The Gospel and Mammon

[Resource Manager]

 

The Gospel and Mammon

 

There is an Aramaic word, which appears in Scripture only on four occasions, and comes from the lips of our Lord himself. It is the word mammon. The circumstances giving rise to its use, and the emphasis with which Christ used it, have resulted in the passages becoming as well known, and probably as well under­stood, as any of the utterances of Jesus. Three of the passages occur in Luke 16. In the Parable of the Unjust Steward there is mention of “the mammon of unrighteousness”, and then “‘the unrighteous mammon”, while when Jesus proceeds to enlarge upon the impossibility of serving two masters, the very definite, challenging principle is sounded “ Ye cannot serve God and mammon”, a teaching found also in the Sermon or, the Mount in Matt.6:24.

 

The Bible and riches

 

While the word mammon itself appears only on these few occasions, there are other words which, in certain contexts, have a similar meaning, words such as “riches”, “possessions”, “‘money” and “‘treasure”, and it is instructive to notice how closely the teaching concerning these things follows that already mentioned. How well we know the challenging summons to the rich seeker after eternal life: “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up his cross, and follow me” The man went away grieved, for he had great, possessions, w hereupon “Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples. How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” He then added, with slightly different emphasis, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10: 24-25).

 

Christ is not alone in giving this downright teaching concerning mammon. The Apostle Paul includes the covetous man among those who cannot look for any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:5). In his letter to the Colossians (Col 3:5) he describes covetousness as “idolatry”: it is beyond doubt a common and pernicious form of idolatry in this present age.

 

From Old Testament writers we have similar teaching, couched in emphatic terms, such as “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to he rich shall not be innocent.” (Prov 28:20) “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Psa 119:72).

 

It would appear from the passages quoted (and there are many others) that the scriptural view of riches is an uncompromisingly harsh one, and that no true follower of Jesus Christ has any right to possess material wealth, presumably not even a satisfying credit balance at the bank. The Gospel and mammon are sharply contrasted. We might, indeed, think of them respectively as the power of God unto salvation, and the power of man unto damnation.

 

But does the teaching of Scripture really go so far as this. Does the Bible really affirm that there is an inherent evil in money and in other recognizable forms of wealth? Is the man who owns his own house, possesses a few investments, and has a hundred or two with his bank, to be branded for that very reason as unfaithful to his high calling?

 

The situation of Abraham answers the question for us. He was the father of the faithful, and is spoken of in Scripture as “the friend of God”. None the less, he was extremely wealthy, as also were his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. As for Joseph, the record repeals that it was years before he became a kind of Food Controller that “the Lord, was with Joseph, and lie was a prosperous man’ (Gen 39:2). The inference is that he was what we should term “wealthy”. Furthermore, the Israelites were cautioned that they must regard their wealth as God-given: if they wore tempted to say in their hearts “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth”, then, it was written. “thou shall remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deut 8:17-l8). When, in the New Testament, we examine the case of Ananias, we find no words of condemnation about his having possessions; it was his deception that led to his downfall. Patient Job, initially a man of wealth, is described as “a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil” (Job 1:8). He suffered agonizing experiences, but we read that ultimately “the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10), and James (5:11) after a fierce denunciation upon the possession of riches wrongfully obtained, refers to Job’s final state of prosperity as evidence of Divine mercy and blessing.

[Resource Manager]

Our attitude to money

 

These examples show that some of the most upright, zealous servants of God have been men of great wealth, and we are thus forced to the conclusion that money and other forms of wealth are not evil in themselves, and that the evil must arise rather from our attitude towards them. The trouble with the rich seeker after eternal life was not that he had possessions, but rather that his possessions had him! Upon this all-important topic of our attitude to wealth, Paul says: “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Thus it is not money itself that is the root of evil: it is the love of it. The previous verse says “Those who want to he rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and perdition” (N.E.B.). We think, of Judas Iscariot and his thirty pieces of silver!

 

If we read 1 Tim 6:9-10 in the context of the three previous verses, we are confronted with the contrast between the eager seeker after wealth, and the godly, contented soul who is well satisfied with the things that he has. “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing info this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us he therewith content.” The Sermon on the Mount confirms the view that it is our attitude to money that will decide whether for us, it will be a blessing or a curse. “Lay not up for Yourselves treasures upon earth ... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart he also” (Matt 6:l9). From these penetrating words, our minds go to the Parable of the Rich Fool, whose barns, poor man, held all his treasure - and all his heart.

 

That same parable illustrates a further truth that an eager socking after wealth is always feeding upon, itself. The greed for wealth is never satisfied. “He that loveth silver”, says the Preacher, “shall not he satisfied with silver: nor lie that loveth abundance with increase” (Eccl 5:10). Anyone who has sat for much of his lifetime in a bank manager’s chair knows how very true those words still arc, many centuries after they were first written. Perhaps that is why Jesus, in the parable of the Sower, speaks of the Gospel Word as being “choked” by the deceit fullness of riches.

 

H.A. Twelves, in his helpful book Freedom in Christ (published, 1968, by The Christadelphian Publishing Office) says: “How right was the Lord to choose ‘deceitfulness’ as the dominant trait of riches; for always our own danger point seems ahead of us. not behind.” So indeed it proved to be with the rich man and his barns. The author proceeds to illustrate how great is our need to combat these dangers, so subtly interwoven into our human lives, and then adds: “A big number of readers may turn impatiently away, saving ‘There is no problem for me: I can only just make ends meet’. Such a reaction begs the question, for the rich can say that as well as the poor.”

[Resource Manager]

Servant, not Master

 

Thus it is our attitude to money that is all-important. It has often been truly said that money is a good servant but a bad master. Let it then be our servant. If we allow it to become our master, we shall almost certainly be tempted to acquire it wrong­fully, or to use it improperly, or to part with it too sparingly.

 

In these things Scripture guides us well. “Thou shalt not steal” is a fundamental law. To steal is so obviously a form of wrong­doing that the reader may wonder why it is mentioned here. But there are many forms of theft, and it is perilously easy for some of them to be accepted as standard practice. I once heard of a young woman, engaged as a cashier in a large store, being instructed to “add in a little here and there” when calculating with her adding-machine the total amounts owed by customers. It was explained to her that this would rectify certain small losses made in other directions. Being a young lady of high principle, she left that employment. Such situations present problems for young people, and provide a reminder that the way of the Gospel is never depicted as an easy way. Micah (among others) stresses God’s insistence on doing justly, and condemns “the scan; measure that is abominable”. “Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances and with; the bag of deceitful weights.” (Micah 6:10-11). This is a confirmation of the age-old law: “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have” (Lev. 19:35-36).

 

Jeremiah refers especially to the sin of oppressing the poor, taking advantage of the under-privileged, and even the payment of unfairly low wages, “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong, that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work ... Shall thou reign, because thou closes! thyself in cedar’.’ Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?” (Lev 22:13). Here is a reminder for employ­ers who may be generous in supporting certain good causes, but who may display an unimaginative attitude towards the needs of their own workpeople.

 

In Old Testament times there was evidently a practice on the part of certain selfish, unscrupulous landowners to increase their acreage to such an extent that the poorer owners of cattle and other live-stock were deprived of adequate grazing. Thus Isaiah declares: “Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the lair” (Isaiah 5:8 RSV). But it is the Apostle James who sounds the sternest note of condemnation against those who have acquired wealth by unrighteousness. “Go to now, ye rich men. weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you … Behold the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, winch is of you kept back by fraud crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5:1-4).

[Resource Manager]

On gambling

 

A way of acquiring money that has nothing to commend it, but much to condemn it, is gambling, which is becoming an ever-increasing curse and a great social evil. It is gaining a strangle­hold on the life of our own nation, where it has been described as the outstanding national vice. A few years ago, the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that £800 million was spent annually in Britain on gambling, and that figure has since no doubt increased. Encouragement, rather than the reverse, was the result of the Betting and Gaming Act of 1961, and no fewer than sixteen thousand betting shops have now been born, as well as a multitude of gaming clubs. It has been stated recently that “the British have become the keenest, most sophisticated gamblers in the world”.

 

Scripture would possibly have had more to say on this topic had the vice been as rampant two thousand years ago as it is today. There is, indeed, a passage in the Epistle to the Ephesians which suggests that Paul was aware of certain forms of gambling, and viewed them with repugnance. In warning the Ephesians against erroneous doctrine, he speaks (in metaphor) of being carried away by the “sleight of men”, and he associates this with “cunning craftiness” (Eph 4:14). Sleight is a translation of the Greek kubeia, from which we get our “cube”, or dice, and according to Young, the word sleight has the meaning of “playing at dice; cheat, artifice”.

 

The evil of gambling has serious roots. It is indulged in by those whose minds are impoverished by a love of money, so deeply embedded that it is prepared and eager to accept riches that come as the result of pure chance rather than from deserts; riches moreover that come to the few at the expense of the many. Thus it is directly opposed to losing one’s neighbour as one’s self.

 

But gambling is not only caused by love of money. It introduces an element of excitement into otherwise drab and empty lives, and can easily become a feverish passion, like alcoholism and drug addiction. The social effects are serious and far-reaching. Many lives, homes and families are ruined by it. Gambling losses often result in privation and suffering for the families of the losers, the latter sometimes being tempted to make good their loss by theft, while the occasional gains are a strain upon character, encouraging the winner to gamble at a still greater rate. A follower of Christ whose conscience is enlightened by the Gospel message cannot obtain money by this means, which betokens the worship of luck rather than the worship of God.

 

It is sometimes asserted that the various kinds of insurance are really a form of gambling, but to make this assertion seriously is to compare two kinds of transaction which are quite different, both in motive and purpose. The motive at the root of gambling is avarice. On the other hand, life assurance is a convenient form of investment, and a useful means of protecting dependants from possible difficulties, and other forms of insurance have equally worthy motives, and should be regarded as bearing each other’s burdens. Gambling is taking a chance at the expense of others: insurance is spreading a load.

 

Brief reference should here be made to Stock Exchange transactions. The stock exchanges have a proper and useful function to fulfil, and among many other services, provide a convenient and legitimate means whereby investors can acquire or dispose of part-ownerships of those concerns which carry on the trade and industry of the world. It is difficult to see how these transfers of property could be effected in any other way. But like so many human institutions, the stock exchanges can be abused, for they do provide a ready means of gambling activity among lovers of money who by speculation, frequently very ignorant speculation, try to “get rich quickly”.

[Resource Manager]

On usury

 

The taking of usury as a return on money lent is one of the things upon which Old Testament writers are explicit. “Unto the stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but unto thy brother thou shall not lend upon usury” (Deut 23:20). Both Nehemiah and Ezekiel condemned those who disobeyed this command. But a careful reading of the relative passages in Exodus 22, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 23, Nehemiah 5, Psalm 15, Proverbs 28 and Ezekiel 18 will show that it was the profiting from those struck by some misfortune, such as a succession of poor crops or some other form of adversity, that was the subject of condemnation. Business transactions that are so common today, such as loans to finance capital expenditure, or house-purchase, could scarcely arise under the Mosaic Law, and the passages mentioned have no direct bearing on such modern, every-day transactions as the charging of interest by banks, insurance companies and building societies. None (he less, the Old Testament references do make it clear that to exploit anyone suffering from misfortune is an offence against the law of God.

 

On human toil

 

For the large majority of men and women, the source from which they acquire their money is their daily work, and Scripture makes it clear that this is what God intended. The majestic 104th Psalm portrays human labour as being part of the Divine scheme of creation, with all its wonderful, inter-woven aspects: “Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening” (104:23). Paul writes in his second letter to the Thessalonians: “For even when we were with you, then we commanded you, that if a man would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess 3:10). He addresses the church at Ephesus in terms which remind us of the state of some of the converts to the newly-found faith prior to their conversion: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands (Ac thing which is good, that lie may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph 4:28).

 

Although we are in this booklet concerned with money in its relation to the Gospel message, there are one or two closely connected aspects of everyday work which deserve consideration. First, we should rid our minds of the idea that human labour was introduced into man’s experience as a result of sin. A friend of mine once remarked jokingly that he would rather not take on too much work, because he saw but little sense in cursing himself overmuch! The idea that “work” arose from the Edenic curse is erroneous, as can be seen from a reading of Genesis 2:15: “And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” The curse, with its attendant thorns and thistles, its frustrating toil and sweat, came later. Human labour is, then, a divine provision, and there is a deep purpose and a noble status and dignity in honest toil, which should be regarded merely as a means of getting enough money to live on. This thought leads to another consideration, namely that we should not divide work for our heavenly Master and work for our earthly master into two separate compartments, the one labelled “work for God”, and the other “work for mammon”. Our work in both arenas should be done “heartily, as to the Lord”. This is so important that it may be well to quote Colossians 3:22-24: “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Paul’s words make it clear that work for our earthly employer must be done as conscientiously as though it were for the Lord himself.

[Resource Manager]

On promotion

 

This has an important bearing upon promotion. An employee who is zealous, honest, efficient, cheerful and polite may be singled out for promotion to a higher and more remunerative post. When that happens, he may be assailed, by reason of his conscience, with a number of disturbing doubts. Will his promotion, should he accept it, remove him from his present sphere, where he has, maybe, special opportunities for serving in his corner of God’s vineyard? Will his increased burden of work-a-day responsibility make it more difficult for him to carry out those tasks which to him are more important. Will his promotion take him into a higher social environment, where a disciple of Jesus may possibly find it more difficult to tread the narrow way? Will the increased income be truly a blessing, and what will he the likely effect upon his wife and family?

 

There is no hard-and-fast rule to guide the young pilgrim who finds himself confronted with such heart-searching questions. It may be special factors will combine to ease the decision: maybe not. But the essential quality and status of human labour, and its Divine origin, bears on this question, as also does Paul’s command to obey earthly masters, and to do whatever is done “heartily as to the Lord” (Col.3:23). If by reason of our qualities and abilities our earthly master directs us to a higher sphere of labour, where in his view our work will be more valuable to him, it would scarcely be in keeping with the Pauline injunction to choose to continue in our “lower grade”, unless the promotion should place us in an environment incompatible with a life of faith. Moreover, promotion might well bring us into closer contact with men whose minds are alert and informed, and in whose company any looseness of thinking is immediately exposed. This can be of great educational value, not only in the narrow field of daily work, but in the all-embracing sphere of God’s service.

 

The increased income which would normally accompany promotion need be neither an embarrassment nor a snare. If our fundamental attitude to wealth is rooted in the basic principles of Christian living, as set out by our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere, the benefit of our increased resources will not be ours alone, but will be a blessing to our church and those in need, for we shall have in mind Paul’s direction to Timothy:

 

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they 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, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim 6:17-19)

 

Joseph and Daniel are two outstanding Bible characters who accepted promotion w hereby great and widespread benefits accrued. The Apostle Paul had good reason to be thankful that there were, among the church members of his day, those who could afford to give bountifully in the relief of those less fortun­ately placed (2 Cor 9). Anyone engaged in church work knows something of the help that is given by men and women of more than average means.

[Resource Manager]

The function of money

 

We live in a different world from that obtaining in the first century. We live in an “affluent society”. There is still some poverty in Britain and other English-speaking countries, but most people have more money than they really need to live on. In the time of Moses, there were in the world two “agents of production of wealth”: Land and Labour. The ownership of land was carefully regulated under the Divine law. which was designed to prevent the growth of an ambient minority at the expense of a poor majority. Over a long period of years, and as the result of complex, world-wide causes, a third element has joined land and labour as an agent of production of wealth: namely “Capital”. All three elements are, to the economist, a form of “wealth”. It is important that this be recognized, so that we do not regard money itself as the only form of “wealth” or “riches”. Paper money has, in fact, no intrinsic value in itself: its value depends upon its being recognized and accepted as a “medium of exchange”. (The economist would rightly say that it has certain other functions in this modern world, but these need not concern us now.)

 

In primitive societies, the various forms of wealth, such as cattle, sheep and grain, were exchanged upon a cumbersome system of barter, but Abraham’s transaction with the Hittites reveals a society of considerable sophistication. Abraham weighed the silver (there was no coinage, but silver was a recognized medium of exchange). Similarly, when King Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord (2 Chron 24) the account has something of a modern flavour. Those who wished to forward the work, instead of doing the actual labour themselves, gave their assistance in the form of “money” (again, probably not coins, to which there is no certain reference until post-exilic times) which in turn paid the builders, carpenters, masons and others who did the work. Here is an instance of “money” fulfilling its function as a medium of exchange, a function it fulfils to a vastly greater extent today.

[Resource Manager]

On right giving

 

The case with which money can be used today to support good causes is a great blessing, but one which has attendant dangers. Many religious bodies have building funds, just as Joash had. They have funds to support Gospel proclamation, overseas mission work, hospitals, homes for the elderly, all worthy institutions, all brought into being as the result of high ideals and fertile imaginations. We should be thankful for those whose spiritual vision brought these organizations and institutions into being.

 

But while being thankful, we must ensure that not only the institutions, but the ideals that gave them birth, are maintained. Christian obligation is not satisfied merely by dropping a coin into a collecting bag or writing out a cheque. True, we cannot all go into the mission fields; we are not all qualified to nurse the sick, and money provides an easy way of supporting those who can. But there must also be careful, prayerful, and purposeful interest and involvement, an attempt to identify ourselves more closely with the aims, the problems, and the difficulties of those we wish to support, remembering that fundamentally we give, not to this cause or that, but to the Lord. Jesus said; “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt 25:40). Paul describes the offerings from Philippi as “an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18). John sees the readiness to give as a vital test of Christian love: “Whosover hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:7)

 

The words in Psalm 50 too remind us that whatever we give is no more than returning to God what is already His: “for every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” (Ps 50:10)

 

The spirit in which we give is important. Paul seems to have felt that the Corinthian believers needed a little encouragement in the matter of giving, and he commands: “Every man as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7) Note the words “as he purposeth in his heart”. What we give should be the result of careful and prayerful consideration, so that when the collecting-bag comes round on Sundays, our gift should not depend upon what loose coin we happen to have in our pocket or handbag, and we should ensure, too, that when we are absent from the services, and unable to contribute, the deficiency is made good on a later occasion. Expenses continue whether we are there or not! There is a “cry of the heart” in the following remark in God and Mammon, written by K. F. W. Prior, the vicar of a London church: “The offertory plate on Sunday receives but a fraction of what has been spent on entertainment the night before, or on petrol for the family car outing on the previous afternoon. It has been said that some people never give more than a tip to God. Here is a suggestion for the reader. Make a list of what you spend on entertainments, luxuries and modern appliances in the home, holidays and so on, and compare this with what you give to God! Then ask yourself whether in all honesty, you can describe your giving as worthy.”

 

It would be inappropriate to dogmatize upon the proportion of our financial resources which we should give to our ecclesial and other causes, since the means and responsibilities of individuals vary so very greatly. This question must be left to each individual follower of Christ to decide for himself or herself, with this reminder, that some gift is required from everyone, from the poor as well as the rich. A well-known hymn (by Frances Ridley Havergal) sounds a challenging note. It begins “Take my life, and let it be consecrated. Lord, to Thee”. A deeply religious man once told me that he could not sing it because of the line “Take my silver and my gold: not a mite would I withhold”. He said that singing that line made him feel an awful hypocrite. Well and good: but what about the next line? “Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.” Should that line not have made him feel still more of a hypocrite? Is it not a fact that many of us are more ready to devote to God’s service our silver and our gold (or should we say nowadays our money) rather than our time and our mental powers? It is so much easier for many of us in this age of the affluent society.

[Resource Manager]

Other forms of wealth

 

A sincere, understanding follower of Christ will know that not only his money, but everything he possesses, even his abilities and opportunities, his home and his car, are not really his at all. He may claim he owns the freehold of his dwelling, unencumbered by any mortgage, but it is not really his, it is God’s dwelling: he is merely the lessee, It is not possible for us to “own” anything in any real sense in this life. All belongs to God, and it is for us to see that these things are made a blessing not only to ourselves but also to others.

 

Every single member of a religious community should think of himself or herself as the member of a family, each one, however rich or poor, having some gift, some possession by which the family ties can be strengthened, the family life enriched, the witness it bears to the Gospel enhanced. Those comparatively prosperous in material possessions will recognize that they are bound to those not so blessed, and must be prepared to support, joyfully, graciously, and understandingly, those who lack. Those to whom material prosperity has been denied, those who know the cares and anxieties that come with material poverty, may find themselves, perhaps for that very reason, all the richer in faith, all the more full of rejoicing in the blessings of belief, all the more ready to give themselves, offering their thanksgiving before the throne of grace with the words: “Silver and gold. Lord. Thou knowest I have none, but such as I have, give I Thee.” (as Acts 3:6) That humble offering may mean an enormous contribution to the spiritual commonwealth of the family! It is well to remember that one of the great, enduring monuments of Scripture is erected by God in memory of a certain poor, unnamed widow of Jerusalem who gave a mere farthing to the Temple treasury and thereby gave her all.

 

The true object of trust

 

We live in an age of ever-increasing wealth. Our present standard of thing compared with that of our grandparents is one of luxury and leisure. What then, is to be our response?

 

It is hoped that the preceding pages will have helped the earnest follower of Christ to discern what his or her attitude must be. Should there be embedded within us “a love of money”, then money will be our master. Its proper place is as a servant, and its greatest service will be to help us and those around us on our road to God’s eternal kingdom of righteousness, a kingdom which belongs to an age yet to be.

 

The true follower of Christ is a committed person: committed to a way, a truth and a life that is not of this present world. The word mammon expresses those things (mainly riches) in which the masses of this world place their trust. From the same root is derived the word, which expresses the fundamental truths in which the follower of Christ will place his trust. God, and not mammon, is the proper object of man’s trust. Rising above the base, sordid corrupting allurements of this world, the figure of Jesus Christ stands erect, pure and supreme, the “eternal yea”, the Amen; of God, the vindication of His righteousness, the assurance of His coming kingdom, and the basis of our faith and confidence.

 

This vision of the risen Christ brings with it a fundamental, all-pervading, heart-searching challenge, for it is the vision of one who came as the image of the invisible God, one who was indeed rich, “yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.”

 

 

CYRIL COOPER

 

GospelAndMammonCooper.pdf

 

 

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