Will The Rich Go To Heaven?

Will the rich go to heaven if the Bible says its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God?

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”(Matt 19:24)

This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. First of all, this verse is not talking about heaven, because the Bible tells us that every person who believes in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will go to heaven.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Therefore the reference of the rich person’s difficulty of entering the kingdom of God is actually describing the difficulty of the wealthy to be fully submitted to God which opens the door to His earthly Kingdom.

If we have everything we could ever want and are self reliant, we may feel we have no need for God. This attitude will keep us confined to the natural order of things and we are shut out of the supernatural kingdom of God where miracles are common. Therefore, money can be a false comfort, and having it can prevent us from needing and seeking the Lord.

Jesus stated:

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”(Matthew 5:3)

When we realize our need for God, we will seek Him and hopefully we will begin to be curious about how His Word can help us. The Bible is a hidden treasure that reveals pearls of wisdom. Within the pages we find that supernatural blessings come when we are obedient to Christ’s teachings; blessings in the form of healing from disease, peace when hope seems lost and supernatural assistance in our daily activities. We also wield power in our prayer life when we decide to live life as God instructs.

Childlike Faith

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”(Matthew 19:14)

Most of us understand that young children believe most things they are taught from their parents. Jesus desires that we have this same unadulterated faith in His teachings. The only way we can have the faith of a child is to read the Bible, the fountain of all wisdom and blessings. Reading these spiritual words will change our heart and increase our faith.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”(Ezekiel 36:26-27)

Once God’s Word gets deposited in our heart, our faith increases and we know that we are supported in life. We realize that God is indeed concerned about every detail of our lives and we can let go of control. As we stay connected to God through bible study, daily, we realize that the help we receive in this world from doctors, counselors, money and the like, are limited solutions. God’s ability to help us comes without side effects, backtracking and provision at the expense of relationships.

We can ask God for help. He would love to guide us into a job that will allow adequate time to love and cherish our family. How do we know this? Because two of the greatest commandments are “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39 )

We all know that children who have loving and kind parents, long to be around them. They desire parental attention and they find comfort in simply knowing they are in the home. When we cease striving and let go of our ambition, focusing on what God deems important, we will be supported in life through the Kingdom of God.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added unto you.”(Matt 6:33)

This thought process is foreign in today’s ambition oriented society. That is why we need faith like a child. Faith to believe that our livelihood is not solely dependent on us.

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.”(Matt 18:3 NIV)

Freedom Is Detrimental Without God

The wealthy have more freedom than the poor. This makes it much harder for the rich to acquiesce choices in order to follow the Lord and enter the Kingdom of heaven.

The thought of giving every decision to the Lord is a very uneasy thought for all of us. But as we deeply study the Bible, we come to understand that the life we will be leaving behind is actually keeping us from blessings- blessings of protection over our family, financial protection as well as better health.(Psalms 23, 91)

The Lord Jesus Christ cannot be second to anyone or anything in our lives. If we choose a lifestyle over Jesus we lose the ability to enter God’s powerful Kingdom on earth. This is not a permanent blockage to our entrance. No, we can decide at any time to hand over all of our decisions, choices and possessions (figuratively) to the Lord and receive the Kingdom. Once we have surrendered to Christ we are privy to His benefits.

A kingdom is a territory ruled by a king.

“Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”(Matt 6:10)

The Kingdom of God is the spiritual reign or authority of God. We know that God rules in the heavens but He is telling us that His Kingdom can also be brought down to earth through the prayers of His followers.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”(Eph 3:20)

So the rich -essentially all of us except those in abject poverty- will certainly have a hard time living life in the Kingdom of God (aka Kingdom of heaven) because we are not seeking it. Having more than our basic needs met, we ignorantly look to human means when we have a need. But I urge those who are not living a life submitted to Christ to prayerfully consider it.

Proverb 3 speaks of the benefits of being a Christ follower.

Bringing God’s Kingdom To Earth

My son, do not forget my teaching,
 keep my commands in your heart,

 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.
 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine. 

(Prov 3:1-10)

This Proverb speaks for itself. So no matter if we are wealthy or poor, trusting God and submitting to His teachings is the best choice. Then we will enjoy all of the kingdom benefits which includes prosperity, protection and health.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”(Heb 13:5)

God created the family and God will sustain a family that follows Him!

Food For Thought,

Lisa

This is a link to my favorite Bible with excellent teaching points. Click here