Renowned Nigerian preacher, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has addressed the widespread backlash that followed his controversial sermon, where he claimed that Jesus Christ hates poverty and poor people.
The initial remarks, which went viral on social media, sparked outrage, with many accusing the cleric of misrepresenting biblical teachings and promoting classism.
In the viral clip, Ibiyeomie had stated that Jesus “did not visit the home of anyone who was poor” during His earthly ministry—a claim that triggered a wave of online criticism. Many argued that his interpretation was not only incorrect but also insensitive to the realities of many believers.
However, in a follow-up video that appears to be a direct response to the backlash, the founder of Salvation Ministries doubled down on his statement, insisting he was not wrong. He explained that after the online uproar, he turned to the Holy Spirit for confirmation and was reassured that his message was in line with divine truth.
According to Ibiyeomie, the Holy Spirit began to “dictate God’s word” to him, affirming his stance. Drawing a parallel between sin and poverty, he argued that just as Christians are taught to hate sin, they should also hate poverty. He maintained that Jesus, who “became sin for humanity,” detested both sin and poverty and would not have associated intimately with either.
The pastor further cited scriptures, explaining that believers are advised not to “sit in the counsel of the ungodly,” and by extension, should avoid close association with anything contrary to God’s nature—including poverty.
Pastor Ibiyeomie on why Jesus hates poor people, poverty
“People were calling me. One or two persons were calling me, saying the internet is on fire. I said what is on fire? I don’t even know what is on fire. I’m not interested.
“But out of curiosity, I said Holy Spirit, if I’m wrong, tell me and I will never say I’m right when I’m wrong. He was dictating God’s word to me verbatim. He said ‘you are not wrong, you are right.’ I said how? He said listen, and he began to break down scriptures. He said I became sin for humanity. True? I said yes. He said you became sin. He said that’s why we must not….He said do you like sin? I said no. He said Christians hate sin? I said yes. He said can you be a friend to a sinner? He said no. He said you can only lead people to Christ but you cannot be a friend to be a friend to a sinner. Is that not true?
“Is that not true? He quoted Bible scriptures for me. And he said ‘don’t sit in the counsel of the ungodly. We says so. Is that not true? If a believer is mixing with sinners, I think you say why is this man mixing with sinners?
“Don’t you say so? I think you say so? You say why can’t this man lead people to Christ? You say why is this man, why is he mixing with sinners? Everybody gets angry when a believer is mixing with sinners.”
