Physical and health prosperity and the Gospel - Is it a marriage? 3 John

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

There is much talk in churches today about "prosperity" doctrine.  Those who are proponents of such a doctrine believe that when you come to Christ you get riches from Christ .... you prosper because you believe in God and His son, Jesus Christ.  Those who oppose the doctrine believe that when you come to Christ you are called to a life of suffering.   (Could this be why they keep their ministers poor and always in need?)  Like all "extremes" of doctrine in God's Word there is probably a balance somewhere in between.   God gives us one of those balance points as the Spirit leads John in the writing this to the church.  He wants his friend Gaius to be commended and he is asking God to "prosper" him and give him good health ... and, he uses his spiritual prosperity as a measuring tool.  It should be noted that John doesn't say that he should have health and physical prosperity in the same quantity as his spiritual prosperity.  It is not a "proportionate"  type of prosperity.   John is simply telling Gaius that he wants him to have good physical health and prosperity in the same manner or fact that his soul prospers.  The teaching here seems to be that we have spiritual prosperity in Christ and John is praying that Gaius will experience physical prosperity in the same manner; through Christ.   The fact that John is "praying" for it means it is not a guarantee that we WILL HAVE physical prosperity simply because we are IN CHRIST.   It means John is praying for that and asking God to give it to Gaius in the SAME MANNER as his spiritual prosperity ... fully in Christ.   We ought not to come to Christ thinking He will bless us physically with riches and good health.  But, we ought not to think it is a sin to pray for it either.   John seems to see both as a possibility in God's divine will.   God honored Jabez for asking for physical prosperity (1 Chronicles 4:9,10).  God can honor John's prayer for Gaius and our prayers for each other, in the same manner.   If we get this type of prosperity, remember, it is a gift of God not a benefit of salvation.