Is it easier to live as a faithful Christian in a rich country or a poor country? Is it better for your spiritual health to be surrounded by possessions and the temptations of wealth or to live in a poor country with less distractions? I had to spend time living outside the United States before I realized that wealth can be one of most dangerous enemies of the Christian life.
The Bible teaches about the dangers of wealth. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (English Standard Version) Jesus Christ surprised his disciples when he said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24) I know American Christians would agree with this statement, but how many of us would call ourselves rich? How many of us want to admit that we are a part of the group that would find it difficult to enter heaven?
This is important to consider because we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are not wealthy. Many American Christians wouldn’t think of themselves as rich because our society often uses that term for the upper 1% of a society. The truth about wealth, that is often overlooked in our country, is that the majority of Americans are richer than the most of the world. I found a website that lets you enter your income and family size in order to see how much of the world is richer and poorer than you. (howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org) I entered the average US income from 2021 ($70,784) with two parents and four children into the wealth calculator. The results are that if you made that much you would be richer than 89.9% of the world!
During my research for this article I also learned that America has had the largest economy in the world every year since 1871! This means that even though the country went through immense difficulty during the Great Depression, we were still the largest economy in the world. This also means that people whose families have been in this country for the last one hundred and fifty years have become accustomed to a culture of wealth. It is the air we breathe. We may not think of ourselves as rich, but compared to the majority of people in the world, we certainly are. And if you compare the wealth of American Christians today to the people that Jesus was speaking to in Matthew 19, then the difference is even more stark.
In Jesus’ time the majority of people were living in what would be described today as abject poverty. Most people were subsistence farmers who did not own the land they farmed. They had to pay significant taxes to the land owners and to tax collectors who kept a large percentage of profits for themselves and gave the rest to their Roman rulers. If people from Jesus’ day could come and see how we live today, they would think we were even wealthier than the rich young ruler. They might have been impressed with the many possessions that he had, but what would they think about the cars we drive or the homes we live in? What would they think about air conditioning? They wouldn’t even have a category to describe the kind of wealth we have and take for granted.
I think this is fascinating to think about because Jesus’ point in Matthew 19 is that it is difficult for rich people to enter heaven. Rich people, like the rich young ruler, have “great possessions” that can get in the way of their relationship with God. The rich young ruler went away “sorrowful” because he knew he would have to give up the idol of his wealth in order to serve God faithfully. I often think about this in terms of living in the United States. It is a common occurrence to see Christians get drawn into the rat race of riches. It is easy to find yourself looking around, thinking that we need more wealth to be happy. I have to constantly remind myself that God does not want me to store up treasures here on earth, “where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matt. 6:19) He wants me to live for eternity. He wants me to live ready to give up any of my physical possessions to follow after him. He doesn’t want me to be sorrowful when I think of giving up time and money for him. He wants me to be joyful!
When I read the account of the rich young ruler, I am sobered because I know I am in danger of acting like the rich man. I am in danger of being caught up with the temptations that wealth and comfort bring. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to live in less affluent countries like Albania, Malaysia, and Thailand. My time in those countries convinced me that with wealth comes spiritual apathy. Instead of relying on God for our daily bread, people in wealthy countries often forget about God (Proverbs 30:8-9). Instead of learning to walk by the Spirit in slower economies, American Christians often feel the need to keep apace with the frenzied pace of an affluent society. I often think about how different life would be if people couldn’t afford the automobile or internet access. Would we immediately discover that we have more time to fellowship with people the way believers did in the early church. We would have time to practice the “one anothers” as we are commanded to in Scripture (1 Cor. 11:33, Gal. 5:13, 6:2, Eph. 4:2).
I have been rushed to even write this article. There are deadlines and responsibilities that come from living in California that keep everyone busy. I wish I had time today to write about the other dangers to spiritual growth that come with wealth and comfort. The dangers of spiritual laziness and complacency. The danger of fearing man rather than God. These are very real symptoms of a life that is devoted to the pursuit of wealth.
God may bless you with wealth and great possessions, but the Christian must always remember that this world’s wealth is transitory. The wealth that God is concerned about is spiritual wealth and riches and that can only be found by keeping focused on God and dependent on him.
