AdriaanM Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 8 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/09/2009 Status: Offline Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi all, The parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 has always fascinated me in that it presents and interesting moral dilemma. Let me summarize: There was a poor man called Lazarus. He is not described as righteous or religious, but emphasis is placed on his suffering and poverty on earth. He had no home, clothes nor food but lay outside the gate of the rich man. Then there was the rich man. In the parable he is not depicted as righteous or unrighteous, but emphasis is placed only on his wealth and sumptuous life. They both died. The beggar, Lazarus was taken to paradise and the rich man suffered horribly and flames of hell. At no point in time does the parable mention the sin for which the rich man ended in Hades apart from the fact that he had all the best in life. Now I can only assume that his sin was the following: During their lives the beggar laid in the entrance to the estate of the rich man. The wealthy man must have passed the suffering man daily. Now despite being able to relieve the suffering of the beggar the rich man ignored the suffering at his gate and enjoyed his life. If my interpretation is correct the parable spells a dire warning to those of us who are more fortunate than the beggar. If I ignore the suffering of my fellow man I might end up where the rich man from the parable did. On the other hand, if I give of what I have to every beggar that I pass in town I will soon be a beggar myself. Let me know how you see this. Adriaan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brothaman Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 168 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 13 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/27/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/11/1975 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Even the rich man is called to bare fruit. He should of helped however he could, but he did not and that is not pleasing to God. The way I see it, the more you can do to help, the more fruit you bare. Remember though, only ones who except Jesus can bare fruit. Good deed without Jesus is just a good deed, not fruit. We are all called to bare fruit. B Blessed, Stay Blessed, and Much Love, brothaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyIsTheLord Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Junior Member Followers: 2 Topic Count: 32 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 106 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 11 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/12/2007 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/20/1990 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I cant remember where i heard it, i think it was in a video or an article online somewhere what said something along the lines of: "Being rich isn't a sin, and theres nothing wrong with being rich just as long as you put the Lord before it". Jesus should come first before anything else in our lives. You could always donate money to a missionary of some sort to help spread the word of the Lord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneLight Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 22 Topic Count: 1,294 Topics Per Day: 0.21 Content Count: 31,762 Content Per Day: 5.22 Reputation: 9,763 Days Won: 115 Joined: 09/14/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted April 15, 2009 I personally see this as Jesus telling us that we are not to put anything before Him. If we put God first, then we will not be like the rich man. Scripture tells us a few things pertaining to this scripture. Mark 12:30-31 (New King James Version) And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HIS girl Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 In my humble opinion - we don't own the money - the money we have starts with God - He has given us the ability to work and earn the money - so all Glory goes to the LORD first and foremost. If you think of it in that respect - it leaves you with a sense of you spending God's money -not your own. If you were spending someone else's money, wouldn't you spend it wisely? Of course you would - same goes with the money you earn. (God's money). Money is an ever flowing commodity and it should never remain still - as in stashed under your bed - Give your tithe, pay your bills, feed/clothe your family - I gaurantee you, you will have cash left over - of course bank some but you will STILL have money left over, I gaurantee you - and with that money you put it aside and ask God to show you how/what and on who to spend it and again I gaurantee you that the Holy Spirit will guide you where the money should go- the more you are willing to spend, the more cash God will provide for you to do that....and it's NOT about hoarding it for your own purposes - God has that money planned out for HIS purpose..... So to answer your original question - being rich isn't a sin - but lavishing one's wealth only on oneself and not using it for God's purposes is a sin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 55 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 923 Content Per Day: 0.13 Reputation: 32 Days Won: 0 Joined: 11/14/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 10/03/1974 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Just adding my thoughts to what has already been said:- The rich man had ample funds and opportunity to make Lazarus' life a little more comfortable, if only for a moment, he could have eased his suffering.....but he didn't take the time, nor during his lifetime, by all accounts from reading Luke 16 v 19 -31 does he appeared to have given Lazarus a second thought nor cared. The rich man didn't go to hell, because he had more money than Lazarus, the rich man went to hell because his heart was hardened and unkind. What would it have cost him to plate up an extra dinner and give Lazarus a hot meal to eat, to fill his belly? What would it have cost him to take the least finest of one of his garments and give it to Lazarus? Take all that we have and give it to the poor man, so the poor man can be rich and the rich man can be poor, is not what God asks of us. God asks us to give what we can to the poor, to do to others what we would have them do to us, to love each other as He has loved us. Just my thoughts God Bless Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricH Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 366 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 10,933 Content Per Day: 1.57 Reputation: 212 Days Won: 1 Joined: 04/21/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted April 15, 2009 Being Rich is not a sin. It is the attitudes that frequently go along with abundance that can cause problems (self sufficiency, pride, selfishness etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 30 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/09/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/21/1967 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) IT IS A PARABLE!!! Relating to where our heart lies regarding to our attitude towards God in Salvation, not necessarily about the rich being good or bad because of money, but rather about his attitude as to where his heart is, in relation to the kingdom of God. Here in the parable Luke 16:19-31, because the end is his eternal suffering - it depicts a man in this Church age who has rejected Jesus Christ as personal God having countless occasions to repent BUT...due to his pharoah-ic hardness of heart is comfortable in his mammon (anything we trust more than God in this earth life). The rich man's mammon was riches, ours could be something else maybe a tv soap opera we have watched religiously for many years For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:21) A parable is a story taken along side of the real issue at hand, but the parable is not the literal though both Lazarus and the rich man are certain people in the parable. Edited May 2, 2009 by Emanuel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacey c Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 37 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 913 Content Per Day: 0.15 Reputation: 19 Days Won: 2 Joined: 03/29/2008 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/02/1969 Share Posted April 15, 2009 In my humble opinion - we don't own the money - the money we have starts with God - He has given us the ability to work and earn the money - so all Glory goes to the LORD first and foremost. If you think of it in that respect - it leaves you with a sense of you spending God's money -not your own. If you were spending someone else's money, wouldn't you spend it wisely? Of course you would - same goes with the money you earn. (God's money). Money is an ever flowing commodity and it should never remain still - as in stashed under your bed - Give your tithe, pay your bills, feed/clothe your family - I gaurantee you, you will have cash left over - of course bank some but you will STILL have money left over, I gaurantee you - and with that money you put it aside and ask God to show you how/what and on who to spend it and again I gaurantee you that the Holy Spirit will guide you where the money should go- the more you are willing to spend, the more cash God will provide for you to do that....and it's NOT about hoarding it for your own purposes - God has that money planned out for HIS purpose..... So to answer your original question - being rich isn't a sin - but lavishing one's wealth only on oneself and not using it for God's purposes is a sin. Awesome post His girl Right on the money!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethog Posted April 15, 2009 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 8 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/12/2009 Status: Offline Share Posted April 15, 2009 Being rich a Sin??, No Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts