Two Christian leaders recently highlighted some of the key differences between Gospel benefits and prosperity theology, stressing that Jesus is not simply a delivery system of blessing but that He is the very blessing every person desires.
In a video posted on the Gospel Coalition website, Glen Scrivener, director of the evangelistic ministry Speak Life, said the underlying problem with prosperity theology is that it treats Jesus as though He is the “delivery system for a bunch of blessings.”
“I think the problem [with prosperity theology] is whenever you unpack the Gospel as giving you a package of blessings at the end of all things, as though Jesus is the root toward what you really want, as though He’s the mechanism, He’s the delivery system that actually gives you what you want,” Scrivener said.
One type of prosperity theology promises that if an individual “gets Jesus,” they have access to benefits such as “better skin, better teeth, a boyfriend or a girlfriend.”
But the other, more “insidious” type of prosperity theology says, “Get Jesus, and then you’ll get eternal fire insurance.”
“The real problem is, once again, treating Jesus as though He is the delivery system for a bunch of blessings that are apart from Him,” he said.
Scrivener referenced Sinclair Ferguson’s book, The Whole Christ, which says that “the problem with our Gospel presentations is that we talk about every blessing through Jesus when we should preach every blessing in Jesus.”
“So offering Christ Himself to people,” Scrivener explained. “Therefore, you’re not promised health and wealth and prosperity. What you are promised is Jesus Himself. We really need to have a good doctrine of union with Christ and be far more Christ-centered in what we offer.”
“We’re not just offering health and wealth, and we’re not just offering fire insurance. We’re offering Jesus Himself,” he stressed.
Evangelist and author Sam Chan added that Christians should focus on “union with Jesus” — not earthly benefits — when sharing the Gospel.
SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett
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