The riches of God
It really is a very controversial issue, since several scriptures say that people who have wealth will not enter the kingdom of God. But other scriptures say that having riches is not bad, it is important to have a good heart and kindness to enter the kingdom of God. blessings my brothers
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Jesus, looking around, said to his disciples: How hard will those who have riches enter the kingdom of God! The disciples were amazed at his words; but Jesus, answering, again told them: Children, how difficult it is for them to enter the kingdom of God, to those who trust in riches! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. They were even more amazed, saying among themselves: Who, then, can be saved? Then Jesus, looking at them, said: For men it is impossible, but for God, no; because all things are possible for God. Then Peter began to say to him: Behold, we have left everything, and we have followed you. Jesus answered and said: Truly I tell you that there is no one who has left home, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or woman, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel, who does not receive a hundred times more now in this time; houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the next century eternal life. But many first will be last, and the last first.
The prosperity gospel
Currently, there are certain groups that teach that economic prosperity and success in business are external evidence of God's favor. This modern trend is known as the Theology of Prosperity, Word of Faith. This is a fairly common teaching in many of the famous modern telepredicators.
In fact, it reflects exactly the same kind of thinking that the Lord Jesus Christ corrected in his disciples two thousand years ago and that we are going to study in this publication.
In any case, it should not surprise us that this (prosperity gospel) is so successful today. His preachers say: poverty is of the devil and God wants all Christians to be prosperous, "poverty is an evil spirit from which God is going to liberate us." And in the midst of a world where wealth and success are idolized, It's no wonder that people like this kind of messages.
On the other hand, the path proposed for success is relatively easy. Accompanying the preaching of this type of "gospel", there is always a series of insistent; invitations to deposit generous offerings to support the "ministries" promoted by these preachers. His message is: "Send us an offering so that the blessing of God may be put into action, the more generous your offering, the greater will be God's blessing for your life." And of course, if the promise of prosperity is not fulfilled, do not ask for an account, because what they will tell you is that you have not had sufficient or adequate faith.
Note
I'm not finding the tithe. In the scriptures of God he says that we must give to receive. while be sincere of heart.
The biblical position
No matter how much you look at spirituality, this movement makes materialism a goal for the believer, distancing him from true spiritual values.
Of course, God wants to bless our lives abundantly. What is strange, however, is the excessive emphasis that this movement places on the material. In most of the occasions his preaching seems to have more interest in those things that can be enjoyed in this world, than in the eternal salvation of the soul
The apostle Paul said that God has blessed us with "every spiritual blessing" in Christ (Eph 1: 3). And the Lord Jesus Christ made a serious warning about greed explaining that "the life of man does not consist in the abundance of the goods that he possesses" (Lk 12:15).
We do not see anywhere in Scripture the claim that all good believers have to be rich, or that poverty is related to lack of faith. Precisely the 11th chapter of Hebrews, which deals especially with faith, clearly describes that by faith some: they conquered kingdoms, they did justice, they reached promises, they covered the mouths of lions, they extinguished impetuous fires, they avoided the edge of the sword, they drew strength from weakness , they became strong in battles, they put away foreign armies, but also, by the same faith, others were tormented. They experienced scourges and scourges, and besides these prisons and jails, they were stoned, sawed, put to the test, killed by the sword; they went from here to there covered with skins of sheep and goats, poor, anguished, mistreated. Wandering through the deserts, through the mountains, through the caves and through the caverns of the earth. As we see, authentic faith can manifest itself in very diverse ways, leading some to poverty and others to triumph. But notice that all of them were approved by God in regard to their faith. Therefore, establishing the amount of wealth one has as a criterion to value the spiritual life is completely false.
On the other hand, let us not forget that God has given different gifts to believers, providing in each case what is necessary for their development. So, to some it gives them riches so that they can "distribute with liberality," just as the book of Acts tells us that it happened at the beginning of the Christian church. But we can not say that God's purpose for all believers is for them to be rich, because he distributes his gifts differently to each of his children.
The example of Christ
When Joseph and Mary went to the temple to present their son, what they brought for the sacrifice was two turtledoves, which was what the law stipulated for the poorest people.
Later, during his public ministry, one who wanted to follow him explained: The foxes have dens, and the birds of the skies nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. And what he said was completely true; we see him teaching from an alien boat, entering Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, having dinner on the last night in a room that had been left for the occasion, and finally, buried in an alien grave.
Undoubtedly, the lifestyle that the Lord had, was nothing like the one that the famous preachers of prosperity boast of.
How hard will those who have riches enter the kingdom of God?
These were the words that Christ said while the rich young man was leaving. His abandonment was painful. It was another soul that started toward condemnation. And we wonder if there would have been any way to keep him. Why was the Lord so radical with him to the point of sending him to sell all his possessions? Could not the level of demand have been lowered a little to see if in that way the young man would have agreed to stay? After all, it would not have hurt the cause of the Gospel to have a person with financial resources in their ranks.
The dangers of riches
This world, with all its publicity, wants to awaken in us admiration and envy towards those who are rich. But the Lord clearly saw the dangers of economic prosperity.
Material riches tend to make the heart of man cling to this world.
With ease, by focusing so much on the material, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of personal relationships, both with our fellow men and with God.
Finally, riches gradually enslave those who cling to them. It creates a growing dependency on comfort, on the "good life", until there comes a time when people can not give it up.
God never said that being rich is bad. only that it gives prosperity to those who deserve it, because having money helps people who really need it and helps people who did not have support in their lives.