The Service of God and of Mammon by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 7, 1907

The Service of God and of Mammon

By George I. Butler

“Ye can not serve God and Mammon.” Luke 16: 13. Mammon is defined to mean, “Riches; wealth; the god of riches; riches, personified.”—Webster.

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and Mammon.” Riches is defined as, “An abundance of land, goods; money, or other property; wealth; opulence; affluence.”—Webster. “Riches do not consist in having mere gold and silver, but in having more in proportion than our neighbors.”—Locke. It is hoped that these definitions will illuminate the meaning of these scriptures somewhat.

The Saviour declares very positively that we can not serve God and Mammon. We can serve God, and we can serve Mammon; but we can not serve both at the same time. To do so would be as difficult a feat as to ride two horses going in opposite directions. We often hear of famous acrobats doing wonders on the trapeze, or riding two horses at once. But we never heard of one riding two horses going in opposite directions. It is an impossibility. So the Saviour declares regarding the service of God and Mammon at the same time.

What is it to serve God?—It is to love him with all the heart and strength and obey his requirements. What is it to serve Mammon?—It is to love riches and the good things of this world more than we do God. It is covetousness, which the Bible calls idolatry. Col. 3: 5 and Eph. 5: 3-5. Why is loving the world called “idolatry”?—Because the riches and comforts of this world take the place God claims the right to possess in our hearts. He has a right to that place in the hearts of all created intelligences. When the heart is occupied by these other worldly things, we are serving Satan, the god of this world. This is why riches are so very dangerous. Multitudes will be lost because of this great evil. The world has run riot after these worldly things till God has no place in their hearts. Millions of professed Christians are making this mistake, and many Seventh-day Adventists are making this same mistake. The fact that they belong to this people while loving their earthly possessions more than they do God, makes this kind of idolatry no better, but rather the worse. They profess better things. They claim to be looking for the Lord to come. Hence their excuses are the more inexcusable.

In this very connection the Lord tells us how to make such a use of our means as will result in our salvation: “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the Mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” Luke 16: 9-12. The passage immediately following is the text before quoted: “No servant can serve two masters,” etc. Let us carefully consider this language. What is “the unrighteous mammon”?—It is, as we have seen, “riches,” “money,” this world’s treasures, generally used in unrighteous ways,—to cheat, defraud, oppress,—till the heart is corrupted by it. Wealth is very rarely used in a way that God can approve. Countless multitudes will go down to the second death

because they have let riches deceive them to their eternal ruin. By means of this, Satan, the god of this world, deceives poor souls to their ruin. The apostle declares that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (A. R. V., a great improvement over the text in the old version). Hence we see why the Lord calls it “the unrighteous mammon.”

One great lesson taught by this parable is that this life is simply a probation; that is, God gives all a little period in this human life to determine what use we will make of life. And, dear friends, we all are showing by our daily conduct just how we value this precious boon of life. Multitudes throw their lives away on frivolous, butterfly pleasures, living merely for the passing moment, giving no consideration to the final outcome. Others rush into money making, bury themselves in cares and perplexities to amass a great amount of earthly treasures. These nearly always consider this treasure their own, and feel that God has no claims upon them. They stop not to consider that all the cattle upon a thousand hills are God’s. That all the gold and silver are his creation; that their own power to get riches, their eyes, their ears, their minds, are all God’s property. How little consideration do they give the lesson of this parable—that all this means in their possession is loaned them of God, that, by a proper use of it, it may be placed in “bags which wax not old,” and thus transferred to the better land, where they may enjoy it through all eternity. The pearly portals are awaiting their entrance if they make such a use of this mammon as will show that they regard it as a loan from God. Then God will say to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and the glorious gift, a free gift from God, eternal in its nature, will be bestowed.

So the unrighteous mammon will become a great helper to the eternal reward. This is the important lesson of the parable. The covetous Pharisees derided Christ for making these statements. Then the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was spoken for their special benefit. The two extremes were selected—Dives and Lazarus. The rich man had everything he could desire. The poor man was an afflicted beggar, receiving only the crumbs from the rich man’s table, like the waiting curs. Both died. The poor man was honored, the rich man punished. In his suffering he is represented as pleading for a relief for his sufferings. Note the reply of Father Abraham: “Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.” Now the process is reversed, and the rich man’s punishment comes for using his wealth for merely his own comfort. What a lesson is this! Multitudes are imitating Dives, yea, many Seventh-day Adventists. Dear wealthy brother, have you stopped to consider this lesson? Wealth brings great responsibility. There must be a recognition of the Giver. We must use our wealth as Christ used his. God’s special cause is to-day the thing in which all heaven is interested.

A solemn call is made for $150,000 to help where help is greatly needed. It is necessary in order that the cause of God shall be built up. Destitute fields are in great need. The cause is being hindered because of the lack of means. Upon whom does the responsibility belong for this hindrance of the cause?—Surely upon those who have means in their hands and will not use it to make the cause prosper. The Lord has declared that the money hoarded that was needed by his cause will burn the flesh of its possessor like fire in the great day. My wealthy brother, your only safety is to use your means to help the needy and the cause of God for this time.

GEO. I. BUTLER.