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Mammon

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Mammon is always understood as material wealth. But I understand it means anything that a person puts their trust in that is considered abundance. Do some people trust in their abundant wisdom? You know they do. Do some people trust in their abundance of good works? Yes, that too. Do some people trust that they are abundantly clean in God's sight? I think so. If mammon means physical possessions then the spiritual man is exempt from the warning. Is he really?

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money" Matthew 6:24

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9

Does everyone really believe 'Jesus' is talking about MONEY? He didn't even have any money.
 
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Desert Snake

Veteran Member
Mammon is always understood as material wealth. But I understand it means anything that a person puts their trust in that is considered abundance. Do some people trust in their abundant wisdom? You know they do. Do some people trust in their abundance of good works? Yes, that too. Do some people trust that they are abundantly clean in God's sight? I think so. If mammon means physical possessions then the spiritual man is exempt from the warning. Is he really?

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money" Matthew 6:24

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9

Does everyone really believe 'Jesus' is talking about MONEY? He didn't even have any money.

Why would anyone be "exempt" according to that verse? Another spurious interpretation IMO.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Why would anyone be "exempt" according to that verse? Another spurious interpretation IMO.

If they have nothing to do with money (there are such persons) how would putting money first apply to them? It can't. No one can put money first if they don't have any, can they? It means exempt. But they are not exempt. That's my point.

I can not give you another frubal for talking to me because I already did.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Denouncing money does not make it easier to serve God.
Sharing worldly wealth does not make it easier to be "welcomed into the eternal dwelling place".

That is why mammon means "riches one trusts in". The riches one trusts in can be spiritual riches. How can spiritual riches be called "unrighteous"?
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I am arguing Mammon does not mean money.

Can I make friends with money? It is called Simony, isn't it? But the Bible says make friends with it (mammon).

Can I serve God better if I put money in the least important place?

What do you consider your finest resource? Do you trust in it? If you trust in it it will cause a conflict of interest between it and your desire to be led to do God's will. What do we observe in people that get in between them and peace with God and love of neighbor? Money mostly so it is not wrong to interpret those scriptures money. But to translate it only money is WRONG. There are much more important things that get in the way.
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
As for 'mammon', it comes from the Hebrew ממון (mmôn), meaning wealth and possessions.
Jesus was simply saying that one should not care for wealth more than spiritual well-being.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) John 4:8 The only scripture that I know of that mentions Jesus had any money and it was not his, but theirs.

As for 'mammon', it comes from the Hebrew ממון (mmôn), meaning wealth and possessions.
Jesus was simply saying that one should not care for wealth more than spiritual well-being.
But why would he say to makes friends with it?
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
And if mammon does not mean "wealth one puts trust in" but just means money, then what does this mean? So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
He had enough to live on. So OK he had money. Happy?
Again, why limit it to "He had enough to live on"? There is nothing in the Bile that says exactly how much he and his disciples had. All we know is Judas kept the money bag and stole from it, yet they could afford lodging and feasts, and still give to the poor.
:shrug:

I am just looking for accuracy in your premise.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Some things about The Son of God we can assume. I am sure if he had any money he would have sent it home to Mom. Can you assume he had money stashed away?
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Again, mammon has a negative connotation, it's not just referring to material possessions in general.

It can not mean that. Why would the command be "make friends with your bad money so they will take you in"?

I tell you, use worldly wealth* to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:11

*mammon
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
And if mammon does not mean "wealth one puts trust in" but just means money, then what does this mean? So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
If you cannot be trusted in handling worldly wealth "mammon, money, etc", who will trust you with spiritual wealth?

I think this should be a verse many church leaders with personal jets and Rolex watches should pay attention to.
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
If you cannot be trusted in handling worldly wealth "mammon, money, etc", who will trust you with spiritual wealth?

I think this should be a verse many church leaders with personal jets and Rolex watches should pay attention to.

So....it does not MEAN that. Can you actually believe God says invest well means to be trusted with sacred secrets?
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
It can not mean that. Why would the command be "make friends with your bad money so they will take you in"?

I tell you, use worldly wealth* to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:11

*mammon
1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

According to John Philips, "
"the power we have to do good with our money ceases, so we should do good with it now so that the friends we have made on earth will be waiting for us in heaven"
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
So....it does not MEAN that. Can you actually believe God says invest well means to be trusted with sacred secrets?
I think the author was saying that if you would not trust someone to handle your money, you should not trust them with your spiritual well being.

For instance, if I were to tithe to a certain church, and that Pastor used that tithe to "serve mammon", or put the wealth above God, then he should not be trusted to lead his parishioners to Gods will,
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

According to John Philips, "
"the power we have to do good with our money ceases, so we should do good with it now so that the friends we have made on earth will be waiting for us in heaven"

I would give Mr. Philips an A. But it does not explain how being generous proves reliability regarding spiritual riches. But if you might look at it the way I see it it fits.

If mammon means what we regard as riches that we trust in then the wisdom we exhibit with unholy (worldly) things will be training us for being wise with heavenly things. Misunderstandings will be considered unholy worldly things. But we trust ourselves, do we not? John 3:12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
 
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