The Dangers Of Riches
THE DANGERS OF RICHES
JAMES 5:1-6
How caught up are you in materialism?
It is clear that in the church with which James was concerned there were problems created by the activities of the wealthy. James had occasion earlier in the letter to rebuke a wrong use of riches. As he returns to the theme, we should not think that this is an obsession with something that does not matter or does not matter greatly. Through all the centuries of the church’s existence it has been the case that many whose faith stood firm in the days of doubt and difficulty have not been able to withstand affluence. The Christian life is always a battle and this is clear to the poor. But for the rich some of the struggle has been taken out of life and it is easy for them to lose their grip on spiritual realities. The possession of some affluence all too often leads to a strong desire for greater affluence and so to that love of money which is the root of every kind of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
James clearly has in mind at this point some rich people who had engaged in oppressing the poor. He is not talking about riches in general, but about those known to him and his readers who had defrauded their laborers (5:4). This is a good example of the kind of temptation to which the rich are exposed and which does not confront the poor to the same degree. The rich in their desire to be even richer may press on without regard to the rights of others. When this happens, their riches may be said to have “rotted” and the like (5:2f.). Incidentally, when James speaks of gold and silver as having “rusted” (5:3) this should not be taken as evidence of ignorance of the properties of precious metals. James is not speaking about physical and chemical properties. He is referring to the fact that wealth obtained by improper means does not ultimately last. The rich, like all people, will stand before God’s judgment, and their riches will then be found worthless. There may also be the thought that these riches are tarnished.
James is giving a serious and very vigorous warning. No one can use their wealth to the detriment of others and expect to get away with it when they stand before God. An affluent generation does well to heed the warning.