Who do the good things of this world belong to?   By James Lantz

       There are two choices of what to believe concerning who the riches of this world belong to! We can believe what God said or we can believe something else. We can choose to believe the truth or choose to believe a lie. The word of the Lord is right! Right believing is nurtured by knowing the truth and knowing the true character of a righteous, loving God who shows favor to those who believe. Lies and traditions of men are exposed as we look at scriptures in the light of other scriptures. Misunderstanding can be eliminated by reading the verses that come before and after a verse as well as knowing what else God has said.

      God made this world for His man Adam and Eve and gave them authority, charging them to take dominion over every thing that He had made. God put His blessing on them and charged them to be fruitful, replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over every living thing (animals, fish, birds, and every creeping thing).  Deut. 10:14  Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.  Ps. 24:1  The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  The new testament confirms that the earth belongs to the Lord and the fulness thereof (1 Cor. 10:26).  Without question, God owns this world and still purposes that His covenant people enjoy the good things in this world. The Lord Jesus Christ made this earth for himself and for all his children to enjoy!  Col. 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. 

      Even in its fallen nature, there is still much beauty and wealth in this world. God referred to all the material possessions that Abram recovered in rescuing Lot and the people of Sodom as goods.  Genesis 14:16  And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.  Abram refused to take any of the goods of Sodom for himself because he had lifted up his hand to God (sworn or vowed) that he would keep none of the goods for himself lest the king of Sodom say that he had made Abram rich. Obviously, Abram did not consider these goods that he had recovered from Sodom to be evil, because he gave tithes of all to Melchizedek the High Priest. Melchizedek would not have received the tenth part of all the people of Sodom’s goods if they were bad. There is a right way to get rich and there is a wrong way to get rich. The right way is to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first and allow the blessing of the Lord to add things unto you!  Deut. 28:11  And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.            This blessing of the Lord will come on God’s willing and obedient children to such extent that they will be blessed above all people! Jesus spoke of the beauty of the Lily as being more glorious than all of Solomon’s clothes. Riches are referred to as the glory of God!  Gen. 31:1   And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.  God has not changed in this new covenant, He still wants those who yield their lives to Him to prosper and be healthy! Some say that God wanted the rich young ruler to sell everything he had and give it all to the poor and be poor himself. No, Jesus had extended an invitation to this young man to come join his staff and he needed to liquidate in order to free up his time and energy. We know from other scriptures that God did not require Zacchaeus and others to sell all that they had and come follow Jesus. As the rich young ruler walked away, grieved, and saddened in unbelief, Jesus told his disciples.  Mark 10:23  .  .  .  How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!  Jesus went on to explain that it was not the riches but the trust in riches that makes it so difficult for people to cooperate with the plan of God (kingdom of God). We also know that whenever we give to the poor God will repay us so we will never end up with less than before we gave. This was not for him to become poorer but rather to increase him an hundredfold! Jesus said that everyone who leaves their house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s shall receive an hundredfold now in this lifetime.  Mark 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.  You have probably met people who will try to tell you this is not for everyone. Of course it is not for everyone because most people will not let go of what they have to advance the cause of the preaching of the gospel. This promise is only for those who actually do what God said because they love Him and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Spiritual people walk by faith and not by sight but carnal people put the desires of their flesh first. God continues to warn that covetousness is idolatry and those who trust in riches will not receive from Him. Pastors are to charge those that are rich in this world not to be high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but trust in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. God is a God of abundance and He desires that we be prosperous too!

      The scripture does say that Satan is the god of this world.  2 Cor. 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  It is true that Adam gave Satan his authority over all the kingdoms of this world when he committed high treason in Eden. Many are still rebelling against God and His plan for their life just like their father the devil.  Eph. 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:   Satan is the god of lost people and their eyes are blinded to the fact that they are in bondage to the evil one and a member of the kingdom of darkness. Satan rules through deception and blindness. When Satan was able to talk Eve into believing that God was withholding something good from her and she saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye she believed a lie and thus quit believing what God said. Usually when people refuse to believe what God said it is because they don’t want it to be that way. Romans tells us that the invisible God in His eternal power and Godhead is clearly revealed to man through His visible creation.  Rom. 1:21  NLT  Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result their minds became dark and confused.  Whoever refuses truth moves into a darker place where the truth is hidden from them and they get further and further from God. The reason some people refuse to believe that God created the heavens and the earth is because then they will have to acknowledge that God requires something from them.

      The good news is that God brought the blessing that Adam lost back to his covenant people through Jesus Christ! Jesus refused to worship the devil knowing that shortly all the power and glory of the kingdoms of this world would be His again!  Luke 4:6&7  And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.  Jesus would have contested Satan’s claim of having the authority to give him all the kingdoms of the world if it was not so! Jesus refused all of the devil’s temptations, maintaining the righteousness necessary to give himself as the spotless lamb of God!  1 John 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  Upon entering the kingdom of God we became citizens of heaven along with being citizens on this earth. We are sons of God now in this life!

The apostle Paul used his Roman citizenship to his advantage when he needed to but more often he relied on his heavenly citizenship and the powers of the world to come (Acts 25:10 , Acts 22:25 , Acts 27:23). We are in this world but commanded not to be a part of this world system. This does not mean that we are not to have the good things of this world. This means that the good things of this world do not have us through lust, envy, or pride. The spirit of this world would have us seeking things for happiness and fulfillment that only God can satisfy. Now that we have entered into the kingdom of God by faith we continue to receive from God by faith. Jesus is our Lord and Master and he is the heir of all things!  Heb. 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; We have been made joint heirs with Jesus and seated together with Him in heavenly places.

We are joint heirs with Jesus our Lord and Master!

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that God would withhold the good things of this world from His children who please Him!  Rom. 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  It is the will of our heavenly Father that we rule and reign in this life through the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness of one Jesus Christ! The Lord is my shepherd, I do not want! He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil and my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Whosoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith!

2 Cor. 8:9  NLT  You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.