10 Reasons Why Paula White’s ‘Passover Offering’ Teaching Distorts the Gospel
Every year, certain charismatic leaders promote the idea that if believers sow a financial offering during certain times of the year, they will unlock “specific supernatural blessings.” In this teaching regarding Passover, the promises of God for sowing an offering include angelic protection, healing, prosperity and longevity. Recently, Paula White’s version of this teaching went so far as to declare that “obedience to give God your best Passover offering” can release divine benefits into your life.
Let me be clear: this message is not only a misapplication of Scripture but a gross distortion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As someone who believes in God’s supernatural power to heal and bless believers, I feel a pastoral and prophetic burden to correct this teaching, which manipulates believers into giving an offering for blessings already paid for through the cross of Christ.
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1. It Misapplies Old Covenant Laws to New Covenant Grace
The passage most often cited, Exodus 23, belongs to the Mosaic Covenant that God made with the nation of Israel. These ceremonial requirements, including feast offerings, were types and shadows pointing to Christ. Reintroducing them as instructions for modern believers to give an offering blurs the line between law and grace and ignores the fulfillment of the feasts in Jesus.
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col. 2:17)
2. It turns giving into a transaction instead of worship
In the New Testament, giving is presented primarily as an overflow of love and gratitude to God. Although I believe in the law of sowing and reaping financially, this teaching that giving a Passover offering can “unlock” favor or prosperity reduces worship to a self-serving attempt to manipulate both potential donors and God and replaces faith with superstition (2 Cor. 9:6-8).
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion…” (2 Cor. 9:7)
3. It Promotes a False Link Between Money and Healing
Healing is not a product you buy. It is part of the finished work of Christ on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). To suggest that sowing a financial seed during Passover will “release healing” is a subtle form of simony— the ancient sin of trying to purchase the power of God (Acts 8:18-20). Healing flows from the atonement, not our wallets.
“By His wounds we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5)
“He Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Matt. 8:17)
4. It Assigns Angels Based on Offerings, Not Sonship
One of the supposed blessings of sowing a Passover seed is that “an angel will be assigned to you.” But Hebrews 1:14 makes it clear that angels are already assigned to those who belong to Christ, not because they gave an offering, but because they are heirs of salvation.
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14)
This teaching cheapens spiritual realities by tying them to financial transactions rather than our covenantal identity in Christ.
5. It Conflates Healing with Wealth—Contrary to Jesus’ Example
Yes, Jesus healed all who came to Him, but He never promised that all who follow Him would be materially wealthy. In fact, He called His followers to live sacrificially and warned against greed. Teaching that healing and material riches go hand-in-hand misrepresents Jesus’ ministry and promotes a distorted view of blessing.
Jesus does promise earthly rewards, but only for those (with the correct motive) who have left everything for the sake of the gospel! (Mark 10:29-30)
“Beware of all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
6. It Ignores the Apostolic Pattern of Ministry
In the book of Acts, the apostles never connected material offerings to seasonal Jewish feasts to gain divine favor. On the contrary, Paul warned the Galatians not to return to observing days, months, seasons, and years (Gal. 4:10). The early church taught that the blessings of God are accessed through faith, obedience, and the Spirit, not rituals or offerings. Unfortunately, many charismatic leaders have adopted a form of Jewish mysticism based on the Hebrew calendar.
“You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. (Gal. 4:10-11)
7. It exploits the Vulnerable Through Empty Promises
This message is often targeted toward people in crisis—those who are sick, broke, or broken—offering them a false guarantee: that a sacrificial offering will fix their life. This is spiritual exploitation, in my opinion. Jesus condemned the religious leaders who “devour widows’ houses” while making long prayers (Mark 12:40). The poor are to be served, not manipulated.
8. It Reduces the Cross to a Financial Formula
The cross of Christ is the all-sufficient basis of our inheritance, healing, protection, and provision. To suggest that giving money “activates” these blessings diminishes the grace of the gospel and substitutes it with a counterfeit rooted in performance and works.
“He who did not spare His own Son… how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)
9. It Overlooks the True Nature of Blessing
The New Testament consistently emphasizes spiritual blessings in Christ over material ones. Ephesians 1:3 tells us we have already been blessed with “every spiritual blessing” in the heavenly places. While God does desire to provide for our needs, the true riches of grace cannot be measured in dollars or houses or other material ways.
“My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries” (Prov. 8:19-21).
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich…” (Rev. 3:18)
10. It Robs the Gospel of Its Simplicity and Power
The blessings of the gospel are not “Jesus plus an offering.” Christ is crucified, risen and reigning—received by grace through faith and alignment to His Lordship. Anything that adds monetary requirements without balancing it with the full orbed message of faith and obedience in Christ is teaching another gospel, and must be rejected.
Conclusion: Jesus, Our Passover, Is Enough
God doesn’t need a holiday offering to bless His people. He gave His only Son, the Lamb of God, to redeem us once and for all. Our healing, deliverance, angelic protection, and provision are not for sale. They are freely given through the finished work of Jesus.
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Although I believe strongly in the principle of giving tithes and offerings to support the work of God, an appeal should never come through manipulation, coercion, or personal gain. Give because you love Him. Give to advance the gospel. But never believe the lie that God’s blessings can be bought.
The cross is not a vending machine. It’s a revelation. It’s a death to self. It’s the unmerited grace of God poured out on the undeserving.
Let’s return to the true gospel—and let that be enough.
Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church and leads several organizations, including the U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. For more on this topic, read his book “The Global Apostolic Movement and the Progress of the Gospel.”
