When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(Mark 2:17 - KJV)

It has been spoken in many churches that Jesus Christ is the answer to poverty, the answer to sickness, the answer to world peace and the answer to bad fortune. This is the sales pitch that many use today in order to get people to convert to their brand of Christianity. But what does the Bible have to say about all these things? And secondly, when Jesus Christ is promoted this way, what effect is it having on the true gospel?

The true gospel deals with the fact that humanity has a sin problem. Romans 3 identifies this and clearly points out that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of God’s standard regarding living a righteous life. As a result, the penalty for us is God’s wrath and an eternal separation from Him in a lake of fire. Yet in his love and mercy, God provides a way out of this predicament for us. This way is through His Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins as a sin offering and then came to back to life three days later to show He had conquered sin and death. And as a result of the debt that He paid for us on the cross, we can come to repentance (turn away from our sins), experience God’s forgiveness and not only overcome sin in this life but have eternal life with the Lord when we die.  This is the gospel.

For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.
(John 12:8 - ESV)

For those of you who are using the name of Jesus Christ to eliminate all poverty, Jesus Himself says that we will always have the poor on this side of heaven. This doesn’t mean that giving to the poor is in vain for God surely honors this but one thing we should understand it is when Jesus returns that everything will be set in its proper order. It is not the Christian duty to create God’s kingdom for Him to return to. It is when Jesus returns that He Himself will establish His kingdom.

In this profound statement, Jesus points to Himself and not the poor. Our priority should always be with Jesus. Remember that the context of the John 12 passage is that Judas said that the perfume Mary used could have been sold and given to the poor. And verse 8 was Jesus’ response. To reach out to the poor is admirable and should be done but not at the expense of Jesus and the truth.

Many pastors speak of poverty as if it is a sin and it is not. It’s a bad predicament to be in but being poor will not stop a person from experiencing eternal life. Your current state of finances does not equal your spiritual worth. For the Lord looks at the heart, not your wallet. He may bless you with riches, He may not bless you with riches. But this has no bearing on your standing with Him.

But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5 - ESV)

This is a highly misinterpreted verse in many charismatic and name it-claim it circles. Supposedly this scripture is supposed to open the door to your healing or to your financial breakthrough. Is this what Isaiah 53 is talking about?

Look back at the first scripture we read from Mark 2. In that passage, Jesus compares people who are sinners to those who are sick. In essence, Jesus also compares Himself to a physician who has the means to make the sick well. This has nothing to do with your physical healing although Jesus did heal 2,000 years ago and He can heal you today if He so desires. But getting back to the problem at hand, it isn’t being physically sick that will keep us from eternal life. It is SIN that will bring this about and it is a sickness that plagues each and every one of us. And Jesus not only can provide the cure but He Himself is the cure.

So the next time you hear this verse being quoted in the context of physical sickness and financial prosperity, understand that Isaiah does not have that in mind here. It is about the need to deal with the sin problem.

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
(Matthew 10:35-38 - ESV)

Many of us may forget that while Jesus provides the opportunity for us to have peace with God, His mission is not to make everybody get along, so to speak. Yes, we are to live at peace with others the best we can. But to compromise the faith for the sake of spiritual unity is not supported by God. The ecumenical and interfaith movements seem to be harmless on the surface as you have people from different religious backgrounds joining together for spiritual unity. But this is not pleasing in God’s sight.

Jesus makes it clear that He is the only Way, Truth and Life in John 14. Second Corinthians 6:14 tells us not to be yoked with unbelievers. This applies to spiritual unity. There is a movement in the world going on for everybody to come together for the sake of peace at all costs. For the Christian, it is at the expense of fundamental truths that we read in the Bible. Are you willing to compromise your faith for this pursuit?

Understand that the world hated Jesus and the world will also hate His followers. Expect persecution because you are a Christian and you hold to the truth. Be willing to stand alone for the truth when seemingly everybody is willing to compromise. Because that is what Jesus requires when He tells us to take up our cross and follow Him.

“For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.”

You may have been told that coming to Jesus will repair your relationships. This is hit or miss. Perhaps a marriage will be improved by one person coming to Christ or a friendship or a family relationship. But this isn’t guaranteed. Just as much as a relationship can be improved, it can literally disintegrate when a person believes in Jesus Christ. There is no guarantee that your relationships will be better because of coming to Jesus.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
(Revelation 21:4 - ESV)

Only when we finally meet Jesus face to face will we never have to worry about the hardships and pains of life anymore. But while we are living this life, there will be suffering, pain and heartbreak. Remember, these things will not keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God.  It is our sin that will. That is why the true gospel needs to be spoken so that people come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and like the people in Acts 2, wonder what they must do to be saved.

The gospel is not about making your earthly life better. God made those things come to pass long before Jesus was born. In the Old Testament, God made people prosperous, healed people, repaired relationships and even brought peace among nations. But this doesn’t stop people from going to hell.

We all need Jesus and the reason is very simple--we need salvation for our souls.