Articles
Wealth as an Idol
Wealth as an Idol
By Mike Willis
Some men make money their god. Jesus warned, “You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24). The KJV reads “mammon” in place of the ESV translation “money.” The Greek word mamōnas means “wealth, property.” In this text it is personified as if it were a god named Money in competition with the LORD. Following what Jesus taught, Paul called covetousness “idolatry” (Col. 3:5). Jesus was not speaking of ill-gotten gains, but of material possessions however they are acquired.
When Jesus said, “You cannot serve God and money,” He was warning His disciples of the problem of divided loyalty. There will always come times in life where one has to choose what is most important to him. A conflict may show itself in a parent who is so driven to be successful in his business pursuits that he neglects the needs of his/her mate and children; it may show itself as one who willing to compromise his honesty in order to gain more wealth. Sometimes one’s desire to have more causes one to put one’s job, even a part-time job, above his obligation to worship when the church assembles.
“Materialism” describes “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.” When a person makes creating and keeping wealth the most important thing in his life, wealth is his god whether or not he acknowledges that fact! When one makes the things money can buy more important than one’s service to God, one has made those things the god whom he worships.
Money is a great servant, but it is a poor god! Solomon wrote, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city” (Prov. 10:15a). It is able to feed one’s family, provide a roof over their head and clothes for the body, and it enables one to repair his broken down car (or buy another means of transportation). However, when money is esteemed too highly, it becomes a god that cannot save one from his sins, cannot teach his children the difference between right and wrong, or sustain him when the doctor tells him “you are going to die and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.”
The take-away is this: Make money your servant instead of your god!
