THE HAZARDS OF WEALTH

     The belief that wealth is a token of the favor of God has a time-honored history. Numerous hard-driving, ambitious individuals have used this teaching repeatedly, both privately and publicly, as they bulldoze their way to the possession of riches, sometimes moderate wealth and sometimes vast riches.

     Following are statements from The Urantia Book regarding some of the negative attributes of wealth. Jesus, in particular, explained to numerous individuals the hazards of wealth.

     Amenemope of Egypt, a noble and wise man of the Nile, taught that riches and fortune were the gift of God, and this concept thoroughly colored the later appearing Hebrew philosophy. He lived after Melchizedek, the Sage of Salem, who began his bestowal on earth in 1973 B.C.
     [The teachings of Amenemope were subsequently translated into Hebrew and became the sacred book of that people long before the Old Testament was reduced to writing.] [93:2:1] [95:4:2]

     Moses was a believer in Providence. He taught that if men would obey God, they would be prospered above all people. He said: Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth.
     [Moses was the most important individual world teacher and leader between the times of Melchizedek and Jesus.] [96:5:1,4]

     While in Rome Jesus counseled a wealthy citizen about the responsibilities that go with great wealth. [132:5]

     Jesus, during a private session with Peter, James, and John, made it plain that while his Apostles were not to hold property, he was not preaching against wealth and property, merely its unequal and unfair distribution. He made no direct attack on the possession of property, but he did insist that it is eternally essential that spiritual values come first. It was not wealth that he denounced, but what wealth does to the majority of its devotees. [140:8:15-18]

     A young man was persistent in asking Jesus to assist him in obtaining his rightful inheritance. In his talk with the young man, Jesus made the following observations:
     Have you not read the Scripture: There is he who waxes rich by his wariness and much pinching, and this is the portion of his reward: Whereas he says, I have found rest and now shall be able to eat continually of my goods, yet he knows not what time shall bring upon him, and also that he must leave all these things to others when he dies.
     Jesus quoted further from the Scriptures: "You shall not covet." And again: "They have eaten and filled themselves and waxed fat, and then did they turn to other gods." Have you read in the Psalms that "the Lord abhors the covetous," and that "the little a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked." "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." Have you read where Jeremiah said, "Let not the rich man glory in his riches," and Ezekiel spoke truth when he said, "With their mouths they make a show of love, but their hearts are set upon their own selfish gain." [165:4:8]

     Jesus frequently warned his listeners against covetousness, declaring that "a man's happiness consists not in the abundance of his material possessions." He constantly reiterated, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" [140:8:17]

     Said Jesus: According to the time-honored teachings of the children of Abraham such material prosperity was all-sufficient evidence of divine favor. But such material possessions and such temporal prosperity do not indicate God’s favor. [148:6:2]

     Riches have nothing directly to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love of wealth does. [163:2:10]

     Said Jesus to several of the Apostles after the rich young man found himself unable to give up his wealth at that time:
     You see how difficult it is for those who have riches to enter fully into the kingdom of God! Spiritual worship cannot be shared with material devotions; no man can serve two masters. You have a saying that it is "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the heathen to inherit eternal life." And I declare that it is as easy for this camel to go through the needle’s eye as for these self-satisfied rich ones to enter the kingdom of heaven. [163:3:1,2]

     Said Jesus: There is no sin in having honest possessions on earth provided your treasure is in heaven, for where your treasure is there will your heart be also.
     Jesus taught that the material and temporal must be subordinated to the welfare of the soul and the progress of the spiritual nature in the kingdom of heaven. To another man standing nearby who asked Jesus how the wealthy would stand in the day of judgment, Jesus answered:
      Whatever else may concern the wealthy in the judgment, at least three questions must be answered by all who acquire great wealth, and these questions are: How much wealth did you accumulate? How did you get this wealth? How did you use your wealth? [165:4:5,7,10-13]

     Said Jesus to the Apostles: All too long have your fathers believed that prosperity was the token of divine approval; that adversity was the proof of God’s displeasure. I declare that such beliefs are superstitions. [166:4:3]

     Jesus blessed the poor because they were usually sincere and pious; he condemned the rich because they were usually wanton and irreligious. He would equally condemn the irreligious pauper and commend the consecrated and worshipful man of wealth.  [196:2:8]

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Beginning of Paper

Source: The Urantia Book, published by Uversa Press, a subsidiary of Urantia Book Fellowship. http://www.urantiabook.org. fellowship@urantiabook.org. Note: Numerous statements in this paper were quoted verbatim from The Urantia Book.

Revised March 15 2005