IS POVERTY A SIGN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

 I’m taking a dive into this issue that have kept many Christians in the corner for a long time. Many believers seem to be comfortable with this notion that if righteousness should be defined it must be view from the context of poverty. They have a bible story to illustrate this fact in the book of Matthew 19: 16-22.

That is the story of the rich young man and his encounter with Jesus. According to the bible passage Jesus had told the young man that if he desire to make heaven he should go and sell off his possession, give the proceeds to the poor and then come and follow him. The early Christians believed much about this subject until some few century ago when a whole new idea of prosperity gospel came on board.

Though there are various schools of thoughts as whether a born again Christian should be rich or poor, the Bible definitely is not silent about it. From the book of Genesis to Revelation there is no account of where a man was rejected from the presence of God because he was rich. The case of Lazarus and the rich man was only about service and good work. Neither is there a place in the scripture where God allowed a person into heaven because of his poverty.

Poverty by simple understanding is a state of lack of a man’s need. The inability to cloth, eat, house or get medical attention. A man is usually referred to as poor when he cannot provide for himself or his immediate family.

On the other hand, righteousness is a state of living a holy life. This is a position of living a life without sin, always doing what is right and just before God. The Bible says without righteousness no man can see God, Hebrew 12: 14.

So looking at the two issues it is therefore important to create some kind of understandings. First, being poor, what does it potent for a person? Some people may say it can lead to humility. That may be true to an extent. But again we have seen a lot of people who are poor, yet they are very hostile. In fact, many heinous evils have been committed by this kind of people. Over and over again they have attributed their crimes to the fact that they were poor. So poverty has nothing to do with doing what is right or making someone to be righteous.

Another issue about poverty is that in most cases, according to some views, it leads people to Christ. Such theory has not only beat my imagination but I cannot really make up how this could be possible.

For one, a poor man who has no food to eat is often hungry. And we all know that a hungry man is an angry person. If being poor is an easy way to get born again then the power of God for salvation will be of no effect. In fact, no need of craving to be saved, all that is needed is to go poor and enter the kingdom of God.

Then the issue of righteousness. For a long time righteousness is viewed as something that is practically impossible here on earth. But this is not true. In spite of the challenges here and there the grace of God is given to those who desire for it. It doesn’t matter who is involved. It has nothing to do with whether the person is rich or poor, black or white, educated or illiterate, small or big. Righteousness is for everyone.

Therefore one should not seek for poverty just to prove he is righteous. Or view his poverty level as a sign of being righteous before God. If a poor man dies without Christ, he goes to hell. And if a rich man dies without Christ he end up in hell. The only thing here is that as a Christian you must learn to live above poverty level. You are saved and heaven-bound, not necessarily because you are poor but because you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.