Pastor Jerry Cooper

Lord said `My kingdom is not of this world` (meaning His kingdom is spiritual) would it be possible that His book, the Bible, is not of this world either but has a spiritual meaning or level?

Good question.

Jesus made this statement in response to Pilate’s question:  “Are you the
king of the Jews?”

The “kingdom of Jesus” and the “kingdom of God” is a very important and
often mentioned subject in the gospels.  Today, the kingdom of God is
spiritual.  Christ rules in the hearts of those who trust and obey Him.

But when Christ returns to earth, His kingdom will have a physical side as
well.

Zechariah 14:1-9
A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I
will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will
be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city
will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the
city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he
fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from
east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north
and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will
extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of
Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones
with him. On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a
unique day, without daytime or nighttime-a day known to the Lord. When
evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out
from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in
summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that
day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. (NIV)

I believe this will be fulfilled in the future, when Christ returns.

Now to your question about the Word of God:  Is the Bible of this world?
Does it have a spiritual meaning?

I believe the Bible has both a material aspect (of this world) and a
spiritual aspect.  The original manuscripts were written by godly men, then
copied by believers.  Thousands of copies of the originals are found in
libraries and museums in various parts of the world.  You can actually view
some photos of ancient copies on the internet:

http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/pictures/Manuscripts.htm\

http://biblefacts.org/history/oldtext.html

Scholars have taken these copies and produced completed texts of the whole
New Testament in Greek, and the whole Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic.
They are confident, and so am I, that the Greek and Hebrew texts are
virtually identical to the original manuscripts.  And from these texts,
scholars translate the Bible into English and other languages.

The Bible also has a supernatural spiritual aspect:

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, (NIV)

As men wrote, God was breathing out His word through them.  So the product
of their writing was God’s Word.

2 Peter 1:20-21
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by
the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the
will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit. (NIV)

In this passage, God is telling us that the written words came from God as
men were carried along, or directed, by the Holy Spirit.

So then, when we read the Bible, we are reading God words.

And there is clearly spiritual meaning behind His words.  In fact,
unbelievers cannot understand the spiritual meanings because they are
blinded by Satan, the god of this age.

1 Corinthians 2:12-14
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God,
that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit
does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are
spiritually discerned. (NIV)

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they
cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God. (NIV)

Before I trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I read the Bible.  I
understood some words and concepts, but many did not make sense.  I was
blinded by Satan.  However, after I trusted Christ, God opened my eyes and I
understood the Bible much more than before.

So, the answer to your question is:   Yes, the Bible has a spiritual meaning
or level.  God speaks to us when we read the Bible.

At the same time, the Bible is of this world.  There are physical
manuscripts which men wrote, as they were led by God’s Spirit.

I was asked this question by a Native American:  “What do Christians think of the Native Americans?  Considering the fact that our stories say that Jesus came to us and said we were God like people, and that we didn’t need his guidance.”

There are two parts of what you wrote:  a question, and a statement.   I
will address both parts separately.

First, I want to address your question about what Christians think of Native
Americans.

I don’t think anybody knows the answer about what Christians think.   I
think a poll of Christians would need to be taken to find out what they
think of Native Americans.

Those who call themselves “Christian” do not all agree about beliefs and
practices.  They hold a wide variety of viewpoints on a wide range of
subjects.

Not everybody who says, “I’m a Christian”, is a true Christian.  A true
Christian is one who has repented of sins and trusts Jesus alone for
forgiveness of sins and submits to the leadership of Christ.

Among those who are true Christians, I believe I can speak for those who
would identify themselves as “evangelicals”.  I’m an “evangelical”
Christian.   By “evangelical”, I mean those who accept the Bible as God’s
Word, those who trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and those who affirm
basic Bible doctrines on heaven, hell, God, man, and salvation.

God says through the apostle Paul:

Romans 2:11
For God does not show favoritism. (NIV)

Ephesians 6:9
Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember,
you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. (NLT)

These verses mean that God treats everybody the same, no matter what their
race, origin, or social status.  Therefore, God treats and views Native
Americans just as He treats and views people in other countries.  He loves
them and wants them to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, we should not show favoritism:

James 2:1
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show
favoritism. (NIV)

James 2:9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as
lawbreakers. (NIV)

And God commands us to do good to all people.

Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially
to those who belong to the family of believers. (NIV)

Therefore, we want to do good to Native Americans, and we love them.
Furthermore, there will be people from every tribe, nation, and language
people in heaven.

Revelation 7:9-10
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one
could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and
palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice,
saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
(NASB95)

So the answer of your question is that evangelical Christians, like me, love
Native Americans and want to do good things for them.  We wish for them to
all hear the good news about Jesus Christ and to believe.  We look forward
to enjoying heaven with Native Americans who will believe in Jesus, and we
desire to fellowship and worship with them while on earth.

Now, regarding your statement about your stories.  I am not familiar with
the stories you describe.

However, Jesus predicted that false Christs would come and lead people
astray.

Matthew 24:24-27
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and
wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told
you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do
not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe
it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west,
so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (ESV)

Furthermore, Jesus would never tell a group of people that they do not need
his guidance.

Consistently, God teaches that all people are like sheep in need of
shepherd, ie in need of guidance.  And Jesus is our Shepherd who guides us.

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one-to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (ESV)

Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (ESV)

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
(ESV)

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (ESV)

And God consistently says that all people are born sinners, spiritually
dead.  They are not “God like”.

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (ESV)

Ephesians 2:1-3
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- among whom
we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of
the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest
of mankind. (ESV)

All people are “children of wrath” until they repent and trust Jesus as Lord
and Savior.

In view of the above verses, I do not believe that Jesus visited Native
Americans and told them they are God like and do not need His guidance.   If
somebody did visit them and make those statements, that person was a false
christ.

God bless you.

A believer needs a heart-transplant. The donor is an unbeliever (perhaps a murderer). Does this donated heart have any negative affect on the believer`s life? (eg. Will the believer act like the unbeliever?)  Sam

Dear Sam,  you have written an interesting question.

I’m guessing that your question centers on the words of Jesus about the
heart being a source of evil:

Mark 7:20-23
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from
within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality,
theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy,
slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and
they defile a person.” (ESV)

If Jesus was referring to a physical heart, then certainly a heart
transplant could change a person’s behavior.

However, I believe, and so do other scholars, that Jesus was not referring
to the physical organ (heart).  I believe He used the heart as a metaphor, a
figure of speech,  for a person’s will, his desires, and thoughts.  For
example, Jesus used “heart” to describe where we “think” about evil.

Matthew 9:4
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your
hearts? (NASB95)

Other passages that talk about the thoughts of the heart include Genesis
6:5, Deut 15:9, Luke 2:52.

Today, we would say that the physical brain is the source of our thoughts,
not the physical heart.

The biblical heart can “lust”, Romans 1:24.  It can desire, Romans 10:1.

Every man has a sin nature, or “flesh”, which is a natural tendency to sin.

Romans 7:5
For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the
law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. (ESV)
Romans 7:14-18
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under
sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want,
but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with
the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that
dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my
flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to
carry it out. (ESV)

God is not saying that sin dwells in one part of the body, such as the
heart.  But sin dwells in the flesh, which is the whole physical body.

Romans 7:23-24
but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind
and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched
man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (ESV)

The source of sin is in the body itself, in the body’s “members” (plural),
not just one physical member.

So, when a Christian dies, his immaterial part (soul/spirit) goes to heaven.
And his physical body, which was the source of sin, remains on earth.  Then,
some day, God will give every Christian a body like that of Christ, without
a tendency to sin.

Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they
will be like his glorious body. (NIV)

In conclusion, a heart transplant will not affect a person’s behavior, for
good, or for bad.  When the Bible refers to an evil heart, or a pure heart,
“heart” is a figure of speech.  It refers to a person’s will, desires, and
thoughts.

I hope this helps.

God bless you.  Jerry

Recently, I was asked:

“Is there such a thing as an ex-Christian?  A `Christian` can dedicate their life to Christ and serve Him wholeheartedly and bang!! a MAJOR TRAUMA or CATASTROPHE happens in their life and they no longer serve Christ. They begin to enter into deep sin, denial, and even denying anything to do with Christ.  Read James 5:18-19. Clearly in this Scripture we are addressing a follower and when speaking of `death`, it is of a spiritual nature. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul  from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Here is my answer:

Jesus said a person who believes in Him is given “eternal life”.

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)

The word “eternal” means everlasting, never to end, without ceasing.  If a
person could become an ex-Christian, then the life given to the believer
would be temporary and ending.  Jesus would not have used the word
“eternal”, but the word “temporary”.

God also teaches that people who believe in Jesus are made holy, perfect
forever.  In the context of a discussion on how Jesus’ sacrifice for sins
compares to animal sacrifices, God’s Word says this of Jesus’ sacrifice:

Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. (NIV)

Hebrews 10:14
because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being
made holy. (NIV)

The words “made holy” and “made perfect forever” refer to actions completed
in the past that have produced the present state of a person.  The best way
to understand these statements is from an eternal and heavenly perspective.
From the view point of eternity in heaven, we are holy and perfect.

If a person could become an “ex-Christian” by sin, then we might expect the
believers at Corinth to have lost their salvation.  The book is largely a
rebuke to a sinning church.   But God says to them through the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 1:8
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)

In spite of the current sinful state, the Corinthian Christians would be
blameless on the day of the Lord’s return.

The church in Corinth had a man who was caught in sexual sin, and who
refused to repent.  Would that man lose his salvation?  No.  God said,
through Paul:

1 Corinthians 5:4-5
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in
spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to
Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on
the day of the Lord. (NIV)

The man’s spirit would be saved.  The man was a Christian, but a disobedient
one.  And his physical life would end, and his spirit would be saved and go
to heaven.

What about people to claim to be Christians, and then deny Christ?  Yes,
people like that exist.  God calls them “false brothers”.

2 Corinthians 11:26
I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in
danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from
Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea;
and in danger from false brothers. (NIV)

Galatians 2:4
This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to
spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. (NIV)

Who are these “false brothers”?  They are people who appear to be
Christians, but are not.  Some of them remain in the church, but some leave
and deny Christ.  Those false brothers who deny Christ and leave the church
are called “antichrists”.

1 John 2:18-19
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we
know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really
belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with
us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (NIV)

By leaving the church and denying Christ, they reveal that they never
“belonged”.  They were false brothers.

What about the James passage you mentioned?  I believe the key is the
correct understanding of the word “death”.  Like you said, death can refer
to spiritual death.  Unbelievers are spiritually dead:

Ephesians 2:1
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (NIV)

But “death” can also refer to physical death, and I believe bodily death is
what God meant in James 5:18-19.  In other words, a Christian who falls into
error and sinful behavior may die at the hands of the Lord unless he
repents.   If a godly Christian can turn him from his error and sinful
lifestyle, the sinning Christian will be saved from physical death and from
committing many other sins.

When Christians fall into error and sin, God may judge them by causing
premature physical death.  He killed some believers at Corinth who abused
the Lord’s Supper:

1 Corinthians 11:28-30
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the
cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord
eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and
sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. (NIV)

“Fallen asleep” is a figure of speech for physical death (see John 11:11-14).   Those
Corinthian Christians who had “fallen asleep” were physically dead because,
in the Lord’s Supper, they ate and drank God’s judgment on themselves.

The conclusion is that there is no such thing as an ex-Christian.  If a
person is born again, made spiritually alive, and made a child of God, that
person is secure and promised eternal life in heaven.  A Christian may sin
and fall into persistent error, but instead of losing his salvation, the
Lord will end his life prematurely.

And some who claim to be Christians are not.  They are false Christians.

I hope this helps.  Jerry

I received this question from gotquestions.org:

“According to the bible, what constitutes an affair?  If one partner believes in polygamy, does it then still mean an affair?”

Good questions.

First, let’s tackle your second question about polygamy.

While it is true that polygamy was practiced in the Old Testament times,
especially by kings, it is clear that polygamy is not God’s plan.

When God gave standards for pastors and church leaders, He said they must
have one wife.

1 Timothy 3:1-2
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,
he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the
husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable,
hospitable, able to teach, (NIV)

When Jesus taught on marriage, He always used the singular “wife”, rather
than the plural “wives”.  This implies that God’s plan is monogamy, not
polygamy.

Mark 10:2-12
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said,
“Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus
replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’
‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but
one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” When
they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He
answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits
adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another
man, she commits adultery.” (NIV)

Another argument against polygamy are the commands given to a husband and
his wife (singular).

Ephesians 5:22-33
…. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the
church, his body, of which he is the Savior. … In this same way, husbands
ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares
for it, just as Christ does the church- for we are members of his body. “For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery-but I
am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must
love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
(NIV)

If polygamy had been an acceptable practice in the church, we should fully
expect God to give commands regarding a man and “his wives”, but there is no
such command.  Everywhere, God says that a man should have one wife, and a
wife should have one husband.

1 Corinthians 7:2-3
But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife,
and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty
to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. (NIV)

Now to your question regarding “an affair”.   God uses words like “adultery”
and “immorality”, instead of “affair”.

God’s command is for husbands and wives to remain faithful to each other,
not sleeping with anybody else.

Romans 7:2-3
For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is
alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So
then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is
called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law
and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. (NIV)

Therefore, “an affair”, or “adultery” is when a married person has sex
outside of marriage.  Death ends a marriage, and a widow is free to remarry
after her husband dies.

God commands . . .

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God
will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (NIV)

So an affair is when the marriage bed has been defiled by sex outside of
marriage.  A mistaken belief in polygamy does not justify sleeping with
multiple partners.

But there is also an affair of the heart, without physical contact.  Jesus
said it this way:

Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you
that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery
with her in his heart. (NIV)

God looks at our hearts.  He knows what is in our hearts.  He knows our
thoughts, our desires, and our lusts.  And when a married man looks at a
woman lustfully, he has committed adultery in his heart.  He has had an
affair of the heart.

I hope this helps.   God bless bless you.   Jerry

I was asked the following questions at “gotquestions.org”:

“What does it say about Gods character and nature that he even put a tree in the garden of eden knowing the end results would mean torment and damnation for so many people?  Is free will just?  For example If I fill my house with bear traps, rat poison, loaded guns, poisonous snakes etc. and place a 2 yr. old in the house they have free will to avoid the hazards and make safe choices but lack full understanding of the dangers. Is it just for God to expect us to make right choices with out full understanding?  Just want to know if anyone else ever thinks about these things.”

Good questions!  Deep questions too!

I feel unqualified to give you a firm and confident answer.  Your questions
make me think of something God said:

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV)

God is so much higher and better than we are.  We cannot never fully
understand Him, His thoughts, His ways.

However, He reveals many things about His character.  He is perfectly
loving:

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)

God is perfect in every way.

Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NIV)

I think I understand your analogy about a house full of hazards and a two
year old child.  However, I also believe your analogy is unfair to the
Biblical text.

God created Adam and Eve as adults.  A better analogy would be a house with
one can of poison (only one tree was off limits).  The owner of the house
would give the house free and clear to an intelligent and mature adult.  The
owner would say, “The house is yours, you can do anything you want, and
enjoy all the food in it.  There is one exception.  There is a can of poison
in the garage, with a label that says “poison” on it.  If you eat or drink
from it, you will die.”

Adam and Eve clearly understood the command of God, and His consequences.
They did not lack any ability to understand and obey.

Something else to think about:   God could have created us without a free
will.  He could have created us in way that we could never disobey.   But He
wanted you and me to willingly choose to love Him and obey Him.  God is more
pleased by creating people who choose to love and obey Him, than by creating
people who have no choice but to love and obey Him.

As for me, I can understand this part of God’s character.  I would much
rather have a friend who wanted to be my friend and chose to be my friend.
I would not like a friend who was forced or obligated to act friendly toward
me.

I hope this helps.  Jerry

Somebody asked me the following question at “gotquestions.org”:  Is money the answer for every thing? Ecclesiastes 10:19.  I do not seem to agree with this.  What is the writer trying to say?

Here is my answer:

Good question.

One rule of interpretation is to always let clear passages interpret more difficult ones.  Another rule is to always read a statement in context.

Reading a statement in context means read all of the verses before and after, and see how the statement fits into the context.

The book of Ecclesiastes has a theme that is repeated:  Apart from God, life is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (NIV)

Ecclesiastes 12:8
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!”
(NIV)

Some famous atheistic philosophers have come to this same conclusion, that life is meaningless, including Soren Kierkegaard and Albert Camus.   Some have labeled this philosophy “absurdism.  Wikipedia says…

“Absurdism is a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe ultimately fail (and, hence, are absurd) because no such meaning exists, at least in relation to humanity.”

So, as you look at Eccles 10:19, you are not looking at a statement from God about life, but at a statement by a godless man who is viewing life apart from God.   In other words, some unbelievers think that money is the answer for everything.

If you listen to our culture, observe our government, and watch people, many people live by the philosophy that “money is the answer for everything.”

One commentary by a godly man, wrote this about Eccles 10:19:

“The clause money is the answer for everything means that the rulers think money can meet all their demands.” (The Bible knowledge commentary)

As you read through the Bible, you learn that money cannot buy forgiveness, joy, peace, eternal life, self-control, love, etc.  All of life’s best things come from God, not from money.  I like to meditate on this truth from God.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (NIV)

The path of life is not the path of money;  it is the path of faith in Jesus Christ and submission to His will.  When we trust and obey Him, we are filled with joy and pleasures.  Jesus said it this way:

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV)

Jesus is the source of life, He is the answer for everything, not money.

I hope this helps.  Jerry