From: rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Rich men and Heaven
Date: 3 Sep 92 14:31:54 GMT
Organization: CERL-EE, Georgia Institue of Technology

In article <ksand-010992182825@wintermute.apple.com> ksand@apple.com (Kent Sandvik) writes:
|Here's the full cite from Matthew about rich men and heaven:

The request I had was for a cite of a person gaining entrance into
heaven by selling all of his goods.  This cite is a case in point of 
a man not selling his goods - and Jesus saying with man it is 
impossible to enter heaven, but with God all things are possible.
This, I believe, is effectively the statement in Eph 2:8-9 that
salvation is a gift of God and is by faith NOT WORKS, so NO MAN can boast.

|MAT 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from
|my youth up: what lack I yet?
|MAT 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that
|thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
|and come and follow me.
|MAT 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away
|sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
|MAT 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That
|a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
|MAT 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through
|the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
|MAT 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed,
|saying, Who then can be saved?
|MAT 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
|impossible; but with God all things are possible.
|
|So, what do we learn. Rich men will hardly enter into the kingdom of
|heaven.

hardly or hard, but impossible for man, but possible with God.

|And that it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle,
|than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And that the young
|man  went away sorrowful, because he didn't want to sell all he had
|and gave it to the poor.

Again, as I pointed out, this is not an example of one who gained entrance
into heaven by selling his stuff.

If you note the reward for this man for selling his stuff in verse 21, 
you will see that this will lay up treasure in heaven - one might ask
was is treasure in heaven.  BUT NOTE THE REST OF IT, it says "COME AND
FOLLOW ME"

|Which leads to the really insane (in my humble opinion) statement
|that with God all things are impossible equals God allows suddenly rich men
|into heaven. It would destroy all the statements Jesus did earlier.

I think Kent mistype "impossible" for "possible", so on that assumption,
I can understand this paragraph. [I've asked him privately for clarification.]
However, I don't see how this SUDDENLY changed anything nor how it
destroyed Jesus' earlier statements.  Remeber, Jesus said come and
follow me - not only did the man not sell his stuff he didn't follow Jesus.

|I'm still amazed that the fundamentalist Christians don't sell all
|their belongings, give it to the poor, and  follow Jesus. In other
|words they don't follow the advice of their religious leader.

Would it gain favor in your sight if we did sell all of our stuff or
would you find another problem with us?

|Or I would assume "they would go away sorrowful: for they have 
|great possessions".

We are strongly warned about making money our god - we are not to serve
it, but that doesn't mean we aren't to have any, does it?

|Kent

For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Pitts
-- 
rpitts@cerl.gatech.edu       |    
Atlanta, GA                --|-- 
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Xref: sparky talk.religion.misc:15073 alt.atheism:16056