- 162. Rich
2 Corinthians 7:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
We are rich; that’s a promise guaranteed to believers. Believers in Christ may not be rich in the things of the world, and worldly prosperity is not promised. But through the poverty of our Lord Jesus Christ we might be rich. Jesus was rich, but because of His amazing love for us He became poor.
Jesus was rich: as God He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He owns and controls the universe. But the riches referred to are not worldly wealth, but the spiritual riches of the kingdom of God. These include things like love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, and also power, might, glory, majesty and strength. But he became poor, that is, he entered the world of human beings and lived in our world enjoying virtually none of the creature comforts and conveniences that we take for granted. Rich became poor = God became man = the spiritual God took on human flesh and dwelled among us in the physical world.
Through that “enfleshment” and the emptying Himself of the riches of God He was able to suffer and die as a poor man in a spiritually impoverished world; He also could die as God. God died. Truly the rich became poor. Therefore, just as truly the poor will become rich. Faith in Christ first of all means that we have recognized our poverty and emptiness and sickness and death, and the cause is our own sin and guilt. Secondly, faith in Christ means that we have accepted the riches of Christ as our own. Through Christ we become rich. The poverty we endure in the world is not worldly poverty, but it is spiritual poverty; we are poor in the sense that we do not have God or the things of God; therefore we do not have life. The riches we have received are spiritual wealth, God, life, and all the things of God, the blessings and promises of God spelled out in the Scriptures.
We are rich: we can claim the wealth of God as our own and enjoy His life. “We might be rich” means two things: now and later. Later we will be rich beyond belief living in God’s glory in the eternal kingdom. But also now because now we live by faith and we see the spiritual life and blessing of God and His life. This present rich life exists in our hearts in the midst of poverty, disease, demons, and the death of this present life in the physical world. Once we die and we are shed of all sin and death the true life and glory of God and all His riches will be seen and experienced.
The meaning of rich: you are free to do what you want without worry or stress. The true meaning of rich: you are free to do what you want, but your wants change, and it is without worry and stress because you are trusting God to take care of all your needs.(“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”) The New Life Jesus earned for us is true wealth and riches. The promise is fulfilled.