Reflections on God and Money: December 2013

Friday 27 December 2013

First Principles of Christian Citizenship by Albert Swift

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

For in [Christ] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

1 John 3:8, Colossians 1:19-20 & 1 Corinthians 15:24-25

The Centenary of the death of the Reverend Albert Swift has just passed. A few days before Christmas 1913, while he was convalescing from a long illness, but feeling better than he had in some while, he was cycling with his son. He commented that it looked like it was going to snow – and then said, ‘Oh’. A passing doctor thought that Swift was dead before his body touched the earth, dying without knowledge or pain.

Albert Swift’s good friend was the famous preacher, G Campbell Morgan. They met as teenagers and were close all their lives. They worked together on evangelistic missions before they were ordained but after that worked together just once, at Westminster Chapel in London, when they we co-ministers from 1904 until 1908. (Dr Morgan remained at the Chapel until 1917 and then returned for a second period of ministry in the mid-1930s; he was ‘minister emeritus’ when he died a few days after the end of the Second World War.)

Albert Swift wrote far fewer few books than his friend Campbell Morgan but the one that has impressed me the most is, First Principles of Christian Citizenship, published in 1908. In it, Swift gives the best explanation I have read of why Christians should be involved not just with acts of individual kindness and specific ‘good works’ but with the social evils and injustices of their communities, their countries and the world.

Very often, Christians separate evangelism and what today we call social concern or social action. The Lausanne Covenant of 1974, and the exposition and commentary on it by Dr John Stott, deal with the importance of both, but separately. They are excellent documents that I have found enormously helpful and I recommend them. But they and everything else I have read that has been published since then on the same theme seems to keep evangelism and action separate, although complementary and overlapping.

But it seems to me that in Jesus’ ministry, teaching and good works were woven together seamlessly, and needed to be, for him to pursue his mission of destroying the works of the devil and reconciling to himself all things in heaven and on earth. He did this by teaching and helping people. Although we may not be able to teach with the same authority as Jesus, and we may not be able to do miracles as he did, we can teach and we can do what we can to help. James wrote that faith without works is death and that pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep ourselves unstained by the world: see James 2:17 & 1:27.

Swift wrote: ‘Evangelism, rightly understood, is the mightiest factor in social reform. It proposes to remake the man, and then set him to remake his environment. Conversion is, in the purpose of Christ, preparation for social responsibility.’

Albert Swift is not as well remembered as he ought to be and his book is almost forgotten but I think it helps us recover a theologically sound vision for social concern. That is why I have produced a pdf version that you can download at

www.clubhousew1.org/content/pages/documents/1387646777.pdf

Or you can go to the page dedicated to the book at my blog (link below).

As I write this, I remain uncertain about how regularly to produce Reflections during 2014. I will let you know. In the meantime, I commend Albert Swift’s book to you with by best wishes for the New Year.

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Handling money and dealing with debt can be complicated and neither the author nor anyone else involved in the production of these Reflections is responsible for any action you take, or fail to take, based on what is written here.

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 24): Correction

Unfortunately in the pre-penultimate paragraph of the Reflection, I referred to the wrong days where questions are posed about our relationship with money. I apologise and hope I didn't inconvenience anyone. I meant to refer to days 7, 11, 14 & 20. I also meant to suggest further reflection on the case studies in day 9.

I have corrected the on-line page.

Philip

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 24: Christmas Eve)

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 & Jeremiah 4:1-2

All our lifestyle choices should be ‘to the glory of God’ and without giving offence to people. This is an inevitable consequence of loving God with our entire beings and of loving our neighbours, even our enemies, as ourselves and of cooperating with Jesus Christ as he works to redeem and reconcile creation.

St Paul identifies three groups he tries hard not to offend: he adds to the historic distinction of Jews and Gentiles (that is, non-Jews) the church of God, which is the community of Jesus’s disciples drawn from among both Jews and Gentiles. Paul saw enough difficulty in people accepting the good news about Jesus without adding unnecessary difficulty. Earlier in the letter, he had written, 'we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles’. But he quickly adds, ‘to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthian 1:23-24).

More than this, I think Paul had in mind that, in the fullness of time, the church will expand, drawing in more and more Jews and Gentiles, to eventually replace those two categories. If that sounds unduly optimistic, we should remember that God established the ancient nation of Israel not for their own benefit alone but as a means of blessing other nations and a way for them to come into communion with God: Moses alluded to this and the prophets looked ahead to it happening, as in the second passage at the start of today’s Reflection. But singular loyalty to God was essential to this mission and idolatry defeated it.

The Israelites repeatedly sank into idolatry. After their exile, it was more subtle, so that they no longer had pagan altars and Asherah trees planted alongside altars to the true God, or placed poles dedicated to Asherah in their fields, but one of the occasions when Jesus said that it is impossible to serve both God and money was as he confronted the religious leaders about their love of money (see Luke 16)

As we consider our own dependence on money, and the ways it might compromise our allegiance to God, we should remember that Jesus began life on the run. When he was born, his family were away from home in a city where they had to stay in accommodation usually reserved for animals. The authorities wanted the child dead! Then wealthy strangers arrived and gave them expensive gifts – gifts that could pay for their exile in Egypt and, later, perhaps, establishing a family home and business in Nazareth.

On at least two occasions during his ministry, Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes to feed the large crowds of people who had gathered to hear him. On another occasion, after using Peter’s fishing boat as a pulpit, Jesus told him to let down the nets: although Peter had worked all night without catching anything, at this unlikely time he netted a mammoth haul. In order to pay the Temple Tax, Jesus once told Peter to catch a single fish and, when he did so, Peter found a coin to pay in the fish’s mouth. God is committed to looking after his people and the Bible includes many other examples.

No matter how important money becomes to the society in which we live, it will never be important to God. A cynic might criticise this series of Reflections by saying, ‘Well, you just try living without money!’ But that misses the point.

Money was invented as a tool, and we should accept gratefully and use wisely all the tools God gives us, but we must flee the idolatry that grips the rest of society. We can trust God and free ourselves to live as Jesus' disciples, to help others see who he is and to be saved – and to secure our own inheritance in the Kingdom of God. I invite you to look again at the questions about your relationship with money posed on Days 7, 11, 14 and 20 in this series and to reflect further on the case studies in Day 9.

I have previously suggested that if Christians are disciples in name only, not really living as Jesus taught, we lack the ability and authority to make more disciples. I write this not in judgement but as someone who committed to the Lord Jesus aged 14 years but has lived the past 46 years in inconsistent loyalty to a consistently faithful God.

I hope you enjoy a happy Christmas. I plan a final Reflection for 2013 at the weekend.

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Monday 23 December 2013

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 23)

Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Ephesians 6:11-18

If we leave aside the imagery in Paul’s description of the armour of God, he advises that we put on truth, righteousness, peace and salvation and use the word of God, all in an attitude of prayer. The list is not the same as his list of ambitions for Timothy to pursue but they describe the same sort of lifestyle.

It is by these qualities and lifestyle that we wrestle against rulers and authorities, against the cosmic powers ruling over the darkness in the world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. This is why, in the passage about the armour of God, it is to enable Christians to stand. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil… That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…’

We can have confidence in these qualities: they are the ‘armour of God’. They are what protects God himself and are more than adequate for us living in a society controlled and measured by financial criteria!

John expressed Jesus’ mission the most succinctly when he wrote, ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8). Jesus sends his disciples to join in that work and to work the same way as he works. Jesus pursued his mission by a seamless blend of words and deeds and so should his disciples. We may not be able to teach with the authority that Jesus taught, and we may not be able to work miracles to help people as Jesus did, but we teach and help where we can and to do so seamlessly. If there is a distinction between evangelism and good works, then it is the distinction of two sides to a coin.

‘Do not be conformed to this world’, St Paul wrote to the Christians living in the city at the heart of the Roman Empire, ‘but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect...’ (Romans 12:2).

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Sunday 22 December 2013

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 22: Fourth Sunday in Advent)

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

1 Peter 3:13-17

The fight of faith is not fought by preaching, as vital as preaching is. Or by evangelism. Words are, of course, important but Peter’s famous encouragement in the passage at the start of today’s Reflection, that we should always be ready to give a good defence, or explanation, of our faith in Jesus, is for when our doing is questioned.

The Christian warfare is to live the sort of life Jesus described in cultures with very different values and norms. Jude writes to all Christians, ‘appealing to you to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints’, but not with words – at least, not words only. Rather, they were to build themselves up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping themselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of the Lord Jesus that leads to eternal life. They were, in other words, to live the sort of life that Jesus described.

This is why John wrote that we cannot profess faith in Christ and yet keep on wilfully sinning and why James warned that ‘faith without works is dead’: see 1 John 3:7-11 & James 2:14-26. James was certainly not saying that good works will in some way earn salvation but that if our faith in Christ does not impact the way we live it is not genuine, living faith. It is, simply, dead.

I would go so far as to say that this means that preaching and evangelism without the sort of lifestyle that Jesus described are likely to be barren. This works at practical and spiritual levels, both a hearer’s sensitivity to the authenticity of what he or she hears and the desire of God to bless words divorced from works.

The converse is also true: that works, even good works, without faith are dead. This is not to say that a person who is not a Christian cannot help others and improve society. Clearly, they can and do – and often put Christians to shame doing more at a material level without faith than many Christians do with faith! But their works are ‘dead’ in that they are, at best, improving society's 'worldly' systems, rather than contributing to the work of God in the world. Albert Swift (1867-1913) described it graphically in his excellent little book, The First Principles of Christian Citizenship: ‘Whilst humanitarian and beneficent in its intention, it often lacks the light and heat which give beauty and impart power. When God is left out the colours are very drab, and the enterprise deals only with the dust.’

It is as Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’ (see John 3:1-21); neither can they contribute to what they cannot see – the work of God in the world, advancing his Kingdom here.

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Saturday 21 December 2013

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 21)

Now godliness with contentment is great gain... But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith…

I Timothy 6:7-12

When Paul warned Timothy about the love of money, in the passage at the start of today's Reflection, he gave him advice that holds good for Christians in every generation: to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love and the other qualities that comprise a Christian lifestyle. To ‘fight the good fight of faith’. And doing so, be the sorts of people who can be effective witnesses for Christ and worthy of reward in heaven.

There is something inherently incompatible with a love of money and the qualities necessary for a Christian lifestyle. There is no middle ground, no ‘neutral space’ in which to try to serve both God and money because, as Jesus said, we will end up loving one and despising the other (see Matthew 6:24 & Luke 16:13). The word Jesus used for love means a deliberate assent of the will as a matter of duty and necessity. The root of all evil needs to be rooted out if we are to be free from loving money ‘as a matter of necessity’ in our money-orientated society, in order to love God and our neighbours as Jesus described. That is what it means to ‘fight the good fight of faith’.

The Christian life is described in many ways, including a hard pilgrimage and a race. And warfare. But it is not the sort of warfare between nations, ethnic groups, businesses rivals, work colleagues, neighbours or within families. Neither is it a war of words. Nothing in the metaphor suggests that the war is won by argument.

In his second letter to the Christians at Corinth, Paul wrote, ‘For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

Paul wrote this because the advice he had given in his first letter had been criticised. In his defence, he referred to general principles of spiritual warfare. Victories are not won not by physical violence but at a spiritual level, by destroying arguments and lofty opinions. This is done more by deed than word because words alone are as dead as faith without works.

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Friday 20 December 2013

Leaving the Idolatry of Money (Day 20)

Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience… If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice’, then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience – I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

1 Corinthians 10:25-30

After setting out his principles that we looked at earlier in this series, ‘”All things are lawful”, but not all things are helpful…but not all things build up’, Paul applies it to daily situations. He does not want Christians to be unnecessarily fussy or painstaking. Whatever is sold in the market can be bought without quibble. It was not a desire for wilful ignorance but if it did not matter to others that the food had been sacrificed to idols it should not matter to the Christians buying it.

Paul quotes Psalm 24:1 to support his point. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…’ Christians are free to enjoy this fullness, and to accept hospitality and eat whatever is put before them without being concerned about whether it had been sacrificed to idols. But if someone mentions that it has been sacrificed, the Christian should not eat it.

It is not a matter of letting another person’s conscience dictate our behaviour but our own conscience not letting us create a problem for the other person. A modern parallel may be our attitude to recovering alcoholics. I have known some who were happy to join others in a pub and to drink fruit juice while everyone else drank alcohol: I have known others, however, who thought it best to avoid the temptation completely and never went into a pub or bar.

If we refrain from tempting into a pub someone in the second group, and take the initiative to meet them elsewhere, it would not be because of their conscience but ours. To push the illustration, if we forego going to a pub ourselves, so they do not witness the ‘strength’ of our position, it would be a commendable choice to forego something lawful out of respect for them.

As Paul decided to practice self-denial, to abstain from what was lawful, with a view to other people’s good, these are the sorts of questions we should be asking ourselves.

Am I in a line of business, or participating in dubious business practices, that could misdirect other Christians into acting against their own consciences? Are my spending choices based on my own wants and ambitions or with regard for how they are perceived by others? How concerned am I about my choices undermining another Christian’s faith or making it harder for someone to become a Christian?
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