~ Filthy Lucre ~

James 5: 1. Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.

2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

3. Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days.

4. Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

Now this Scripture shows that it is not filthy lucre to be paid for labour on a job. These rich men cheated their field workers and God was angry about this.

Titus 1:7. For the bishop must be blameless, as God's steward; not self-willed, not soon angry, no brawler, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;

8. but given to hospitality, as lover of good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled;

Now see that this is speaking of doing a work of God and that since they desired money for it, it is called flithy lucre?

Jesus gave some parables of paying men for working in a vineyard. So it is not filthy to receive pay for manual labour or a job. But it is filthy lucre when it is money given for the work of God.

Same chapter: 9. holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers.

10. For there are many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision,

11. whose mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

See that these were 'teachers' but they were vain talkers and deceivers for they received money which is filthy lucre for their teaching.

He said those who teach against this are teaching sound doctrine. But those who teach for money overthrow whole houses and teaching things they ought not, FOR FILTHY LUCRE'S SAKE.

THEY WERE TEACHING FOR MONEY. God speaks against this very highly.

People this is God's word, not mine. You are fighting God, not me.

1 Timothy 3: 1. This is a true saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2. The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3. not given to wine, no striker, not GREEDY of FILTHY LUCRE; but patient, not a brawler, not COVETOUS.

Now this is also connecting money as FILTHY LUCRE when it is with the work of the Lord. This is a greedy man desiring the office of a bishop for the purpose of receiving money as pay for the work.

Both this and the one in Titus said for this person to be given to HOSPITALITY. But are they? No they are GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE.

Now go mock God if you hate this truth!

Mock on! Your reaping day will come on you. Noah did not reach anyone. Jeremiah did not reach anyone. why? Because it was time for destruction.

so looks a whole lot like that to me today also.

Beware. Woe to those who fight truth.

Same chapter: 8. Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9. holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Now this is another work for God, that of being a deacon. They are also told not to be greedy of FILTHY LUCRE.

1Pe 5:2 -Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 


See then that money is only called FILTHY LUCRE when it is given in return for doing a work of God.

God rebuked the Israelites In Mal. because they would not open the door of his house for nought, or pay. They would not even start a fire there for nothing. They had to be paid. Sounds like God is very much against having to 'pay' someone to work for him.

Now for the only other place this word 'lucre' is mentioned in the Word:

1 Samuel 8: 1. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 
2. Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. 

3. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice. 

4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; 
5. and they said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 

See that the sons of Samuel were not like Samuel. They wanted money for their work. God saw this as evil. The people saw it as evil and refused them and asked for a king over this matter.

So this is the OT and the NT both saying that it is evil to receive pay for doing a work of God.

Now, any of you who disagree with this, go find one single verse of Scripture saying it is right to PAY THE MINISTERS OF GOD.

I am not speaking of a love gift to that person. Know that. But a big fat salary is FILTHY LUCRE. Any Pay for doing the work of God is FILTHY LUCRE.

I would say you better think of eternal life instead of setting pretty here. Deny your flesh and take up your CROSS AND FOLLOW JESUS. HE HAD NO WHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD.

HE SAID THE FOXES HAVE MORE THAN I HAVE.

So where does that leave you?

By: Jo smith

I find that the term 'filthy lucre' in the Scriptures only refers to receiving pay for doing the work of God......... it does not speak of pay for a manual job or anything else of that nature.

Lucre is only in connection with the work of God; not a worldly job.  This is something I did not know until I did this study.