Which other scriptures emphasize the dangers of trusting in wealth over God? James 5:3 sets the tone “Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.” Old Testament Wisdom: wealth cannot save • Proverbs 11:4 – “Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” • Proverbs 23:4-5 – “Do not wear yourself out to gain wealth; be wise enough to restrain yourself. When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” • Proverbs 30:8-9 – “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion, lest I become full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.” • Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “He who loves money is never satisfied with money, nor the one who loves wealth with his income. This too is vanity.” Psalms: eternal perspective over financial security • Psalm 49:6-9 – “They trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches. No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him… the redemption of his soul is costly…” • Psalm 49:16-17 – “Do not be afraid when a man enriches himself… for when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his wealth will not follow him down.” • Psalm 52:7 – “See the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.” The Prophets: riches melt in the day of wrath • Ezekiel 7:19 – “They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse… their silver and gold cannot deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD.” • Zephaniah 1:18 – “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD’s wrath.” Jesus’ direct teaching on money • Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” • Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” • Matthew 19:23-24 – “It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven… it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” • Luke 12:15 – “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” • Luke 12:20-21 – “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you…’ So is the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” • Luke 16:13 – “You cannot serve both God and money.” Apostolic instruction: hold wealth loosely • 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation… For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” • 1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “Command those who are rich… not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God… to be rich in good deeds, generous and ready to share.” • Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” • Revelation 3:17 – “You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing,’ but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Living it out: eternal treasure over earthly corrosion Scripture consistently warns that wealth, while alluring, is fleeting and powerless to save. True security is found only in God, who invites believers to invest in righteousness, generosity, and heavenly treasure that will never corrode or fade. |
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