Chapter Five: Eternal Money Matters

In the heading to chapter 5 of A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life  William Law makes the observation that those who do not have the necessity of work laid upon them, should pursue holiness to a greater degree, especially in being charitable. Today there are many of us who work toward retirement at an early age, but more commonly we have much free time in our lives. One way to find out just how much is to look at time spent on our smartphones. Then to think about the Netflix account and the time in front of the TV. Our use of time emphasizes how much excess we believe we have to spend.

For Law, he argues that for the Christian who does not have to work but can use their money and time as they choose, caring for the poor around us is a necessity of showing our holiness. He states, “For every argument that shows the wisdom and excellency of charity, proves the wisdom of spending all our fortune well.” We will give an account for how we use our time and our money. When we read the Scriptures and see that taking care of the widow and the orphan is “pure and undefiled religion” then we must reconsider how our money and time are spent in this world.

Study Questions:

Should Christians carefully consider how they use their money?

What ways can we help each other to spend our money and time for eternity?

How can you and your church disciple each other toward holiness in charity?

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Book Study by Caleb Nedimyer