Articles
True Riches
Our Lord exposed the church at Laodicea and then counseled them when He said, “Because you say, I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked – I counsel you to buy from Me gold, refined in the fire, that you may be rich…” (Rev. 3:17-18).
To some degree just about everyone wants to be rich; the sad part is that most want to be rich in earthly treasures and care little or nothing for true riches. “Rich” is a relative term. This word does not tell the nature of the wealth; one may be rich in one thing and poor in another. The Bible says that real wealth comes from God and we must “buy” it (Prov. 23:23). This suggests that the truth is obtained by some effort on our part and at some expense to us. Whatever we have to pay for it once it is obtained do not sell it for any price.
Do you really want to be rich? I mean rich in the full sense of the word, with riches that cannot be taken from you? Jesus said, “Buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich…” “Buy” cannot mean that value for value is given, because there is no price man can bring to purchase the priceless riches in Christ. This simply indicates the effort on the part of the one desiring those riches to obtain them. The statement “that you may be rich” sets true wealth in contrast with the riches of this world.
True riches come from God through Jesus (Phil. 4:19) by the gospel (Col. 1:25:27; 2:2-3). Paul said, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8). This means that you can be rich concerning the unsearchable riches of Christ and understand it.
We must do something to receive these riches. What must I do to become rich? Paul wrote that both Jew and Gentile must call upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Rom. 10:13). In order to call upon Him, they must believe; and in order to believe they must hear; and in order to hear there must be a message given and a messenger to teach it. In the verse leading to this point we read, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12). The Lord is rich but only to those who call upon Him. This is done by obeying the truth believed. Yet many cannot be persuaded to accept the true riches that come by faith in Christ. Are you one of these people? Salvation is the greatest treasure you can ever obtain (Mt. 13:44). Won’t you obey the gospel and become truly rich?
