Scripture identifies Satan as “the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) and the “father of lies” (John 8:44). He “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:4).
As a master deceiver, Satan often mixes truth with error to fool the unsuspecting.
Recall that, of the four specific claims he made to Eve, only one was a lie, namely, “You surely will not die!” (Gen. 3:4). That lie was followed by three truthful claims: “God knows that in the day you eat from it [1] your eyes will be opened, [2] and you will be like God, [3] knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). When the first couple ate the forbidden fruit, Scripture says, [1] “the eyes of both of them were opened” (Gen. 3:7) and God said, [2] “the man has become like one of Us, [3] knowing good and evil (3:22). One lie. Three truths.
If someone wanted to poison a dog, he wouldn’t feed the dog poison. He would sprinkle some poison on a piece of meat. And that is how the devil operates. He mixes error with truth to fool the ignorant.
The devil has done that with the gospel itself, proffering good news that is clothed in biblical truth but counterfeit at its core.
For example, although it can be correctly said that anyone can enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus so that He becomes their friend, brother, shepherd, and savior, all of those wonderful relationships hinge, not on “accepting Him, but on first submitting to Him as Lord.
Recall that Jesus said to His disciples, “You are My friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14, emphasis added).
Remember that He defined His brothers as “whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 12:50, emphasis added).
Also remember that, as the “good Shepherd” (John 10:11), He defined His sheep as those who hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27, emphasis added). They ignore other voices that beckon (John 10:5).
Finally, although Jesus was once referenced by Paul as being “the Savior of all men, especially of believers” (1 Tim. 4:10), Paul[1] also wrote that Jesus “became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9, emphasis added). To unbelievers, Jesus is a temporary potential Savior, having died for their sins, but to those who obey Him as Lord—a sure sign of their genuine faith—He is their eternal Savior. As John wrote, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36, emphasis added).
Other biblical relationships with Jesus could also be cited that similarly hinge on relating to Him first as Lord. He told us that we cannot even rightly claim that we love Him unless we keep His commandments:
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me… If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word (John 14:15, 21, 23).
This, fundamentally, is why you won’t read in the New Testament about anyone “accepting Jesus.” That phrase does not describe a relationship with Jesus that is biblical. As I pointed out in our second lesson, Jesus was not looking for “accepters.” He was looking for “followers,” that is, those who will do what He says. And He doesn’t need our acceptance. We need His acceptance. That is gained by repentance and faith in Him, and obedience naturally follows.
Similarly, the idea of “falling in love with Jesus,” popularized in some Christian songs, is flawed at best and degrading to Him at worst. Our love for Him is not romantic, like we might feel for a member of the opposite sex, but obedient and self-denying, like we might possess for a benevolent king. It is also loyal and undivided, which is why Jesus declared that it is impossible to serve God and wealth (Matt. 6:24). He made it clear that the heart that loves God cannot be a heart that loves money. Thus, genuine love for God results in obedient stewardship.
All of this is to say, beware of counterfeit, satanic gospels. If you’ve been paying attention, I’ve been warning about that in every lesson.
What About Greed and Covetousness?
Satan has similarly succeeded at annulling the New Testament’s solemn warnings against greed and covetousness by proffering vague, counterfeit definitions of both, reducing them to nothing more than hidden, inward attitudes that cannot be judged, not only in others, but also in ourselves.
Paul warned that no “covetous man…has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:5). That sounds serious, and it moves us to ask ourselves, “Am I covetous?” But, because covetousness is vaguely defined as “having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else,” it is easy for us to appraise ourselves wrongly. Who determines at what point desire to possess something belonging to someone else advances from “not great” to “great,” at which point the sin of covetousness is committed?
Greed is similarly vaguely defined as, “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” Again, who determines at what point desire becomes intense and selfish enough to qualify as greed?
The truth is, those two words, as they are used in the New Testament, are not so vague. In order to understand their meaning, we first need to do a quick dive into the Greek.
The Greek adjective pleonektes is translated “covetous” all four times it is found in the NASB New Testament (1 Cor. 5:10, 11; 6:10; Eph. 5:5).
The Greek noun pleonexia is translated “greed” or “greediness” the majority of times it is found in the NASB New Testament (Luke 12:15; Rom. 1:29; Eph. 4:19; 5:3; Col. 3:5; 1 Thes. 2:5; 2 Pet. 2:3, 14).
Obviously, the root of those two Greek words is the same. They both begin with pleone. In fact, both words are used synonymously in Ephesians 5:3-5:
But immorality or any impurity or greed [pleonexia] must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous [pleonektes] man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
The NASB translators of Ephesians 5:3-5 could just as well have translated the adjective pleonektes as “greedy” instead of “covetous” and translated the noun pleonexia as “covetousness” rather than “greed.” It is thus safe to say, at least in regard to how the words greed and covetousness are used in the NASB, that they mean essentially the same thing. We can therefore be certain that no greedy or covetous person “has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:5).
Heart Attitudes Only?
One thing that is crystal clear from the New Testament is that biblical greed and covetousness are not just purely wrong attitudes of the heart. They are wrong heart attitudes, but they are always expressed by actions. They cannot be hidden. And we can, therefore, judge our guilt or innocence of greed/covetousness simply by looking at our actions rather than guessing about our hearts.
In this respect, greed/covetousness is similar to love. Everyone agrees that love in one’s heart manifests itself by acts of love. So much so that we judge a person’s love for us by their actions. Love of God is also revealed by our actions. And so is the love of money.
When Paul enumerated character traits that are required of church overseers, he declared that they must be “free from the love of money” (1 Tim. 3:3). Clearly, Paul believed that “love of money” was not just a hidden attitude of the heart, but one that was manifested by observable actions, otherwise, how could potential candidates for church leadership be judged as being qualified or disqualified?
If a man in the early church, for example, was involved in dishonest business dealings, that would disqualify him to serve as a church overseer. He was breaking one of God’s commandments to obtain money, proving that he loved money more than God. Similarly, if a man in the early church did not share his wealth with those in the church who were among the “least of these,” that would also disqualify him from church leadership, as he had proven himself to be a lover of money rather than a lover of God.
Paul similarly told the Corinthian believers not to eat with greedy/covetous people who professed to be Christians:
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous [pleonektes] and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous [pleonektes], or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges (1 Cor. 5:9-13).
If greed/covetousness was purely a hidden attitude of the heart, how could the Corinthian believers know who to avoid? So, the love of money, greed and covetousness (all the same, biblically) can all be judged by outward actions, in ourselves and others.
All of this is to say, we don’t need to wonder if our inward selfish desires have grown “great” or “intense” enough to have crossed a threshold into greed or covetousness. We only need to appraise our actions in light of God’s commandments regarding money and possessions. If we do, that also ensures that we won’t fool ourselves into thinking we are innocent when we are actually guilty.
Greed/Covetousness Stalks Believers
Recall Jesus’ words to the crowds when He was once asked to be arbiter regarding a family inheritance: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed” (Luke 12:15). Living in the last days as we are, a time Paul foretold when people will be “lovers of money” (2 Tim. 3:2), we must all beware of greed’s lure. It stalks us, attempting to persuade us that “life consists of possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Paul similarly warned Timothy that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,” and that “some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:10, emphasis added). Jesus also warned His followers about “the deceitfulness of riches” that, like weeds, can “choke the word” that was once believed, resulting in unfruitfulness.
To those of us who know that “unconditional eternal security” is a myth, those warnings are especially solemn. If no covetous/greedy person will inherit God’s kingdom as Paul warned (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:3-5), and if Christians can succumb to covetousness/greed as Paul also warned (Col. 3:5; Heb. 13:5), then ultimate salvation can be forfeited. It should be obvious that free moral agents can switch from loving God to loving money, Judas being perhaps the prime example. A man named Demas, who was for some time a member of Paul’s traveling missionary band (Col. 4:14; Philem. 24) later abandoned the apostle, “having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). It seems reasonable to think that Demas may have succumbed to greed.
To persecuted Jewish believers who had “accepted joyfully the seizure of [their] property, knowing that [they had] for [themselves] a better possession and a lasting one” (Heb. 10:34), Paul[2] wrote, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). Their temptation was to revert to Judaism to escape their economic persecution, choosing wealth over Christ. Had they yielded, it would have been a form of greed. Contentment was their key to victory and ultimate salvation.
The Most Common Form of Greed
Although the temptation exists for all Christians to gain wealth in ways that transgress God’s commandments, the more common form of greed found in many professing Christian circles revolves around how their wealth is used. Very little ends up serving the “least of these.”
This is not to say that giving isn’t being emphasized by churches and Christian ministries. In some, giving is a major emphasis. The focus, however, is on giving to the church or ministry. Is that biblical?
I have a friend who once surveyed the entire New Testament on the subject of money and giving. He found 545 related verses. 119 of them dealt with general stewardship principles and did not touch on any specific purpose for giving. The remaining 426 did touch on specific purposes for giving, and they all fell into one of three categories:
• 281 verses (66%) pertained to financially aiding poor, suffering, and persecuted Christians (not the needy in general).
• 88 verses (21%) pertained to financially aiding “the poor” (without distinction between Christians and non-Christians).
• 57 verses (13%) pertained to financially supporting missionaries (like Paul) and other gospel workers such as pastors and elders.
The conclusion? All the giving in the early church aided the poor or supported ministers and their ministry expenses. How does that compare to the modern church model of giving? How does that compare to your giving?
Counterfeit Giving
This brings me to the third, and final, “counterfeit creed” I wanted to expose in this lesson. When you compare giving to one’s church with giving to the “least of these,” you begin to realize that “giving” to one’s church doesn’t look much like giving at all. The large majority of what is “given” benefits the givers. The money they “give” is used to pay the mortgage, utilities, salaries and perhaps snow removal from the parking lot. It all benefits them. That is very much like paying membership fees. When people pay membership fees to their country club or gym, is that considered “charitable giving”?
“But my church gives 10% of all its income to missionaries! And 1% of its income is used to help struggling church families!”
That is good that 11% of what you give to your church does not directly benefit you. But what about the other 89%? And does any of that 11% reach the “least of these”?
If we strictly take only what the New Testament teaches, the means of storing up treasure in heaven is giving to the poor (Matt. 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 12:33; 18:22) and to God-called, fruitful ministers (see Phil. 4:10-19, particularly v. 17). So, the 10% of what your church gives to missionaries is likely treasure being stored up in heaven for you. The 1% that is passed on to struggling church families may also be heavenly treasure if those struggling families are poor by biblical definition, lacking basic necessities. But wouldn’t it be a shock to have faithfully paid your tithes to your local church all of your Christian life, only to discover when you enter heaven that 89% of what you gave resulted in no treasure there?[3]
“But doesn’t the book of Malachi teach that we should ‘bring all of our tithes into the storehouse,’ and isn’t the local church the new covenant equivalent of the old covenant storehouse?”
The idea that the local church is equivalent to the old covenant tabernacle/temple storehouse for Israel’s tithes is nothing more than a myth, pulled from thin air, that has no biblical basis whatsoever. Any pastor who says otherwise is dishonestly using God’s Word to gain money for his ministry and himself, which could be a form of greed, and even one that robs the poor.
Any pastor who similarly twists God’s Word to separate tithing from giving to the poor, saying, for example, “All of your tithes belong to the local church, and if you desire, you can give offerings beyond your tithes to other ministries and the poor,” is also dishonest. Under the Mosaic Law, it is indisputable that a portion of everyone’s tithes benefitted the poor:
At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do (Deut. 14:28-29).
When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. You shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments. (Deut. 26:12-13).
I am persuaded that every Christian, other than those among the “least of these,” should tithe, giving at least 10% of their income in a way that it does not directly benefit them (at least on earth). I understand, of course, that tithing is not mentioned as a Christian obligation in the New Testament epistles, and that it is primarily associated with the Mosaic Law. That being said, Abraham tithed long before the giving of the Mosaic Law, and Jesus did endorse tithing as a minor commandment (Gen. 14:20; Matt. 23:23). There is also no doubt that Jesus practiced tithing (at minimum) all of His earthly life. Putting all of that together, who could argue that tithing is not a good and biblical starting place for those who see themselves as stewards of the Lord’s money?
How tragic it is that tithing is so frequently preached from church pulpits while caring for the “least of these” is never mentioned, even in churches where the congregations unwittingly pray for the “least of these” every Sunday. “How so?” you ask?
Every time a congregation prays in unison, “Give us this day our daily bread,” they should realize that they are not praying for themselves, as they all generally have enough food at home to last them for weeks. Their prayer is not really relevant for them, but only for those in the body of Christ around the world who literally lack enough food for the day. They are among the “least of these” of whom Jesus will one day say to all of us either, “I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat” or, “I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat” (Matt. 25:35, 42).
Think about it: If Jesus had included a sentence in the Lord’s Prayer that said, “Give us safe water today so that our children don’t die of cholera,” would any of us have thought we were making that request for ourselves?
The All-Important Questions: Have I been fooled by a false gospel that offers temporal and eternal benefits apart from relating to Jesus as my Lord? Have I fooled myself that there is no greed in my heart when in fact my actions say otherwise, specifically in how I gain and utilize money in light of God’s commandments? Have all, or part, of what I have considered to be “giving” actually been giving to myself and loved ones?
[1] Presuming Paul authored the book of Hebrews.
[2] Assuming Paul wrote the book of Hebrews.
[3] I am not advocating that Christians should not financially support their churches. If they are benefiting by the services and ministries offered by their churches, they should of course financially support their church.
