The OT does speak of material wealth using rich or riches, usually about physical wealth rather than God’s riches. Even though the OT encourages human diligence, it does say that the Lord supplies all material and spiritual riches.
1 Samuel 2:7. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.
1 Chronicles 29:11–12. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Because God is the source of wealth, we can freely share it, trusting Him to supply our needs. Proverbs 11:24 put it this way: “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”
In the NT, riches is used to describe physical wealth, but also describes God’s everlasting riches. These include the riches of His grace and mercy as well as the riches of Christ. Also described are the richness of His kindness, glory, wisdom and salvation. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
These riches from God have purpose in our lives. For instance:
Romans 2:4. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
Romans 9:22–23. “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory . . . .”
Even though “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek” and the Lord “bestows His riches on all who call on Him” the failure of the Jews to accept their Messiah “means riches for the Gentiles” until that time the Jews will be included. Colossians 1:27 and 2:2 says, “God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory . . . that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ.”
Paul was deeply blessed by God’s plan. He declared in Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
The salvation plan is rich in many ways —Jesus left the wealth of glory so we could have it:
Ephesians 1:7. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
Ephesians 2:4–7. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Scripture contrasts riches in material ways with being rich toward God and rich in doing good. Some thought they were rich according to outward appearance, but were poor, while others who were poor are described as being rich in Christ. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Colossians 3:16 tells me, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” because He saved me, not because of works done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on me richly through Jesus Christ my Savior. 2 Peter 1:10–11 says I must “be all the more diligent to confirm my calling and election, for if I practice these qualities, I will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for me an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Every day I’m to demonstrate that all that I have in this life is nothing compared to the riches I have in Christ!
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