Article September 11, 1971 Issue

The Affluence of Principle

JULIUS EVANS

One cannot believe that when Christ Jesus told the rich young man to dispose of his material possessions and follow him (see Luke 18:22) he had any intention of depriving him of his affluence. In fact, he was trying to show him the only way to be fully affluent.

Jesus said at another time, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."^{John 10:10;}

The word "affluence" stems from the Latin "affluere," which means to flow abundantly. Being rich merely in money and things implies a more than ample supply of material possessions, a supply that always has to be guarded, sometimes even hoarded. One with a spiritual sense of affluence cannot be burdened with a sense of lack or dependence on changing material circumstances, any more than a freely flowing stream can become stagnant. A truly affluent individual is one who is open-minded, shares what he receives, and is never fearful that the source of his supply can be dried up.

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