I am encouraged that you are able to perceive Mohler’s error and criticize it yourself. The truth does not belong to any one person, but to all who read and believe Scripture. The biblical teaching is not my private opinion, but the Scripture plainly says what it says. Mohler’s statement is standard rhetoric of unbelief. The false dilemma is dishonest and manipulative, a good example of religious sophistry. What makes me indignant about this is not only that he is wrong, but he seems to think that Christians are idiots. He expects YOU to swallow this and be convinced by this. Even if certain things are more important than others, God can promise both something less significant and something more significant. In this context, we do not even have to rank them. If God promises both things, then he promises both things.

If there is something wrong with what is usually called prosperity theology, then we can criticize what is wrong with it. But Mohler fails to address what is truly wrong with it, if anything. Even if there is something wrong with it as a package, we can throw away the whole package and just talk about what the Bible says. He has to deal with Jesus theology, not prosperity theology. I do not care what “prosperity theology” promises. Jesus promises many things. What are they? Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). What are “all these things”? He was talking about money, food, and clothing (v. 24-31). He was talking about things that “the pagans run after” (v. 32). He also said, “The Father knows you need them all” (v. 32). If we worry about them, it is because we have too little faith (v. 30).

Since these are things that “the pagans run after,” there is no way to put a spiritual or figurative spin on them. This is very much “earthly wealth.” And since Jesus placed them under faith and the fatherhood of God, this is gospel material. It is not some fringe issue or doctrine. This is gospel. Thus to deny that Jesus theology promises money, food, clothing, and such things is to speak against the fatherhood of God, against Jesus Christ, against faith, and against the gospel. What is prosperity theology? I don’t care. This is Jesus theology, and we don’t hear Mohler teaching it. Let people like him put down prosperity theology and prosperity preachers. I don’t care, but he is only condemning himself, because where he is wrong about them, he commits slander, and where he is right about them, he condemns himself, because he is much worse in that his doctrine is even less faithful to the gospel.

Whether I agree with them on this or that, the prosperity preachers that I know constantly remind people to “seek first the kingdom of God.” They say this over and over again. Even if they do not mean it, they say it more than their critics. They also know that Jesus said, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). This is how they set up their message as they speak about prosperity. And then these prosperity preachers also say, “and all these things will be added to you.” What things? The things that the pagans run after — money, food, and clothing. The pagans do not seek only a little of these things. They want a lot of them. Jesus also had abundance in mind, since he said we should consider the flowers and the grass, and they were better dressed than Solomon. Now if Mohler condemns Jesus for bringing the pagans into this, we will let that slide for now, but Jesus even staked the fatherhood of God on this, and Mohler still says NO. So whatever we say about prosperity theology, we can say that anti-prosperity theology is much worse.

As for “the gift of health,” of course the Bible promises it. As if it is possible, this is even more “gospel” than the promises of prosperity. God is one who “forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2). He said, “With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:16). Jesus “took our infirmities and carried our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17). He said that a descendant of Abraham ought to receive healing, even on the Sabbath, or especially on the Sabbath (Luke 13:16). It was her covenant right. He said that healing was to the people of the covenant as bread was to the children of a household (Matthew 15:26). It was taken for granted. Then Paul said that we who are of faith are the children of Abraham. If we wish to be technical about it, healing is more than a promise, but a possession. Money in your account is not a promise, but a possession. You will need to take the money out to use it, but it already belongs to you.

Does Mohler teach this? Does he heal the sick and cast out demons, especially on the Sabbath, or is he too busy talking about his politics? If some wonder why they have not been experiencing these promises, our reply is that we have indeed been experiencing them, because we believe them. And if God’s people have not been experiencing these things in the measure specified by these promises, it is because of the teachers of unbelief. The benefits of the gospel are received when they are preached and believed (Galatians 3:5). Christians must either silence the false teachers, or at least stop listening to them. The people have confessed the Lord Jesus, and now they face the wrath of Satan, but their leaders remove the promises of God that would enable them to succeed. They profit from the people’s suffering. Since some people have asked, I am being literal when I say such things about these false teachers, and I have not nearly portrayed the full extent of their sin. The real issue is that no one can defend them against me, because I am right about all of this. This is the truth, and it is time for all of us to accept how horrible it is to have these people leading the charge against…well, apparently against the gospel of Jesus Christ.

From: email