Duplantis, who acknowledged that John 3:16 says God gave Jesus to save mankind, told church members that Jesus had been waiting for eternity to give God a gift and that he finally realized what it was. Jesus decided to “turn this thing around” and give people back to God the Father as gifts, said the preacher. “So when you get born again, you a baby Christian and Jesus takes you upstairs and says, ‘Father, what do you think?’…And the Father says, ‘Wow, they look just like you, Jesus.’” Later in his sermon, Duplantis compared the way God the Father feels about Christians to the way human parents often see their children as precious gifts.
The preacher emphasized more than once that people have inherent worth because they are made in God’s image. He told his church members that when they feel unworthy, they should “put on your bow” and remember they are Jesus’ gift to God.
Being Jesus’ gift to God enables us to “act like God,” said Duplantis, quoting Ephesians 5:1. “People get irritated when we act like God, but if we don’t, then we’re acting like somebody else.” He continued, “That’s why I live here on earth like I’d be in heaven. I truly am living the ‘Our Father’ prayer.” As examples, Duplantis pointed out that in heaven, there is no debt, jealousy, envy, strife, or age. “So how come I cannot live here, because I am a gift that Jesus gave to his father, like when I get there physically?” he asked.
Later, Duplantis implied that having mansions in heaven signifies the wealth we can have on earth. He said, “People that are against prosperity don’t know the Word.” He also addressed physical health, conceding that people do get sick and feel ill, but said that their illnesses nevertheless do not have to affect them. Said Duplantis, “If you want to go to heaven, you can die healthy because death and life’s in the power of the tongue.”
Discussion on Duplantis’ sermon online centers on a clip where he quotes Isaiah 9:6. While the preacher’s overall point seemed to be that God’s children will follow his example in some sense, it was unclear what that behavior entails, and a number of people took his wording as heretical.
“Why is Biblical hermeneutics (the study of the methodological principles of interpretation) so important?” tweeted user Keith Walker. “Because improper hermeneutics leads to heresy. Jesse Duplantis is exhibit A. Listen to how he takes verses that apply to Jesus and attributes them to us. Blasphemous!”
ChurchLeaders has reached out to Jesse Duplantis Ministries for comment and will update this article in the event of a reply.
