Note: Having money is not a sin; however, you can easily become more devoted to money than to God.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:21)

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24) (See also: Luke 16:13).

However, riches have the potential to deceive those who possess them. This is not always the case, but it is, indeed, a potential pitfall--so much so that Jesus does say it is quite hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Parable of the Sower sheds more light on this. In this parable, there are four different types of soil on which seed is sown. The seed represents the Gospel and the soils represent different responses people have to it.

The third type of soil/response is described as follows:

but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Mark 4:19

Why is that? Here are some reasons why it's hard for a rich (or even poor) man to enter the Kingdom of God.

1. The rich (and poor alike) tend to look to riches for ALL their needs

The carnal, unrenewed mind thinks worldly things. Just like the rich young ruler that Jesus talked to prior to the earlier passage (see Mark 10:17-22), all of us tend to trust in our riches because of the tremendous comfort, security and privilege that it brings.

Seriously, money can buy many things, but it can only buy so much. It can't buy salvation. Thus we won't be receiving the free gift of God in Christ Jesus through it.

2. Salvation is NOT by works or riches

No one can work or pay his way to heaven and the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

Salvation is a gift from the Lord, paid for in blood by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It's a gift that no money, no favour, and no amount of work can ever purchase. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

3. Salvation is God's own work, NOT ours

Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is "the founder and perfecter of our faith." He was, is, and will always be the One who made the way for us to be saved. He was the one who worked to bring us to salvation (see Ephesians 2:4-7), who works to continually produce the fruits of our salvation in Him (see Philippians 1:11; Galatians 5:22-26), and the one who will bring us to completion (see Philippians 1:6).

Those who trust in their riches to provide all they need to live a godly life (yes, even that) will find that riches aren't even needed to save, to build up in the faith, and to grow in Christ-likeness. All we need is less of us and more of Christ (see John 3:30; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

As already mentioned, it is entirely possible for a rich man to go to heaven. The problem is that a rich man can more easily trust in his own merits or wealth.

What about pastors who are extremely wealthy by collecting tithes from members they'll have easy access to heaven riiight

God loves the poor and blesses the rich - sonoflucifer 2016

Op

U nailed the point on its head...it's simply hard for the rich to enter the kingdom because many fail to see what their money can't buy. Forgetting that man is a spiritual being .. Living inside a physical container called body.. So he BELEIVES more in his needs being met by his money and will vehemently find it hard to believe another him exists whose salvation is by faith ... So he only thinks of the physical and since he sees so many poor but righteous people it's hard convincing him about the kingdom because he believes he's complete

Just like the Pharisees, you claim to know the Word of GOD and you are trying to use the same Word to discourage people from trying to please GOD. "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter". Matthew 23:13

*yawns*

Nowadays, it is even easier for a rich man to enter heaven. A poor man has to dig out money from any means, holy or unholy.

Haahahhaahahahahhahaahhaa


Mumu people too full this life

God looks into the HEART of men.

Op I don't think i understand where this ur post is heading to self. Do you mean both rich and poor will not make heaven?

Op it's by grace not by straight.

.

"One thing I ask from thee oh Lord; make me neither too rich nor too poor. If I'm too rich or too poor I may be tempted to say there is no God".

But before I leave this earth, I want the whole world to know me as the man who has his name on the list of the world richest and in the book ok life. #NothingIsImpossible

BackToLife:
Just like the Pharisees, you claim to know the Word of GOD and you are trying to use the same Word to discourage people from trying to please GOD. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter. Matthew 23:13

Oga Hw is his interpretation wrong?

Condem not lest ye be condemned

All I know it's more difficult for a poor man to make heaven than a rich man!

Why?
=> Poor men are bitter
=> Poor man lives in a diry environment ( cleanliness is next to godliness)
=> A poor man is not humble! Never mistake poverty for humility. Eg Money miss road
=> A poor man naturally wicked! Aluu4
=> A poor man is always vexed


Infact ehh.

The love of money is the root of evil.

A wise rich man can go to heaven easily.

Even solomon with all his wisdom and understanding lost his way so how can these fat preachers presume to tell me their opulent lifestyle ain't affecting their ability to stay holy?


Thus; nobody holy pass

OP you're on point.

jnrbayano:
The love of money is the root of evil.

A wise rich man can go to heaven easily.

Lies! Poverty is the foundation of evil!


Case study... Africa Vs Europe

Listen to my songs at http://my.notjustok.com/p/oracle/

Make i ask ifa more about d subject matter...

I only pray for God's blessinq in my life.. Who God don bless nobdy fit curse




































Heaven is assure

Proverbs 30:7-9

30:7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

30:9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.


I guess this could be one of the reasons
God help us

The kingdom of God is a state of mind that is attained by Christian, muslim, Jews, Bhudist etc. Its a state of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Form become formless and the individual become one with God. In Luke 17:20-22 Jesus says its not by observation but is within you.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things will be added on to you.
Seek first to know that which is within and that which is within will draw that which is without.
so the kingdom of God is for all that seek and ydiscover the truth within, no matter your religious affiliation and societal status. It seems hard because people look without instead of within.

Christians and their pastors disobey jesus's words... As seen here www.nairaland.com/3301555/why-christians-pastors-men-god

they clearly dont believe in him

If you cannot make money here on earth, how are you going to make heaven

My creator is rich, so shall I be. He encourages me to make more money.

Being broke isn't funny.

BackToLife:
Just like the Pharisees, you claim to know the Word of GOD and you are trying to use the same Word to discourage people from trying to please GOD. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter. Matthew 23:13

If this area you quoted is in the bible then then that will my favourites verse for the month of oct. Truey there are demonic people, evil angels like human they are more than 300 million population, their men Bleep boys...fathers Bleep their daughters they dont want to go yet they block way for others

In short one should be an average man