So, I Need to Give it All Away?

Duncan Aldridge

A number of weeks ago now, I attended the Katoomba Men's Convention. The topic for the weekend was following Jesus—what it means to ‘Follow that Man’. A series of three talks was given by the keynote speaker, Richard Coekin. In one of these talks he addressed ‘The Radical Attitude to Wealth’ that those who follow Jesus should seek to adopt.

The Rich Young Man

Richard's talk focused on the familiar story of the rich young man who runs up to Jesus, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. In answer to his question we hear Jesus give the very challenging command, “Sell everything and give to the poor, that you may have treasures in heaven, then follow me.” What Mark tells us after the rich man leaves is also very staggering, if these are words that we want to take seriously.

Jesus says, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God,” and again, “I tell you the truth, it is easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:25, 27).

Jesus, from the plain reading of the text, seems to be saying that it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. These are words that we must take seriously when we think about the lifestyle that we lead. We are rich. We are wealthy. How should we live as Christians in this society?

The purpose here is to reflect on a number of principles that were presented in this talk about how we should respond to wealth in the world we live in.

Is Wealth Inherently Evil?

The best place to start is to ask, “Should we, like that rich young man, get rid of our wealth—is it evil in its nature?”

Three main points need to be considered here: firstly, wealth is God's blessing to us. We are entrusted with our wealth, and the parable of the talents suggests that we will be called to account for how we spent all of the money that we were given. Perhaps the reason why you are in the job you are in, and why I am in the job I am in, is so that we—you, and I—may give generously to the church.

Secondly, wealth is dangerous; wealth can lead us away from God. If we spend our lives seeking what it dictates, seeking a bigger house, a better car, a better holiday, better lives for the kids—as we chase after these things, we are worshipping them, rather than our God. Wealth has become then, as Paul describes in Colossians, idolatry.

Lastly, wealth is temporary: we can’t take it with us. So rather than spending our lives seeking to accumulate more, we should hold to the words of the Sermon on the Mount, “store up treasures in heaven”; invest in heaven. (See Matthew 5-6.)

How Should We Use the Wealth We Have?

Since the wealth that we have has been entrusted to us, how do we work out how to use the riches we are given? The principles presented by Richard in his talk are helpful here:

• Support ourselves, our family and our government. Firstly, as Paul writes in Thessalonians, we should seek to work and earn the bread we eat. Secondly, we should earn money that we might be able to care for our families as they grow older. Lastly, as Paul writes in Romans, we should support our government by paying the proper taxes we owe.
• Support the needy. Christians are to be generous to their brothers in need. The Old Testament law encouraged the people to be generous, and sought to prevent the permanent accumulation of wealth by the rich and the consignment of the poor to poverty. We should be eager to generously share not only our gifts of money but our possessions and time. There is a lot to learn here from the attitude of the early church who saw their possessions as given for the sake of others, and they were one in heart and mind and no one was in need. [Acts 4:32-35]
• Support the gospel workers. It is also our privilege to give our wealth so that the Word of the Lord may grow forth throughout the Earth. First to each of our own churches and then to the world, so that people may be freed up from their work that they might be able to share the gospel.

Living Standard

But what do these principles mean in practice? What standard of living should we as Christians seek to have? The best guideline is that found in the book of Proverbs, built around the idea of sufficiency, not excess, and contentment.

“[G]ive me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that is needful for me,
  lest I be full and deny you
      and say, "Who is the Lord?"
  or lest I be poor and steal
      and profane the name of my God.”

    Proverbs 30:8-9 (ESV)

So, I need to give it all away?

So far I have avoided the question that I posed at the beginning, “Do I need to give all my wealth to the poor?” If it is getting in the way of my walk with Jesus, then yes. If my job prevents me from attending church services or my bible study then yes, I either need to find a new job, or a new shift.

If anything is choking the gospel life out of us, then yes, we do need to get rid of it. And it is better that we give away what stops us following Jesus. The last verse of Matthew chapter 10 reminds us that whatever we do give up to following Jesus, we will be blessed with a hundred times more—in this life, and in the age to come. Now that's a challenge to us: to be the blessing on others, on our family, by sharing generously our wealth: our money and our possessions.

Issue 03 An Introduction to the Problem So, I Need to Give it All Away? True Contentment Prosperity Why Should I Give? A Call to be Financially Adventurous How God Made Us Rich How to Glorify God With Your Wealth Hippocampus Extensions About Issues Ben Karen

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