Piper Responds to the Prosperity Gospel — John Piper

God as the Gospel and the Meaning of Salt and Light

How does God is the gospel relate to salt and light? Now here I'm upset about the prosperity gospel because of an article in the Minneapolis Tribune about one of the big churches, 10 ,000 members, with the pastor having a couple of, you know, a jet and two big condos worth $3 million in Florida and real estate everywhere, all over the place, and gets breaks from his church so he's in trouble with the IRS, and it's just a mess, and I'm really upset about it.

Because in the article, one of the leaders was quoted about being a salt, and I just hit the roof. I just went ballistic. What do you think the salt of the earth is? Well, you're the salt of the earth, but how?

Matthew 5:11–16 and the Heavenly Reward

Let's go to Matthew 5 quick. Matthew 5, I'm going to experiment with you here. This is my exegetical conviction, and you test it. I'm going to define for you the salt of the earth in terms of God is the gospel, because I see that in this text in Matthew 5, 11 to 16.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Now, I believe that the reward there is Christ God ultimately.

I believe in degrees of rewards in heaven, but ultimately every reward is leading to God and He is the final reward. So because we have an all-satisfying, glorious, final, high treasure called Jesus Christ or the Father in heaven, we can rejoice in the midst of persecution.

The Salt of the Earth as Endurance Through Persecution

Rejoice and be glad in that day, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets. You're the salt of the earth. Now, what do you think the salt is? If you just let it flow, let it flow.

Why the Prosperity Gospel Is Not the Gospel

I'll tell you what it's not, wealth. Here's why. Prosperity gospel is no gospel because what it does is offer to people what they want as natural people. You don't have to be born again to want to be wealthy, and therefore you don't have to be converted to be saved by the prosperity gospel.

When you appeal to people to come to Christ on the basis of what they already want, 1 Corinthians 2 makes no sense. The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him.

Therefore if you offer to people what they do not consider foolishness, in the natural man you're not preaching the gospel, and the prosperity gospel offers to people what they desperately want as fallen people, gives it to them, and grows huge churches, and we export it to Africa and the Philippines, flying in with our jets, bilking of their money, and going back to our condos worth three million dollars.

Opposition to Exporting the Prosperity Gospel

It is horrific what we export as Americans. I can't believe what we tolerate in the church. So I'm on a crusade to crucify the prosperity gospel. I hate the prosperity gospel, because I love the glory of God.

A Church Satisfied With God Rather Than Wealth

Now here it is. What is, I want America to be salted with you. So this is called resolved here, you could call it salted. I want you to go out of here salting. What will that mean? Here's what I think it means.

The salt of the earth are people that are so satisfied with their reward in heaven, namely God, that they joyfully endure pain in the service of Jesus. I think that was preached on earlier today, something like that.

A Distinctive Church Motivated by God

Because the world is simply not going to be impressed with a church that is motivated by what they're motivated by. I mean, come on, this is not rocket science. A church that is motivated by money is just like the world.

I don't care if Jesus is the means to get it, or whether the stock market is the means to get it. It doesn't matter who's the means to get it, we're driven by the same thing. However, if churches would rise up where it can be said, blessed are you when men persecute you and revile you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, rejoice in that day and be glad, because God is the gospel.

God is the gospel, not money, not health, not family. God is the gospel. You will be the salt of the earth. You will taste so different. You will taste so attractive. Something will lodge in people and they'll say, I hate that and I love that.