Too Rich to Fail?

Have you ever thought about why we don't listen to God?

A moment of introspection makes it obvious: we don't want to do what God is telling us to do!

But there's also another, more subtle reason: identifying how our culture makes it hard to hear God's word.

For instance, imagine trying to communicate to a polygamous tribe that they need to make adjustments to honor God's plan for marriage to be monogamous.

In the same way, living in the wealthiest country in human existence, it's going to be hard for me to hear what James has to say about wealth in James 1:9-11.

Yet we need to hear his message, because he's offering us a pathway to grow closer to God.

With that in mind, here's what James tells us:

Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.

For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes.

In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.

As you can see, God's perspective on wealth instantly challenges both our personal desires and cultural assumptions.

It's important to note that James 1:9-11 is in complete alignment with what God says about wealth throughout the Scriptures. As the scholar Craig Keener summarizes,

"The Old Testament and Jewish wisdom literature stress that riches fade, that God vindicates the oppressed and the poor in the end, and that he judges those who keep their wealth and do not share with the poor" (IVP New Testament Bible Background Commentary).

Another conservative scholar, Craig Blomberg, points out that James is restating what Jesus says in Matthew 5:3. In his exhaustive study on this question, Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions, Blomberg summarizes James' message:

It goes too far to claim that James knows no one who is both rich and Christian. But clearly, those whom he addresses within the community as rich must behave in certain ways, recognizing the utter transience of their wealth, not seeking or receiving favouritism in any way, and leaving room for God’s sovereign will to override any economic plans they might make...

Those who have even a modest surplus of goods with which they could help the destitute, but who refuse to do so, prove thereby that they are not truly Christian, regardless of any profession they may make. Social injustice must always be denounced, even if its ultimate abolition awaits Christ’s return (159-160).

James wasn't speaking as a Democrat or a Republican. He wasn't arguing for or against Caesar. There's no associated tax policy. Christians may disagree about many political issues—but even as we disagree, it should be with hearts and minds formed by what God says to us about wealth and power.

Even though he lived in a different culture, James was cutting against the grain. After all, who doesn't want more money? Doesn't wealth make us feel safe? And isn't it poverty that's humiliating—and great riches that are worthy of honor?

Personally, I've felt the challenge of what James is saying from both perspectives.

When I lived on the meager salary of a campus minister, I had to choose to define myself by who God said I was. It was hard to not feel beat down by the ways my limited financial resources limited my choices.

And when my family's income increased after marriage, we had to read the passage from the other perspective: would we hoard our resources, or generously share them?

But James knows that it's only by recognizing wealth's fundamental emptiness that we can be freed from its power. James refuses to fear or flatter the wealthy. Instead, he tells them the truth:

• Wealth is as ephemeral as a wildflower (it can't give you what you think it will)

• If you find your identity, value, or security in money, then you're settling for second best, because you aren't getting those needs met by God

• When you're stingy with your money, your heart is closed to God

• When you refuse to share your abundance with others, you fail to love your neighbors

At the same time, James loves his poor brothers and sisters in Christ. We tend to look down at people beneath us on the economic ladder; James looks them in the eyes.

Just as Jesus saw the poorest of the poor and gave his life for them on the cross, so James honors his brothers and sisters in Christ as worthy of honor.

He is cognizant of their financial struggles, but he encourages them to boast in their exaltation. He says they are loved by a God who overflows with generosity toward them.

James knows that when you're poor, it's scary to see how the rich throw around their power to benefit themselves. He encourages them to regain confidence and remember that God is in charge.

He knows they are struggling to pay their bills. Perhaps after a church reads his letter, his readers will develop a culture overflowing with generosity, and everyone will have their needs met. After all, how can we gather to worship a generous God, and then refuse to share what we have with one another?

Finally, James knows that if he doesn't talk about money, the church will be divided. Every church has economic inequity. Instead of being divided by wealth, the Christian church can be the rare place where money is used for the sake of love.

As Jesus told us, you can either serve God or money, but not both (Matthew 6:24).

These are hard questions, and it helps to have a kind and thoughtful community to find answers. I'd love to discuss this with you in our community.

1. What are some reasons we struggle to listen to God, especially when it comes to wealth?

2. How does our culture shape the way we view wealth, and how does that compare to what James teaches in James 1:9-11?

3. How can our churches and communities foster a culture of generosity and care for those in need?