Does that mean God wants me to be poor on earth to make heaven?


Bible demonstrates that God cares about the poor and about how they are treated. It is also clear that
Scripture warns of the dangers of wealth and has harsh
things to say about the rich.
To pick just a few examples from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus
tells us: “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven;” “Woe to you who are rich, for you have already
received your comfort;” “Sell everything you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;” “It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” [1]
Jesus even tells us that in the end, we will be judged on
how we treat those who are poor and powerless (Matt.
26:31-46).
Should we conclude from this that God is on the side of the
poor and opposes the rich? This is a tempting conclusion and one that is endorsed by some very prominent people in the Church, but is it supported by a careful reading of Scripture?

Causes of poverty
While it is certainly true that poverty can be the result of
injustice or oppression, it is not always. Proverbs, for
example, is full of advice about the importance of diligence
in our work, and warns that laziness leads to poverty.
The Bible also warns about the danger of some temptations
that are particularly important for the poor. The most
obvious of these is theft to get food. This can be extended
very easily to other types of criminal behavior motivated by
the need or desire for money, including gang related
activities, drug dealing, etc.
This in turn points to the reality of 1 Tim. 6:9-10: “But
those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a
snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge
people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a
root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that
some have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves
with many pangs.”
The root of evil
These verses are frequently associated with those who are
already rich , but that is not the group being addressed. It
is those who desire wealth, and specifically those who are
not yet rich, that are being cautioned here. This is an
important reminder that greed and worship of money is not
a vice peculiar to the rich. In fact, the people I know who
are most obsessed with money are not the wealthy but those who have to struggle to get by.
Envy of the rich is another sin that Scripture warns
against (e.g. Ps. 73). This ties in directly to the tenth
commandment against coveting your neighbor’s possessions.
The classical definition of envy is the desire to tear down
anyone who is ahead of you, to take away what is theirs
because they have more than you. Whether you cloak this in
the language of “fairness” or “income redistribution,” envy and covetousness remain sins.
The point is that poverty is not intrinsically virtuous, and
that there are some sins to which the poor are particularly
susceptible.
Blessed are the poor – and the rich
So why are the poor described as blessed? The issue isn’t
poverty per se, but rather the attitude of humility and
reliance on God that it can produce in us, which is why
Matthew’s version of the beatitude isn’t just “Blessed are
the poor,” but “Blessed are the poor in spirit .” Reliance on
personal wealth or government help (Ps. 146, esp. vs. 3-4,
7-10) for security is foolish, because they do not last.
Rather, we need to place our hope in God alone.
What about the rich? Although Scripture has some very
harsh things to say about the wealthy, this does not mean
that all of them are evil or under divine judgment.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job were rich and yet were also
approved by God. Just as poverty doesn’t guarantee virtue,
wealth does not guarantee vice.
Scripture also tells us that God gives us the power to make
wealth, and that he delights in the prosperity of his
servants (Ps. 35:27)—which includes material prosperity
(Deut. 28:11-13). So it is clear that wealth is not
necessarily evil.
Why, then, the condemnations of the rich in Scripture?
God’s real concern
The issue isn’t really wealth or poverty. Lev. 19:15 tells us
“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial
to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall
you judge your neighbor.” God’s concern is for
righteousness and justice , but notice that justice does not
mean being partial to the poor, contrary to what many
social justice advocates argue. Justice means judging fairly according to the Law and on the basis of truth without regard to social class.
And this is precisely why the rich are so often condemned in
Scripture. In a fallen world, the rich and powerful have
historically taken advantage of their position to increase
their privileges at the expense of the poor and weak—the
widows, orphans and foreigners that are under special
protection in the Law because of their vulnerability.
A careful reading of the texts attacking the rich
demonstrates that the condemnations are almost inevitably connected to one of two things: first, either how they made their wealth, for example by defrauding their workers of their pay (e.g. James 5:4), denying justice to the poor (e.g. Amos 2:6-7), or taking the property of the powerless (e.g. Matt. 23:14); or second, how they use their wealth, for example by giving themselves over to luxurious living and ignoring the needs of the poor (e.g. Amos 6:1-7, Luke 16:19-31, James 5:5).
To put it differently, the rich are not always oppressors,
but oppressors are almost always rich . And that is why they incur the condemnations they do in Scripture.
The rich can also fall into other traps, particularly by
relying on wealth for their security rather than on God
(e.g. Ps. 52:7), which in turn leads very easily to
presumption, as if they were in control of their destiny
rather than God (Luke 12:16-21). This is exactly the
opposite attitude of the poor in spirit, whom Jesus blesses.
And, of course, the rich can be just as greedy and enslaved
to money as anyone else.
Money doesn’t create these problems. Rather, it reveals
what’s inside us and magnifies our character for good or
for ill. And for too many in our fallen world, it’s for ill.
To whom much is given, much is required. God expects those
He enables to make wealth to use it appropriately and in
particular to share with those in need. At the same time,
however, Scripture also gives important instructions on how we should discharge our responsibilities to the poor.

So in conclusion God wants us to be rich and wealthy and it has nothing to do with heaven, you can be rich and make heaven, just that Jesus said it's very hard for a rich man to enter into heaven

oluwatunde1984:
∆ Does that mean God wants me to be poor on earth to make heaven? .....
∆ So in conclusion God wants us to be rich and wealthy and it has nothing to do with heaven, you can be rich and make heaven, just that Jesus said it's very hard for a rich man to enter into heaven

1. If you wish to make it into the Kingdom of God through the Narrow gate that leads to True Life, then yes, you must sell everything you have and give it to the poor in order to make it in otherwise, you will only enter through the Broad gate which leads to destruction aka Eternal Damnation.

2.This conclusion is ofcourse wrong given that Jesus Christ said that it will be impossible for a rich man -- man whose treasures are here on earth -- to enter into Heaven.

Kobojunkie:
1. If you wish to make it into the Kingdom of God through the Narrow gate that leads to True Life, then yes, you must sell everything you have and give it to the poor in order to make it in otherwise, you will only enter through the Broad gate which leads to destruction aka Eternal Damnation.

2.This conclusion is ofcourse wrong given that Jesus Christ said that it will be impossible for a rich man -- man whose treasures are here on earth -- to enter into Heaven.

Satan, the bible Said "poor in spirit" and not just poor.

oluwatunde1984:
Should we conclude from this that God is on the side of the
poor and opposes the rich? This is a tempting conclusion and one that is endorsed by some very prominent people in the Church, but is it supported by a careful reading of Scripture?

God's mandate to men has always been obedience to His Law. So, whether you are poor or rich on earth does not matter at all. What matters is that you obey God's Law, and according to the Law, Jesus Christ, it is those who are poor in Spirit — Jesus Christ is the Law of Spirit and all those who seek Him must do so in Spirit and Truth. In Matthew 13 vs 44-46, Jesus Christ likened Heaven to treasures that can only be bought by selling all of one's possessions on this earth.

44 “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.
45 “Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it. - Matthew 13 vs 44 - 46

And then in Matthew 19, Jesus Christ explained how it would be impossible for a rich man to enter into Heaven with his riches of course.

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all that you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me!”
22 But when the young man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he left.
23 Then Jesus said to his followers, “The truth is, it will be very hard for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.
24 Yes, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.” - Matthew 19 vs 21 - 24