much do our words and 

honor God and advance His kingdom and not our own. 

We know Christ said he will separate the wheat from the weeds one day (i.e. they both exist within the church and will until Christ returns) and it is not our job to do so or decide who is and isn't a true follower of Christ, but for now, they are mixed together. To hear the words "depart from me, I never knew you" by someone who has done "many wonderful works" in God's name is a scary consideration. One we should all examine our hearts carefully over. 

What is the good news?

The essence of the gospel is God's love, acceptance, and embrace of us are secured solely by Christ's efforts, not ours. 

Because Christ was and is perfect in every way - and credits or assigns his perfect "track record" or status and union with the Father to us - God's love and embrace of us is perfect in every way. He loves us in the same way He loves the Son of His eternal affection; as if we were faithful to him exactly the same way Christ was, when we are (and were) not. 

This indeed is good news because we are not required to achieve this status through our efforts and can not mess it up by the lack of effort either! Hard to believe, but true. 

If we truly believe this good news (gospel) - i.e. that God is now totally for us and no longer against us, (even in our current imperfect state) - the more it will galvanize us in the face of adversity and empower us to become unstoppable for God. The more we grasp this the more unstoppable we become.

If we are not unstoppable for God we have not yet fully grasped the good news that his relentless and boundless love is immovably fixed upon us. 

This gospel isn't simply about entering the Kingdom of God but living and walking in it, i.e. being empowered by God's love to live for Him today and every day!! This is fully and freely extended to us because of Christ's efforts alone.

The 2 key elements needed for this to occur...

1. The good news (gospel) itself - God's part, i.e. he has already fully and perfectly taken care of our sinful status. We don't need to and indeed, can not.

 and

2. The extent to which we believe (fully grasp) this good news - which is our part. Our understand is ongoing and always increasing if we are truly His child.

The first element - the good news - is accomplished only by God in and through Christ and is complete. Nothing can be added to it or be taken away from it. It is what God did - and does - (Rom 8:34b) through Christ and has nothing to do with our efforts, good behavior (or bad for that matter). It is 100% legally ours but ours practically (i.e. experientially) on a day-to-day basis, to the extent we receive and believe it.

The second element - our faith (trust) in this good news - is our "work" or our part in our relationship with God. 

It is work in the sense it requires us to humble ourselves and take up our cross daily. This is not easy and is ongoing until we go to be with Him eternally. This is the key to the maturing process, i.e. our spiritual formation (sometimes referred to as sanctification). 

As our trust in God and His perfect and infinite love (extended to us freely by grace) increases, our living for God's honor increases, i.e. the good news increasingly manifests itself in greater degrees through our words and actions as our trust in Him grows.

The effect this good news has on our day-to-day actions and conduct is small if our grasp (belief) of it is small and great if it is great.

So how do we increase our faith or remedy our unbelief? 

God must first reveal to us the desperateness of our condition without Christ, i.e. how short we come in recognizing the goodness and love of God and how desperately broken we are without Him. 

Until we see our need for this good news (that there is no hope of being received by God without Christ) we will not desire or seek it. The more we see our desperation, the greater the impact this good news has on us and the more it changes us. 

God must also reveal himself to us in all his beauty and glory. The more of his beauty we see the greater our desire for him grows. The greater our desire, the greater our pursuit. 

As God reveals to us both our desperate need and His glorious beauty, our faith ¹grows. Our faith in God is only as good as our view of God (and ourselves) is clear and accurate.

And what is the condition or state we must enter into for God to reveal Himself to us most?

Humility, i.e. recognizing our desperate need of God. 

*Humility is key to seeing God.

*Seeing God is key to great faith.

*Great faith is key to great pursuit of God.

God's strength manifests itself in us most the more we acknowledge our weakness. The essence of the gospel practically is strength in and through weakness  - 'when I am weak, than I am strong."

This is bad news before it is good news.

How do we not change?

If we change ("obey") because we  we think we must, to be accepted by God - i.e. because of external pressure or reasons - it never lasts. True and lasting change only occurs because we want to change, i.e. it comes from self-imposed internal "pressure" i.e. motivation. A genuine desire to change. And this is only by the Spirit, not human willpower.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." - Phil 2:12-13.

Change that comes about from external pressure is not true change, but merely external conformity, which results in self-righteousness, not humility. This is the essence of legalism which unfortunately is common within the Christian community. 

For a discussion on: 

How we are inclined to try and earn God's love click here.

The difference between "Cultural Christians" and grace-driven followers of Christ, click here.

The essence of God's Kingdom click here.

How God's love is conditional and unconditional click here.

Should our focus be on morality or Jesus? click here.

 

What is righteousness click here

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¹to the extent our trust in ourselves diminishes and our trust in him increases, we change.

Gospel (good news) or religion?

All religions say:

* Do good and be good

* Then you will be accepted and approved by God and ultimately achieve heaven - bliss.

Much of the evangelical church says:

* "Trust Christ" — ¹see footnote.

* Do good and be good i.e. live a righteous life

*Then you will be fully accepted by God.

This 2nd view indicates many within the church do not believe the true gospel but only a "Christianized" version of religion i.e. the first view above. 

It is easy to do. We are naturally inclined to want to "save" ourselves. Acknowledging we ultimately can not is a hard pill to swallow and that few of us can easily and constantly admit. 

This is the essence of the same spirit of rebellion our first parents had in Eden and all humanity continues to have since. It was also the spirit that surfaced at the very beginning of the church through the Judizer's.  An entire letter was written to the church at Galatia addressing this. It is clear we are bent on winning the approval of others; including and especially God's.

In contrast to religion...

The Gospel says:

* Receive the free offer of Christ's perfect righteousness and forgiveness because you can not and never will be good enough or do enough good to ²earn God's approval or acceptance. If we could have, there would have been no point in Christ coming and dying. Or to say it another way, we can not and will not ever love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength or our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

* Only when you accept what Christ did for you - versus what you do for him - are you perfectly and fully accepted by God. There is nothing else for you to do to be accepted. FULL STOP!

*Now, in, by, and through His perfect love-acceptance, live to honor God in response to His love that fully restored us back to Him.

Note that obedience - living for God - is just as vital a part of a driven lifestyle as a works-based one (religion). But not as the cause of God's acceptance, but in response to it. Obedience matters, but for a very different reason.

Both views -- I obey God to be accepted vs I am perfectly accepted therefore I obey God -- involve how we live... But they have a different order of priority and for very different reasons.

The former is acting out of the belief I must earn God's love, and the latter out of the belief I already perfectly have it in and through Christ. Nothing I do or do not do will add to or take away from God's love and acceptance of me, ever! Why? Because it's based on what Christ did for us, not what we do for Him. 

The former is about me -- acting for my benefit -- the latter is about ³God -- acting for His honor because every benefit is already mine and bestowed on me in, by, and through Christ.

Christianity is not I obey and then I'm accepted but I am accepted therefore I obey.

The gospel says nothing you do or don't do can add to or take away from God's perfect acceptance of you in Christ - i.e. His love and acceptance is unconditional and complete, not based on any of our deeds, good or bad. The only condition required of you is to recognize you need Him and can not be restored to Him without accepting his offer i.e. being and living justly is by faith. This requires humility i.e. we can not and will not save ourselves by our good deeds or be rejected by God because of our bad ones if we trust Christ.

If we have not been transformed by God's love and do not have the desire to live for and obey Him to bring Him glory, we do not yet understand the good news, aka gospel. We are wise to make sure we are even His child. This is a primary theme of 1 John.

For a discussion on how we are inclined to try and earn God's love click here.

For a discussion on the difference between "Cultural Christians" and grace-driven followers of Christ, click here.

For a discussion on how God's love is conditional and unconditional click here.

For a discussion on whether our focus should be on morality or Jesus click here.

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¹ I put "trust Christ" in quotes because if we truly trust what Christ has done for us, we do not feel compelled to do good deeds to win his acceptance. Love will, however, compel us to put Him on display. "Obedience" is the supernatural and organic response to God's love. I put obedience in quotes only because we act because we want to - as a response to God loving us first before we ever lifted a finger for him - not because we have to gain God's acceptance.

²This is true not only before we come to Christ but after. We can please God once we are in Christ but this is not a matter of His acceptance of us. His acceptance is already addressed and perfectly settled by Christ's work on our behalf. What pleases God now that we are in Christ is faith. Without it, we can not please God. This faith is in the complete love and acceptance of us in Christ. His love - not our efforts to try and earn it -drives us to love Him in return and honor him in all our words and deeds, i.e. obedience.

³Since God has fully taken care of the "me" side of the equation, acting for God is the only reason left.