This needs to be clear, taking the bible out of context destroys the message and MONEY is NOT the root of all evil.
I have seen this so much here and in many other places and this is how the context of a message is lost in translation, such as : Money is the root of all evil, WRONG, it is the LOVE of money not money itself. Jesus told a man to give all his money awayto the poor for it was easier for a camel to tread himself through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. You actually do need to research that verse further. You have taken the entire content of the story of the RICH YOUNG RULER way out of context! This had very little to do with money at all and you can find this in the book of Matthew, since some of claim you are so well versed on this issue there is no need for me to tell you what chapter and verses.
For those that don't understand this I will make it simple in my own words and then you can look up the book yourself and read the entire context so this will be clear as to the intent of what Jesus actually said.
A man walks up to Jesus and says, My lord I have fulfilled all demands of the scrolls and the prophets, what must I do now to get into Heaven and have ever lasting life. Jesus says to him : You must sell all your belongings and give all your money away to the poor. The man looks at him with suprise and says but I am a wealthy man, a merchant, why must I give away all my money.
Jesus looks at the man and says, It is much easier fo a camel to tread himself through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. ie : The eye of the needle is not a sewing needle! Then Jesus says the kingdom of God is not something you will look at and say THERE IT IS there is the kingdom of God for the kingdom of God is within.
As you can see or if you read the entire book of Matthew you will see this really had nothing to do with money at all.
My contention is that what Jesus was saying was 3 things : #1 : This man claimed to be the only rightious man on earth for he has fulfilled all the demands of the scrolls and the prophets. # 2 : His "LOVE" for money was more important to him than entering the kingdom of God and Jesus called him on it. # 3 : He asked his Lord what he needed to do to enter the kingdom of God, Jesus told him and then the man argued with Jesus.
Money is not the root of all evil it is THE LOVE OF MONEY, not money itself. The bible is clear that he wants us to have riches on earth in many places, and yes, Solomon was a very rich KING!
This is where the message in the bible gets lost, when people take a verse out of context to suit their own purpose and agenda.
If taking the Bible out of context is a problem, taking it in...
context is even worse for me.
For instance Solomon, David son. Very Rich, very powerful, and very corrupt.
He had no business writing a word of the Bible and should not have been allowed anywhere near it.
The hypocrisy of saying that all is vanity, after 1,000 debaucheries cannot be taken out of context. He would not have been able to participate in this base behavior if he did not the money to do so. They say that Solomon had wisdom. He was a hypocrite.
This is not easily explained away except to say that God permitted certain things to happen without any interference.
I think you misunderstand
I think you misunderstand the life of Solomon. He started out well. The book of Proverbs and Song of Solomon came from his early pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. But as the lure of riches, wealth and prosperity clouded his vision, he pursued earthly pleasure. In the end, older and much wiser, he realized that all of his pursuits were vanity, a chasing after the wind. Thus we have the incredible book of Ecclesiastes in which he gives a warning to those who would seek fulfillment in earthly pleasures.
God used Solomon's sin for good to instruct those who would be tempted to follow the same path.
Context
How right you are that taking verses out of context destroys the message. The promises of earthly riches are made exclusively in the Old Testament to the nation of Israel. This was because of the covenant God had made with Israel to bless them physically if they continued to follow Him. This covenant they broke -- repeatedly -- until God brought His wrath upon the nation of Israel and scattered the Jews around the world. With Jesus, He established a New Covenant based around a heavenly kingdom.
God desires that we be rich -- in good works.
Indeed.
It is funny that this post
It is funny that this post should show up today as I read the following from Francis Chan's fantastic book Crazy Love in the chapter entitled "Profile of the Lukewarm":
(If you are a Christian and have not yet read this book, I highly recommend it.)
Jesus and the Bible say many things about wealth.
Money is like a chocolate cake in front of someone who is on a diet. Most human beings cannot say no under every possible circumstance.
These verses are not so easily pushed aside.
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
-Matthew 19:23-24
"No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money."
-Matthew 6:24
"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty."
-Proverbs 22:16
"A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him."
-Proverbs 28:11
Steve I addressed Matthew
Steve I addressed Matthew 19:23-24 pretty clearly or atleast I thought I did in my post. That verse again as I stated above is taken out of context.
www.retakecongress.com
www.retakecongress.com
www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
www.RJHarrismoneybomb.com
You addressed it...
...but you didn't and you can't change it.
Free yourself.
Repent, for the reign of YaHUaH is near!
So you don't agree this
So you don't agree this verse is taken out of context?
www.retakecongress.com
www.retakecongress.com
www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
www.RJHarrismoneybomb.com
Of course
Haven't all verses been taken out of context? Regardless, I believe all possessions reduce my awareness of the kingdom of God.
Free yourself.
Repent, for the reign of YaHUaH is near!
No, the verse is not taken
No, the verse is not taken out of context. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because the draw of this world is so strong.
But, there is still hope as that first passage reveals.
Upon re-reading your post, you also made an error in your description of the scene. After Jesus told the young man to sell all that he had, the young man left. He did not hear what Jesus said.
He also left out
"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
But no hard feelings.
Free yourself.
Repent, for the reign of YaHUaH is near!
Matthew 19:16-22 doesn't
Matthew 19:16-22 doesn't mention anything about money (or the love of money) being the root of all evil.
The verse is 1 Timothy 6:10 and it says "For the love of money is A ROOT of all kinds of evil." Not THE root. So clearly there are other roots of evil.
Rather than greed I would say (and agree with C.S. Lewis) that Pride is the vice of all vices.
Greed...
will be the death of us all. It is clearly the vice of all vices, the breath of all evil, the message of the expulsion of Adam and Eve. Given the choice of eternal life or the knowledge of good and evil which would you choose? It always sound easy, but is so deceptive as to trip up us all.
Assert Your Authority
Assert Your Authority
which would you choose
is an irrelevant an uninteresting question.
every human that has lived or will live, except for Jesus, has chosen knowledge.
The question you should be asking is "Why"
You point out a natural aspect...
of humanity - that we are greedy. I agree that "why" is indeed the operative question for action, but I posed the choice question as rhetoric, as an investigation for each individual's future options. Our free will allows us the chance to act according to options other than our natural inclinations, it is this opportunity that is most interesting to me. Jesus indeed consistently thwarted the human tendency for greed; we may; at times, succeed at such as well. And yet, if we do not presently pass the test, nor have in the past, we may in the future. So, indeed "Why?" is a powerful question but it is always modified by the words "did" or "will" indicating time, and the focus of my rhetoric is not particularly the past (did) but the present and future (will).
Assert Your Authority
Assert Your Authority
Atlas Shrugged
Francis Anaconda or how ever you spell his name....
Gives a great speech in the book about the true worth and value of money. I recommend people read that book, just to hear his speech.
It is not till Robber Barron's and thieves get hold of currency does it lose it's true value.
I will have to look into
I will have to look into that book, thanks.
www.retakecongress.com
www.retakecongress.com
www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
www.RJHarrismoneybomb.com
Patriot: Here is the link to the d'Anconia money speech. Enjoy!
http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1826
Thank you.
I was on my lunch break so I did not check to see if I could find it.
I honestly feel this is one of the best explanations of money and it's true value.
While I read Atlas Shrugged I found it amazing, not because it opened my mind, but because it was a value system I already held, put into words.
The book is an amazing read, if you take it on a philosophical level instead of a "Story Book"
Ditto that
my friends.
And only God knows the heart...
“The law cannot make a wicked person virtuous…God’s grace alone can accomplish such a thing.” Ron Paul - The Revolution
Correct
The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Why? Because it becomes your god. You bow down and worship it and put it above all other interests. You will do whatever it takes to get more of it regardless of how you affect others. It is really the root of most of the problems today. We know this because the Banksters are behind it all in their love of their god.
Healthnut4freedom
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6
Healthnut4freedom
The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment...Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are His delight. Prov 12:19,22
We must keep all things in
We must keep all things in context or the message is lost.
www.retakecongress.com
www.retakecongress.com
www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
www.RJHarrismoneybomb.com