Many Christians have criticised me of focusing on the spirit of mammon, on the false basis that it is a "minor" issue. Yet, they emphasise so much petty issues, such as cultural sensitivity to appear more friendly, and respectful to the world, in effect pandering to, issues that are only mere manifestations of things which can only be dealt with by changing the heart, such as making pornography illegal, institutionalised harloty, and human trafficking. As such these should not be focused on by the Church in terms of campaigning for laws. The role of the Church is not to campaign for specific laws, but that of the government as ordained by God to uphold righteousness through the civil realm (Romans 13).
Furthermore the laws that many Christians campaign for in a fight against such issues are earthly and fleshly. The classic example is the push for a law which only criminalises a client of harlots, who she has forced to yield by her flattering words, rather than the harlots themselves, who are the one forcing clients to yield: With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him (Proverbs 7:21). Such laws are not only earthly, and biased towards the (female) harlots. Such nordic 'prostitution' (harlotry) laws are akin to a law which criminalises the victim of rape, and treat the rapist as innocent. They treat the one who forces another to yield to the domination of another as a victim, and the victim as criminal. What a disgusting vile abominable law!
But I shall not be sidetracked by the devil into dealing with either petty issues, or issues that are only the bad fruit of the bad root!. I shall not, mr satan! I shall attack the bad roots as I have done and will continue to do, whether you like it or not. Just as only killing and burn the bad roots which produces bad fruit is needed to truly kill bad fruit and suppress it, one must kill, and burn the bad doctrines to kill and suppress evil acts. This is done by exposing and fighting the evil spirits responsible for such doctrines and philosophies. Neither should you be sidetracked by the devil by dealing with petty issues or issues that are only the fruit of the bad tree!
Church, wake up to the root of all evils!
What specifically does the Bible say is the root of all evil? The love of money. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).
One must ask why does the Bible specifically single out love of money. Why? Why is it not the love of sex or love of power? These things, like money are not in themselves sin. They are things that one can either receive or give. They also corrupt people through their misuse and abuse.
The other question to ask oneself is why does it not say the love of sin is the root of all evil. You may say that it is because sin is evil and thus, would not be helpful in identifying the root of all evil. That may be true, but the question is deeper than that. To limit one's understanding to that is unhelpful itself. You cannot avoid the question as to why is the love of money specifically singled out to be the root of all evil. One must ask oneself that question to examine oneself carefully as to whether one is erring into the love of money. This is a very crucial question, because it is a salvational issue. It is by no means to argue that one is saved by not loving money. No, one is saved by trusting in Christ alone. Rather it is to argue that love of money is sin, and if one makes a practice of loving money, one shows oneself unsaved.
Why love of money is indicative (not means) of one's salvation?
One may also ask why the Bible states love of money, and yet not love of earthly possessions as the root of all evil. This is because money is a tool needed to obtain anything in the world that is earthly and temporal, whether it is power, status, possessions, career, education, relationships or marriage, or absolutely anything else that is merely temporal and earthly. Money is the mother of all earthly things. From money comes all earthly things.
You may ask what is wrong with obtaining these earthly things. That is not the issue as to whether they are wrong in themselves or not. The issue is one's manner of spirit and where one's heart lies on obtaining such things. A person obtains earthly things in either of one of two manners of spirit. He obtains them either to satisfy his flesh, the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and pride of life (1 John 2:16), or to glorify God. A person cannot, not may not be, or possible cannot, or usually cannot, but absolutely cannot seek to obtain earthly things in a manner of spirit to satisfy his lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes or pride of life, as well as to glorify God. That is exactly what many true Christians just do not understand, including many 'conservative' Christians.
Do not for a moment think that you cannot fall into earthliness because you are 'conservative'. You are still human like anyone else, and by virtue of being a human born in sin, in need of both justification and sanctification to get right with God, you can just be as earthly as those who are not conservative. You can be as materialistic, earthly and fleshly, as manifested by the deeply humanistic approach to dealing with evils that affect the society, especially if you are unsanctified at a particular point in time.
Jesus said that "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). This is then followed by His command to not live in such a way as indicated by the word 'therefore': Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:25).
Notice how Jesus explicitly listed the basic earthly needs of humans in telling people that they cannot to serve God and mammon. Notice Jesus did NOT instead say:
No one can serve both God and mammon. Therefore, do not seek to make easy money, by gambling or harlotry, nor be a careerist who only focuses on his or her job, without caring for his family much, nor seek only to buy expensive luxury goods.
That is clearly not what Jesus said. However, many in the modern Church does not realise that this is exactly how they interpret Matthew 6:24-25. They think that to serve mammon only means to be a careerist, focus on buying expensive luxury good, or to make easy money by gambling or harlotry. No, serving mammon, and thus erring into rather than pursuing the love of money in the case of the true Christian, is done by being anxious for one's basic earthly needs such as one's food, drink, shelter and clothes. Even the slightest anxiety for one's basic needs is itself to serve mammon. That is why Jesus referred to these basic earthly needs in rebuking His followers for trying to serve God and mammon in Matthew 6:25.
The love of money is in itself the love of all earthly things, and in itself a lack of trust in the Creator God to provide for oneself, a Creation of God himself. Anxiety for one's basic earthly needs is in itself the love of money. It is faithlessness, which is a sin against God. That is why Jesus called His followers who were anxious about obtaining their basic needs, 'O ye of little faith' (Matthew 6:30). It is a very strong rebuke that one ought to fear. He did not just say that were having little faith, but they were people of little faith, referring to who they were, not merely what they doing.
It is all to normal and natural for all of us humans to love money. When the Bible refers to 'love of money' it is not referring to the love of the metal solid object, the paper with the head of a politician on it or digital marks on the screen. Rather, it is referring to the love of what one can do with the metal solid object, the paper with the image of a politician, or the digital marks on the screen. What one does with money and the manner of spirit in which one acts in relation to is literally the test of whether one is loves oneself, and thereby feed one's fleshly lusts, or whether one loves God.
If one truly loves God, he will hate mammon. He will hate all love of earthly things, whether it be possessions, status, respect, money, power, career or relationships. He will hate the thought to seeking money or anything that can be obtained with money to satisfy oneself, or even the thought of failing to give money to those who are worthy are receiving it, such as true local churches or true Biblically correct, Gospel-centred, Gospel-preaching missionaries.
He will also hate the thought of giving money to those who are unworthy of receiving it such as those who will squander it on harlots, or those who seek money to campaign for earthly causes by carnal means, such as the campaign to implement laws which criminalise only clients of harlots, but not harlots themselves. He will hate even the thought giving money to those who are unworthy of receiving it because He regards money as that given by God to be used for the glory of God, and not his "own" money to be used in whatever way he chooses for himself.
The issue is not whether one gives money. Even vile adulterers, and fornicators can give money and time. No! The issue is in what manner of spirit does one give money and why does not give money to others. The righteous give money only for truly righteous causes, not earthly causes are the done to glory the flesh or satisfy the flesh, such anti-human trafficking campaigns or anti-pornography campaigns which fight evil for the wrong reasons, fighting evil to satisfy one's own self-interest, and not because it offends God.
Do not ever prostitute yourself as a Christian by giving money to unrighteous causes which are earthly, fleshly and worldly. You betray God as an adulterous wife does when you give your money to unrighteous and evil people to do evil.
The spirit of mammon is the spirit behind love of money. While that love of money is from the human heart, the spirit of mammon seduces people to love money, and trust in money, instead of trusting fully in God. This manifests in a whole range of ways, from seeking outright to devote one's life to money or make money that which one must pursue, in the case of the unsaved, or to err into anxiety for obtaining one's basic needs, in the case of the saved.
The spirit of mammon seduces people into not trusting in God, and thus not loving God. Failure to love God is itself hatred of God (Matthew 6:24; Matthew 12:30). Even the true Christian can at times hate God. God said to King David regarding his adultery, that he hated Him in committing that sin. Committing sin is to not worship God, but worship self. Failure to worship God is the hatred of God.
Since sin is the hatred of God, and the love of money is the manifestation of that hatred of God, the spirit of mammon who tempts and seduces people into love of money, is he that is behind all evil and the justifications for evil that people make. He is literally behind all sins in one ways or another.
That is why the spirit of mammon must be exposed and fought against, first and foremost. He must not only be resisted, by exposed fought against in the fight against all evils. All the things pertaining to him must be fought against and the how he works through such things must be exposed and actively fought against.
O Church, when will you wake up to the root of all evils, and to the demon responsible for tempting people into all kinds of evil? When will you stop bickering about non-issues, and petty issues and finally understanding the spirit of mammon? When will you stop focusing on only the bad fruit and chop it down, and chopping it down using carnal means?
Furthermore the laws that many Christians campaign for in a fight against such issues are earthly and fleshly. The classic example is the push for a law which only criminalises a client of harlots, who she has forced to yield by her flattering words, rather than the harlots themselves, who are the one forcing clients to yield: With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him (Proverbs 7:21). Such laws are not only earthly, and biased towards the (female) harlots. Such nordic 'prostitution' (harlotry) laws are akin to a law which criminalises the victim of rape, and treat the rapist as innocent. They treat the one who forces another to yield to the domination of another as a victim, and the victim as criminal. What a disgusting vile abominable law!
But I shall not be sidetracked by the devil into dealing with either petty issues, or issues that are only the bad fruit of the bad root!. I shall not, mr satan! I shall attack the bad roots as I have done and will continue to do, whether you like it or not. Just as only killing and burn the bad roots which produces bad fruit is needed to truly kill bad fruit and suppress it, one must kill, and burn the bad doctrines to kill and suppress evil acts. This is done by exposing and fighting the evil spirits responsible for such doctrines and philosophies. Neither should you be sidetracked by the devil by dealing with petty issues or issues that are only the fruit of the bad tree!
Church, wake up to the root of all evils!
What specifically does the Bible say is the root of all evil? The love of money. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).
One must ask why does the Bible specifically single out love of money. Why? Why is it not the love of sex or love of power? These things, like money are not in themselves sin. They are things that one can either receive or give. They also corrupt people through their misuse and abuse.
The other question to ask oneself is why does it not say the love of sin is the root of all evil. You may say that it is because sin is evil and thus, would not be helpful in identifying the root of all evil. That may be true, but the question is deeper than that. To limit one's understanding to that is unhelpful itself. You cannot avoid the question as to why is the love of money specifically singled out to be the root of all evil. One must ask oneself that question to examine oneself carefully as to whether one is erring into the love of money. This is a very crucial question, because it is a salvational issue. It is by no means to argue that one is saved by not loving money. No, one is saved by trusting in Christ alone. Rather it is to argue that love of money is sin, and if one makes a practice of loving money, one shows oneself unsaved.
Why love of money is indicative (not means) of one's salvation?
One may also ask why the Bible states love of money, and yet not love of earthly possessions as the root of all evil. This is because money is a tool needed to obtain anything in the world that is earthly and temporal, whether it is power, status, possessions, career, education, relationships or marriage, or absolutely anything else that is merely temporal and earthly. Money is the mother of all earthly things. From money comes all earthly things.
You may ask what is wrong with obtaining these earthly things. That is not the issue as to whether they are wrong in themselves or not. The issue is one's manner of spirit and where one's heart lies on obtaining such things. A person obtains earthly things in either of one of two manners of spirit. He obtains them either to satisfy his flesh, the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and pride of life (1 John 2:16), or to glorify God. A person cannot, not may not be, or possible cannot, or usually cannot, but absolutely cannot seek to obtain earthly things in a manner of spirit to satisfy his lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes or pride of life, as well as to glorify God. That is exactly what many true Christians just do not understand, including many 'conservative' Christians.
Do not for a moment think that you cannot fall into earthliness because you are 'conservative'. You are still human like anyone else, and by virtue of being a human born in sin, in need of both justification and sanctification to get right with God, you can just be as earthly as those who are not conservative. You can be as materialistic, earthly and fleshly, as manifested by the deeply humanistic approach to dealing with evils that affect the society, especially if you are unsanctified at a particular point in time.
Jesus said that "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). This is then followed by His command to not live in such a way as indicated by the word 'therefore': Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:25).
Notice how Jesus explicitly listed the basic earthly needs of humans in telling people that they cannot to serve God and mammon. Notice Jesus did NOT instead say:
No one can serve both God and mammon. Therefore, do not seek to make easy money, by gambling or harlotry, nor be a careerist who only focuses on his or her job, without caring for his family much, nor seek only to buy expensive luxury goods.
That is clearly not what Jesus said. However, many in the modern Church does not realise that this is exactly how they interpret Matthew 6:24-25. They think that to serve mammon only means to be a careerist, focus on buying expensive luxury good, or to make easy money by gambling or harlotry. No, serving mammon, and thus erring into rather than pursuing the love of money in the case of the true Christian, is done by being anxious for one's basic earthly needs such as one's food, drink, shelter and clothes. Even the slightest anxiety for one's basic needs is itself to serve mammon. That is why Jesus referred to these basic earthly needs in rebuking His followers for trying to serve God and mammon in Matthew 6:25.
The love of money is in itself the love of all earthly things, and in itself a lack of trust in the Creator God to provide for oneself, a Creation of God himself. Anxiety for one's basic earthly needs is in itself the love of money. It is faithlessness, which is a sin against God. That is why Jesus called His followers who were anxious about obtaining their basic needs, 'O ye of little faith' (Matthew 6:30). It is a very strong rebuke that one ought to fear. He did not just say that were having little faith, but they were people of little faith, referring to who they were, not merely what they doing.
It is all to normal and natural for all of us humans to love money. When the Bible refers to 'love of money' it is not referring to the love of the metal solid object, the paper with the head of a politician on it or digital marks on the screen. Rather, it is referring to the love of what one can do with the metal solid object, the paper with the image of a politician, or the digital marks on the screen. What one does with money and the manner of spirit in which one acts in relation to is literally the test of whether one is loves oneself, and thereby feed one's fleshly lusts, or whether one loves God.
If one truly loves God, he will hate mammon. He will hate all love of earthly things, whether it be possessions, status, respect, money, power, career or relationships. He will hate the thought to seeking money or anything that can be obtained with money to satisfy oneself, or even the thought of failing to give money to those who are worthy are receiving it, such as true local churches or true Biblically correct, Gospel-centred, Gospel-preaching missionaries.
He will also hate the thought of giving money to those who are unworthy of receiving it such as those who will squander it on harlots, or those who seek money to campaign for earthly causes by carnal means, such as the campaign to implement laws which criminalise only clients of harlots, but not harlots themselves. He will hate even the thought giving money to those who are unworthy of receiving it because He regards money as that given by God to be used for the glory of God, and not his "own" money to be used in whatever way he chooses for himself.
The issue is not whether one gives money. Even vile adulterers, and fornicators can give money and time. No! The issue is in what manner of spirit does one give money and why does not give money to others. The righteous give money only for truly righteous causes, not earthly causes are the done to glory the flesh or satisfy the flesh, such anti-human trafficking campaigns or anti-pornography campaigns which fight evil for the wrong reasons, fighting evil to satisfy one's own self-interest, and not because it offends God.
Do not ever prostitute yourself as a Christian by giving money to unrighteous causes which are earthly, fleshly and worldly. You betray God as an adulterous wife does when you give your money to unrighteous and evil people to do evil.
The spirit of mammon is the spirit behind love of money. While that love of money is from the human heart, the spirit of mammon seduces people to love money, and trust in money, instead of trusting fully in God. This manifests in a whole range of ways, from seeking outright to devote one's life to money or make money that which one must pursue, in the case of the unsaved, or to err into anxiety for obtaining one's basic needs, in the case of the saved.
The spirit of mammon seduces people into not trusting in God, and thus not loving God. Failure to love God is itself hatred of God (Matthew 6:24; Matthew 12:30). Even the true Christian can at times hate God. God said to King David regarding his adultery, that he hated Him in committing that sin. Committing sin is to not worship God, but worship self. Failure to worship God is the hatred of God.
Since sin is the hatred of God, and the love of money is the manifestation of that hatred of God, the spirit of mammon who tempts and seduces people into love of money, is he that is behind all evil and the justifications for evil that people make. He is literally behind all sins in one ways or another.
That is why the spirit of mammon must be exposed and fought against, first and foremost. He must not only be resisted, by exposed fought against in the fight against all evils. All the things pertaining to him must be fought against and the how he works through such things must be exposed and actively fought against.
O Church, when will you wake up to the root of all evils, and to the demon responsible for tempting people into all kinds of evil? When will you stop bickering about non-issues, and petty issues and finally understanding the spirit of mammon? When will you stop focusing on only the bad fruit and chop it down, and chopping it down using carnal means?
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