Do we have the right to money?

“Can a man be poor if he is free from want, if he does not covet the belongings of others, if he is rich in the possession of God? Rather, he is poor who possesses much but still craves for more.” — Tertullian

In the passage where the New Testament says that every one must work, it gives as a reason ‘in order that he may have something to give to those in need’. Charity—giving to the poor—is an essential part of Christian morality: in the frightening parable of the sheep and the goats it seems to be the point on which everything turns. Some people nowadays say that charity ought to be unnecessary and that instead of giving to the poor we ought to be producing a society in which there were no poor to give to. They may be quite right in saying that we ought to produce this kind of society. But if anyone thinks that, as a consequence, you can stop giving in the meantime, then he has parted company with all Christian morality. I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them. I am speaking now of charities’ in the common way. Particular cases of distress among your own relatives, friends, neighbours or employees, which God, as it were, forces upon your notice, may demand much more: even to the crippling and endangering of your own position. For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear—fear of insecurity. This must often be recognised as a temptation. Sometimes our pride also hinders our charity; we are tempted to spend more than we ought on the showy forms of generosity (tipping, hospitality) and less than we ought on those who really need our help. C.S. Lewis

How different our standard is from Christ's. We ask how much a man gives. Christ asks how much he keeps. - Andrew Murray

We have to earn it, inherit it, win it or steal it.  Work is the means for contributing to society, finding fulfilment, and meeting material needs so we can provide for our families.  

Hard working farmers have more
    than enough food;
    daydreamers are nothing more
    than stupid fools. - Proverbs 12:11 

 No matter how much you want,
    laziness won’t help a bit,
    but hard work will reward you
    with more than enough. - Proverbs 13:4

  Hard work is worthwhile, but empty talk    will make you poor. - Proverbs 14:23

Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do.  Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won’t have to depend on anyone. - 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

We also gave you the rule that if you don’t work, you don’t eat.- 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Our people should learn to spend their time doing something useful and worthwhile. - Titus 3:14

We have skills we should develop in order to do our work well. As followers of Christ, we see our employer as God.

Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master.  In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know that he will reward you.- Colossians 3:23-24

Employees are to work hard and well, realising that even if their employer doesn't reward them, God will.  Employers are to pay decent wages. Christian businesses should set fair prices and use honest scales. As followers of Christ we tell the truth - the whole truth - when we sell a car, house, product or service.  We know that God is watching and will hold us accountable for how we conduct our business.

Attitude towards possessions

For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven]. - Hebrews 10:34

Followers of Christ know that earthly goods can rust, decay, and be stolen. And they know that even if by sweat and fretting they could manage to hold onto them, at most they would last but a short time.

Here is the promise though that follows the guarantee of material destruction --

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish with a [mighty and thunderous] roar, and the [material] elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are on it will be [a]burned up.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be [in the meantime] in holy behavior [that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer] and in godliness [displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God], [while you earnestly] look for and await the coming of the day of God. For on this day the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the [material] elements will melt with intense heat!  But in accordance with His promise we expectantly await new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
So, beloved, since you are looking forward to these things, be diligent and make every effort to be found by Him [at His return] spotless and blameless, in peace [that is, inwardly calm with a sense of spiritual well-being and confidence, having lived a life of obedience to Him]. 2 Peter 3:10-14

These are the immediate lifestyle implications of the return of Christ.  He promises special reward to those who, uninfatuated with the present world --

In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing. - 2 Timothy 4:8

Christ's sudden return will not take by surprise those who are prepared for it.

For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].  But you, [c]believers, [all you who believe in Christ as Savior and acknowledge Him as God’s Son] are not in spiritual darkness [nor held by its power], that the day [of judgment] would overtake you [by surprise] like a thief;  for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to the night nor to darkness. - 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5

In Hebrews, after a series of inspiring stories about the hardships faced by God's people with their eyes on heaven, the writer presents a challenge --

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of[a]witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,  [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross,[b]disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. - Hebrews 12:1-2

 The writer's concern is not only for the sin that entangles us, but for the morally neutral things that hinder us.

The book of Hebrews ends with one more reminder to believers who are tempted to live in the light of this world and not the next --

For here we have no lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. - Hebrews 13:14

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Alan Jackson

The Attitude of Giving (and Possessions)

What should be a Christian’s attitude toward money and material possessions (things)?

The Christian’s Attitude Toward Possessions

“Proper Attitudes toward Possessions”

The Christian's attitude to money

A carefree attitude towards possessions

A Disciple's Perspective on Possessions

Some thoughts on material possessions

Money is spiritual

A steward is someone entrusted with another person's wealth or property and charged with responsibility of managing it in the owner's best interest. - Ben Patterson

A steward is entrusted with sufficient resources and the authority to carry out their designated responsibilities.

As a fundraiser I have come up with my own definition of what stewardship is - stewardship is the conscientious management of things that really matter.

God delegated to us authority over all His creation.

You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field - Psalm 8:6-7

God expects us to use all the resources He gives us to best carry out our responsibilities.  A steward's  primary goal is to be found faithful by their master as the stewards uses the master's resources to accomplish the tasks delegated to them.

Our use of money and possessions is only one aspect of stewardship.  The tabernacle was built by people giving their time, energy, skills, money and possessions.  How we view and handle our money will correspond with how we view and handle our time, talents, family, church, vocation and every facet of life.

Eleven of the thirty-nine parables of Jesus deal with finances and money directly --  

• investment
• indebtedness
• hiring procedures and wage structures
• leasing
• capital, investments, banking, and interest
• money lenders, interest and debt cancellation
• storing up
• architectural planning, building construction and cost analysis
• finding lost money
• wealth, estate planning, spending
• financial management and debt reduction
• wealth and poverty
• giving and greed
• harvest

The parables normally have one central point that should not be obscured by uncertainties about secondary issues - the steward is praised for their shrewdness in using their master's money to invest in His relationships with people.

There will be a day when we will be terminated from this life, a day in which we shall give an account for our stewardship.  Consequently, we should use wisely what little remaining time and influence we have before our term of stewardship is done.

Jesus doesn't tell us to stay away from the mammon of unrighteousness or "worldly wealth," but to use it strategically.

And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [for eternity] by means of the [a]wealth of unrighteousness [that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. - Luke 16:9

Money can be a tool for Christ.

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much." - Luke 16:10

We are continually tested in little things.

God pays a great deal of attention to the "little things." He numbers the hairs on our head, cares for the lilies of the field and is concerned with the fall of a single sparrow.  What we do with the little time, a little talent, and a little money tells God a lot.

Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of earthly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? - Luke 16:11

What are true riches?

Having been faithful in handling our resources in this life, we are granted leadership of others in the next.

And if you have not been faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth]which belongs to another [whether God or man, and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own? - Luke 16:12

 

Two treasuries

“Knowing the tendency of the human heart to become unduly attached to earthly goods, Christ warned against it. The "things" which the Father gives are to be understood as provisional merely and must never be considered our real treasure. The heart always returns to its real treasure, and if a man holds corn to be a real form of wealth his heart will be where his corn is. 

Many a man has his heart locked up in a bank vault, and many a woman has her heart in her jewel box or stored at the furrier's. It is a great moral tragedy when anything as wonderful as the human heart comes to rest on the earth and fails to rise to its own proper place in God and in heaven.

Treasure, incidentally, may be discovered by this fourfold test: (1) It is what we value most. (2) It is what we would hate most to lose. (3) It is what our thoughts turn to most frequently when we are free to think of what we will. (4) It is what affords us the greatest pleasure.”

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), excerpt from “The Transmutation of Wealth” in Born After Midnight (Harrisburg: Christian Publications, 1959).

When money and possessions are spent on heavenly treasure, the equation changes radically. The investment takes on eternal value. This because God, His Word, and people are eternal, what will last is what is used wisely for God, His Word and His people.

Christ's primary argument against amassing material wealth isn't that it's morally wrong, but simply that it's a poor investment. Even if they escape moths and rust and thieves, they cannot escape the coming fire of God that will consume the material world.

"I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity."
John Wesley 

“I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time or eternity.” - David Livingston

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

 Jesus vividly described what it's like when we discover true wealth --

“The kingdom of heaven is like a [very precious] treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field [securing the treasure for himself]." Matthew 13:44

Note that the central focus is accumulation of heavenly treasures, not the renunciation of earthly treasures in Matthew 6:19-24.

"As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came; and he will take away nothing from all his labor that he can carry in his hand." - Ecclesiastes 5:15

Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich,When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
Though while he lives he counts himself happy and prosperous—
And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never again see the light.
A man [who is held] in honor,
Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish. - Psalm 49:16-20

Paul spoke about the Philippian church's financial giving --

Not that I seek the gift itself, but I do seek the profit which increases to your [heavenly] account [the blessing which is accumulating for you]. Philippians 4:17

God keeps an account open for us in heaven and every gift given for His glory is a deposit in that account.





The Two Treasuries

Materialism: Scriptural History

This picture of Balaam would represent the OT well, but the NT it probably would be Simon Magus.  When he saw the power of the Holy Spirit he saw dollar signs. 

Once Simon began to lose followers to Philip, he became interested in 'buying into' the Christian faith, which looked like a promising venture.  Although he initially appeared to be a genuine convert, Simon's attitude toward God and money gave him away.  Peter said to Simon --

“May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!"  -  Acts 8:20

The message was clear then as it was with Balaam -- God is not selling anything, and He Himself is not for sale.





Haggai: The Problem Of Being Greedy For Things

Materialism: "If only"

"If only I had more money, I'd give more."  Unfortunately, those who give little when they have little almost never increase their percentage of giving when they become wealthy.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis builds a great story about this around Edmund sampling and getting carried away with the Turkish Delight.

An August 2013 article entitled, "The Poorest Rich Kids In The World," Rolling Stonemagazine's Sabrina Rubin Erdely exposed the horrific details behind two teenagers who are the heirs to one of the United States's largest family fortunes. Patterson and Georgia Inman, age fifteen, are the children of Walker Inman, the nephew of tobacco heiress Doris Duke. The Inman twins are set to inherit a trust fund worth one billion dollars when they turn twenty-one, yet both teens recently spent three months in a mental hospital to deal with the trauma of their horrific childhood.

Christina Crawford was less than a year old when she was adopted by a glamorous movie star, actress Joan Crawford. One of four adopted children, Christina grew up in the lap of luxury, however she claims to have been a victim of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her mother for most of her life. Her tell-all memoir, Mommie Dearest, was published two years after her mother died. It was later made into a movie starring Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford and Diana Scarwid as Christina.

Anthony Marshall is the only son of renowned socialite and charitable philanthropist Brooke Astor. The Astor family is one of the richest and most respected blue blood families in the United States. Sadly, their family history of parental abuse and neglect is a long legacy that still sends shockwaves throughout New York City high society to this day.

Casey Johnson is the daughter of a socialite mother, Sale Johnson, and Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, and the great-grandson of a Johnson & Johnson founder. Casey grew up surrounded by wealth and opulence. She attended the best private schools, rubbed elbows with childhood friends Nikki and Paris Hilton, drove expensive cars, and got her first Chanel handbag at age ten. Yet underneath all of the wealth dwelled a sad child whose mother largely ignored her, and who started using hard drugs by the time she was barely in her teens.

Leigh Horowitz is the daughter of fashion giant Tommy Hilfiger's Chief Executive Officer, Joel Horowitz. Leigh grew up with staggering wealth, attended posh private schools, and took lavish vacations. Unfortunately, her father worked long hours and travelled extensively, so by the time she was just sixteen, Leigh was totally addicted to drugs.

Mackenzie Phillips is the daughter of John Phillips, a member of The Mamas & the Papas, and his first wife, Susan Adams. Mackenzie got her start when she was just twelve years old, when she earned a role in American Graffiti, which then lead to a role on the popular sitcom One Day At A Time. Though she achieved financial and professional success at a very young age, she was unable to appreciate her fame due to her additions to drug and alcohol. She claims to have tried drugs with her musician father when she was just eleven years old, and that her dad had actually helped inject her with cocaine when she tried it for the first time as a child.

Materialism is the mother of anxiety. No wonder Christ's discourse on earthly and heavenly treasures is immediately followed by His admonitions not to worry about material things.  People lay up treasures on earth rather than in heaven not only because of greed and selfishness, but also because of fear and insecurity.

The hopes of a person with primary investments in the stock market will rise and fall with the market.  In contrast, the one whose hope is in God will be devastated only if God fails - and He never does.

Paul said we should --

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.    1 Timothy 6:17

Solomon made a profound observation when he noted --

People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep. - Ecclesiastes 5:12

The more we have the more we have to worry about.






MATERIALISM: BLOWING THE WHISTLE

Materialism and Its Discontents

Money for the betterment of people

If this was a morally neutral world, we would expect money to be used in a morally neutral way.  But the world is not neutral - it is sinful and under a curse.  This is the problem with money.

Although there's nothing inherently wrong with money, there's something desperately wrong with devotion to money --

But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. - 1 Timothy 6:9-10

 Since money can be used for either good or evil, if those using it are more evil than good it will most often be used for evil.  The problem is human sinfulness - and so it will be until Christ returns and we live on the new earth, where there will be no more curse and no more evil.






Why do people work?

Understanding things about money

Let's consider the following in order to build the proper foundation about money --

• what is it - money is not a dollar bill or a check or a penny, nickle, or dime. Money is not gold or silver or copper, nor is money cowrie shells or gems or salt blocks or cattle. Money is not a credit card. Money is not even an electrical current or binary code in a computer! All of these things represent money, but they are not money. Money is not a material substance. Money is a belief in the head. Money is a shared belief of two or more people. A German mark is nothing but a piece of paper with pretty pictures on it to a Yanomamo in the Amazon jungle. The Yanomamo sees it with the eyes of reality. The buyer and the seller must believe in money or it's not money. Money is credit.
  Credit is belief. The very first definition of credit in The American Heritage Dictionary is: ‘Belief or confidence in the truth of something” The word credit comes from the Latin credere, “to believe.”
  So does the word creed. Creed is another word for religion, for both refer to a shared (cultural) belief. Money is credit, a creed, a religion.

• whose is it -
  “If you know God owns everything in the world, controls all its assets, and can provide for you as His child, then there is no need for you to trust in luxury, be enticed by materialism, or stockpile for the future. Your daily life as a Christian need not revolve around those concerns, but in being content with what you have (1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5). You don’t have to own everything or be in control of every circumstance to have enough money for your basic needs. Instead, you can set aside all worry and anxiety about your needs and gladly receive whatever God gives you to invest in His kingdom (Matt. 6:31-34). That’s the scriptural answer to how we should view wealth and how we should start to deal with any prideful, selfish preoccupation with greed and materialism.”
  John MacArthur Whose Money is it, Anyway? A Biblical Guide to Using God’s Wealth (Nashville: Word, 2000), p. 12-13.

• how God views it - 
• Proverbs 10:15 - The wealth of the rich is their fortress;
  the poverty of the poor is their destruction.
• Proverbs 23:4 - Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
  Be wise enough to know when to quit.
• Ecclesiastes 5:10 -  Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
• Mark 4:16-19 - The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.  But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,  but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

• its potential use for two different kingdoms - if the “chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” then the chief reason for a working Christian to seek to create wealth is to glorify God. This is done not merely by creating wealth competently and with integrity, but setting out to create wealth with a purpose, adding value to the corner of the creation God calls us to tend. While this includes provision for our families, it can be skewed quickly when provision shifts to comfort as a primary objective. In this case, the focus has shifted from God to self, a dangerous spiritual condition Jesus warns against often. Read Luke 12:15-21 for a caution from Jesus about money and wealth. 

The great Reformer, Martin Luther, once wrote that "there are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the purse." Of these three, it may well be that we find the conversion of the purse to be the most difficult. 

Charles Spurgeon writes, "With some (Christians) the last part of their nature that ever gets sanctified is their pockets."

I once heard it reported that, in a church that was undertaking a huge building project, the minister stood up one Sunday and said to the congregation, "I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the church has all the money it needs to complete this project. The bad news is that it's still in your wallets."