EDITORIAL by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, Cal. · Sep 17, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 36.

EDITORIAL

By Editor

The Root of All Evil

IN his first letter to Timothy Paul says: "Godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1 Tim. 6: 6-10.

Money in and of itself may do neither good nor evil. But when men learn to love money, they are planting within themselves the roots that will bring every other evil in their train.

"One came to Him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why askest thou Me concerning that which is good? One there is who is good: but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions."

"And Jesus said unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and followed Thee; what then shall we have? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life." Matt. 19:16-29.

Connect with the foregoing text the following words of the Messiah: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon." Matt. 6:24. The Twentieth Century New Testament translates this latter clause, "You can not serve both God and Gold."

Evidently the young man was trying to do the impossible thing of serving "both God and Gold." But the Master plainly says that this can not be done. Men have tried it all through the ages. That young man was trying it in Christ's time. But the Master showed that it can not be done. The man who is giving himself to the service of Gold can not realize how far he is missing the standard of character that the Nazarene has set for us. He can not serve the god Gold and be ever grasping for more and more money, and still know how to love his neighbor as himself.

“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Men will take the name of Christ and claim to be Christians. But when at the same time they attempt to become rich and worship at the shrine of Gold, they will find there is danger that they unconsciously set for themselves a different standard from the one that was given by Christ in the Golden Rule. As they see the suffering on every hand, they will find themselves saying that they have no obligation to help certain people, because they are "shiftless" and "lazy." And in this way they soon reach the place where they regard all poor people as worthless, not remembering that Christ Himself has said, "For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always." Matt. 26:11. The Master has left the poor with us as a continual legacy; they are a constant test of character. The rich man has the test ever before him whether he will take an interest in suffering humanity, or whether he will give himself to the service of Gold.

Again the Lord has given us these words: "But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:13, 14. And, showing still further how the poor were neglected in His time, the Master gives to John as one of the strong evidences of His Messiahship that "the poor have the gospel preached to them." Matt. 11:5.

It would never be wise or right for wealthy men and women to hand out money indiscriminately to poor people, for often it would do them more harm than good. But if they would take the same interest in the poor that they now take in their god Gold, they would find that many of them were susceptible of remarkable development. Many poor people have not had the training necessary to give them success; and, furthermore, they are not in a position to get this training, because it does not suggest itself to their minds, and they would not be likely to appreciate the value of it even if some one merely suggested it without opening some way for them to get it.

If ever there was a time in the history of the world when men should heed the instruction that God has given on the subject of wealth, that time is right now. As a general rule, the man who has great wealth is a man of excellent faculties. If he can gather large hoards of gold, he could do other large things, and that, too, for the cause of God and humanity. The world's history fails to furnish a time when there was such a general heaping together of wealth as we find in these days. It is not merely nation-wide, but it is world-wide. And this heaping together of wealth is the

result of a selfishness that is going to make untold perils in this generation. God's Word says of this time: "Know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money." 2 Tim. 3:1, 2. Note that the text says self-love and money-love will make the last days grievous. We see the great amassing of wealth in this time. We see the grievous struggles into which the world is plunging because of it. And we ought to know what it signifies. And instead of giving the precious hours of this time to the mere work of getting money, we ought to be wide-awake to the work of rescuing humanity from the wreck to which this world is surely doomed.

Immediately following the foregoing text quoted from Timothy is this significant utterance, and the Twentieth Century translation is given because of its striking setting forth of the thought that is in the original: "They will love pleasure more than they love God; and while they retain the outward form of religion, they will refuse to allow it to influence them." 2 Tim. 3:4, 5. Thus do we see that the Lord foretells that those who will make the last days grievous because of their love of self and love of money, will also be professors of religion. They will "retain the outward form," but will refuse to allow their religion to influence them. In other words, they fear to meet death without some form of religion; but they are so determined in their pursuit for gold, that their religion is kept where it does not influence them. They actually "refuse" its influence.

Why will men attempt the impossible? Why will they insist on trying to serve both God and Gold? The infinite, the all-powerful Christ, has said that it is impossible. Why not recognize that He knows, and that it is useless to deceive ourselves by trying to deceive Him?

Again let it be said, If ever there was one time more than another when men and women should study what God has said to the rich, that time is right now.