CHRIST WANTED WEALTH EQUALITY AS WELL AS PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
There’s a lot of talk about this today, and Christians seem just as divided as everyone else…partly because different scriptures say different things. For example, have you ever noticed that in Matthew 7 we are taught not to judge, but in 1 Corinthians 2 we are taught to judge everything? This is a lesson about taking the “whole counsel of scripture” instead of picking-out the parts we like from their context and making them say what we want. There are verses like this about money too. When it comes to how we share money, there are 2 types of Christians: Those who think we should share everything equally, and those who think we should all be independent of each other but depend on what God gives us individually. OK those are 2 extremes, the 3rd category is those who balance both according to circumstances.
We often tend to vilify those on the opposite side of the spectrum from where we land on this. The low-income want wealth taken away from those who are hoarding it and redistributed to everyone equally, while the rich want lazy people to stop living off the hard work of others, get off their asses and get a job. Of course, these represent two extremes, but you’ll definitely hear both of these views today if you read the news or talk with people. Americans are polarized about this. On one side, many Democrats have a Robin Hood wealth-equality mentality of stealing from the rich to give to the poor; and on the other, many Republicans want the rich to be left alone in the hope that their wealth will trickle-down to those who work for them. This is happening today in the Kingdom of America, and regardless of where you land on this, how are we supposed to approach wealth and resources as citizens of the Kingdom of God? Here are some scriptures:
This one speaks of Wealth Equality:
“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter [of giving to meet the financial needs of others]. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:9-15)
This one speaks of Personal Responsibility:
“Dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)
All of us are accountable for how we use what we have been given:
“[The people of the church should] take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God. Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives. Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith…” (1 Timothy 5:3-8)
“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. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
There is more than enough wealth in the world to meet the needs of everyone. There is no shortage of wealth, only a shortage charity. There is also no shortage of laziness, only a shortage of responsibility. Indeed, charity is needed from those who hoard the world’s wealth for their own benefit, and responsibility from those who are lazy and demand others to meet their needs for them. One error is greed-the pursuit of wealth….the other is envy-the pursuit of that which belongs to another.
Regardless of where we stand in this – on one extreme or the other, or right in the middle – let us all use whatever time, treasures, and talents God has given us to serve Him and others.
