Should we sell our possessions to gain eternal life?

[mcarans]

Should we sell our possessions to gain eternal life? The article considers Mark 10:17-25.

If you are interested in articles like this and cruciform theology, you're welcome to join the subreddit r/cruciformity.

 

[mukk_in]

Won't work. The article should have discussed the other half of those scriptures as well. Only Christ can save us (Mark 10:26-27), and that was exactly what the Lord was trying to explain to the rich ruler, that only God can do the impossible by saving our souls. Besides, even if I sell everything I have and give it to the poor, I'd still have no love apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:3). We'll also end up becoming a burden to society, because now someone else will have to care for us. But, after we're saved, those of us who're being materially blessed have the responsibility of redistributing those blessings in holy fear (1 Timothy 6:17-19, James 2:15-17). Peace in Christ .

 

[mcarans]

Won't work. The article should have discussed the other half of those scriptures as well. Only Christ can save us (Mark 10:26-27), and that was exactly what the Lord was trying to explain to the rich ruler, that only God can do the impossible by saving our souls.

Thanks for you reply. Mark 10:26-27 could be taken to mean that with faith in God, selling our possessions and giving the proceeds to the poor becomes possible where without faith, we would rail against doing such a thing.

 

[timewerx]

Based on my understanding of scriptures,

We can keep things we need for the ministry, basic needs / survival, and to earn money.

It's only the excesses, luxury, etc we need to give up. For example, you have a very expensive ferrari sports car which is a luxury item. You can sell it, replace it with much cheaper and practical / economical car and use the profits of this Ferrari sale to help our needy brothers and sisters in the Faith.

 

[Karola]

Should we sell our possessions to gain eternal life? The article considers Mark 10:17-25.

You could sell all your possessions and dedicate your life to hepling the poor, out of love for following Christ if you feel called to do so, but it won't entitle you to eternal life, you get that because Jesus died for you.

 

[Wordkeeper]

Won't work. The article should have discussed the other half of those scriptures as well. Only Christ can save us (Mark 10:26-27), and that was exactly what the Lord was trying to explain to the rich ruler, that only God can do the impossible by saving our souls. Besides, even if I sell everything I have and give it to the poor, I'd still have no love apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:3). We'll also end up becoming a burden to society, because now someone else will have to care for us. But, after we're saved, those of us who're being materially blessed have the responsibility of re-distributing those blessings in holy fear (1 Timothy 6:17-19, James 2:15-17). Peace in Christ .

Wrong.

Mark 10:21Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

The phrase "With God everything is possible" is used to teach that God can save even the rich who can't give up their riches by making the riches disappear:

James 1:9Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I don't think we're actually required per se to do so, but I do believe we must at least show the willingness to do it, hence what Yeshua said about serving either God or money, not both.

 

[Wordkeeper]

You could sell all your possessions and dedicate your life to hepling the poor, out of love for following Christ if you feel called to do so, but it won't entitle you to eternal life, you get that because Jesus died for you.

Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

The options are either to take up the challenge or ask for terms of peace,

 

[Karola]

Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

The options are either to take up the challenge or ask for terms of peace,

Speaking personally, I do not know any Christian who has given up everything they have, including those on the internet, so does that mean they cannot be Christ's disciple? Or, what does it mean to be Christ's disciple?

 

[Wordkeeper]

Speaking personally, I do not know any Christian who has given up everything they have, including those on the internet, so does that mean they cannot be Christ's disciple?

Luke 14:33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Is the text chopped liver?

 

[Karola]

Luke 14:33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Is the text chopped liver?

There's no point in just repeating the text. Have you given up everything you have? I do not personally know any Christian who has, including on the internet. Which would mean, no one I have ever known, including on the internet can be Christ's disciple, according to the letter of your quote

 

[mcarans]

Anyone here interested in articles like this and cruciform theology more generally are welcome to join the subreddit r/cruciformity.

 

[Karola]

I heard an Evangelist speak once, who saw tremendous medically verified healings in their services. They said, and I quote:


‘’Anyone can see the power in their services I have seen in mine, but it costs everything’’


Or that could be written as:


If you give up everything for Christ, you can see the power in your services as I have seen in mine.

 

[Karola]

Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.



This is where it is good to consider the whole text, not just take one verse in isolation.

And whoever does not carry their cross cannot be my disciple



Does every Christian get exactly the same cross to bear? I doubt any would think so. Is every Christian called to be a minister in a church for example? If so, there would be no one to preach to!



There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,a]'>[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.b]'>[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1Cor12:4-11



So everyone is given their own particular cross to carry, their own particular service they are asked to do. . And, you must give everything up needed to carry it. If you do not, you cannot be Christ’s disciple. Does that mean you cannot be in a saved state if you do not give up everything you need to, to carry your own particular cross, or does it mean you cannot be Christ’s disciple, is there a difference between the two?

I wonder how many believers have resolutely lived their lives carrying the particular cross given to them, and given up everything they need to give up in order to do so.

 

[Wordkeeper]

Luke 14:25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.



This is where it is good to consider the whole text, not just take one verse in isolation.

And whoever does not carry their cross cannot be my disciple



Does every Christian get exactly the same cross to bear? I doubt any would think so. Is every Christian called to be a minister in a church for example? If so, there would be no one to preach to!



There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,a]'>[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.b]'>[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1Cor12:4-11



So everyone is given their own particular cross to carry, their own particular service they are asked to do. . And, you must give everything up needed to carry it. If you do not, you cannot be Christ’s disciple. Does that mean you cannot be in a saved state if you do not give up everything you need to, to carry your own particular cross, or does it mean you cannot be Christ’s disciple, is there a difference between the two?

I wonder how many believers have resolutely lived their lives carrying the particular cross given to them, and given up everything they need to give up in order to do so.

There is only one cross and that is to cut off everything that links you to dependence on the world. In return, you become blessings to the world, by manifesting the finger of God, have your name written in the Book of Life, when people follow you out of Egypt to Rest IN Christ.

Luke 10:17The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”18And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

Luke 11:20"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 12:32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Exodus 8:19"This is the finger of God," the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Exodus 32:32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written."

To answer the other question, I have negotiated with God (seriously, He did give that option), asked for terms of peace.

 

[Karola]

There is only one cross and that is to cut off everything that links you to dependence on the world. In return, you become blessings to the world, by manifesting the finger of God, have your name written in the Book of Life, when people follow you out of Egypt to Rest IN Christ.

Luke 10:17The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”18And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

Luke 11:20"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 12:32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Exodus 8:19"This is the finger of God," the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

Exodus 32:32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written."

To answer the other question, I have negotiated with God (seriously, He did give that option), asked for terms of peace.

You didn't answer the question. Have you given up everything you have for Christ? Including, a laptop, computer or mobile phone with the internet on it?

 

[Dave-W]

It's only the excesses, luxury, etc we need to give up. For example, you have a very expensive ferrari sports car which is a luxury item. You can sell it, replace it with much cheaper and practical / economical car and use the profits of this Ferrari sale to help our needy brothers and sisters in the Faith.

1 Cor 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

It is not about how religiously you can impoverish yourself.

 

[Hazelelponi]

Should we sell our possessions to gain eternal life? The article considers Mark 10:17-25.

God doesn't share His position in our lives with the idol's we have made for ourselves.

These verses and others like them are about putting God first in your life and love of Him first in your heart, instead of something else.

Before we became Christian we all had that one thing that was so important to us that it would be nearly impossible for us to live without. For some it might be wealth, for me it was actually smoking cigarettes, but there is something for each of us that would come between us and God in our lives as Christians.

It is that thing God asks us to give up in order to follow Christ and its going to differ for each of us - for some it may even be more than one thing.

As I said, for me, it was smoking, but we all have something that we can't take into our Christian walk with us without it destroying our relationship with God, because we put whatever it is in God's place in our hearts and lives.

So it's more likely to be an Xbox as it would be money for some people. So no, you don't have to sell all your possessions, just the one you place all importance on..

But the best part of those quoted verses is the one you didn't quote. Mark 10:27

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

God wants us running to Him.. we dont need crutches, we need God.

 

[Ken Rank]

Should we sell our possessions to gain eternal life? The article considers Mark 10:17-25.

The people in those verses were living in more of a community type setting than we do today. So we have to factor that in and also factor in that we are expected to take care of our immediate family. If we give everything away and can't feed our children, we have failed just as badly as if we took care of our children and had the means to take care of others and didn't. There is a balance we all must find in our work with those in need.

 

[timewerx]

1 Cor 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

It is not about how religiously you can impoverish yourself.

Just to set the right context, love is not just about warm feelings and words of encouragement (these are very good things too), it is also demonstrated by actions.

1 John 3:17-18
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Christ's teachings doesn't tell us to leave our means of making money unless it's immoral or interfered with our ministry. These teachings only tell us, the less we spend on yourselves, the more we can can spend on Christ's ministry to helping our brothers and sisters in the Faith.