Wholehearted: A Biblical Look at the Greatest Commandment and Personal Wealth

by Scott Redd

The greatest commandment in Scripture comes from Deuteronomy, exhorting Christians to love God with their whole being – heart, soul, and strength. This commandment is sometimes called the "Shema," coming from the first Hebrew word in verse 4, meaning “hear.”

For the Christian, the implications of the Shema are comprehensive, affecting how we steward all that God gives us, beginning with our inner self and extending out to our external lives, including our wealth. Applying the Shema to our wealth challenges our perception of wealth today. Wealth can be a gift and sign of God’s blessing or also an idol that we worship in place of God.

In this 30-page booklet, Dr. Scott Redd, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, has written a compelling, illuminating exposition on the Shema that will reform your understanding of the Greatest Commandment and how you view your wealth.

Foreword by Dr. Art Lindsley, IFWE's vice president of theological initiatives

30 pages, Booklet

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

John Scott Redd is the president and associate professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, as well as an ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He began his career in media consultation but felt called to leave the business world to pursue a Master of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. He then went on to complete his doctoral dissertation in the Department of Semitic Language and Egyptian Languages and Literatures
at the Catholic University of America. After serving as dean of students at RTS Orlando, he moved to Washington, DC, in 2012. Dr. Redd also currently sits on the board of the Washington Theological Consortium, an organization dedicated to ecumenism in the Washington area.

Reviews

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite profound.
Brief and enlightening.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Wholehearted” is a brief exposition of the ‘Shema,’ the biblical commandment recognized by Jews and Christians as the greatest commandment (Deut. 6:45; Mt. 22:35-40; Mk. 12:28-31; Lk. 10:25-28). In this excellent pamphlet, put out by the DC-based Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, Dr. Scott Redd shows how the exhortation to love God with all of one’s heart, soul, and strength is a call to give all of oneself—the entirety of our being—to God, our maker and redeemer. Emphasized in Redd’s treatment is a comprehensive view of what it means to give all of our strength, particularly, in love to God. This includes all of our capital: financial, intellectual, relational, political, artistic—all of our worldly effects and influence should be seen as properly oriented under Christ’s Lordship and stewarded for his service. A case study of King Solomon (in both his negative and positive aspects) wraps up this important look at the greatest commandment’s implications for personal wealth—a concise little booklet that is well worth your time.