LOVE OF MONEY
I am privileged to publish a series by Bud Hancock about the Love of Money. We shall spread this series over a few weeks. It is most helpful and draws on Bud’s many years of life experience and his in depth Bible study.
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
The Love of Money – Part One
By Bud Hancock
Introduction
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary provides multiple definitions of the word ‘money’, but two are the most commonly used: a) something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: such as officially coined or stamped metal currency or paper money, and b) a form or denomination of coin or paper money.
In the King James Bible, the word ‘money’ is used at least 140 times, while gold, a synonym for money is used 417 times and silver is directly referenced 320 times. Based on these numbers, it would seem that the subject of money, especially what God calls money, is very important to Him.
The Apostle Paul wrote many letters that eventually became foundational Christian teachings in the New Testament. Some were letters written to groups of believers, such as the churches at Galatia, Philippi, Colossae, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus. etc. Others were penned as his personal instruction, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to individuals who were close to Paul, and who were very helpful to, and supportive of, his ministry. Two of my favorite Pauline letters are those written to Timothy, a man whom Paul called ‘his son in the faith’. This essay is an attempt to add clarity to Paul’s instruction that dealt with ‘The Love of Money’ as it relates to believers in general, and to those who hold positions of authority in the Body of Christ, in particular. Timothy, who later became the Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, was one of those in authority.
What IS Money?
Historically, money was a synonym for gold and silver, and not, as the dictionary states, the other way around. Even though ‘paper currency’ used as money has been around since first introduced by the Chinese in the Song Dynasty period in the 11th century, it took many more centuries for it to actually replace what God considers to be money. One big difference between these early paper notes and the currency in use by the world’s governments today? Those early paper notes were actually ‘backed by’ silver or gold, the only true money according to God’s word.
Since the early times of the United States existence, all United States currency was backed by either gold or silver, but since President Nixon took the United States off the gold standard in 1971, all US currency notes have that statement removed and in essence made them into ‘worthless fiat currency’, itself having no inherent value, and seldom backed by anything other than a government edict that it must be accepted as money.
Many years ago, our US currency stated in plain view on the notes: “PAYABLE TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND” (in silver or gold), meaning that one could enter a bank and demand that the note be replaced with an equivalent amount of either silver or gold as represented by the value printed on the note. At that time, our US currency was a form of ‘real money’ since it could be exchanged for gold or silver on demand. However, when the Federal Reserve removed those words and replaced them with “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE” all such notes, known as Federal Reserve Notes, became ‘fiat currency’ that, in and of itself, has absolutely no intrinsic value, but was to be considered ‘money’ based on the government declaring it to be so.
You cannot make beautiful jewelry from paper, nor a candlestick used in temple worship, nor a goblet from which to drink, nor can it be used to replace silver and gold in electronics and electromechanical applications. Paper is only ‘accepted as money’ because those who accept it and use it believe it is ‘backed by something that actually HAS intrinsic value’, like gold and/or silver, when actually it is backed only by ‘the full faith and credit of the United States Government’, which, if the US had a public ‘credit rating’ as do most individual citizens, it would be deeply in the negative. Anything needing its financial value placed on the viability of the United States Treasury is, in and of itself, a joke.
Why was paper/fiat currency introduced? It was easier to store than coins, lighter and easier to carry, but as said before, it had no value other that what the user and acceptor placed on it. A person taking it in exchange for something of real value, a known commodity, believed that eventually, it could be exchanged again with another person to get the same value as was placed on it in the original exchange.
Most nations of the world no longer use gold or silver coins as currency, or money, nor do they use such to provide a ‘value’ that backs the fiat currency they issue. It takes a certain amount of faith, or possibly gullibility, to believe in fiat currency as a legitimate means of exchange, but that is currently how the financial world works.
Gods’ Word and Authority
The Holy Bible is many things to many people, but in order for this essay to have value, one must understand and accept what the Bible is and the authority it has, or SHOULD have, in the heart of the believer.
While some believe it is only a collection of ‘religious stories’, not to be taken literally, others, such as myself, believe it is the unchangeable Word of the Eternal Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the actual Word of God, delivered to various people and faithfully recorded by them throughout history as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It IS the Word of a loving God and Father, intended to show His true nature to all men and is His means to deliver messages that He wants man to hear, receive and act upon.
Before Money was Invented or Even Needed
From the very beginning, in the Book of Genesis, when God created man in His own image and after His own likeness (Genesis 1:27), He provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed to live and prosper. God placed his man in a garden which he had planted especially for him, expecting him only to dress and keep it (Genesis 2:15). Their food was ready to be picked from trees whose fruit provided perfect nutrition; God created them specifically for His man, so the man didn’t even need to break the ground and place a seed in it to get his food (Genesis 2:9).
Shortly after they were created, God gave Adam and Eve His ‘rules to live by’ and fully expected their obedience to them all. One very specific rule concerned the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was among all the other trees in the garden. They were told that they could freely eat of every tree in the garden except that one (Genesis 2:16-17). God’s edict was that they would ‘surely die’ if they ate the forbidden fruit.
Knowing God as personally as they did, obedience should have been an easy thing for them, but, in a short time, when Eve was approached by the serpent, who had given his body over to Satan to be used, the serpent questioned God’s Words about the command to avoid eating the forbidden fruit and made the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil appear to be very desirable. In a short time, Eve succumbed to the wiles of the serpent’s deception and lies, disobeyed God’s rules, and ate of the forbidden fruit; she then persuaded Adam to eat as well.
The deception that Satan used to bring about man’s fall from grace? He simply told them that, if they ate of the fruit that God had commanded them NOT to eat, their eyes would be opened and they would be like gods, knowing good and evil. Knowing God so personally, and having experienced His Father-like love for them, they should have ignored anyone questioning God, but their intimate knowledge of the creative power of God made the temptation to experience that same power too much for them; they both disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. Their evil desire for ‘power’ became the downfall of the entire human race.
Since that day, mankind has been subject to the same lies and deception of Satan that caused the fall of Adam and Eve—the desire for the power that comes from ‘being like gods’. However, for Adam and Eve, the result was not exactly what they expected. They saw their own nakedness and were ashamed and afraid, and hid from God when He came down to fellowship with them. When their ‘eyes were opened’, and they ‘knew good and evil’, they immediately became afraid and so, as a result of their disobedience and failure, fear entered the human realm. After hearing their confession of disobedience, with each of them trying to lay the blame for their deed on someone else, (Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent) God delivered His pronouncement of the punishment for their disobedience. Nothing would ever be the same for them, and indeed has not been the same since for any of us. Sin, or ‘disobedience’, always brings conviction, judgment, punishment and sorrow.
As a result of their failure, God judged their sin of disobedience, and the curse, which is ‘The Law of Sin and Death’, the curse that God had warned them about, became activated. With one decision, they both went from a life of absolute ease and blessing to a life of toil, sweat and eventually, death. As a part of the curse, God told Adam, recorded in Genesis 3:17(b)-19: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
God then pronounced their punishment, and He drove the man out of the garden and placed guards at the entrance in order to keep them out. There are those who cite this act as a sign only of God’s judgment; however, it is truly an indication of His mercy since He desired to keep them from accessing the tree of life and living forever in a sinful, fallen and spiritually dead state. His plan was to provide salvation from the curse, in His own perfect time, by sending the promised Messiah (Genesis 3:15).
When God delivered His judgment it immediately became Law (His Word on the matter), not just for Adam and Eve, but for the entire human race that was still inside of them. In case you haven’t noticed, God does NOT change His Word; from the moment this Law came into being until this present day, the curse demands that man eat his food as a result of hard work, with much sweat and toil. Throughout the ages, man has worked diligently to find ways around that curse. Some seem even to have succeeded and have spent their lives in relative luxury, by deceit or by stealing the food, money, or other resources from their fellow men. But God ALWAYS has the final word. It is recorded in Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Blessings
Born and raised in a small textile town in North Carolina, Bud Hancock’s family moved to Michigan in the hope of finding better employment with General Motors. After graduating from high school, Bud began an apprenticeship with General Motors to become a Metal Modelmaker. Retiring after a 30 year career, which included an eight year stint as a Meteorologist, he and his wife moved back to North Carolina to be near his elderly parents. Shortly thereafter, with both of his parents having passed, he started a new career in the bank security/ATM business, advancing from an entry level technician to one of two North Carolina customer service managers for his employer. Retiring again after 13 years, he and his wife of 51 years relocated to Tennessee where Bud began writing articles specializing in Bible teaching and geopolitical issues. At age 75, he and his wife relocated to South Carolina with their Miniature Schnauzer, Baxter. Bud continues to study God’s word and write articles on Christian living and geopolitical issues from the Biblical end times perspective