The article "Something Better" by Don Fortner addresses the misconception within society and the church that a person's worth is tied to their material possessions and personal success. Fortner argues that this perspective is heavily influenced by the health, wealth, and prosperity movement, which equates faith with material gain and views suffering or poverty as indicative of a flawed faith. He utilizes Hebrews 11 to illustrate that the great figures of faith often experienced hardship and lack rather than worldly success, demonstrating that true faith does not guarantee material prosperity and calling into question the validity of equating spiritual and financial well-being. Theologically, Fortner emphasizes that God’s value system is fundamentally different from that of the world, offering believers "something better" in Christ—a focus on eternal treasures rather than temporal comforts. This perspective encourages Christians to recalibrate their understanding of success and reliance on God’s sovereign goodness in the midst of earthly struggles.
Key Quotes
“This perverse proud corrupt mentality is just as prevalent in the religious world as it is in the secular world.”
“Anything less than tangible success that leads to great comfort and prosperity in life is shamed as being a defective faith.”
“Our God has something better for us than the riches and comforts of this world. Christ is better. Eternity is better.”
“We see that faith in Christ… very often bring us into the very condition and circumstances the world disdains.”
What does the Bible say about prosperity in faith?
The Bible teaches that true faith does not guarantee material prosperity but rather focuses on spiritual richness and eternal values.
Hebrews 11
Why is eternal life important for Christians?
Eternal life is significant for Christians as it represents the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise and the hope of everlasting joy in Christ.
John 3:16, Romans 6:23
How do we know that God has something better for us?
We know God has something better for us as Scripture reveals His plans and faithfulness to provide for His people beyond worldly comforts.
Hebrews 11:1-2, Jeremiah 29:11
In our society a man’s worth is commonly judged by his position, his power, and his possessions. We are conditioned to presume that anyone who lacks what we commonly consider obvious signs of success must be uneducated, or lazy, or both. Those who are poor are commonly considered more likely to be immoral, if not criminal. Parents are always a little concerned if their daughter shows interest in a boy who comes from “the wrong side of the tracks.” They are always delighted to see her marry into the right kind of family— the kind with money!
Young people (and old ones, too) put themselves deeply into debt to keep up the appearance of success. Husbands and wives work every minute they can, so that they can impress themselves and their neighbors with what they have! What a sad commentary those facts are upon our society!
This perverse, proud, corrupt mentality is just as prevalent in the religious world as it is in the secular world. We have been conditioned by the “health, wealth, prosperity” preachers of the day to think that if a person is not physically healthy and wealthy and prospering materially, there must be some fault in his character, some flaw in his faith, or something otherwise evil that is the cause of his failure. Anything less than tangible success that leads to great comfort and prosperity in life is shamed as being a defective faith.
What is the result? In the minds of most, God has been reduced to nothing more than a great dispenser of creature comforts who is manipulated by positive thinking and positive believing! The Christian is, in the minds of most, synonymous with prosperity. Failure of any kind, sickness, and tragedy are thought to be beyond God’s control, contrary to his goodness, outside his will, and altogether beneath the dignity of a Christian. Faith today is made to be the elusive secret of elitist Christians by which they attain all the dreams of materialism and all the flamboyance of a Hollywood lifestyle.
Such thinking is totally contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture. When we come to Hebrews 11, and read here of the great men and women of faith, men and women held before us by God the Holy Spirit as examples to follow, we see that faith in Christ, obedience to the revealed will of God, and the goodness of God to the people of his love very often bring us into the very condition and circumstances the world disdains. Faith in and obedience to Christ, God’s infinite wisdom, and sovereign goodness very frequently (Indeed, most commonly!) prevent the souls he loves from ever attaining that which the world calls good and great. Our God has something better for us than the riches and comforts of this world. Christ is better. Eternity is better. Our hearts must be set upon these better things, if we would attain them
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