If the goal of the Christian life is to advance into Heaven, then God loves profit. If Heaven is the destination of every Christian, and if every Christian is called to be more like Christ, then every person’s life is molded into the framework of stages to advance toward these lofty ends. Life is about advancement and continual advancement until one’s character resembles Jesus Christ and until one eventually finds oneself in heaven living among other Christian saints. Woven into the quest for being more like Jesus and the quest to enter into Heaven is the engine of personal improvement and individual advancement in order to drive the human person toward these Christian goals. In Christianity we call this holiness. This embedded drive exists within every human being whether one is aware of it or not. It is placed there by our loving Creator. It is up to every human being to tap into this reality in order to live a fuller and enriched life. If ignored, life will be a continual frustration and unhappiness results.
One example of this teaching is found in the Parable of the Leaven in (Matthew 13:33) and (Luke 13:20–21) A small amount of yeast was mixed with 3 measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened. The obvious commentary is the yeast acts as an agent of growth and that the Kingdom of God expands from tiny influences to grow into massive forces to bring salvation to many. A little leaven is mixed with the flour to create an abundance of bread. In the same way, we are called to grow into the transformation from helpless sinner to a person saved in Christ. As we transform into the image of Christ, we allow God to change us just as yeast changes the dough. In faith God changes us so we may resemble Christ day by day. Ongoing transformation and an urging to move forward is our calling.
What I want you to focus on this parable is the batch of dough does complete its expansion after the introduction of the leaven. The yeast stimulates growth. But the point I want you to see is that there is an end to the growth. There is a purpose—fully leavened bread to eat and consume. We are being taught that the Kingdom of God is like this. We are being taught that the Kingdom of God involves an end goal, the salvation of the sinner, entry into heaven. With that in mind, are economic resources to be untilized for squander? Debt? Waste? No, as we are to share the Gospel to bring people into salvation, we are called to use economic resources for an end goal as well—profit.
