Money is a necessity for everyone, its plenty or lack of it affects us all. Yet our Saviour Jesus warns against its power: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6: 24). By mammon Jesus means all worldly possessions, including money. Many people sacrifice their whole lives for gaining money and possessions. Then it has become a lord, an idol to them, when it should be only a servant and a tool.
The Book of Proverbs instructs, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it” (Proverbs 15:16). Paul writes, in line with Jesus’ teaching and Proverbs, “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content”. He justifies his statement: “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
Is poverty one of the highest ideals of a Christian?
Jesus teaches, “And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:12). So Jesus is not calling for laziness, or dishonesty, in the management of money or property. He also said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10).
By managing your finances well, you can also make a profit in good conscience, as long as you don’t make money your master. Money should be like a tool or like a servant who must serve love. So poverty is not an aim in itself, and it is even less a requirement for salvation! “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
It is not in man himself that he has the power to decide to stop stealing or committing any other sin. In his explanation of the third article of faith, the Reformer Martin Luther taught, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel”!
What did Luther mean when he said that the Holy Spirit calls through the gospel? He meant that a person receives the Holy Spirit when he receives the gospel of forgiveness of sins, preached by people from the kingdom of God who have previously believed the same gospel. The one who believes this perfect word of forgiveness of sins (i.e., absolution) receives, through it, the forgiveness of all the sins and wrongdoings of his life in the name and blood of Jesus. At the same time, he also receives the Holy Spirit in his heart.
The Holy Spirit living in a person’s heart is often referred to as a tutor. The Holy Spirit teaches and empowers one to stop stealing and other forms of dishonesty, and to “earn a living honestly, so that one can also give to those in need,” as Paul wrote in the paragraph to the Ephesians quoted above. The Holy Spirit helps us to keep money as a servant, so that it does not become “another master,” an idol alongside God. The Holy Spirit also explains God’s word in the church and teaches us to live a new way of life according to it.
When is the pursuit of money considered as worshiping an idol?
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9). It is destructive if enrichment or the desire for money takes priority over faith and a good conscience. That can result, for example, in dishonest means coming into play, using the Sabbath to work and earn money, and taking advantage of other people. Therefore there is a danger that a believer will lose the precious gift of faith, for a living faith can only be preserved in a good conscience.
Paul writes to Timothy, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs”. This is a serious matter. That’s why Paul continues; “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:10). Even this, however, is not something a man can do by himself, but is empowered by God through faith, not by man’s own efforts. And when failures and falls occur, they are forgiven him by the power of the Holy Spirit in the preached word of forgiveness.
A rich man’s disappointment
A rich man once ran to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” During the conversation, he tells Jesus that he has kept the commandments of the law all his life. Then Jesus looked at him, loved him and said: “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” The man went away sad because he had many possessions.
Why did Jesus make such a hard, almost impossible demand on that man? Because Jesus loved him! He wants to emphasize with His words that nothing in the world should be more important than following Him in faith. Jesus, the knower of hearts, saw that the worst obstacle to following Him was the man’s ‘spiritual possessions’. He thought he had followed God’s exacting law all his life, without a single unclean thought, word or deed.
That is impossible for us humans. No man can get to heaven on his own merits. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). When the disciples wondered who then could be saved, Jesus answered: “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
My dear reader! Right now the Holy Spirit is calling you through the Gospel. When Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to his disciples, he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them” (John 20:22-23). Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, an absolute gospel will be proclaimed to you from the kingdom of God. In it you will be forgiven for all the mistakes of your life, for the greed for money, for dishonesty and for all your other sins. You will receive living faith and the peace of God in your heart – and finally eternal life!
This is what Jesus meant in his Sermon on the Mount: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Author: Vesa Tahkola