Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness: very well known words that will soon turn 250. Nowadays, they may mean something different: YOLO, anarchy, and the pursuit of riches. People want to be self-sufficient, do not want anyone to tell them what to do, and they desire to be rich to get all they want. The pursuit of wealth is not only admired, but encouraged and condoned. There’s an angst pushing people to get to a certain level of wealth, and achieve it quickly, to then be able to start enjoying life. Financially independent to retire early; untether from the central bank monetary system; large return on investment etc… Some may resort to gambling or playing the lottery; others are always on the lookout for the next investment opportunity; a few reap trouble through liquidations in various markets; many lose sleep over their retirement accounts; where does one draw the line between daily bread with the necessities of daily living, and turning wealth into idolatry that pierces with many pangs? What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Matt 16:26; Mark 8:36)

Enter James, brother of Jesus, with 6 verses that sound like the closing argument of a prosecutor who knows the case is clinched. In Ch.2, he warned believers not to fawn on the rich and powerful. In Ch.4, he warned them again not to seek pride and selfish gain, not to quarrel, not to think ill of other believers, not to plan pridefully without entrusting themselves to God. In all these, there was always a call to repentance and a hope of remedy.

But today’s passage is condemnation. Most commentators agree that James is addressing unbelievers with a strong pronouncement of judgment, without the offer of repentance. What prompted James to write this paragraph? It is the only part of his letter that does not seem to be directly addressing believers. The unrighteous wealthy people he is condemning may never even read these verses. So what does this judgment have to do with us believers? I think James is writing this for our edification, to show us the end result of the pursuit of wealth at all costs. It is meant as a warning for believers not to pursue such lifestyles or be tempted by them. It is then followed in v.7 by a call to remain patient, maybe meaning that some of these very believers were being oppressed by the wealthy.

Today’s passage puts before us the following: the woes of wealth, the warning we need, and the stewardship we want. 

The Woes of Wealth

The language of James is reminiscent of Old Testament prophecies of condemnation. His tone is not lost on his Jewish audience. Weeping and howling were often the result of judgment by God, and in this passage they indicate a decision that has already been made: the evidence is insurmountable. And the ruling is: miseries are coming. All the accumulated wealth, be it riches of possessions, wardrobes of fancy clothes, or currency coffers, is disappearing. In fact, they are already as good as gone. Moth has wreaked havoc. The permanence of the judgment is all the more emphasized by the very corrosion of gold and silver that are not supposed to suffer from oxidation. The language used is one of eternal judgment, bringing to mind weeping and gnashing of teeth, darkness and pain: the unrighteous wealthy will suffer as if through fire. They will not only mourn their material losses and the gains of this world; they will weep at the loss of their own souls.

This is also reminiscent of Jesus’ words from Matthew 6:19-21: the treasures accumulated on earth can be eaten by moth, destroyed by rust, and stolen by thieves. The heart follows the treasure; and for those who lay up such treasures in the last days, when destruction comes, the heart won’t be spared. On the day of judgment, destroyed wealth, broken heart, and meaningless riches will stand as witnesses, giving irrefutable evidence against the people who are about to reap this misery. This is the 1^st evidence.

But it does not end here. Many of the landowners were accustomed to misusing their laborers. In that day there was no credit or bank accounts one can draw from. Most workers were dependent on payment at the end of each workday to be able to survive to the next and to feed their families. If wages are held back and workers are defrauded, there is an existential risk of starvation and death. This further emphasizes the illegitimate pursuit of wealth of these condemned people who often enriched themselves at the expense of the poor and needy. By doing that, they condemn them, including some of the righteous believers, to death. Depriving them of income and sustenance is a form of murder, with premeditation and malicious intent. In a similar way, neglecting the needs of the sick, naked, hungry, thirsty and stranger is also condemned (Matt 25:41-46). And those who suffer from this will bring their cause to the God Almighty, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord Sabaoth, the God of hosts who will vindicate his people and judge rightly and swiftly, championing his beloved who were abused. This is the 2^nd evidence and testimony against the wealthy.

And the 3^rd follows. It is ironic in how it is self-inflicted all the while they are blind to it. Animals may receive the best food to be fattened right before slaughter. They may enjoy it while it lasts, but little do they know that the more they eat and indulge, the closer they are to the slaughterhouse. The same irony is applied to the unrighteous wealthy: hoarding wealth, living in luxury, eating with gluttony, and growing their riches are only fattening them and bringing them closer to the day of condemnation where the fatness of their riches will add weight to their judgment. They will be called fools like the rich man in the story of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

Before the judgment seat of God, the evidence James brought and the testimony of witnesses leave no room for clemency: there will be condemnation for those who are not in Christ Jesus. The corrosion of gathered riches in this life will stand as a judgment against the rottenness of their disbelief. They go to eternal fire, while the faithful go to eternal life. 

The Warning We Need

We may wonder: how does this relate to us? And why would James take a few verses of his letter to believers from a Jewish background to curse wealthy unbelievers? They may not even hear these words at all! But if all things written in the word of God are for our instruction, then this too is here for us, both as a warning, but also as a call for better stewardship.

Just like first century believers in Jerusalem and Judea could be tempted to be partial to the powerful or plan for riches without heeding the ways of God, we could as well. Just like they may have desired a better life, so can we. In reality, living well is not sin. Living comfortably is not wrong. The Bible does not condemn the wealthy merely for being rich, but for misusing their wealth, and for trusting in riches instead of realizing they are in desperate need of a Savior. On the other hand, living as sojourners is a good desire. But in another sense, seeking to live uncomfortably or to deprive oneself of amenities that are necessary for daily living to appear pious fools no one. It is pharisaical to want to inconvenience ourselves for the sake of appearing humble; it might even risk disregarding the grace, gifts, and providence of God.

But James seems to frown on luxury and self-indulgence. How can one define these? After all, many brands advertise their luxurious feel as an appeal to consumers. Yet there are brands that are mostly – or only – meant for luxury. You don’t go buy a Ferrari as a workhorse or a Lamborghini to appear humble. Practically speaking, I cannot give a list of what is considered luxurious and self-indulgent, treasures being laid here that will be destroyed and eat its owners’ flesh like fire. Yet I think there is something unique for believers in fellowship together to search the Bible for wisdom, to listen to the Holy Spirit within for help, pray for guidance, and – here's a controversially countercultural approach – seek the counsel of brothers and sisters we are in community with as we navigate decisions and seek discernment.

Remember the words of Paul to Timothy (1 Tim 6:6-10): godliness with contentment is great gain… if we have food or clothing, with these we will be content. The desire of riches may lead to temptation: one can be tempted to cheat, steal, lie, deprive others their rights, cheat on taxes, embezzle funds, run after quick gain, gamble, make unwise decisions, idolize retirement… We can put a lot of time into this pursuit. We could be teaching our young ones the wrong ways to make an income; they are able to see our misplaced desires; we could be imparting our anxieties to them; maybe even showing them that we do not trust the Lord for daily bread. OR we could be teaching them to be discontent or not good stewards by giving them every single thing they ask for. We toil anxiously to make more. We run after the next comfort. We seek to build an empire. And James is warning us from sliding toward evil and destruction. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, even leading to wandering away from the faith and eventually being pierced by the arrows of the enemy who uses this to destroy (1 Timoth 6:10). Hear Paul out: the love of money; we don’t have to have money to sin this way; the desire itself is wrong; the thought of foolishness is sin (Prov 24:9). And I think we have to be careful here not attribute this falling to the devil, because it is we ourselves who let our own desires control us and have mastery over us: desire coupled with temptation conceive evil actions that result in death (1:14-15).

Yet the Lord has promised good to his people. His providence is over all creation. He ordains seasons and dwelling places where people can work, eat, drink, live, celebrate, recreate, and reap from the work they do. Through all this, many have been able to achieve success and great wealth. And some are believers. Praise God! We will talk about stewardship shortly. But I wonder whether we live by Paul’s motto: godliness with contentment is great gain.

And I wonder if one of the warnings we are to heed may not be readily visible to us. You see, it is not uncommon for us to condemn past slavery, and weep over how many were enslaved, traded, and worked day and night without rest in order to reap cotton so that clothes can be made. Could it be that we are contributing by our lifestyle to the enslavement of millions who work in sweatshops, in sweltering conditions, without any safety, barely able to make a living, so that we can do or buy things we want but not need? There are millions of workers all over the world who are working in inhumane conditions so that we can buy more, cheaper, and live an abundant lifestyle. More than 80% of those workers are women (for those who preach equality) and less than 2% make a daily living. Whether they are making sneakers, knitting shirts, harvesting coffee beans, gluing boxes, or counting cereals, they are this age’s plantation workers and cotton pickers whose wages are kept back by fraud and whose cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts: they will stand as witnesses and give evidence against lovers of money and disregarders of image bearers alike.

We live in a time where everything caters to our interests and desires, and algorithms take away from our attention anything that is meant to enlighten us about what is happening in the rest of the world. On the other hand, we are constantly exposed to prompts and advertisements that make us feel that we need this next thing, this new car, this bigger house, this exciting feature. We’ve heard the adage: people buy things they do not need to impress people they do not know; people buy things they cannot afford to impress people they do not care about. Godliness with contentment should radically change this approach, help us resist this anxious age, and bid us live lives that honor God by what we have, how we earn, and what we do with the number of our days. 

The Stewardship We Want

The words of James are a call for believers to be good stewards of the gifts of God. For what is it we have that we did not receive? (1 Cor 4:7); that we have not been entrusted with?

James warned in Ch.2 against being partial to the rich and powerful; the remedy was the law of love of God and neighbor. And this same remedy applies here when we are at risk of being partial toward our own riches. How can we apply this to our lives for the sake of God and one another? What does the word teach us about generosity toward God and his people?

One way we could approach this is thinking: “regardless of my income, I’m tithing, so we should be good.” There’s even a certain Christian financial guru who makes it sound like tithing is a debt that is due or a burden over our heads: we need to get it over with, and then the rest is ours to plan our financial peace.

But what if we started thinking radically about all that the Lord has given us? And by radical I don’t mean the latest stats that Christians give about 2.5% of their income to church; and less than 25% of them give 10%. Muslims who just celebrated their Eid are also supposed to give 2.5% of their income during the month of Ramadan. Surely we ought to do better in our true religion. They give to appease a capricious deity; we give to celebrate the God who gave us his own Son! But if tithing means 10% and seems the norm for believers, how come most give much less than that?! I may change no one’s mind with what follows, but hear me out.

Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were expected to tithe. They were to give a tenth part of everything – all their resources – to God. And it wasn’t straightforward: they could not merely give money or write a check, but they had to count, and set apart every tenth unto the Lord. They were also supposed to tithe in support of a special jubilee festival and then tithe again every 3 years to care for the orphans, poor and widows (cf. Deut 14). All in all, commentators differ on the math, but some think they were supposed to give about 23%. Regardless of whether it was 10%, 23% or 30%, they were commanded to give, and they were also encouraged to give freewill offerings. They were to give their best as an expression of their faith in God, love for him, and gratitude for their freedom. And God loves a cheerful giver! (2 Cor 9:7)

Brothers and sisters: we no longer live under the Mosaic Law and the tithing mandate. We live in the new creation, in the new covenant, in the New Testament, in the time of the resurrection. What Old Testament people looked for in faith, we can taste and see: God gave us himself, which is the wealthiest treasure our heart could ever ask for; Christ has come to make his blessings flow, and he has given us gift upon gift and grace upon grace. We ought to live out the expression of faith in God, love for him, and gratitude for our freedom because we know he has broken our slavery to sin and ended our exile in darkness. 2 Cor 9:11 says: You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Everything we have belongs to the Lord. What we give to him is a returning of what he owns. Under grace, surely our approach should not be to give less than what the Israelites did under the Law. Stewardship comes with a great responsibility to be faithful and not to be tempted to hold back or to neglect to give altogether. James’ warning here reminds us of God himself warning his people in the Old Testament who neglected to give, even accusing them of robbing him (Malachi 3:8-9). God forbid that we should see him like the servant who was given 1 talent: he buried it because he considered his master harsh, failing to see the enormous generosity and grace of what he was entrusted with (Matthew 25:14-30).

Jesus also rebuked the Pharisees for being so uptight about the letter of the law, while disregarding its spirit (Luke 11:42). However, he never undermined giving, nor did he eliminate the command to give. We even have an account of him sitting down and watching people give at the temple (Mark 12:41-44). We have the account of him commending the widow who gave 2 coins which was all she possessed, and asking the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give it away – but he who would not part with his riches for the sake of life – eternal life!

We should not glean from these 2 examples that we are to give all we have to the church. Paul told the Corinthians they should give bountifully not sparingly; cheerfully not reluctantly; and as they decide in their heart not under compulsion. We do not live under the tithing mandate of the Mosaic Law. And as Pastor Darrell mentioned last week, we do not live within the context of the first century where people really did not know whether they would receive their daily bread again. Our issue is not whether we will have bread; it is rather what kind of bread we will have. We all live a reasonably comfortable life, in fact more comfortable than most of the world. So how should we go about being generous toward God and his people?

A few years ago, I heard John Piper introduce the concept of graduated tithing, in that every time his salary went up, he increased the percentage he gave. Then I heard of another concept: what if we strive to live on a lower percentage of our income, and consecrate the rest to God?! Regardless of how much we give, what if we were strategic in using our wealth so that God is glorified in everything we do with it? In the new covenant we are free to give generously to the Lord, to the body, to missions, to hospitality, to the fatherless and the widow.

What if our giving is not driven by our varying emotions? What if it wasn’t haphazard? What if we strived to be radical in generosity? Instead of weighing what we can afford to give him, realize that we cannot afford to give him less than all! (Helen Roseveare, Living Sacrifice, 124-125). I think the bottom line is this: on the day of judgment, the day of appearance of our Lord, no true believer will regret having been more generous toward God and his people, over and against having hoarded or spent more on oneself, on luxury and self-indulgence. In the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes: it is vanity to pursue riches to indulge in this life. On the other hand we have the words of Paul: it is not in vain that we toil because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead (1 Cor 15:58). 

***

There are many warnings in the Bible about the love of money and the dangers of riches. There are also promises that God will provide for his people, and he will give them power to obtain and make wealth (Deut 8:18). And there is the call to honor the Lord with our wealth that our barns be filled with plenty and our vats burst with wine (Prov 3:9). And there are the lovely wise words of Proverbs 30:7-9:

Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say,“Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Last week’s passage was directed toward believers who seek wealth, so that they would not do so without the Lord’s will for guidance. Today’s passage is directed toward unbelievers who pursue wealth at all cost, whose end is condemnation. Both passages call us to be thankful for God’s gifts and hopeful for his sustenance, while seeking to be generous toward him and his people. Because God so loved that he gave us himself, and if we seek after anything or anyone else that is less than him, we lose of his riches. He is our precious treasure and our portion forever.

As good stewards, O that we would receive his generosity with hearts overflowing with thankfulness, then put what he has entrusted us with to work for his glory, being generous toward God and toward his people, and one day receive the commendation: well done, good and faithful stewards: enter the joy of your master, where we will receive even more riches from his abundance toward us, and regardless of the happenings of this life, we will know that he is worth it! “The one who gives most in this life is the one who expects most from the next” (Elliott Clark, Mission Affirmed, 206). 

References

Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, 2^nd ed, PNTC.

Helen Roseveare, Living Sacrifice.

Elliott Clark, Mission Affirmed.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/q-a-podcast/do-i-have-to-tithe/ 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/7-reasons-christians-not-required-to-tithe/ 

Is tithing commanded for Christians? Ask Pastor John Episode 182 https://youtu.be/XCq8vU_CGqc?si=0LqnWsRbVozRJqWv