In preparation for a sermon on the impossibility of the rich entering the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-30), I read the summaries and conclusions of the New Testament sections and the conclusions and applications of this book by Craig Blomberg: Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology Of Possessions. Here are some of his conclusions:
"It goes too far to say that one cannot be rich and be a disciple of Jesus, but what never appears in the Gospels are well-to-do followers of Jesus who are not simultaneously generous in almsgiving and in divesting themselves of surplus wealth for the sake of those in need. 'This free attitude to possessions may be expressed in a disposal of private property, though this is not mandatory. It will certainly find expression in an almost reckless generosity, motivated not by a dour sense of obligation but by a warm an unselfish compassion.' (France, God and Mammon). There is room for the periodic celebration of God's good material gifts, even at times to a lavish extent. But these celebrations will be the exception, not the norm. The covenant model that assumes material reward for piety never reappears in Jesus' teaching, and is explicitly contradicted throughout. As in Proverbs 30:8-9, Jesus is concerned to moderate extremes. But the main focus of his ministry, the road to the cross, and his call to disciples to imitate him in similar self-denying sacrifice rather than basking in glory, suggests the overarching paradigm of generous giving, rather than 'godly materialism', for the one who would follow Christ." Craig Blomberg (Pages 145-146)
"On Protestant presuppositions, all Christians should be committed to modelling patterns of generous benefaction without the expectation of reciprocity. The various particulars will change from situation to situation, but generous giving rather than selfish hoarding, accompanied by compassionate commitment to doing what will most help the genuinely needy, must remain a priority for God's people." Craig Blomberg (Page 175)
"In short, Paul commands generosity simply because it honors God; the only guaranteed rewards await in the life to come. Paul as much as Jesus recognizes the danger of mammon as an idol and its potentially damning effects. Christ must be served rather than money." Craig Blomberg (Page 212)
"The New Testament carried forward the major principles of the Old Testament and intertestamental Judaism with one conspicuous omission: never was material wealth promised as a guaranteed reward for either spiritual obedience or simple hard work. This omission flows directly from the fact that the people of God are no longer defined as one ethnic group living in one divinely granted piece of geography. This does not mean that Old Testament promises are entirely spiritualized. God's people from both Old and New Testament ages will one day enjoy all the literal blessings of the land, extended to encompass the entire earth and eventually a redeemed cosmos. But in this age, before the coming of Christ, no predictions can be made as to the level of material prosperity God will grant any individual believer. All Christians, however, should have access to houses and fields 'one hundred times as much in this present age', thanks to the generosity of Christians who share with each other (recall Mark 10:29-30)." Craig Blomberg (Page 242)
"1. Material possessions are a good gift from God meant for his people to enjoy.
2. Material possessions are simultaneously one of the primary means of turning human hearts away from God.
3. A necessary sign of a life in the process of being redeemed is that of transformation in the area of stewardship.
4. There are certain extremes of wealth and poverty which are in and of themselves intolerable.
5. Above all, the Bible's teaching about material possessions is inextricably intertwined with more 'spiritual' matters." Craig Blomberg (Pages 243-246)
"Ultimately, one's entire life should be dedicated to God, but a particularly telling area for determining one's religious commitment involves one's finances." Craig Blomberg (Page 244)
"I was challenged early in my adult life by two different pastors, one in the US and one in the UK, who each gave 25 percent of their total income back to the Lord’s work and let that fact be known, not in any arrogant way, but simply to encourage others that it could be done. While I have never followed Sider's actual charts or tables, I have become convinced that the concept of a graduated tithe is both biblical and foundational for contemporary Christian stewardship (R. Sider, Rich Christians In An Age Of Hunger, 193-196). When we were first married more than eighteen years ago, my wife and I committed to begin with a tithe, based on the very modest income we had while I was a graduate student, and then to increase that percentage if God increased his annual provisions for us. Over the years God has blessed us richly and the percentage of our giving has grown . . . we were able to give over 30% of our income to our church and para-church organizations and individuals involved in Christian ministry. This was our fifth consecutive year topping 30% percent, following the principle of the graduated tithe . . . I do not assume that others making the same amount as our family would in general be able to give as much away. But when the American Christian average of total giving per family is below 3% of per capita income, surely we can do considerably better!" Craig Blomberg (Pages 248-249)
"So how does one do it? Obviously, by not spending money on the things so many Westerners do. We must remind ourselves and our children regularly of the lies, half-truths and pagan values on which is based the advertising that bombards us daily. With relatively minor hardships, our family has freed up considerable funds by doing with less of many items most Westerners routinely take for granted. We have refused to go into debt for anything except property and education, bought cars only that we could afford to pay cash for, bought other goods in bulk, at discounts, at garage sales and at thrift shops. We have not assumed that we needed the size or quality of lavish 'entertainment centre' items (television, video, stereo, CD player . . .) that most of our friends have. We have not heated or cooled our home quite to the extent that most North Americans do, or amassed the number or nature of clothes most Westerners seem compelled to accumulate. Even as simple a decision as not to eat out with the astonishing frequency of so many of our acquaintances has freed up enormous amounts of money. (On four different occasions in well-to-do suburban Denver churches, I have invited large, adult, Sunday-school classes to answer anonymously on note cards the following question: 'If you knew you would have 20% less income next year, what area of your current budget would be most affected?' The most common answer each time was 'Money for eating out'. I then raise the question, 'Why not voluntarily cut back, without being forced to, for the sake of Christian giving?') Various works which appeared nearly twenty years ago contain numerous additional suggestions for simplifying one's lifestyle that remain timely today (see esp. Living More With Less by Doris Longacre and Living More Simply by Ronald Sider)." Craig Blomberg (Pages 249-250)
"Ronsvalle and Ronsvalle (1990, 'Facts Related to U.S. Wealth from a Global Christian Perspective', in David Neff (ed.), The Midas Trap, 151-161, Wheaton: Victor.) have demonstrated that the amounts of money theoretically needed to eradicate world poverty could be amassed simply if all American Christians would tithe; every other existing Christian ministry could still continue to be funded at its current level." Craig Blomberg (Page 252)
"'Give me neither poverty nor riches,' prayed the writer of the proverb; but, since most of us already have riches, we need to be praying more often, 'and help me to be generous and wise in giving more of those riches away.'" Craig Blomberg (Page 253)
As Blomberg ends his commentary on the rich young ruler in his exposition of Matthew's Gospel, he writes:
This entire episode should challenge First-World Christians, virtually all of whom are among the wealthiest people in the history of the world, to radical changes in their personal and institutional spending. The solemn warnings of James 2:14-17 and 1 John 3:17 demand much more serious attention, lest many professing Christians tragically find themselves damned on Judgment Day.
Some After Thoughts
a. What about giving up the engagement ring tradition for the sake of getting the Gospel to the nations? See: Giving Up Your Ring For The Glory Of The King Who Forever Makes You Sing!
b. Consider: for every dollar spent on various luxuries, like going out to eat (for example), you could match that amount, and give it to the poor or to a ministry to reach the unreached for Christ.
c. For more help on this topic, please see these from Pastor John Piper:
Randy Alcorn's ministry, Eternal Perspective Ministries, is also helpful on money and giving, and his book The Treasure Principle is helpful as well.
d. To learn more about the great King Jesus and His glorious Gospel message, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone.
You can watch the full documentary here with a free, 3 day trial.
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