Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 2:17 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 2 Corinthians 2:17

Wanting to save some money, I decided to buy the lens for my camera in Hong Kong. “I want a 28 to 70 zoom lens for a Minolta Maxxum,” I told the shopkeeper. He went to the shelf and brought out the familiar blue and white Minolta box and carefully unwrapped the lens. I removed the plastic wrapper and began to examine it. That was when I noticed a fine line of print inside the rim of the lens, containing an unknown brand. It was a “knock off” made by a Hong Kong company, not a Minolta product.

“Look,” I exclaimed. “I asked for a Minolta lens. This is a Minolta box but this is not a Minolta lens!” The ancient Romans had an expression for this, caveat emptor, meaning, “Let the buyer beware.” I walked out of the shop irritated that I almost bought a Minolta lens which, in effect, was not a Minolta.

Fraud is nothing new. In fact the ancient Greeks and Romans had a word for it, kapaleuo, which described the tricks of tradesmen and merchants who would cheat their customers. When a merchant sold something that was supposed to be pure such as a perfume but cut it with water or another substance, then sold it for the full price, they used the word kapaleuo, meaning the product had been adulterated.

Paul was familiar with the practice. After all, every rabbi learned a trade, and Paul’s was tent making. Tentmakers didn’t operate in the exclusive business community but in the market where fraud was common. For 18 months he had been in Corinth and knew dedicated men and women who were giving their lives for the cause of Christ. But in the market where he operated he encountered rip-off artists and the switch and bait methods of dishonest hucksters.

He also observed that more than a few followed the same practice in the Christian community, and he didn’t like it. Seeing his fellow brothers and sisters getting ripped off was repugnant to him. In his second letter to the Corinthians he warned them about this very practice. He said, “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Corinthians 2:17). The word Paul used was the same one used to describe unethical business practices such as I have just described.

Those who peddle the Gospel for personal profit, who, on the pretext of preaching the Word, amass fortunes in the process are still with us. “What’s your motive?” asks Chuck Swindoll, the same question Paul would ask today. No, Paul didn’t have a villa overlooking Rome or the Mediterranean. He didn’t justify taking exorbitant salaries and expense reimbursements, saying, “God’s servants deserve the best.” His lifestyle was simple as was the Lord’s whom He served and emulated.

“Once I give my money to God, it’s between the person who takes it and the Lord,” some say. Nonsense! You are a steward of what God has given to you. True, the Bible says that your tithe belongs to the Lord, but God expects you to use wisdom in where you invest for the cause of Christ.

If the lifestyle of the one who heads a ministry or Christian work is extravagant, if the organization is hesitant to give you a financial report, then–using the expression of Paul’s day–caveat emptor, let the giver beware. Peddling the Good News for profit is still lucrative for those whose motives are as mixed as the Hong Kong merchant who wanted to pawn off an imitation of the real thing. To aid and abet those whose motives are impure is to be a partaker of their deeds.

Resource reading: 2 Corinthians 2