No – obedience to God does not guarantee material prosperity for believers today.
Les Feldick teaches that material blessings for obedience belong to Israel's Old Testament economy under the law, not to the church age. In the age of grace, God has promised believers only a roof over their heads, clothes on their back, and food to eat. While God does not forbid wealth and may bless obedience, the New Testament contains no promise that spiritual effort will be rewarded with earthly riches. The rewards God promises to believers are stored in heaven, not guaranteed in this life.
Deuteronomy 28:1 — Records the conditional Old Testament promise to Israel that obedience would bring national elevation – the arrangement Les contrasts with the church age.
1 Corinthians 15:58 — Shows the believer's reward is connected to faithful labor for the Lord, not to a guarantee of material wealth.
The Bible records a conditional promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1: 'And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth.' The chapter goes on to list the blessings that would come upon Israel when they obeyed. The Old Testament record also shows men like Abram, Jacob, and Job with great flocks, herds, and material wealth. In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells believers: 'Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.' The promised reward for believers is tied to their labor for the Lord rather than to earthly riches.
Les Feldick's answer is clear: 'there is no promise in the New Testament that God will reward us materially for our spiritual effort' (Clip 2). The material-blessing-for-obedience arrangement belonged to the Old Testament economy – 'in the Old Testament economy, God rewarded obedience with material blessings' (Clips 1, 5). For the age of grace, God has promised believers only 'a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, and food to eat'; everything beyond that is 'just His grace, His blessings' (Clip 1). Les is careful to avoid two extremes. There is nothing wrong with material blessing or accumulating wealth, though wealth becomes a problem when it becomes a priority (Clip 1). He firmly rejects the 'prosperity salvation' message – that getting saved or sending money guarantees wealth – calling it 'not according to this book' (Clip 3). God does not mandate that believers be poor, but He also does not promise that every believer will automatically become a millionaire; believers have a satisfying life in Christ whether rich or poor (Clip 4). The reward God does promise is heavenly: everything done for God's glory is 'sent ahead' and waiting to be cashed in (Clip 6). Believers may go to the grave poor, but God 'is keeping a record of our earthly activity,' and their labor in the Lord is not in vain (Clip 7). Les also stresses that believers must be grounded in doctrine and faith, not in experience – 'experience does not exercise faith' (Clip 0).
Yes, under the Old Testament economy. Les quotes Deuteronomy 28:1 – if Israel hearkened diligently to God's voice and kept His commandments, God would set them on high above all the nations of the earth, and the chapter goes on to list the blessings that would come their way (Clip 5). He notes that in this arrangement God rewarded obedience with material blessings (Clip 5) and blessed Israel 'every which way, mostly material' when they obeyed (Clip 1). The patriarchs reflect this: Abram was intensely wealthy, Jacob left Laban with flocks and herds to no end, and Job had flocks and herds by the thousands (Clip 2).
No. Les is explicit: 'there is no promise in the New Testament that God will reward us materially for our spiritual effort' (Clip 2). For the age of grace, God has promised believers a roof, clothes, and food – beyond that, everything is His grace and blessings (Clip 1). He calls the belief that salvation automatically brings wealth 'prosperity salvation' and says it is 'not according to this book' (Clip 3). That does not mean believers cannot be successful or work hard to get ahead – but success is not the same as a biblical promise of prosperity (Clip 2).
Les teaches that the believer's reward is heavenly, not earthly. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:58 call believers to be 'stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord' because their labor is not in vain (Clip 7). Les says everything done for God's glory is 'sent ahead' and waiting in heaven, and believers will be able to 'cash in on these rewards' (Clip 6). He also reminds believers they may never reap those rewards in this life – they may go to the grave poor – but God is keeping a record of their earthly activity (Clip 7).
Les observes that today 'we are seeing a lack of faith, and we're seeing the emphasis on experience' and insists that 'experience does not exercise faith' (Clip 0). His emphasis is that believers must be grounded in doctrine rather than led by experience, pointing to the need to get back to the Book and sound doctrine. Obedience matters, but it must be rooted in faith rather than treated as a formula for blessing.
Faith, Not Experience
Les observes that believers today are emphasizing experience instead of faith, reminding that 'experience does not exercise faith' and that believers must be grounded in doctrine.
God's Promises in the Age of Grace
Les teaches that God's only material promises for believers today are a roof, clothes, and food; beyond that everything is grace. He also affirms wealth is not wrong but becomes a problem as a priority, and notes the Old Testament promised mostly material blessings for obedience.
No Material Promises in the New Testament
Les explains there is no New Testament promise that God will reward spiritual effort with material wealth; in the Old Testament, obedience brought physical and material blessings, as seen in Abram, Jacob, and Job.
The Error of Prosperity Salvation
Les denounces the modern message that salvation or donations automatically bring wealth, calling it 'prosperity salvation' and saying plainly it is 'not according to this book.'
Neither Poverty nor Automatic Riches
Les rejects both extremes: God does not require believers to be poor, but He does not promise all believers will automatically become millionaires; believers have a satisfying life in Christ whether rich or poor.
Israel's Conditional Blessings Under the Law
Les quotes Deuteronomy 28:1 to show that Israel's elevation above the nations was conditional on obedience, and he qualifies that this was the Old Testament economy where obedience brought material blessings.
Rewards Stored in Heaven
Les teaches that believers' works for God's glory are like gold, silver, and precious stone piling up heavenly reward – everything done for God's glory is sent ahead and will be cashed in when believers arrive.
Labor Not in Vain
Les teaches that believers may go to the grave poor even while serving the Lord, because God has not promised Cadillacs and mansions; instead He keeps a record of earthly activity and promises that labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Deuteronomy 28:1: And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
This is the conditional promise to Israel that Les quotes – obedience under the law brought national elevation and material blessing, an arrangement not carried into the church age.
1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Paul's call to abound in the Lord's work – Les uses this to show the believer's reward is for faithful labor, not a guarantee of earthly wealth.
No. Les Feldick explains that while God rewarded Israel with material blessings for obedience under the Old Testament law, there is no New Testament promise that God will reward believers materially for their spiritual effort. God's promise for the age of grace is a roof, clothes, and food; everything beyond that is grace.
Yes. Les teaches there is nothing wrong with material blessing or accumulating wealth, and God does not mandate that believers be poor. But if wealth becomes a priority, God frowns on it, and being wealthy is not a sign of spiritual success or a biblical promise.
No. Les calls the teaching that salvation or giving guarantees wealth 'prosperity salvation' and says it is 'not according to this book.' He compares it to ministries that promise debt will disappear or that you will become a half-millionaire if you send money – this is not what the Bible teaches.
Les says God has promised believers a roof over their heads, clothes on their back, and food to eat. Beyond that, everything is His grace and blessing. He has not promised mansions, Cadillacs, or automatic wealth.
Les teaches that the reward for faithful labor is stored in heaven, not guaranteed in this life. Everything you do for God's glory is sent ahead, and believers will cash in on those rewards when they get there. Meanwhile, a believer may go to the grave poor, but God keeps a record of their earthly activity.
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