Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever (1 John 2:15-17).
Many Christians, owing to the very subtle emphasis on prosperity being of blessing from God such that it indicates one is right with God believe that money is from God. Anything that is not from God is of the world. Yes, money is not from God, but it is of the world. Money has value because the world adds value to it and determines its value. That is why the spirit from satan works behind it. Thus, money is of the world. This is not to say that money as a physical object itself is evil. Rather, it is to say that the spirit behind it is evil making money something of a world that seeks to seduce people away from God.
The spirit behind money cannot be separated from money because the spirit operates around the use of money in the world. Money certainly can be used for God's work, however, this does not negate the reality that money is filthy lucre. Mammon seeks to tempt people to greed and materialism away from God. It is like the harasser who comes to harass you knocking at your door. You have full discretion over whether you can lock it or not. If you leave it unlocked, or unlock the door to allow the harasser to come in, it it not the fault of the harasser, it is yours. Thus, all individual have their own responsibility to obey God over mammon.
Read: http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/do-not-love-the-world
Many Christians, owing to the very subtle emphasis on prosperity being of blessing from God such that it indicates one is right with God believe that money is from God. Anything that is not from God is of the world. Yes, money is not from God, but it is of the world. Money has value because the world adds value to it and determines its value. That is why the spirit from satan works behind it. Thus, money is of the world. This is not to say that money as a physical object itself is evil. Rather, it is to say that the spirit behind it is evil making money something of a world that seeks to seduce people away from God.
The spirit behind money cannot be separated from money because the spirit operates around the use of money in the world. Money certainly can be used for God's work, however, this does not negate the reality that money is filthy lucre. Mammon seeks to tempt people to greed and materialism away from God. It is like the harasser who comes to harass you knocking at your door. You have full discretion over whether you can lock it or not. If you leave it unlocked, or unlock the door to allow the harasser to come in, it it not the fault of the harasser, it is yours. Thus, all individual have their own responsibility to obey God over mammon.
Read: http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/do-not-love-the-world
Comments
Post a Comment