Some thoughts on the Rich and Poor

Some thoughts on the rich and the poor.  There are many who have a goal of eliminating poverty.  There are others who think it is unfair that some are rich and some are poor.  There are many that seem to think that the New Testament has elevated the poor to almost saintly status and that the rich are evil.  I think these views are unScriptural.  I'd like to put together some thoughts to support my view. 

Let's start with Heaven.  How do we qualify to get into Heaven?  By believing in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.  We are saved by faith.

Romans 3:28-31(NKJV)

28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 

29Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 

30since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 

31Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Galatians 2:16(NKJV)

16knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

OK, so all who believe get in.  We are told that there will be rewards in Heaven.

Matthew 6:19-21(NKJV)

19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 

20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 

21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So here is the key question.  We can all get into Heaven.  Do we all get equal rewards in Heaven? 
 

I don't believe that we do.  There will be a poor side of Heaven, a middle class side of Heaven, and a wealthy section of Heaven.  There will be places of honor in Heaven which is just another way of saying that not all will be equal in Heaven.  What determines the difference in our reward in Heaven?

2 Corinthians 5:10(NKJV)

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

1 Corinthians 3:5-8(NKJV)

5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 

6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 

7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 

8Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

I think this verse makes an important point.  It's not just works but works in service of God's plan.  Here in another supporting verse.

Revelation 22:12-13(NKJV)

12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the £Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Jesus himself point blank tells us in Revelation that our reward is based on our works.

So what does this have to do with the rich and poor of today?  First off I think the goal of eliminating poverty while admirable is Scripturally wrong.  Jesus told us the poor would always be with us.  Is Jesus a liar?  I don't believe He is.    And if Jesus isn't a liar then why would you have a goal to make something happen that Jesus has already told you will never happen?  I'm not saying we shouldn’t help the poor, I'm just saying that the goal should be different.

The second issue is the equality and fairness issue.  As I pointed out above, many people think that it is unfair that there are rich and poor.  My question is this.  One of the descriptions of God is that He is a just God, correct? 

Now if a just God has determined that it is just that His people receive different rewards in Heaven based on their decisions and efforts on His behalf while here on earth, why would it be any less fair or just that the same standard apply to our rewards here on earth?   

I believe that the Bible teaches us that most people get out of life exactly what they deserve based on what they put into it.  We have all made or neglected to make decisions throughout our life that have put each and every one of us where we are today.  We have all expended effort or declined to expend the effort to achieve our goals again putting us exactly where we are today.  Very little of where we are today was beyond our control. 

In fact I would bet that if each and every one of us went back and compared our decisions to what the Bible would have suggested we do in each of those cases we'd find that decisions that were in alignment with Scripture generally turned out better than those decisions that weren't in alignment with Scripture.

So what about the poor?  Great question.  I think we should do what we can to help the poor.  But I don't think that means giving them a middle class lifestyle without them earning it, which is what I think too often happens today. 

Go back to the Old Testament.  The owners of the fields were instructed in the Bible to go over the fields and pick there crops and then let the poor go back through a second time and pick up the scraps that were left.  They owners didn't have to let the poor go first.

What needs to change?  The way in which we try to help the poor. 

"Give a man a fish and your feed him for a day.  Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

That is it in a nutshell in my opinion.  Teach the poor the changes that they need to make to be successful in life, and help them make them.  The ones that want to learn and improve their lives, help them.  The ones that don't want to do the work, oh well.  Let them continue to live a subsistence lifestyle.  They are getting what they deserve.  Not in a mean sort of way but in a Scriptural way. 

Wow, that doesn't sound very Christian.  Really?  Well I'll bet you won't think this is very Christian either but it is in the Bible. 

Jude 1:20-23(NKJV)

20But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 

21keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22And on some have compassion, £making a distinction; 

23but others save with fear, pulling them out of the £fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Scripture tells us "on some have compassion" and "making a distinction".  So apparently not all deserve compassion (charity).  How do we decide?  I can't think of a better way than letting Scripture be the guide.  Those that want to take the help offered, work hard, and change their lives, they deserve the help.  Those that don't want to put in that effort as I said above, oh well, it's their choice.