If the meek will inherit the kingdom of God, isn't commercialism the route to Hell?

Question

Luke 18:18-22

And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

I could cite the 10 commandments as well, even the 7 eadly sins, greed, gluttony, the list goes on and on. But I think this passage sums it up quite well. Why does society disregard this? According to scripture society as a whole will end up in Hell.

"It is 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

The anti christ? Hardly...I have been looking all day to find a perfect example to support this, it really bothers me on a base level. There are numerous examples to support this story, there isn't just the one. And I hardly think that Luke or Matthew were the antichrist.

Thanks. I think this commentary is needed especially after Christmas. This lesson needs to be far more prominent in society. Whether you are Christian or not. It encompasses things for broader than religion or even the social structure. And yes I know that giving away your posessions is extreme. But using what you only need is a great lesson for anyone. I truly believe that human greed is the largest downfall of any belief system, pretty much anywhere.

Answer 1

The meek will inherit the earth, but there won't be much left of it after the brash and bold get done with it. 8^)

Jesus believed a big change was coming. After the change, everything would be completely different. In a way, everything in his ministry pointed to this. In the New World there would be no disease so Jesus healed the sick. Women and men would be equal so Jesus treated women equally, which was pretty radical for his day. The rich would be poor and the poor rich, so Jesus treated them that way, and he warned the rich to get rid of their wealth before the apocalypse or it would weigh them down.

Paradoxically, in our time in the US Christianity has aligned itself with wealth and power. We see the rich as heroes. We feel it is somehow -immoral- to tax them!

We have religious leaders today who have aligned themselves with the centers of secular power for their own wealth and power, their own self-aggrandizement. This is JUST what pissed Jesus off. Jesus traveled through the countryside for a couple of years healing the sick and doing other favors for people. He never lost his cool. He could deal with human sin and failing, even with disbelief, he never got angry with anyone. Then he came to Jerusalem and saw how corrupt the leaders of his own religion were, how commercial they had become, and how they sucked up to the Romans for their own wealth and power. This really got him mad. He spoke out against them and they put him out of the way.

I think fundamentalist Christianity has the same problem today. The Falwells and Robertsons and Dobsons of the world are more interested in their own high place in society, they have conflated a political message with their spiritual one. I think if Jesus came back today, preaching the same message he did then, they wouldn't recognize him. They'd be first in line to hang him up again.

Answer 2

Commercialism reflects loving the substitution of something lesser instead of that which is most perfect. To love the world and all that is in the world, no matter it's beauty, is still a lesser love than loving God: of which creation is but a reflection. It is sinful because it displaces God whom is the Most High, with that which is only His creation. Commercialism offers man a sort of false infinity: an infinity of money, or goods, or items. Hence the need to always have more and more. But such worldly things can never satisfy the heart of man which was made for union with the infinite God.

Answer 3

You have totally misunderstood the question and the answer, and it would help to take a look at the same incident as recorded in Mt. 19.

The man asked what "he" had to do in order to attain eternal life, and Jesus answered in accordance with the question. If he was to attain eternal life by his own merits, then he would have to keep the commandments perfectly, and Jesus shows him he had not done so, even though he had kept them in the letter. The end result, which you have ignored? He was not destined for eternal life after all; that it was in the end impossible for any man to achieve eternal life by their own merit. Only with God is eternal life possible.

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Answer 4

Yes, the rich man considered is possession greater than following Christ. Did he gain his riches by refusing to share with the poor? Are not our true riches in Heaven?

The need to get more and more especially at the expense of not sharing with the needy is a route away from God. Does this mean you need to give all your money away to the poor? Is your heart and bank account so hard you can't spare your time or money to provide work for those who need it or help build shelters, medical facilities, libraries......etc.

Answer 5

we have to live in this world and God knew this that is why he gave us choice, you can still be in this world and not be "of" it. Meaning you are partially right if we buy into the world view of commercialism then yes we may be headed to hell, but we can also be Christians and do well with our jobs and businesses and use our resources to help those who need help, and not let the almighty $$ become our God and there my friend is the fine line that you must control. But if you put the Lord first in everything you will be okay

Answer 6

I think this would be a really bad time for the meek to inheirit the earth. But you are right about commercialism. I don't think so literally about the hell part, and I wouldn't bring the Bible into it. But it's most decidedly not the route for a truly fulfilling life!

Answer 7

Yeah but that's not a popular message and you will be hard pressed to find any group actually living that.

Answer 8

Not according to the evangelicals...But then, only God can judge who will go to Hell.

Answer 9

Amen.

Answer 10

Yes, one of many