In addition to making reference to Balaam, 2 Peter 2:3 describes another condition: "In covetousness, with fabricated words, they will make merchandise of you, for whom the judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber." Second Peter 2 deals with false prophets. What do false prophets do? In covetousness they fabricate words to make merchandise of the believers. They are covetous, and they seek profit. Hence, they fabricate lies. If a man's way is directed by money, sooner or later his teaching will also be directed by money. We can be certain of this. Such a person will say one thing to the poor and another thing to the rich. He will tell the poor men one kind of demand of the Lord, and when the rich men come around, he will tell them a different kind of demand of the Lord. His words are affected by his desire for profit. In other words, his teaching goes where the money is. God's Word is frank and strong. We are afraid that some have gone after the example of the false prophets and the false teachers. If a man's course of action is swayed and turned by the power of money, this man is a false prophet and a false teacher. No prophet, instructor, or teacher who is a faithful servant of God can be swayed by the power of money. If a man can be bought with money, if he can be affected by money, and if money can change the course of his direction, he should cover himself with ashes and confess that he is a false prophet and a false teacher. He is a false servant, not a genuine servant of God. This is a very serious thing. We must be totally delivered from mammon. Those who are governed by the supply of money in their pathway and their speaking should be cut off from God's work.

Peter and Jude were not the only ones who spoke on this subject. Paul said the same thing to Timothy when he underscored this peril. First Timothy 6:3 says, "If anyone teaches different things and does not consent to healthy words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching which is according to godliness." What is to become of the one who teaches different things, who teaches strange doctrines, and who does not consent to the healthy words of our Lord Jesus Christ? Verses 4 and 5 say, "He is blinded with pride, understanding nothing, but is diseased with questionings and contentions of words, out of which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, perpetual wranglings of men corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, supposing godliness to be a means of gain." It is interesting to note that in church history all the heretical teachers, those who taught differently, took godliness as a means of gain. None of them were spent as much as Paul. They calculated how much they could get out for what they put in. May none of us try to gain anything from anyone through the gospel! Nothing in this world is more condemned by God than the pursuit for gain through godliness. Nothing can be more base than to engage in Christian work as a source of profit. This is most repugnant. Using godliness as a means of gain is most repugnant. Every worker must be completely free from all thoughts of profit before he can engage himself in the work. Brothers and sisters, if you want to work for the Lord, your mind must be completely free from the influence of money. Death and starvation should be more preferable than working for gain. Every worker of the Lord has to be very strong in this matter. If anyone entices us to take a compromising course in this matter, we should not give him an inch of ground. We have to follow our Lord in an absolute way. Brothers and sisters, we can sell our clothing and our possessions, but we can never sell our truth and our godliness. Unless we die to mammon and our mind is completely free from it, it is better not to touch the Lord's work at all. Verse 6 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." This is where the real gain lies: Where there is godliness, there is contentment. When we have godliness, we ask for nothing more, we expect nothing more, and we are satisfied with what we have. This is gain, great gain. It is a shame for godliness to become a means for monetary gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Verses 7 through 10 are particularly important to workers of the Lord: "For we have brought nothing into the world, because neither can we carry anything out. But having food and covering, with these we will be content. But those who intend to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some, aspiring after money, have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pains." Brothers and sisters, we should never make godliness a means of gain. We must be completely free from the influence of money. If we have trouble overcoming this, it would be better to look for another profession. We can never be so fallen as to follow money in our speaking and in our work. It would be better to take up another profession and serve the Lord in that way. There is nothing wrong in serving the Lord with other professions. No one can be careless in the matter of money, and no one can bring shame to the Lord's name through money. A worker must be clean with money. His heart must be fully delivered from it. He has to be absolute, because God's Word condemns most severely any uncleanliness towards money.

Jude 16 says, "These are murmurers, complainers, going on according to their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling things, flattering persons for the sake of advantage." Many people speak great swelling things. They boast of the number of times their prayers are answered and of the number of times they have performed amazing miracles and works of wonders. They say these things "for the sake of advantage." Many people speak what others like to hear in order to flatter them for the sake of advantage. We have to deal with all motives that are driven by the thought of profit. This is a basic character trait of a worker of the Lord. A person who has compromised in the matter of money will compromise in all things. Towards money we must be tough, very tough, and must not give in to any corruption. As workers of the Lord, we have to be absolutely clean in the matter of money.