It is embedded in western psyche that one should be full of sympathy towards the needy, and side them, just because they are the underdog. I call it the "underdog sympathy complex". Australia is a country with such a complex, as Australians love to side with the underdog, and love to despise those who are elite. This may seem like compassion, empathy and fairness, which is what Australians love to think of themselves to be, and think they are entitled to. However, the underdog sympathy complex is not compassion, empathy, fairness or justice. It is nothing but favouritism towards the poor and needy, from selfish fear that one will be in that position oneself. This leads to what many Christians in the west call 'socialistic' thinking.
The socialistic thinking that many in the west have towards the poor and needy is earthly thinking, as it thinks that what people ultimately need is to have the basic human needs, instead of that Jesus is not only what people need, but the only One people need. Socialism, or of course, capitalism as well, says that people need food to live. However, one's belly is not life. Life is to know Christ, and be in Christ for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Those who do not know Christ do not only not know life. They have no life whatsoever. As Deuteronomy 8:3 says:
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Jesus Himself quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to satan as satan was tempting him to turn stones into bread in Matthew 4:4:
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 are not saying that people need to live on both bread and the word of God. No! They are saying that man cannot live by bread, but rather, every word of God. Bread is not what man should or can live by. It is only by the Word of God that a person lives. Anyone who does not live by the Word of God, does not live at all. John 5:24 says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." For those who do not know Christ are in death and all that they have perishes. They have nothing at all. All their earthly possessions, wealth and even basic needs, including food and water are nothing.
The Parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21 who wanted to build his barns tell us that all earthly things we have are nothing:
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
The rich man in this parable had nothing at all when he died because all he had were earthly things. Note that this parable is not saying it is wrong to have earthly possession or to be rich in the earthly sense. Note also that there is nothing in this parable which indicates that this rich man was an immoral man in the sense that he practiced sexual immorality, drunkeness, was power-hungry, violent, or oppressive towards the poor. Rather, it is saying that he was a fool, a wicked fool, in thinking that he was rich in having earthly wealth. It is saying that earthly things are nothing, but mere illusions. True wealth is riches towards God. Any earthly wealth is false wealth, not only like smoke in the mirror, but a mere illusion.
The mere thought that one can have comfort or security in earthly things, including even the basic earthly need, such as food, is itself wicked.
So, it is not about whether one is rich or poor, or whether gives much money to the poor or needy. It is not by believing that the poor should be treated 'equally' in terms of wealth that makes one righteous and care for the poor. To think that is to think that earthly needs are what one needs, and to be earthly-minded, as opposed to being heavenly-minded as Colossians 3:2 commands. It is not even by sharing "one's" wealth with the poor that makes one righteous and care for the poor.
Rather, it is only totally disregarding whether a person is rich or poor, and seeking righteous and just judgement, irrespective of whether a person is rich or poor that a person truly loves the poor.
A person who loves the poor cannot be one who hates the rich. Neither can one who love the rich hate the poor. For a person who truly loves loves all people, irrespective of whether rich or poor. For both rich and poor are the same, the Lord God is maker of them all. As Proverbs 22:2 says: "Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." Therefore, a person cannot love one and hate the other."
Partiality towards the poor is not compassion, but a manifestation of a self-seeking and self-preserving fear which cares for the poor, only because one seeks for oneself to not fall into the same plight, out of one's covetousness. This explains why such people are always upset when others are richer than them in the earthly sense and are often angry and anxious about how much the rich earn. Such is the thinking of socialism or egalitarianism which seeks "equality" for the poor. The spirit behind such thinking is the spirit of mammon.
The socialistic thinking that many in the west have towards the poor and needy is earthly thinking, as it thinks that what people ultimately need is to have the basic human needs, instead of that Jesus is not only what people need, but the only One people need. Socialism, or of course, capitalism as well, says that people need food to live. However, one's belly is not life. Life is to know Christ, and be in Christ for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Those who do not know Christ do not only not know life. They have no life whatsoever. As Deuteronomy 8:3 says:
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Jesus Himself quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to satan as satan was tempting him to turn stones into bread in Matthew 4:4:
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4 are not saying that people need to live on both bread and the word of God. No! They are saying that man cannot live by bread, but rather, every word of God. Bread is not what man should or can live by. It is only by the Word of God that a person lives. Anyone who does not live by the Word of God, does not live at all. John 5:24 says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." For those who do not know Christ are in death and all that they have perishes. They have nothing at all. All their earthly possessions, wealth and even basic needs, including food and water are nothing.
The Parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21 who wanted to build his barns tell us that all earthly things we have are nothing:
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
The rich man in this parable had nothing at all when he died because all he had were earthly things. Note that this parable is not saying it is wrong to have earthly possession or to be rich in the earthly sense. Note also that there is nothing in this parable which indicates that this rich man was an immoral man in the sense that he practiced sexual immorality, drunkeness, was power-hungry, violent, or oppressive towards the poor. Rather, it is saying that he was a fool, a wicked fool, in thinking that he was rich in having earthly wealth. It is saying that earthly things are nothing, but mere illusions. True wealth is riches towards God. Any earthly wealth is false wealth, not only like smoke in the mirror, but a mere illusion.
The mere thought that one can have comfort or security in earthly things, including even the basic earthly need, such as food, is itself wicked.
So, it is not about whether one is rich or poor, or whether gives much money to the poor or needy. It is not by believing that the poor should be treated 'equally' in terms of wealth that makes one righteous and care for the poor. To think that is to think that earthly needs are what one needs, and to be earthly-minded, as opposed to being heavenly-minded as Colossians 3:2 commands. It is not even by sharing "one's" wealth with the poor that makes one righteous and care for the poor.
Rather, it is only totally disregarding whether a person is rich or poor, and seeking righteous and just judgement, irrespective of whether a person is rich or poor that a person truly loves the poor.
A person who loves the poor cannot be one who hates the rich. Neither can one who love the rich hate the poor. For a person who truly loves loves all people, irrespective of whether rich or poor. For both rich and poor are the same, the Lord God is maker of them all. As Proverbs 22:2 says: "Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." Therefore, a person cannot love one and hate the other."
Partiality towards the poor is not compassion, but a manifestation of a self-seeking and self-preserving fear which cares for the poor, only because one seeks for oneself to not fall into the same plight, out of one's covetousness. This explains why such people are always upset when others are richer than them in the earthly sense and are often angry and anxious about how much the rich earn. Such is the thinking of socialism or egalitarianism which seeks "equality" for the poor. The spirit behind such thinking is the spirit of mammon.
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