Did God/Jesus condemn rich people to Hell?

Answer 1

Are you referring to the verse in which Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get to heaven?

Here's my interpretation. No, God does not condemn rich people to hell--note that in verse, Jesus refers to the level of difficulty, not the impossibility, of rich people going to heaven.

As with all our possessions, wealth is a gift from God which (assuming you didn't steal it) we obtain by employing the talents that He blessed us with. It is how we use that wealth that really matters--as a gift, it is to be shared with others; it is also a tool which we are supposed to use wisely to provide for ourselves and to support the larger community. Rich people who do these things honor God with their wealth. I think the reason why Jesus said that it's hard for rich people to get to heaven is this: (DISCLAIMER: this is a stereotype, which is NOT true for all rich people) Rich people, having achieved earthly "success" by being rich, tend to become arrogant--they tend to think that they must be better than everyone else; they also tend to think that they are in control of their lives, that they are independent and are in no need of help from others. From the perspective of this mindset, which becoming wealthy tends to engender, it is hard for a rich person to come to realize that they are not in control, that they too are sinners just the same as everyone else, and that they, like everyone else, are in need of Christ's forgiveness; hence, they don't perceive the need to become a Christan, and thus, rich people tend to condemn themselves to hell unknowingly.

Answer 2

Not at all. Jesus did say that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24) but he went on to say that with God all things are possible.

This was not a condemnation but an observation. In our time, as in Jesus' time, those considered "rich" by society are generally more in love with their riches than with anyone or anything else, including God.

That's not always the case, though. There have been some fine Christians who were also wealthy and did many good works in the name of God with the blessings He bestowed on them.

Answer 3

while riches can steal one’s heart from God like nothing else, Jesus was never against money or material possessions per se. He enjoyed eating and drinking to the point that some criticized Him as “a glutton and a winebibber” (Matthew 11:19). And in the story of the rich young man, Christ did not condemn this individual for his possessions, which apparently had not deterred him from being pious and keeping God’s commandments (Matthew 19:16-30). Jesus’ overall attitude toward wealth involved a straightforward principle: when people trust money rather than God and when they fail to give back to God, they miss the mark. From Jesus’ perspective, money itself is not evil.Jesus never claimed that rich people do not enter into the Kingdom of God. Instead, He warned that men who trust in money - who believe money, not God, will save them – are potentially jeopardizing their eternal salvation (Mark 10:24-25).

Answer 4

jagman --Jesus did not condemn rich people one of his best friends was a very prominent man of wealth --Lazarus the man he raised from the dead a man he ate with and called his friend--Lazarus sister Mary anointed Jesus head and feet with a perfume that cost 300 days wages --and when Judas pointed this out Jesus said you will always have the poor---
another story showing Jesus did not condemn the rich man-

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost .

Jesus is concerned with the heart of the person --his soul---not material things---Jesus teaches us that material things can be an obstacle to salvation if you make money or material things you idol or your God.

in Mathew 27 -- tell us of a rich disciple Joseph
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.b
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He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
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Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen
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and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.

again Joseph a rich man was a disciple of Jesus.

Answer 5

You people amaze me. Always trying to justify your materialism by ignoring the sections of the Bible that conflicts with your greed and your selfishness, Your accumulation of wealth.
Christ died with a robe, and a pair of sandals and the Romans stole that. He eat at others table, traveled his last journey on someone's "***" and you ignore all this information. NO where in the Bible do I see he had a house, car, truck, 401k, etc. HE was not poor, but was "financially disadvantaged", he has what he NEEDED, peace of mind. If he got sick? he had his Obamacare, it was his friends. His only anger was the "money changer" and is about as close to a BANKER as you can get.
He did not hate the rich, he just didn't like them because they want everything for just them. (not all but there are exceptions). The sermon on the mount should have taught you something. Look at his references of what you should do for the poor. Quit trying to rationalize your greed and selfishness and "man up", admit, you like "things" better than following his example.
The Camel thing was to say, one must UNBURDEN ones self before going through the "eye" which you had to take the pack off the camels back to get him through the short opening. That burden is your hate, greed, apathy, wanting 3 cars instead of 1, house larger than you need and cant stand it when we want healthcare for all. Supposedly, someone, someday is going to ask you why you didn't. Thought of an excuse yet. According to your beliefs, you better be prepared.
And I DON'T even call myself a Christian.

Answer 6

Rich people (Americans) tend to love worldly things.