My article from this week's edition of the Rockford Squire:
When reading the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels, His
frequent warnings about the dangers of wealth are inescapable. When we consider that we live in one of the
most prosperous nations in the world, in one of the most prosperous times in
human history, these warnings might be even more striking.
So, when Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell everything
he has and give it to the poor in order to follow Him, when He criticizes the
wealthy in the parables, even comparing their wealth to thorns which choke and
starve a growing plant, and when He says things like, “It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom
of God,” it’s possible even the
decidedly middle-class reader might be concerned about how their current net
worth impacts their eternal wellbeing.
Looking at the full witness of Scripture, we can see that
the Bible’s approach to wealth is similar to many of God’s other earthly
blessings in life. Whether the question
is how much to eat, how much to drink, or how we spend our time and energy, the
question typically comes down to two factors:
duty and idolatry.
First, we are to use all things God has given, whether
ability, time, or wealth, to fulfill the responsibilities of the vocations in
which we live. The advice of the
Reformation era theologians, drawing on the earlier example of the Early Church
Fathers, was that we are to begin in the sphere of the home and use these
earthly resources to fulfill our duty as parent or child, husband or wife. We then devote these things to the good of
our own congregation, and finally, we use them in service to the world more
broadly, beginning in our own community, and extending to our nation and the
world.
Second, when we consider how much we ought to consume or
save up, rather than give away to help others, a closer look at Jesus words is
in order. He doesn’t say, “You must
become poor to gain eternal life.” He
warns against idolatry—trusting in that wealth for your highest good. When a person struggles and suffers, they are
continually reminded of their need to rely on the grace of God, but when a
person prospers in earthly things, it can give them the impression they can
make their own way in heavenly things, rather than trusting Jesus.
So the approach of Christians is neither one of consuming
endlessly for their own pleasure, nor is it a requirement to live in strict
austerity. Instead, we practice
moderation, avoid idolatry, and generously live for the benefit of others in
the roles we have each been given.
