Simplicity: Clement of Alexandria on the Right Use of Wealth

Clement of Alexandria (d. c. 215) wrote "Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?" to counter the interpretation that Jesus demanded literal poverty of all Christians. Clement argued: "It is not the one who has nothing that is rich, but the one who throws away much and is in need of nothing." True simplicity is not about the amount of possessions but about the heart's relationship to them.

Clement taught: "What matters is not whether you possess wealth but whether wealth possesses you. The person who can use wealth without being enslaved by it, who distributes generously and holds loosely, is practicing the simplicity Christ requires." This became an influential middle path between radical asceticism and worldly accumulation.

Practical application: Make a list of your most valued possessions. For each one, ask honestly: "If this were taken from me tomorrow, would I be devastated or would I be at peace?" Clement teaches that the test of simplicity is not what you own but how you would respond to losing it.