9 Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. ―1 Timothy 6:9-10
Many believe that the rich are getting the short end of the stick in the gospels. This isn’t true. It’s not about being wealthy, it’s about being greedy or miserly. The poor and the middle class can also have greed. Let’s listen to Jesus:
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. (Luke 12:34)
This scripture will always be true for the following reasons:
If your treasure is with the poor, there also will your heart be.
If your treasure is with the sick, there also will your heart be.
If your treasure is with the hungry, there also will your heart be.
If your treasure is in a bank vault, there also will your heart be.
Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
A rich young man approached Jesus and asked him what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. The rich young man asked him, “Which ones?” Jesus told him the commandments and finished with, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” After he told Jesus he’s obeyed the commandments, he could’ve gone his way happy that he was gaining eternal life. But he asked a third question: “All these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21)
Jesus just explained to us what we need to do to be perfect in this life. Love is the bond of perfection:
And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:14)
The rich young man said he obeyed the commandments, but he didn’t want to sell all he had and give to the poor in order to be perfect. The rich young man was lacking love. In the parallel scriptures in Mark 10:21, it says that Jesus looked at him and loved him, which is used in place of the comment about being perfect. There aren’t too many people, rich or poor, who would give away everything, even to be perfect:
22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions. 23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. (Matthew 19:22-23)
Jesus told his disciples that it will be difficult. He didn’t say it will be impossible. Why will it be difficult? It will be difficult because of greed. Greed and love don’t go together well. Love is perfection.
but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away. (1 Corinthians 13:10)
We could be perfect if we tried. We just don’t want to. We might be too greedy or too soft. A person doesn’t even have to be rich these days to be soft.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man and a disciple of Jesus:
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. (Matthew 27:57)
This tells us that we can be a follower of Jesus and be wealthy at the same time. There are many generous, wealthy people in the world. But people, wealthy or not, generous or not, can’t be saved by good works alone. We are justified by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who are kind and generous should pray and ask God for faith. Good works will follow naturally, not to mention eternal life. Let’s look at the following scripture:
Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18)
James, the brother of the Lord, is making the point that faith without works, not works of the law but good works such as helping people in their distress, is useless (see James 2:15-22, John 8:39, Romans 1:5, Hebrews 11:8, and Galatians 3:7). The same is true for good works without faith in the context of our salvation.
This saying is faithful, and concerning these things I desire that you affirm confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men; (Titus 3:8)
Are we charitable for own our glory?
3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. (Matthew 6:3-4)
Let’s listen to the apostle Paul:
17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, 19 treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
In what degree are we going to follow Jesus Christ? Is it going to be for eternal life or eternal life with treasure in heaven? If eternal life is a treasure, then how much more the treasure in heaven.
Let’s read this wisdom:
Wealth is good where there is no sin; but poverty is evil by the standards of the proud. (Sirach 13:24)
Let’s look at this scripture in the context of tithing:
Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave him a tenth of all. (Genesis 14:20; see also Hebrews 7:4)
If people feel comfortable giving ten percent, that’s fine. There’s no law in Jesus Christ that says we have to give a fixed amount. We can choose to give a large or small amount, everything, or nothing. Remember, Jesus says that what we measure out will be measured out to us. Here’s the apostle Paul:
6 Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
We are under the grace of God, not the law of Moses. We may give to our heart’s content whenever we wish (see Mark 14:7). Under grace we give cheerfully, not because we have to. Jesus tells us that if we give, gifts will be given back (see Luke 6:38). He further tells us that we’ll always have the poor with us, and we can help them whenever we want. By helping the hungry and the naked, we’re giving thanks to God for enriching us in love and generosity, which are sown in giving. Many who followed Jesus and the disciples helped support them:
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:3)
When people feel they have to give or are pressured to give, it could build resentment or hardness of heart. In the era of Jesus Christ, we choose to give out of love. Let’s keep the following verses in our heart as we continue on our journey of faith:
They only asked us to remember the poor–which very thing I was eager to do. (Galatians 2:10)
Whoever cares for the poor lends to the LORD, who will pay back the sum in full. (Proverbs 19:17)
If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:8; see Genesis 28:20-21)
Stretch out your hands to the poor according to your strength. (2 Enoch 51:1)
“But take care, lest you fall yourself.”
In these last days, let’s avoid the terrible fate of eternal hell. Let’s receive God’s promise of eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and turning from evil. Let’s love the Lord our God and our neighbors and do the best we can in a rapidly dying world. Peace to all.
Futile World 