Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/90

Contributor - Scott Molebean

Title - Saved by Money?

Topic - Greed

This is the year of the great debate about the Goods and Services Tax. Taxes! All they do is go up and up. Why? Would you believe because of our rebellion against God's commandments? Much of our country's tax money is spent to battle social problems. Example: In Ontario thousands of grade school children are in special classes of seven to eight students with a teacher and one or two assistants. Why? Because these children have severe behaviour problems. Why? Because they have not been properly taught the social skills at home. Why? Because parents do not spend enough time with their children. Why? Because often both parents are working. No one is apparently noticing that the increase in violence in grade school has come at a time when the first day care crop of children are hitting grade school. Proper behaviour and social skills are the fruit of tender loving care, which includes firm discipline and teaching of proper behaviour. That is a full time job. Clearly day care is not only expensive in its direct costs, it becomes much more expensive when children grow up without the proper social skills. Increased family violence and loss of productive lives are sure to follow.

Yet our society is one which seems to strive, at any cost, after material riches. It has forgotten that the root of all evil is the love of money (I Timothy 6-.10). It has also forgotten that no one can ransom himself, or, as Psalm 49 says, "None can by any means redeem his brother." (vs.7). To ransom or redeem means to set free by paying a price. We are taught here that no one is able to set himself or his brother free by simply paying a sum of money. Why? Because the price is always too high. (vs. 8). What are people to be set free from? From destruction, from death, from the Pit. (vs. 9).

That does not only refer to the hereafter. In this life we may already be transferred from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of Light (Colossians 1:13). In this life we may already be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2), but neither can ever be achieved with money. Yet that is what our society believes. That is where much of our tax money goes. The highest cost is health care. Yet those in the know will tell you that at least half of all the hospital beds are occupied by people who are sick because of mental and emotional pressures. It is a very expensive way of trying to heal what can only be healed by the "peace of God which passes all understanding" (Phil. 4:7). The world today tries to solve the problems caused by disobedience to the Lord God with money-eating programs. Our society demands more and more money to set itself free from the dominion of darkness. But God's Word said ages ago that it can never be done with money. The cost to set people free from the effects of their rebellion is much higher. It was paid for once and for all by the Lord Jesus Christ with His life and crucifixion. Healing and liberation are now free upon request through the working of the Holy Spirit. That is the message of the Gospel. The question is whether God's people themselves believe this. For it is often said at Classis meetings that we could do a lot more for the Lord if we had more money. Do we really believe that our funds determine how many people the Holy Spirit will liberate? If so we are really in bad spiritual shape. Maybe we are.

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