I was raised in Evangelical Christian culture and get this question a lot from Evangelical Christians, so this FAQ is written for Evangelical Christians, in Christian lingo. Non-Christians might get lost in the lingo. I could very well use Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, or secular scientific lingo, or whatever school, to say the same thing. I in no way believe any religion is superior over another or has a monopoly on truth. It is anti-Christian to believe otherwise, because it would break the Golden Rule, Rule above all rules.
Please understand that this is about putting into action the very heart of Evangelical doctrine which has been rendered meaningless by lipservice: salvation by grace, through faith. Most of so-called "Evangelical Christianity" has become a lackey of Babylon, bowing down with all its loyalty to commercial, corporate politics, changing truth to mean the opposite to serve its own materialistic ends. Not only has it rendered its own doctrines meaningless, but it has twisted them to mean just the opposite, with Orwellian Doublespeak, calling good evil and evil good, justifying greed and warmongering under the mask of "grace."
Grace is the whole point of the moneyless lifestyle and the very theme of this entire website!
This is about making abstract concepts of Grace into Reality, Reality that anybody can understand.
Grace means gratis: grace is unmerited favor, freely given, freely received. Grace means pure gift.
We are saved by grace in the spiritual realm, we live by grace, walk by grace, work by grace, in the physical realm. At the point of no possessions, the line between
spiritual and physical dissolves!
This is about the Mediator between both the physical and the spiritual, breaking down the wall of partitian between the spiritual and the physical.
The very nature of living without money and possessions is living by grace, through faith, not of our ego works.
To see a few of Jesus' teachings on money & possessions, see The Way of Christianity, Judaism's Estranged Daughter
You probably notice the mysterious enigma of how droves of "Evangelicals"/"Fundamentalsts" and other self-proclaimed Christians won't go near Jesus' practical teachings with a 10-foot pole. Why? They claim that Jesus taught works for salvation & that (according to their very selective interpretation of Apostle Paul's letters) his crucifixion provided a "free" ticket to heaven, annulling everything practical he taught, that, in other words, Jesus spent his life blowing hot air, or he meant his teachings for some "other people" in some "other dispensation". But to know Grace means to know that everything Jesus taught is Grace, giving up ego works, and that the Cross was the Ultimate Confirmation of this principle, not an annulment of it.
"I am the Vine, you are the Branches" (John 15:5). What bears the fruit, the Vine or the Branches? The Branches, not by their own power, but by the power of the Vine through them. No action means no faith (James 2:18, 20, 26). No life in a body means its Spirit is gone. It means death.
Consult your Common Sense and ask:
Why in the world would we hoard possessions if we had faith, if we understood the grace of God?
Hoarding possessions betrays our lack of faith that God will provide (Luke 12:28; Matthew 6:30 & 16:8)
Giving up possessions is giving up our own ego works, plain and simple.
When we hoard possessions we believe we are saved by possessions.
When we give up possessions, we no longer believe that our possessions can save us, but that we are saved by grace.
To trust in possessions to save us is to serve Mammon. To give up possessions is to trust in God to save us, to depart from Mammon. Make your choice: trust in your own ego works or live by grace. Serve God or serve Mammon (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13). It is utterly impossible to trust both, as Jesus clearly teaches, even though "Christianity" has been trying to prove that we can serve both, and has failed miserably, for 2000 years.
If we do things for others in order to get something in return, to get credit (including money), we are acting through ulterior motivation, we are living by manipulation, not by grace, not through faith. If we work to get credits, rather than simply working for the sake of working, we are being insincere, our minds are departed from the Present Moment (Luke 6:33-36). If we work for future reward, then we lack faith; we lack faith that God will take care of payment. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Eternal Present" (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). Let God worry about reward. The essence of enlightenment is Hallelujah: All Credit to Jah.
You cannot serve God and Mammon. You cannot work for God and Money. Either you will love the one and despise the other, and vise versa. You cannot trust in Reality and Illusion. See What Money Is & What Money Is Not.
This is about Grace becoming actual practice, the Word coming down to earth, in the flesh, right here, right now! This is not about mere words confessing Messiah come in the flesh in some distant historical past that nobody can ever prove or disprove. This is about the Spirit (Action) confessing Messiah come in the flesh, present tense, right here, right now. Any spirit, any action, that does not confess the Word come in the flesh right now, right here, is Anti-Messiah (1 John 4:1-3: notice the present tense!).
The Jewish Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a, confirms this:
[Rabbi ben Levi] asked Elijah, "When will the Messiah come?"
Elijah replied, "Go and ask him"
"...and how will I recognize him?"
"He sits among the wretched who are suffering from sores."
So he went to him and greeted him, saying, "peace upon you, Master and Teacher."
"Peace upon you, O son of Levi,' he replied.
"When wilt thou come Master?" he asked.
"Today", was his answer.
On his returning to Elijah, the latter enquired,
"What did he say to thee?"
"peace Upon thee, O son of Levi," he answered. . . .
'He spoke falsely to me,' he rejoined, 'saying he would come today, but has not.'
He [Elijah] answered him, "This is what he said to thee,
'Today, if you will hear his voice'" [quoting Psalm 95:7. See also Hebrews 3:7, 15 & 4:7,
also Matthew 25:33-46 refers to this Talmud passage]
Psalm 2:7 (quoted in Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, 5:5) chimes in on this Truth:
You are my son, Today I have begotten you.
Only the True Messiah is Born Today. All else is illusion, debatable, doubt-able. Today cannot in any way be argued against, because Today is before our eyes. Ye must be Born Again Today, the Only Begotten Son Today, the One and Only Image of God. Ye must be New Adam/Eve, your Truly Sincere Self, created in the One and Only Image of God, Today. Nobody, I mean nobody, can argue against Sincerity, the Present Mind. All else is illusion. There is nothing else. I Am Who I Am cannot be argued against. Why? Because I Am Who I Am cannot be spoken with words. I Am Who I Am: the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Name raised above every name that is spoken. There is and can be no other authentic name under heaven. "The name that can be spoken is not the Eternal Name" (Tao Te Ching 1), which Saint Augustine also stated.
How can anybody say they believe in the atonement of the Christ if they trample on his teachings and disregard his example written about in the Gospels? How can we say we believe in the one who gives up all his possessions, right down to his very life on the cross for Truth, when we can't even give up our SUVs and sweatshop-made toys and our McMansions, all of which we know are born on the backs of the world's poor and destroy the very environment our brothers and sisters depend upon? (1 John 3:16-18). How can we call ourselves preachers of the Gospel, Evangelists, when we preach and do and promote exactly the opposite of what is written by what is called the Evangelists in the Gospels in our own Bibles? (1John 2:3-6)
Despite appearances, there are only two religions in the world: the religion of serving Reality and the religion of serving Delusion, the religion of serving God and the religion of serving Mammon, the religion trusting in own ego works and the religion of Grace:
One is the path that leads to material wealth,
The other is the path that leads to Nirvana
--Gautama Buddha (Dhammapada 5:75)
"No servant can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot work for God and money."
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,
heard all these things, and they ridiculed Jesus.
(Luke 16:13-14)
And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only;
the one is the church of the Lamb of God,
and the other is the church of the devil;
wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God
belongeth to that great church,
which is the mother of abominations;
and she is the whore of all the earth.
(Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:10)
[Looking at the context, we see that one church is big and wealthy and world-wide, the prostitute that works for money, and the other is small and humble, the church that follows the basic teachings of Jesus]
These two paths--bright and dark--are deemed to be the eternal paths of the world.
By the one man goes to return not; by the other he returns again.
The yogi knowing these two paths falls not into delusion.
(Bhagavad Gita 8:26-27)
The One True Religion, in its fullness, is at the core of every world religion. It is the Remnant, hidden under the majority religions.
Most of what is called "Christianity" is the religion of serving Mammon. At the core of this "Christianity" is the True Remnant, the same Remnant at the core of every world religion. But, again, most of "Christianity" has been trying to prove it can serve both God and Mammon for 2000 years. It loves to talk of "salvation by grace," even as it trusts in money and possessions, trusts in its own ego works, with all its heart. It loves to harp on how Jesus is the only "way, the truth, and the life" even as it pisses on his teachings and life, even as it condemns anybody who even suggests practicing Jesus' teachings. In its Orwellian Doublespeak, it claims that anybody who follows Jesus' teachings is trying to "be saved by works, not by grace," even as it tramples on grace in its utter materialism.
It's interesting to note that those who actually practice Jesus' teachings, or even have a desire to practice his teachings, have zero interest in denouncing other world religions, just as there is no record of Jesus ever denouncing any other religion (even though he lived in a melting pot of religions). Those who actually practice Jesus' teachings cannot help but see that they are the core teachings of every world religion. They cannot help but see that there are only two religions: the religion of Mammon and the religion of Reality. It matters not whether the religion of Reality calls itself Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism, or Pagan. Truth remains Truth, regardless of what language speaks it. Every religion contains the fullness of Truth. There is no language, no culture, no generation, that has not and will not continue to receive the fullness of Truth, spoken in all Creation and in every human heart (Psalm 19, quoted in Romans 10:17-18 ). When we are accustomed to only washing the outside of our cups, not the inside, we can't see this. All the evidence you need is inside you. "The Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).
Summing up everything below: Reality is Here and Now.
You can't do anything or think anything to reach Reality, here and now,
because all movement is away from here and all thought is away from now,
and "Now is the accepted time, now is the Day of Salvation."
For by grace (gratis) are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest any person should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Most assuredly, I say to you,
the Son can do nothing of Himself,
but what he sees the Father do;
for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner. . . .
I can of myself do nothing...
--Jesus Christ (John 5:19, 30)
"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me. . . .
For without me you can do nothing."
-- Jesus Christ (John 15:4-5)
No matter how intensely we may crave spiritual delight,
we cannot acquire it through our own efforts.
It is not forged of the same metal that we are
but is made of the purest gold of divine wisdom.
The way you will know if you are humble
is that you will not believe that you have earned these mercies and blessings from the beloved
nor that you will ever have them in your whole life.
You will ask me how you will ever attain them if you do not seek them out.
My answer is that there is no better way than by not striving.
Here are some reasons why:
First, we must love God above all, unmotivated by self-interest.
Second, thinking that in exchange for our insignificant services
we are entitled to such a great reward indicates a slight lack of humility.
Third, true preparation for these blessings consists not in the desire for consolations
but in the desire to suffer as the beloved suffered.
Fourth, while His Highness is bound to grant us glory if we keep His commandments,
he is not obliged to do us any favors we may crave… . . . .
The fifth reason we should not strive for spiritual sweetness is that it would be a complete waste of time. . . .
What I mean is that no matter how much we practice meditation,
however hard we squeeze ourselves or how many tears we weep,
this kind of water does not come to us like that.
God gives it only to those to whom it is his will to give it,
and often when the soul least expects it.
-- Teresa of Avila (The Interior Castle, p.99-100)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God,
and not to the will of the devil and the flesh;
and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God,
that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.
(Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 10:24)
Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness
that we may know that it is by his grace,
and his great condescensions unto the children of men,
that we have power to do these things.
(Book of Mormon, Jacob 4: 7)
Let the People of the Book recognize
that they have no control over the Grace of God;
that Grace is in his hands alone,
and that he vouchsafes it to whom he will.
God's Grace is infinite.
Say: Shall We inform you who will be the greatest losers by their works?
Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life,
while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?
HaShem will fight for you
while you keep silent.
(Torah, Exodus 14:14)
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
In quietness and trust is your strength.
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
Brahman is not grasped by the eye,
nor by speech, nor by the other senses,
nor by penance or good works.
A person becomes pure through serenity of intellect;
thereupon, in meditation,
he beholds Him who is without parts.
Even while always performing his actions,
he who makes Me his refuge wins,
by My Grace--not through his own strength--
the eternal and imperishable haven.
All action is entirely done by the modes of nature.
A person, deluded by the sense of "I", thinks, "I am the doer."
We who live in the world, still attached to karmas [debts],
can overcome the world by Thy Grace alone.
(Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2)
And yet it is not good conduct that helps you upon the way,
nor ritual, nor book learning,
nor withdrawal into the self, nor deep meditation.
None of these confers mastery or joy, O seeker!
Rely on nothing until you want nothing.
(Dhammapada 19:272)
Without effort on my part
the Buddha-nature manifests itself.
This is due neither to the instruction of my teacher
Nor to any attainment of my own.
(The Sutra of Hui-neng)
If people truly and earnestly wish to attain Enlightenment,
they must rely on the power of this Buddha (Awakened One).
It is impossible for an ordinary person to realize his supreme Buddha-Nature
without the support of this Buddha.
By assuming numerous garbs [of ascetics],
learning, induced meditation, or stubborn practices,
Has none attained Him.
Says Nanak, By His grace alone does one attain
to sainthood and enlightenment.
(Adi Granth, Gauri Bavan Akkhari, M.5, p. 251)
If you persist in trying to attain what is never attained
(It is Tao's gift!)
If you persist in making effort to obtain what effort cannot get;
If you persist in reasoning about what cannot be understood,
You will be destroyed by the very thing you seek.
To know when to stop,
To know when you can get no further by your own action,
This is the right beginning!
--Chuang Tzu (23:3-7)
Creating without claiming,
Doing without taking credit,
Guiding without interfering:
This is the Primal Virtue.
-- Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching 51)
The softest thing in the universe
Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.
That without substance can enter where there is no room.
Hence I know the value of non-action.
Teaching without words and work without doing
Are understood by very few.
--Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching 43)
So, you understand,
love is not a reaction,
therefore it is free.
Where there is love there is intelligence
not born out of thought.
Intelligence is something outside the brain.
Compassion, love, freedom is outside the brain.
Because the brain is conditioned,
it cannot contain this.
--JIddu Krishnamurti (p. 138, The Pocket Krishnamurti)
Power is derived from asceticism, from action, from position,
from virtue, from domination, and so on.
All such forms of power are evil.
It corrupts and perverts.
The use of money, talent, cleverness to gain power
or deriving power from any use of these is evil.
But there is a power which is in no way related
to that power which is evil.
This power is not to be bought through worship,
prayers and self-denying or self-destructive meditations.
All effort to become or to be must wholly, naturally, cease.
Only then that power which is not evil, can be.
--Jiddu Krishnamurti (p.23, Krishnamurti's Notebook)
If you have doubt about the One Remnant Religion at the core of every world religion, please see Here's the One Point We Know the World's Religions Agree Upon (in Word)
To further understand the concept of salvation by grace, which is the core teaching of every religion, see Love & Possession - Sex & Money
To understand how we fell from grace, according to general world mythology, see Our Fall From Grace: Our Departure From Gratis: The Beginning of Money
To understand how we fell from grace, specifically according to the Bible's Eden story, see The Seven-Headed Dragon: World Commerce