THE CREEPING DANGER
OF MATERIALISM
Editorial
July/August 1992
Volume 27, Number 4
Finding satisfaction in life is one of humanity's oldest desires. Solomon,
in writing Ecclesiastes, reflected that desire when he wrote, "it is good
and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his
toilsome labor under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 5:18, NIV).
The desire to own things and fulfilling that desire occupies a prominent
place in the struggle to find contentment. Television and radio blare their
advertisements at us, seeking to lure us to buy the latest gadget or fashion.
The Sunday newspaper is stuffed full of printed ads and inserts which beckon
us to satisfy our possessive hearts. Shopping malls are designed with images
of luxury, fashion, and glamour to entice us as we walk past the many shops.
Sad to say, but the danger of acquiring things--materialism--is
one which snags many careless Christians. Otherwise faithful believers
find themselves pursuing the same things as their pagan neighbors. "Keeping
up with the Joneses" is often as common in the churches as it is in the
world. A high-paying job, a fine house in an exclusive neighborhood, a
luxury automobile, and expensive clothing are as high on the priority list
of some Christians as they are for the unsaved.
Jesus warned us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve
two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other. You cannot serve
God and Money" (Matthew 6:19, 21, 24).
Long-lasting satisfaction can only come when we put our values in line
with God's will. God's primary concern is not our personal happiness and
fulfillment (as some teach), but instead it is that we magnify Him and
enjoy Him forever.
The following article warns us against the creeping danger of
wanting material goods, and encourages us to exalt the things of
God before and above all else. Missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote many
years ago, "He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he
cannot lose."
--Craig Alan Myers
The Creeping Danger of Materialism
By Harold S. Martin
First Timothy 6 is one of the New Testament chapters that deals with
money, finances, and material possessions. After warning against the inroads
of false teachers in verses 1-5 of the chapter, we are given cautions about
the dangers of failing under the grip of materialism.
1. THE RESULTS OF DESIRING TO BE RICH (6:6-10)
(Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10)
Jesus never said that we could not have possessions, but He did say
that wealth and possessions would make it tougher to keep faithful. Every
Christian has probably read that 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
(Luke 18:25), yet many of us find it easy to pursue more and more wealth,
instead of striving to live on less. The key message in I Timothy 6:6-10
is that desiring to be rich yields a number of results.
a) A lack of simple contentment
One result of desiring riches is stated in 1 Timothy 6:6, which says,
"But godliness with contentment is great gain." There is a certain satisfaction
which ought to characterize the child of God. Godliness (right living)
along with a contented spirit, is a wonderful combination of virtues. The
happy and grateful Christian (who is seeking to live for the Lord) will
be a satisfied person. (By way of contrast, the person who has an excessive
appetite for wealth and earthly possessions, will be covetous and greedy
and filled with anxiety). Contentment does not come from having all our
wants supplied; it comes from reducing our desires to include only the
essentials of life.
b) The notion that we can take it with us
Another result of desiring wealth is found in 1 Timothy 6:7: "For we
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing
out." Every person comes into the world without a penny in his pocket (in
fact, even without a pocket to put a penny in)--and all of us will leave
this world without taking any material goods with us. The only things we
can take With us to the other side-are those things which we do for Jesus
while here. And, like Job in the Old Testament, we can take with us our
families (because each child is a living soul and never dies). A miserly,
dissatisfied, aging man (who was lingering on the borders of death) had
befriended an older neighbor who was a good Christian. The miserly, sickly
man hoped he could stay here forever; he said about the cheerful
older Christian neighbor: "He is going to his treasure; I must soon leave
mine." We cannot take our earthly goods with us. But those children who
know the Lord will enter the heavenly City. Job received double of all
his possessions except his children (compare Job 42:10-13 with 1:2,3).
c) An excessive desire for unnecessary things
1 Timothy 6:8 says, "And having food and raiment, let us be therewith
content." The Greek word translated "raiment" is plural, and literally
means "coverings." (It speaks of clothing to cover the body, and
of shelter to protect us from the elements of nature. If we have
enough to eat, and proper clothing to wear, and a roof over our heads-we
should be content).
The virtue of contentment is not natural to the human heart. It must
be learned. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:10-12 that he had learned to
be content. Paul was reared in luxury. As a child he had plenty. But later,
as a servant of Christ, he was sometimes in need. He did not always have
enough, but he learned to be content.
Verse 8 of our lesson admonishes every one of us to learn to live with
less and to be happy about it. I Timothy 6:8 is one of the passages in
the Bible that should make many of us feel ashamed when we read it. The
Scripture no where says that we may not save for future needs, but certainly
our main concern must not be the accumulation of material possessions.
Solomon says, "He that loves silver, shall not be satisfied with silver;
nor he that loves abundance, with increase" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). One of
Satan's most deceptive philosophies is the teaching that riches will bring
everything your heart longs for. The advertisements say, "Take a break
in Bermuda;" "Get the feel of a Buick;" "Things go better with Coke."
From the time we could crawl on our knees, we wanted a little red wagon,
and then a tricycle with a bell. And then we wanted an automobile, and
a house, and dozens of other things. For many today, there is an excessive
hankering after snowmobiles and minibikes and calculators and digital watches
and microwave ovens and VCRs. Instead of craving these things, we should
consider making with our own hands, craft items for gifts, buying second-hand
clothing at the Salvation Army Store (or the Rescue Mission Shop), and
doing our best to avoid day-dreaming about more and more material possessions.
It is difficult to believe that it can be right to have our homes stocked
with costly items that are designed more for display than for usefulness.
And somehow it seems inconsistent for Christian people in the Western world
to have family worship, and kneel for prayer in front of an elaborate sofa
that costs many hundreds of dollars, and bury knees in a lush pile carpet-and
then pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Something does not seem
right about that style of living.
When we Christians live in luxury, dress in the height of fashion, buy
expensive hunting equipment, and get almost everything we want-where is
the self-denial? Where is crucifying the flesh? Where is cross-bearing?
Where is nonconformity to the world? Where is setting affections on things
above? Under the Old Covenant (in Old Testament times), every 50th year
was a Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25: 10). It was like the regular Sabbatic
Year, but in addition, all Israelite slaves were freed, and all property
that was bought during the last 50 years, was returned to the families
of the original owner. We do not say that this is God's law for today.
In fact, it was superseded by another principle in New Testament times-but
the Year of Jubilee prevented the accumulation of great riches by only
a few persons. Under the New Convenant, God has another antidote for the
poison of greed. It is the grace of giving.
God knows the dangers of wealth, and the deceitfulness of riches, and
that these things choke out the Word-and so He teaches us to give willingly
to worthwhile causes, and to be generous in our sharing with others.
d) The path toward spiritual destruction
Another result of desiring riches, is that it is a road that leads toward
destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9, 10 says, "But they that will be rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts ... for
the love of money is (a) root of all evil, which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows."
The desire to be rich is one of the devil's snares. Some have been doing
nothing but making money, and their only aim in life seems to center around
making some morel Some of the most miserable people in the world are those
who have nothing but money. One man who had a multitude of trophies indicating
his tremendous success in the realm of sales (he was top salesman for a
large firm), said, when reminded of the importance of preparing for eternity:
"I am sick within and I am sick without."
Seeking after more and more financial gain has brought many to spiritual
destruction. The love of money is "a root" of all evil. The word "the"
is not in the original text. It is not that absolutely every evil springs
from a love of money, but a love for money lies behind many evils: A girl
will sell her body and give up her virtue--sometimes for money. A businessman
will distort and shade the truth-sometimes in order to make more money.
And so, as we conclude this section on the results of desiring to
be rich-let every one of us be reminded to guard against the desire to
gorge ourselves with trivial things-things that soon become more junk to
sell at the next yard sale! We must learn to reduce our desires to include
only those things that comprise the essentials of life.
There is an old Amish proverb that says, "Spend less than you earn,
and you will never be in debt." All of us would do well to consider the
following cautions related to spending money: (1) Be careful about trying
to keep up with others. One little adage says, "The reason why
it is hard for some to save money, is because their neighbors are always
buying something they can't afford." (2) Be aware that window-shopping
is dangerous. Looking at display windows and browsing through catalogs
may be one way to spend an evening, but it is easy for a person to convince
himself that he must have what he sees. Window-shopping and catalog-browsing
arouse new wants and trigger impulse buying. (3) Be slow about buying
something because "It's a good deal." Getting merchandise at a discount
does not necessarily make it right for us to spend the money to buy the
item. The logic, "But it was such a good bargain," or, "I bought it at
a special sale" does not justify spending money for things that we don't
need, or that are not really a good investment. Anyhow, concerning spending,
a worthwhile saying to remember is this: "Use it up; wear it out; make
it do; do without." We must continually guard against the tendency to make
financial gain the supreme concern in life.
2. GOALS TO SEEK INSTEAD OF RICHES (6:11-16)
(Read 1 Timothy 6:11-16)
1 Timothy 6:11 says, "But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and
follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, (and) meekness."
There are some things the Christian needs to flee, and other things
that each of us needs to follow after. The man of God must flee
"these things" (verse 11)--and that includes the spirit of discontent
(described in verse 8), and a love for money (described in verse 10). While
each of us is to flee the love of money, at the same time, the man of God
must follow after a life of true Christian piety.
Instead of seeking riches, each of us is to constantly strive to cultivate
the virtues described in verse 11:
righteousness- speaks of our attitude toward fellow human
beings. We should be ready to help when the need arises; ready to perform
righteous acts.
godliness- speaks of our attitude toward God. It should
be our chief ambition to try and please Him in every detail of life.
faith-speaks of our attitude toward duty. We are to keep
our word; carry out our responsibilities; and fulfill our obligations.
love--speaks of our attitude toward all persons. We are
to go the second mile; to turn the other cheek; to avoid retaliation.
patience-speaks of our attitude toward circumstances.
The reference is not so much about being longsuffering toward other people,
as it is about avoiding bitterness toward God when the trials of life come
crowding in. The Lord is seeking to conform us to the image of His Son,
and we must learn to bow in submission and patience before His providence.
meekness-speaks of our attitude toward self. We must lay
aside self-will, self-pity, and any signs of self-importance.
Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness-follow after
these things. The person who continues to cultivate these virtues will
not so quickly be trapped by the love of money.
Verses 14-15 (1 Timothy 6) remind us about the appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ. When He comes again, He will be a great and mighty Potentate,
King of kings and Lord of lords. One who keeps the Lord's coming in view,
will not so quickly get caught up in the grip of material things. After
all, when the Lord comes, earthly possessions will not mean very much!
Closets full of clothes, useless trinkets scattered all over the house,
expensive shopping trips-all will diminish in significance! When we think
of the greatness of Jesus Christ, and how He will become the Supreme Ruler
over all the earth, the wealth of this world seems much less impressive.
As the hymnwriter says, "The things of earth will grow strangely dim, in
light of His glory and grace."
3. ADMONITIONS TO THOSE WHO ARE WEALTHY (6:17-19)
(Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
1 Timothy 6:17-19 instructs further: "Charge those who are rich in this
world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches; but
in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy; that they do
good ... (and) be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to
come." The Christian must come to recognize that his wealth is for distribution,
not for hoarding. We must remember the words of Jesus, how He said, "it
is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
Many citizens of the industrialized nations are rich people. We don't
feel rich; we think it is hard "to make ends meet" -but when we compare
our standards of living with those of past generations (leaking house roofs;
no refrigerators; only outhouses for toilets)-we have much more than is
needed for a decent life. The contrast is much greater (even today) when
inhabitants of the Western world compare their standards of life with those
of persons living in the underdeveloped nations.
The word "rich" is really a relative term. One cannot absolutely define
it. It varies in meaning depending upon where you live or with whom you
are being compared. By some standards, if in your kitchen, you have cups
that match saucers, you are rich. On the other hand, in many parts of the
world -if you have a kitchen, you are rich. The Bible no where condemns
wealth if it is acquired honestly and distributed wisely. It is good to
occasionally meet a committed Christian who has riches, and at the same
time lives modestly and distributes generously to the Lord's work. In consecrated
hands, wealth can be a means of upbuilding the work of God.
It is a fact that frequently when a person becomes a Christian, his
new life in Christ tends to lead to increased prosperity. The individual
develops more and more the qualities of thriftiness and hard work. And
like the man in the parable which Jesus told, the hard-working person ought
to be well paid. The man who increased his one talent so that it became
ten talents, was rewarded for his diligence.
1 Timothy 6:17 says that the living God "gives us richly all things
to enjoy." This means simply that good and proper things in life are to
be used and appreciated without any guilt feelings. The "all things" certainly
include family life, work, food, exercise, and the beauties of nature.
We should enjoy these things and thank God for them. This is a wholesome
balance to the earlier verses (in this chapter) about riches.
Sometimes people seem to feel that to enjoy good things is somehow basically
wrong. One little lady, a number of years ago, after eating ice cream for
the first time in her life, commented: "Why it tastes so good it must be
sinful." God is not saying that we should become ascetics and live in mud
houses, and cook over open fires, and walk bare-footed, and rigorously
deny ourselves every good thing-but He does expect a careful balanced view
when it comes to the use and abuse of money.
1 Timothy 6:17 says that those who have riches are not to be "highminded"
nor to "trust in uncertain riches." Sometimes people who have been financially
prosperous assume a "know-it-all" attitude. They think that because they
know how to make money, they know all there is to know about everything.
They become experts at giving advice, but it is not necessarily wise counsel.
And sometimes people who have wealth "trust" in uncertain riches. But we
are told in 1 Timothy 6:17 that the person who loves money-even if he earns
it honestly- must not hoard it, depend on it, nor become a slave to it.
One who trusts in riches will err from the faith and backslide from God
and pierce himself through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:18 (speaking to those who have accumulated some wealth)
urges such persons to be "rich in good works, ready to distribute, (and)
willing to communicate (share)." Instead of unduly desiring more and more
unnecessary things, we are to use money to support missionaries, spread
the Gospel message, and help the needy. Wealth imposes a heavy responsibility
upon us. We are to be generous with our giving. We are to labor with our
hands so that we may have "to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28).
In fact, 1 Timothy 6:19 promises that those who give generously to support
the cause of Christ, will lay a foundation for the world to come. Such
use of money is laying up treasure for a coming age.
Each of us needs to strive for a happy medium regarding material things-seeking
to be thrifty without being miserly. The writer in Proverbs 30 states it
eloquently: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, lest I be poor and steal
... (or) lest I be full and deny thee" (Proverbs 30:8, 9). If one is poor,
there will be a temptation to steal. If one is rich, there will be a tendency
to think he can get along without God, and deny any need for Him. It is
best for all of us just to have the simple necessities of life, no more
and no less. This seems to be "the golden mean" which will help us avoid
the dangers of prosperity as well as the desperations of poverty.
The Lord does not promise riches if you become a Christian-but He will
endow you with a new nature; He will implant within you a new desire to
work hard and diligently (and this often results in greater prosperity).
The greatest benefit, however, of becoming a child of God-is to receive
the forgiveness of sins. If you have never cried out to God for mercy;
if you have never received the salvation He offers through Jesus Christ,
why not do it today?