Prosperity Gospel Doesn't Exist, Only the Gospel of Christ, Says Osinbajo

Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has challenged the notion of the "prosperity gospel," a belief system that suggests financial success and good health are guaranteed for Christians.

Mr. Osinbajo, who is also a pastor, asserted that such a doctrine is not found within Christian teachings. He shared this perspective while participating in a live debate with Korede Komaiya, the presiding pastor of The Master’s Place International Church. The event was hosted at Rock of Ages Christian Assembly International (RACAi).

During the debate, Mr. Komaiya expressed his perplexity regarding criticisms of the prosperity gospel. He noted that while encouraging giving is biblical, a balance is needed, and he questioned whether some churches might be preaching giving without diligence.

He explained, "I don’t even understand what people are saying. Excuse me, I can’t get it. Biblical prosperity is correct, authentic, original, Godly, and is to be used for the sake of the gospel; God prospers His own. It is activated by giving. You are not to be greedy. You are to work. You are to labour. You are to be intelligent. You are to have value; you are to be a tither. You are to have a ministry. You are to have a prophet. You are to give to people in need and to people experiencing poverty.

"The covenant is the covenant, economic situation notwithstanding, circumstances notwithstanding. My submission is this: let’s come back to the balance. You practice the covenant, you embrace productivity. You embrace engagement; we can’t go to the extreme. You can’t just give. You must give sacrificially. You must work as if everything depends on it. Giving alone can’t do it, working alone can’t do it, a combination of the two is what makes the gospel work."

In his response, Mr. Osinbajo, 69, contested Mr. Komaiya's position, stating unequivocally that there is only one gospel: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice emphasized that any attempt to redefine the gospel in terms of material wealth distorts its authentic message.

"The New Testament, no matter how we slice it, we may call it anything, the prosperity gospel, with all due respect, there is no such thing. There is only a gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is only one gospel and it’s a gospel and it’s a whose words are contained in this scripture. Anything else is a perversion; anything else, there are many types of success.

"The example that the pastor gave is an interesting example where some people were bribed, people are always going to be bribed, but that does not in any way detract from the fact that when Jesus Christ, the author of our faith, satan tried to bribe him, He said look I’ll give you all this, He refused. That is the ultimate message of the Bible", Mr. Osinbajo stated.

He further suggested that the Bible's core message is that truth will ultimately triumph, irrespective of the time it takes.

According to him, the gospel will endure, regardless of individual actions or failures.

Mr. Osinbajo also noted that scripture indicates many people will be influenced by bribery and financial incentives, but only the truth of the gospel will provide enduring sustenance.

He shared his experience since entering ministry in 1996, remarking on the common practice of emphasizing giving to the church or institution during services.

He added, “If you read the scriptures carefully especially the New Testament, the number of times that Jesus spoke about giving to the poor, that giving to the poor means giving to Him, to God the number of times, the sheer number of times that Jesus Christ said even this business of building riches, building riches in heaven is given to the poor.

“The number of times in this New Testament, but if you are going to be honest with yourselves. How often is it preached? There is a portion of the service dedicated to that before the offering. The question is, why do we not emphasize what this scripture says?”