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AVoice Cries Out:
MoneylsNot
the Root ofAll Evil!!
The
plain
truthabout anoldadage
M
ANY. HAVE
supposed
the Bible says mon
ey is the root of all evil. It
doesn't.
Money is a commodity-a
medium of exchange for
human convenience. It re
places the need to swap goods
and services.
The thought that money, of
itself, could be an evil reminda me
of a boyhood experience. I waa
brought up in a reapected church.
Somehow I had the uaumption
the church believed that a pair of
dice, a gJ.. of wine, a cigarette or
a theater wu ain. Therefore we
teenage boya stole away without
parental knowledge on a Sunday
afternoon to enjoy a matinN.
I supp,»e the motivation com
pared to that which cauaed people
to buy a booklet on Hollywood
n-tanda
10me
yean qo titled
Hou,
to
Sin in
Hollywood.
The
little book merely carried the
- of reetauranta and night
club&.
Juat what
IS
thia thing called
"sin'"1 I once uked a cruaading
evanpliat if he would give me a
biblical definition of the word. He
couldn't-or wouldn't. But to
satisfy curi011ity you'll find the
definition in I John 3:4, coupled
with Romana 7:12, 14. Sin is a
harmful way of life. It ia tnnsgrea
sion of an ine:rorable spiritual
Law, aa relent!- aa the law of
gravity. It is wrongdoing. The
thing or the commodity ia not evil,
but the wrong uae of it may be.
The evil comes from evil motiva
tions, intentions, attitudet1 and
actions. It comet1 from what we
call "the heart." It ia apiritual, not
materialistic, in principle.
Therefore, our troublet1, suffer
inp and evils in the world are
spiritual, not physical or material
istic, in nature.
That's why human accomplish
menta and achievementa in the
world are AWESOM&, while at the
same time we cannot solve our
problems or eradicate the world's
evils.
The buic spiritual Law-invis
ible, not understood, yet ine:rora
ble-ia a wAY or LJR! It ia the way
of outflowing love. lta violation ii
the way I term "Grr" for brevity.
Thia world hu been living the way
of "Grr"-of coveting-of vanity
and wlf-centerednesa, but, toward
others, of hostile competition
leading to strife, violence and
war-of envy and jealouay, of
resentment of authority. That
incentive of mind and heart ii
spiritual in principle. It ia theroot
cauae of all the world's troublet1,
wemingly unsolvable problem,
and evils that beset ua.
The basic invisible spiritual
LAw ia outflowing LOVl:-loving
God from the bean and mind, and
loving neighbor a., self.
But what about MONl"Y? Money
of itself ia not evil. What the Bible
dOetl say about money ia "the
love
of money ia the root of all evil" (I
Timothy 6:10). Money itself ia a
material commodity. It may be
put to a very good uae. It ia the
wrong motivation and attitude of
mind and bean in relation to ita
uae that may be evil.
Je1u1 did not decry money.
Many of the great of the Bible
were wealthy-Abraham, J011eph,
Job, J011eph of Arimathea. Je11ua
did not disdain the rich becauae of
money, but dined with them u
well u with the poor. He called on
all people to repent of tranagreu
ing the WAY of outflowi
ng
LOVlC
toward others. The test is the
spiritual motive and attitude of
mind and heart. They, not money
of
'?i§I§',7>
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
Putor General
Worldwide Church of God
We do not 10licit the public for contributiona. But '"'d be happy to Nnd
yoo, 1r11tia on requeet. Mr. Armatronc'• booklet, Th# 1 Law, of Sucr:,u.
Add,..Worldwide Chun:h
ol
God, Puedena.Calif.. 91123."' call toll rreo
180Cll 423-#M. In California. call collect 12131 577-5225.