The Curse upon Man, Part Three
A Devotional Series from Genesis
Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
4/5 Reading Portions: Leviticus 8; Psalm 9; Proverbs 23; 1 Thessalonians 2
Genesis 3:19
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
CAPITALISM
Because I had mentioned stewardship and personal responsibility in yesterday’s devotional thought, it is perhaps a good idea to present this, reemphasizing the rest that comes from Christ Jesus because of the Rest that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Because we are descendants of fallen Adam, we will tend to overcompensate when it comes to work—especially, we men. Even if we won’t say so and even argue that all we do is all of grace, we will sometimes work and act like God couldn’t get it done without us—as if the Lord Jesus was helpless upon His heavenly throne, wringing His hands in hopes that the elect would be saved. These are the effects of sin’s curse. This is why we must ever and always submit to the Lord Jesus through our surrender to the Holy Spirit in all things.
This carries over into our perspectives, philosophies, and politics—especially for us rascals in the good ol’ USA. Many of us think that capitalism is the be-all and end-all regarding human government because of our personal responsibility, as well as capitalism’s parallel kinship to Christianity’s stewardship. Certainly, it is better than the alternative—socialism or communism. Essentially, socialism and communism are the same, whereas both deny man’s original sin and mankind’s total depravity because of sin. Moreover, socialism and communism go out of their way to deny God, or at the very least, dismiss God. Therefore, any socialist or communist venture will fail (and history bears this out), for Jesus said,
“…apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Capitalism is not without its pitfalls. Sinful men will become greedy and selfish in capitalism’s grip when they endeavor to work apart from the grace of God in Christ and apart from the glory of God in Christ. Does it mean that these men will not be successful? Not at all. Our merciful Lord Jesus allows this so that we may see the truth of His words through the apostle,
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:10
And because we are sinners, albeit saved by grace, we may run the risk of turning capitalism into an idol, even dismissing the sinfulness of men through political expedience, whereas pious prudence for God’s glory in Christ should seize every moment of every day.
May we, by God’s grace, treasure Christ more highly that worldly wealth, as the apostle also encourages us:
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Hallelujah! What a Savior!