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You know Alain, and you all too, I want to agree with you on this point of yours that something doesn't line up when "Religious" stages are adorned in glimmering wealth (and think of the Catholic Church!), while apparently representing a faith that says "the love of money" is the root of all evil. A little contrary isn't it? So it appears that in this modern day what they've done, in order to keep up with social approval for the sake of their massive congregations and the money they bring, is to change the Gospel into one that says, "Hey, we are the King's kids so we ought to live like it and be blessed like it here on earth! This accomplishes just what you said; it frees us up, not merely to have no guilt about money, but more so to "Love" and covet or (have our passions set on) earthly treasures and wealth. So in this way these popular "religions" are today siding with the spirit of attracting wealth and are not really opposing be rich in this world as they were more noted for doing in earlier times. I mean you can see on any day on TV, more preaching about getting wealth and prosperity with your faith than about any part of the original Gospel.
This one little word about money and the root of all evil, has been and is so largely mis-interpreted that it's sort of funny that people speak so vehimently about it, all the while not even getting the surface meaning right let alone the deeper meaning...
The bible never said, money was evil, but only the "love" of money, and even before we interpret that we need to know what the original writer meant when he said the "love of money." He didn't say, the "possession" of money.
It isn't mere money itself that has any power to cause a child to murder his parents for inheritance, but it's a "love" of money that has become a sort of god to this person, in that he is willing to place the desire for money above things that are good and right and moral. I think this verse is also spelling out the idea that money can possibly "tempt" people, meaning this certain "love of money" can overtake a person so that money becomes their highest pursuit in life above everything including loving your neighbor as yourself or the citizens of the State you reside over, or the old folks, etc..
It seems there is a very shadowy difference if any at all between the popular social church of today and the spirit of attracting money, and here again those who do claim to follow Christ might as the bible says, "test" themselves to see if they are in the faith...
Because the Faith that comes to us from heaven and not from man, told the Apostles, When you go on your journey's to spread this Gospel to the world, "take neither purse, nor script, nor shoes, etc.." in other words, Go and live in the same faith you are telling others that they can live on.
If I am and appear to be very rich and preach to the very poor, what will they "see" in me? Will they not see my wealth more than my faith and see earthly blessings more than heavenly or spiritual blessings? And will they not naturally see faith as something that is supposed to earn worldly wealth? And will they also see me as a hypocrite if I preach that you don't need great wealth in order to be free and have real joy and peace, if I obvioulsy know nothing about this free spirit of joy and peace that exists even to the poor, since it is observable that I have wealth?
I really do not at all take a position in life about money being evil; I like money as well as the next guy; but it's pretty clear to see in this world the reality of God's Word about the evils that the love of money bring about. We can look beyond the common man ans look at governments and nations and great empires and see what worldly wealth has caused in the hearts and actions of men.
I don't really believe either that God hates money or hates people having it, afterall he said he is the one who gives a man power to get wealth, and it does appear that some have been given great wealth who have done many great and good deeds with it.
One thing that I personally have felt after years of life is, just as it is wisdom to raise a person to a position of power over people "when" they are mature and seasoned and not young and without understanding, because a lack of wisdom and understanding can make for a terrible leader, so if we were to come into great wealth before we had any wisdom about life and understanding about people and things, we might likley squander it and use it for less than virtuous or even good reasons and have no real gratitude and there are young ones who grow up with no learned work ethic or responsibility and also with no true happiness because they missed the intrinsic values of working for things and the sense of reward also, and the gratitude, and again, many find themselves disillusioned when they suddenly possess many possessions wealth can buy and discover that genuinie happiness is not really in things.
So if we talk about Balance, I am thinking that this is a good subject to use. People often misinterpret God, and the popular social churches don't help people to avoid it, when they defend their own covetness and preach only prosperity, which reveals their hidden motives, which if they were truly for the heart of man and the Salvation which is the heart of the Gospel message, you'd be hearing a Gospel that not only isn't highly popular anymore but comes with Real Power to really affect a man's heart and soul.
I bet some other people can talk on this subject! Kindly, just in talking, Kim
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