For Christians: "You cannot serve both God and Mammon." So where do we draw the line?

Question

Given the interpretation of Mammon to be: Money, riches, property, worldly goods or profit; what are the implications of this when we come to buying goods ie: groceries, clothes etc.?

Most companies are in the business of making a profit, so should we be spending ethically?

Or is it what is in our hearts as we buy goods that matters?

This question came about through a discussion between my wife and I. She contends that we should be looking into buying goods on a more ethical basis and not just on our needs. I agree to a point but feel that our motivations when we buy are more important ie: feeding and clothing ourselves and our children.

I would be most interested to hear other Christians views on this matter.

God bless and thanks in advance.

Tracy - the original greek says Mammon, which has a far broader meaning than just money.

Answer 1

Is it not more to do with attitude that with action? It is necessary for us to live in a society where money is a commodity. It's when money, position, worldly goods become our god or seek to take the place of God. We are stewards of what we have and of the natural resources of the world that we live in, and we should be aware of how we spend our money. I think though that it's necesary to be wise about what importance we put on buying ethically as that then can become our sole focus or at least what we deem as most important, when really it is most important to give glory to God in everything, don't you think.

Answer 2

Firstly I would say that this portion of scripture is not really that relevant to your actual question.

We "cannot serve both God and mammon" simply means that we cannot serve God and make the pursuit of wealth and riches our primary concern, either God is first and is Lord of your life or mammon, it can't be both.

Regarding ethical spending and purchasing, as a Christian I would believe yes we should purchase ethically, where possible, and by that I mean that when we are aware of an unethically produced product then we should certainly look for an alternative.

As regards to what is or is not ethical, apart from the obvious there could be much difference of opinion as to what is ethical or unethical. For example should we buy a product from a country we know to be helping terrorism? Some would say no, then what if a family in that country are depending upon the sale of that product to survive?

It's not just as clear cut as some would think. Of course this is only my opinion...

Answer 3

I think the word to focus on here is Serve. Are you/we serving Mammon? Are we out to "get" in any and every way possible, without thought to HOW we do it? Or are we more concerned with how we obtain what we have? Are we "in the world" or "of the world"?
While I agree with you and your wife about the ethical spending, sometimes it's not practical. Example:Wal-Mart. In theory I'm against buying at WalMart. But practically speaking they have the least expensive items - even gas! IF my financial situation were different, I probably wouldn't think twice about NOT buying Wal-Mart, but it isn't, so every penny counts.
I think we should be focused on serving God, and making sure we are "right" with Him. Let the world have the things of the world.

Answer 4

The Way = Homelessness

Jesus says "Foxes have holes in the earth and birds of the air have nests in the trees, but the Son of man has no where to lay His head."

The Truth = The "Money" Changers

Jesus drove out of the Temple or His Father's House and "said, why have you turned my Fathers house into a den of thieves."

The Life = Spirit

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit only says the Lord

If you have none of these in your possession, then you have not denied yourself.

And on another note:

In Revelation: "and I saw the dragon open his mouth and out hopped three frogs."

The frogs are these representations:

1) Government
2) Capitalism
3) Technology

Without one or the other, the other two cannot exist. And without Technology, there is a third world country.

Jesus says "I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE, you cannot come to the Father any other WAY, but by my WAY of me."

Answer 5

These earthly treasures are blessings when rightly used. Those who have them should realize that they are lent them from God and should cheerfully spend their money to advance His cause. They will not lose their reward here. They will be highly regarded by the angels of God and will also lay up a treasure in heaven.

Satan watches the peculiar, selfish, covetous temperament of some who profess the truth, and he will tempt them by throwing prosperity in their path, offering them the riches of earth. He knows that if they do not overcome their natural temperament, they will stumble and fall by loving mammon, worshiping their idol. Satan's object is often accomplished. The strong love of the world overcomes, or swallows up, the love of the truth. The kingdoms of the world are offered them, and they eagerly grasp their treasure and think they are wonderfully prospered. Satan triumphs because his plan has succeeded. They have given up the love of God for the love of the world.

Answer 6

I have always believed that this passage means exactly what it says. Sort of like the scripture that says if you are lukewarm He will "spew you out of His mouth". I think, in my most humble opinion, that this means that we cannot serve God and serve man at the same time. Remember the verse that says, "Render unto Caeser what is Caeser and unto God which is God's"? And that we must obey the laws of the land? I think THAT is the servitude God is speaking of there. We must hold fast to God's word and God's laws and in that, since our laws are fashioned after the 10 Commandments, we serve God and still maintain good citizenship in man's law. The love of money being the root of all evil....I think that is what not serving "mammon" is applying to. I don't think that it means we have to choose between serving God and bringing good things to our families. As the scripture says, "Consider the lillies of the field. They neither toil nor do they spin, but Solomon in all his glory is not arrayed like one of these". Or, if His hand is on the sparrow, how much more is He caring for us? He gives good things to His children without transgression, I think He means for us to always attempt that ourselves. God bless you and I will pray for your wisdom in this matter, I know how hard it is sometimes. I remember my blessed Mother not asking me to pray for things but yet to pray for wisdom about things and you know what? It never failed. God Bless you real good. (Not grammerically correct but very sincere). km

Answer 7

Don't let money control you is the trick to having money, God doesnt mind you meeting your wants too. Just dont let your money take you from God. What if God asked you to give 2000 dollars to someone in need and you had it but was saving it for a want. Would you give it willingly or hold back what God asked of you?

Answer 8

I agree with your wife to a point. It's great to buy ethically, for instance I don't shop at Walmart, unless I have to. I have my reasons and they are ethically motivated.

But I think your job as her husband is to keep that in moderation. Getting out of balance is always a bad idea, it leads to sin.

Answer 9

Money- you can't take it with you (BUT that's not where you need it), riches - Jesus was not a poor man, property- the earth is G's, the more property you own, the more ground He has, wordly good's & profit- G wants his people rich (probably cause we'll share the wealth). God bless.

Answer 10

Good question, the way I interpret it is that we must let God dominate our thoughts and keep our primary focus on Him, not on making money.

If we do that He will take care of the financial aspect of our lives Himself.