Wealth and PovertySample

Injustice and the Final Judgment

“Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” (James 5:4 ESV)

James paints a remarkable picture of the final judgment. He does not do so through the themes of love and faith. The thrust of the New Testament is that those who believe in Jesus will enter heavenly glory, while those who reject him will not be able to enter because of their unbelief.

However, James puts forward concrete actions. He addresses the wealthy. In doing so, he speaks to us. If you have an average 21st-century income, you are one of the richest people to have ever lived on Earth. This is what prosperity looks like in this day and age. But at whose expense have we acquired this prosperity? Doesn't it also have a downside in the form of labourers in the Third World working for slave wages?

In James's serious warning, we hear an echo of what Jesus once said: 'You have had your goods and riches in this life.' James and Jesus have identified the problem. Wealth often leads to decadence and perversity. There is no place for that in God's kingdom. If you live like this, you will soon find yourself cast out for eternity, without all your possessions and supposed certainties. Nothing goes with you to the grave. Only your love for Jesus will endure in the final judgment. Those who live by His love will be filled with all the riches of heavenly glory, which we cannot even begin to imagine. But this will be the reward for those who offer a cup of cold water to the thirsty.

How do you judge your own actions in light of Jesus' final judgment?