I saw an article yesterday titled, “It’s a Sin to be Poor.” I had to read it. While the author, Reverend Dr. Vici Derrick makes a few good points in the essay regarding positive thinking and having faith in God, the points are made to support the “health/wealth” argument. Here are a few excerpts:
Now when I use the word “sin,” I’m not talking about sin the way you may have been taught to think of sin. I’m not sending you to hell because I don’t have to. If you are living a life of poverty, you are already in hell. No, that’s not what I mean when I use the word “sin.”
When I use the word, I am talking about the word in its original meaning, which is to miss the mark. It was a term used by Greek archers. You missed the target. What is the target? Abundance. Plenty. Wanting not. Why? Because you miss the mark if are not living an abundant life. The mark that I am talking about is the mark of success put within each and every one of us. It is the fingerprint of God and it identifies us as His own. The mark of success is upon you and when you are poor, you miss the mark. Poverty is a sin. Everything in Scripture indicates that the kingdom of heaven is open to us. “Abundance is thine,” is how God puts it. “I have meat to eat that you know not of.” It’s there and as one of the teachings of truth we say that the world, the Universe, the Mind of God that we are using individually is not open to limitation but to abundance of all good things. It is open to an abundance of love, an abundance of beauty and health. It is open to the abundance of happiness and joy. Abundance covers it all. We are just as poor if we are poor in health and have worldly goods as we are if we don’t have any worldly goods.
Abundance is thine. If I were to define it, I would say that it is the ability to love, to be loved, to be happy. Abundance is being able to do the things that we want to do at the time we want to them--the ability to have a wealth of creative ideas and creative thought, the ability to have a wealth of friends and people you love and that love you. Abundance is a part of living and should be for every person in this teaching.
“It shall be done unto you according to your belief.” When the Master said this he was teaching that it is knowing that stands in front of the appearances and projects an unformed idea into the world and thus multiplies it abundantly.
We spend time praying for what we haven’t got and don’t realize that we are giving power to what we haven’t got. Think of how many times you have prayed to get something. The minute you do this you are saying that you don’t have it. And you can’t write a check on the bank of God and expect God to cover it at Key bank. It doesn’t work that way.
With an abundant consciousness, wherever you go there is an abundance of everything.
You’ve got money in the bank. There is an abundance of flowers in your garden. There is an abundance of peace and happiness. Never underestimate the power of peace to bring abundance into your experience.
Remember that as you give, you receive. With an abundance of giving we know that there is no need that will not be filled.
A few points of mine before I offer scriptures
Before I get into breaking down her argument with scriptural evidence I just have to say: Wow! A person is already in “hell if they are in poverty”?! Technically, after looking at the Census thresholds, our family was under the poverty line last year. And I guess if you consider life from a consumerist, American perspective, not financially being able to buy all the stuff you want when you want it and having to cut back on other common comforts (luxuries that many people view as necessities), poverty could be considered hell. I would not say that poverty in America is true poverty, though. I was not outside begging for food or money, we never missed a meal, my children never missed a doctor’s appointment, and my husband had enough gas to go to and from work everyday.
The author from the above excerpt talks about “success.” What is success? We have had it drilled into us from before the time we were even able to count it that money is the determinant of success. Is it, though?
You may think am I writing this as a person who has never had money; someone who is poor and who is trying to find justification for my despair. Let me give you a little back story. My husband, Wil, and I bought a house when we were 21-years-old. The following year we had $15,000 in the savings account, were debt-free, and never wanted for anything. Wil, who is a professional model and actor made $70,000 by himself and my income from the Federal Reserve Bank was just a bonus. At our age, one we would say we were very successful. Yeah, maybe on paper. Ask me if we were happy. Ask if we enjoyed going home at night. Ask me if we agreed on anything. No, no, and no.
Here is our income figure from last year (drumroll....): $17,000. Yes, $17,00. Total! Last year was the poorest I have ever been money-wise but, honestly, it is the happiest I have ever been in my marriage, I made great friends last year, and, more important than anything else, I built a stronger relationship with God and was still able to help people. So while I could not save as much money as I had planned and I did not buy a house like I had wanted, I would consider last year a great success!
12+ Scriptures Proving that Being Poor is NOT a Sin
Okay, now to get into what the Bible says regarding her theory and to directly address her points.
1. “Abundance is thine” is not in the Bible. The writer misquotes God. I heard of a preacher who made a similar mistake when he said, “Like the Bible says, ‘A house is not a home,’” which is actually a Luther Vandross lyric! Or the popular saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” Again, not in the Bible! The closest thing I could find is “Abundance OF thine,” in Isaiah 47:9. This is referring to Babylon being abundantly idolatrous, something I find kind of ironic.
