Poverty: The Boundary of Sufficiency
Scott Lyons
3/9/2010

Thinking about the discipline of poverty is disconcerting. Many of us picture images of undernourished children when we hear the word poverty, and that, of course, is not what I mean by using it. Poverty, or perfect charity, is one of the three ancient evangelical counsels. (The others are chastity and obedience.) These are counsels for those who wish to be perfect, as God is perfect (Matthew 19:12, 21; 5:48). They are voluntary conditions, of course, unnecessary for one's salvation. We undertake spiritual discipline, however, because we desire God. As Paul says, "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). So we move on from grace to grace. After we are able to run one mile, we run two. Someday it will be ten. We challenge ourselves to become faster, to endure more. We run only as far and as fast as we can (always patient with ourselves)—nothing else is expected, but growth. That is the fruit of discipline, and it cannot be produced in any other way. Of course, do not confuse the race with the goal. The goal is to better love God and better love our neighbor. The goal is to share in the life of God. The goal is Christ.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he quotes from the Psalms, "As the Scriptures say, 'They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.'" (2 Corinthians 9:9, NLT). John Chrysostom's homily on this verse gives shape to the idea of sufficiency. Chrysostom does not demand that everyone give up everything he owns (though he elegantly dangles it in front of the reader) but rather requires something different of us: the boundary of sufficiency. It is this boundary that I would like to explore in my own life, and ask for you to explore in yours. What is sufficiency for you? Why does the line fall in different places for you and me?

"I require you to cut off superfluities and to desire a sufficiency alone. Now the boundary of sufficiency is the using those things which it is impossible to live without. No one debars you from these; nor forbids you your daily food. I say food, not feasting; raiment, not ornament. . . . let us set these boundaries to sufficiency" (John Chrysostom).

Chrysostom sets us our boundaries, understanding our weaknesses. He desires we eat a little bread, but he understands that some must also eat herbs and that some, weaker still, must occasionally eat meat. So instead of saying, "You must, each of you, eat only a little bread," he simply says that we must inquire what is sufficient for each of us. So that, as I spoke in last month's article, according to what is sufficient for me, I do not need an iPhone. Some of you will, perhaps, not because you are weaker but because of the demands of your circumstances. Then there are some who may buy it out of weakness. And that's okay as well. What is not okay and what I suffer from is living a consumptive lifestyle without ever inquiring about what is sufficient for us. What do I need and what is extraneous? What is sufficient and what is superfluity? I see the latest technological offerings, and I begin to covet. I don't use the word humorously—I really covet these things. Men, it seems, are far more susceptible to this technolust than women, though women are not immune. Yesterday my life was progressing swimmingly without ever having heard about "the next thing"; why do I "need" one today? What is sufficient for me? Do I need a new car more than the widow next door needs money to heat her home? Do I need new cabinets more than my neighbor needs food and clothes? What do I need? What does my neighbor need? Who is my neighbor? What do I steal from my neighbor by consuming more than what is sufficient for life? Do I love stuff more than I love people? I must at least make the inquiry.

I often fail to love my brothers and sisters by judging them and how they spend their money. That is none of my business. And that is not the business of this article. The question for me is not what is sufficient for you but what is sufficient for me. I must only concern myself with myself. When I am perfect, I will concern myself with you. So it is up to you to examine your own life and the boundaries of sufficiency within it. Inquire about it honestly today and make a small change. Then do it again tomorrow.

". . . cut off what is superfluous; and that is superfluous which is more than we need. For when we are able even without a thing to live healthfully and respectably, certainly the addition of that thing is a superfluity" (John Chrysostom).