Greetings all.
I have been researching and studying Christianity for a short while, and something that I'm confused about is the statement to sell all possessions and give to the poor. I am not a born again Christian, but I am seeking truth at this point in time, so hopefully someone can help me make some sense out of this.
Before I begin, I do want to make it clear that I have searched this forum and read various threads in regards to this subject, but I'm still confused. I'm using the KJV bible.
Luke 12:33: Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Did Jesus mean to literally sell all of your possessions and give to the poor? There are various verses in the NT that reinforce this. Jesus told the young rich man that he could not be his disciple if he did not sell all of his possessions and follow him.
I'm far from a "rich" man. In fact, I live in a small 2 bedroom house that I got for 25k on foreclosure, I'm living on minimum wage, I own 2 cars, one of them being a 1934 Ford A model that I restored in my teens and the other being a 2003 Ford Taurus. I have basic cable TV(cheapest), 1.5meg internet service, 1 laptop. one iPod, a cellphone, and I own a DVD player and various DVDs. I try to live as cheaply as I can, and I donate what I have(if i have) left to local charities.
From the threads I've read regarding this, a lot of people said only if "God" tells you to sell your possessions, so my question is how do I know God is telling me to sell my things? I don't value my things a whole lot, I use them, I enjoy them, but not obsessed in any sense of the word with them as I could do without them, but they do bring me a form of pleasure.
I've already set up a will just in case something happens to me. My house and Ford Taurus is going to my sister, while my Ford A Model is going to my younger cousin who likes it. As far as I'm concerned, they already own them, I'm just using them.
I'm not feeling guilty about any of things I own. It's just I can't get any sense out of that quote from Luke 12:33. If I was to become a born again Christian, am I to retract the will and sell the possessions and give the money away? If I don't and leave things the way they are, am I going to hell? Am I to do away with TV/Internet and donate that money to the poor? Can I not be a true disciple of Christ unless I do this?
That about covers my concerns here. I'm sorry for the rant, but I really hope some can help me out here. Is the verse not to be taken literally? Am I to enjoy the things I have but not let them own me?
LOL I'm not sure how I managed to confuse myself so bad with this. Thanks in advance for any help, it is truly appreciated.
I have been researching and studying Christianity for a short while, and something that I'm confused about is the statement to sell all possessions and give to the poor. I am not a born again Christian, but I am seeking truth at this point in time, so hopefully someone can help me make some sense out of this.
Before I begin, I do want to make it clear that I have searched this forum and read various threads in regards to this subject, but I'm still confused. I'm using the KJV bible.
Luke 12:33: Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Did Jesus mean to literally sell all of your possessions and give to the poor? There are various verses in the NT that reinforce this. Jesus told the young rich man that he could not be his disciple if he did not sell all of his possessions and follow him.
I'm far from a "rich" man. In fact, I live in a small 2 bedroom house that I got for 25k on foreclosure, I'm living on minimum wage, I own 2 cars, one of them being a 1934 Ford A model that I restored in my teens and the other being a 2003 Ford Taurus. I have basic cable TV(cheapest), 1.5meg internet service, 1 laptop. one iPod, a cellphone, and I own a DVD player and various DVDs. I try to live as cheaply as I can, and I donate what I have(if i have) left to local charities.
From the threads I've read regarding this, a lot of people said only if "God" tells you to sell your possessions, so my question is how do I know God is telling me to sell my things? I don't value my things a whole lot, I use them, I enjoy them, but not obsessed in any sense of the word with them as I could do without them, but they do bring me a form of pleasure.
I've already set up a will just in case something happens to me. My house and Ford Taurus is going to my sister, while my Ford A Model is going to my younger cousin who likes it. As far as I'm concerned, they already own them, I'm just using them.
I'm not feeling guilty about any of things I own. It's just I can't get any sense out of that quote from Luke 12:33. If I was to become a born again Christian, am I to retract the will and sell the possessions and give the money away? If I don't and leave things the way they are, am I going to hell? Am I to do away with TV/Internet and donate that money to the poor? Can I not be a true disciple of Christ unless I do this?
That about covers my concerns here. I'm sorry for the rant, but I really hope some can help me out here. Is the verse not to be taken literally? Am I to enjoy the things I have but not let them own me?
LOL I'm not sure how I managed to confuse myself so bad with this. Thanks in advance for any help, it is truly appreciated.
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