Why do Christians think that they can be greedy business owners, televangelists, rich preachers in megachurches, and the like? Protestants especially.
>Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:24-25 New Revised Standard Version
>Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
James 5:1-6 New Revised Standard Version
>Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:24 New Revised Standard Version
Do they just ignore these parts, Veeky Forums?
Carson Cook
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Jordan Turner
In ancient times, city gates were closed at night. But there was a hole in the wall near the gates - just large enough for men to walk single file. This allowed people to enter the city at night, but not to attack it. Single file would be suicide.
But if you could get a camel to walk on its knees, you could get it to go through this hole. The hole was called the eye of the needle because it resembled a needle's eye.
Eli Brooks
still sounds like your a lot more likely to get into heaven if you're poor
Justin Adams
Pretty much every denomination has parts it ignores, and parts it exaggerates. Which means nearly Christian is guilty of hypocrisy.
Then again, 80% of American Christians can't name 5 books of the old testament, and the majority confuse the writings of Nostradamus with Biblical writings.
Your average Christian has not read the Bible from cover to cover. Anyone who has is well above average. But even those who claim to read it cover to cover every year seem to miss or dismiss entire themes.
Logan Cook
Well, yeah. The point of this saying was that wealth is an obstacle, that must be countered with humility.
Easton Anderson
Abby solutely. It was meant to mean 'extremely difficult, but not entirely impossible'.
At least not as impossible as squeezing yourself through the eye of a modern sewing needle.
Gabriel Clark
Per usual, you do not understand the bible because you are an outsider.
Jesus taught the Law to the Jews who thought they were keeping the Law. One of their false assumptions was that if a Jew was rich, he was blessed by God. Jesus saying that the rich could not enter into heaven meant nobody could, in their thinking. Hence the immediate reaction that nobody could be saved if the rich could not be saved.
None of what Jesus taught concerning the Law has anything to do with Christianity. Nevertheless, your point is apt. Many wolves in sheep's clothing prey upon Christians, and in the process become rich. Therefore you would be wise to consider such charlatans, not as Christians, but as opportunists.
As always, you will be able to tell Christians from non-Christians by the love they have for other Christians, and by the love/peace/joy/gentleness/kindness/long-suffering/self-control they leave in their wake, evidence that the Holy Spirit is within them.
Carter Lopez
John Macarthur, a Master's of Divinity, had this to say: "There is no evidence that such a gate ever existed. Nor would any person with common sense have attempted to force a camel through such a small gate even if one had existed; they would simply have brought their camel into the city through a larger gate."
John Lopez
Rich people solve problems with their money. Simon Magus attempted to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit with his money, and the apostles condemned him for it.
Being saved requires many things. You must know you are lost. There must be a way to be saved. You must do whatever is necessary to claim that salvation. And what is necessary has nothing to do with money, which again is the rich man's go-to problem solver.
Lots of money solves not enough money problems, but it brings with it other money problems, and what is called "the deceitfulness of riches", which will lead a man into hell if he is not wise.
Juan Brown
The gate thing is a distraction; the text is clearly posing something impossible, hence the despair.
But with God all things are possible, even the salvation of rich men.
Ian Sanchez
This. The very next lines in Luke attest to this
“They who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But He said, ‘The things that are impossible with people are possible with God’” (Luke 18:26-27)
Julian Nguyen
Christians can be rich, but not greedy.
A good christian is a good christian, if they can be good, and do works for god, and they are smart enough to still be rich despite doing so (which is very very hard) then there's nothing wrong with being rich.
Unless you are a protestant, then you just gotta say "yeah man I believe in god!" and you can go and rape, kill, steal and do whatever you want because having faith is all that matters.
Robert Roberts
>One of their false assumptions was that if a Jew was rich, he was blessed by God. Prosperity gospel today. Widely promoted by wealthy Christian churches all across America. Also supported by anti-govt. pro-business propaganda outlets. Its corollary is often used by people to justify harming the poor and downtrodden. The corollary being that poverty and bad health is evidence of God's condemnation.
>you will be able to tell Christians from non-Christians by the love they have for other Christians You mean, 'by the love they have for all people - even their enemies. Just as Jesus taught us on the mound. >But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, He literally meant your enemies.
Brandon Garcia
I find one to be automatic, the Spirit in me loving the Spirit in another Christian, as He is the same Spirit in both of us, and He is Love.
There are admonitions to love your enemies, but I'm afraid they're not natural at all.
1 John 2:10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Colton Butler
None of these say to not love your enemies, they simply say to make sure you love your brothers in Christ. Which all men have the potential to be, of course.
Evan Campbell
But the camel must unburden itself as well. The rich man can pass through, but not if he stays rich.
Ryder Bennett
Simply not true. As a Christian, we are called to be good and faithful stewards with what God has given us. Many men in God's service were extraordinarily wealthy, including Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, etc.
The parable is this: a man had a massive bumper crop and was overjoyed, as he could now retire. He was going to build massive storehouses, store his crops, and live out his life in ease.
Yet that very night his life was over, and who enjoyed his riches? Certainly not him.
In the one story where Jesus did cut to the quick of a hypocrite who said he wanted to be a disciple, a rich young Jewish ruler, Jesus did tell that man to give all he had to the poor, and follow Jesus, and he would be rich in heaven.
That man, who said he loved God and wanted to obey God, disobeyed a direct order and walked away dejected, because he was very rich indeed. Jesus showed that his heart was on earth, where his treasure was, and that instead of worshiping the God with cattle on a thousand hills, the man worshiped Mammon, or greed.
Being a good steward with what you have, and being content with what you have, are Christian ideals.
Joshua Gonzalez
But this also is not true. For do you not forget the parable of the talents?:
Nathan Campbell
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Justin James
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Zachary Carter
6 Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8 But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? 9 For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
Camden Walker
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Liam Reyes
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luis Robinson
40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
John Ramirez
Because pr*testants aren't Christian.
Adam Watson
It's mostly retards that get sucked into the profit-making cults but all churches eventually amass an amount of funds through donations and clergy end up using these for their own desires. Basically people in all religions defend their clergy's right to profit and live comfortably with it. Hermit orders are probably the ones most exempt from this.
