Serving God and Mammon in Matthew 6:24 as an Ethical Response to the Menace of Materialism Among Christians in Nigeria

Abstract:

Human greed leads them to pursue worldly material blessings at the expense of moral and spiritual values. There is a wrong philosophy of money in society, which holds that money answers everything in society, and is polluting some Christians to compromise the biblical standard. The paper is analytical: the author employs content analysis from a Christian ethical perspective to draw moral lessons from the text, combining a literature review and biblical analysis to carry out the study. Matthew 6:24 serves as a reminder to evaluate one’s loyalties, urging individuals to serve God with their whole hearts rather than allowing material wealth to dominate their lives. The paper identifies three major ethical issues in the text: conflict between material authority and the divine, ultimate loyalty, and the consequences of choice. The menace of Materialism among Christians in Nigeria is worldly-minded Christianity; seeking prosperity over salvation; honouring Mammon more than God, and the decline of Christian moral values. The paper proposes an ethical response to the menace of materialism from a Christian perspective, which includes: ultimate loyalty to God; vibrant spiritual devotion; true Christianity produces true spiritual wealth; and serving God, not money. The paper concludes that the authority of the Bible should be maintained on all matters related to the acquisition of material possessions.