Today I’d like to tackle a difficult topic. Every Christian surely has struggled with thoughts about becoming rich: is it a godly thing to do? It’s not always easy to understand how God views wealth. However, the Bible does have a lot to say about the topic of money. So let’s start there, with the Bible.
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. – Proverbs 23:4-5 NIV
When you read the verse above, did it lead you to believe that Christians should not acquire wealth? Read it again carefully. The verse says “do not wear yourself out” to get rich. This is an important distinction to make. This passage is talking to those people who toil and strain to become wealthy. Clearly, if you’re putting all your effort into becoming rich and wearing yourself out, your heart is in the wrong place. Aren’t we supposed to be focused on God? The verse is not saying that the pursuit of wealth is evil. Let’s explore another verse:
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. – Proverbs 11:28 NIV
Here we get the same sense as the first verse. Trusting in riches is not of God. Trusting in God to provide, now that is where we need to be! The righteous will always thrive, and don’t we obtain that righteousness from Jesus Christ, the one in whom we trust?
The Bible also has a lot to say about what we do with wealth. For example:
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. – Proverbs 13:22
It’s clear that wealth can be used for good or evil. A sinner’s wealth, however, will eventually end up in the hands of the righteous. Christians must decide how they are going to use their wealth.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. – Matthew 6:24 NIV
Jesus made it clear that Money can be a false god. The last thing a Christian wants to do is have their wealth become their god. It’s crucial to check in with our thoughts and intentions to ensure that our wealth is not glorified. We are only to give glory to God, and God alone. That doesn’t mean, however, that God wants us to be unwise with our money. The Lord desires us to manage our finances, health, relationships, and life responsibly.
The Bottom Line
So, do Christians and wealth mix? Is it possible to accumulate wealth and still be called a Christian? I believe so. I know one thing: God wants us to give away as much wealth as is reasonable while still taking care of our families. Giving is a joy that can’t be measured.
This is why I’ve dedicated myself and my blog the pursuit of giving Godly financial advice. Money is something that we must deal with whether we like it or not. If we have to use money, we better use it in a Godly way! If anyone must have wealth, it should be the people who are more likely to use it wisely.
I’m excited that so many financial blogs have set themselves apart as Christian, including Bible Money Matters. There’s a great need for biblical financial advice! Do you have a Christian financial blog? What are some of the principles you teach? And, what do you think about the topic of Christians and wealth? Let’s hear from you in the comments!
I do struggle with what is “right” for a believer. There seems to be a great deal of subtle emphasis in Christian circles on the “cookbook” approach. “If I tithe and am faithful with what God has given me, He will make me financially comfortable.”
Personally, I haven’t found this to be true. He said He would provide for our needs. He determines what our needs are. Paul expressed this by saying if he had food and clothing with that he would be content, and even more had learned to be content without those basics. “Nakedness, peril, sword…” In my own situation I suspect the Lord is working a contentment with Him apart from material things. Along the lines of Psalm 73.
If we buy into the cookbook approach, we start making divisions within the body. Wealth is the mark of godliness and good stewardship. Poverty is a sign of God’s displeasure. Our current shift falls out in several ways. How many of our church leaders are blue colllar guys? Not college educated. Not middle class or better. How many are working poor who just love Christ and His word? Are they homely or good looking? We also think in terms of expediency. If this guy is great at managing a company, he’ll make a terrific elder. We start a shift from the scriptures and what they say are the qualifications for office and start using our own judgement.
When the scriptures talk about “God works all things together for good”, what is the good God works towards? Not necessarily what we consider “good”. He means the cross. Not comfort. He means death. Not good health and long life. He means remaining faithful in the face of adversity. “Having done all, to stand.” He means to make us look like Jesus in the end. And if Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered why should we think we can learn obedience through comfort?
When Christ walked the earth, He had no place to lay His head. This easily rolls off the tongue but we seldom think of it’s implications. He was laid in a feeding trough as a baby. He slept His last days on the ground in a garden. He didn’t have a place to be buried, but a rich man made space for Him in his own tomb. Jesus was not good looking. People would not normally be attracted to Him. He worked with His hands. They were not the soft hands of a palace dweller. All the things we look to as signs of sucess. Jesus didn’t have them. He became poor for our sakes so that in Him we might become rich. But what does “rich” mean? Not what we normally think. It’s not material and it’s not now.
Yeah, I’ve asked myself related questions about how a person feels about monetizing the Gospel of Christ. Money is neither good nor evil. It is man that is inherently either. A man can be rich or poor as long as his faith is in Christ. At the same time we will be providers in different fashions. The challenge is when the Gospel is merchandised and the purpose of financial gain is elevated above the salvation of souls. That’s when problems occur. With so much greed and immorality in today’s secularized society, Christians have to do all we can to advance the Kingdom of Christ, not our all-mighty pocketbook.
Great article John! Thanks for asking us to share our Christian finance blogs – I’m at http://www.FaithAndFinance.org and we address finance issues for individuals, businesses and churches.
I think you brought up great points about the way we should view money. Funny that you wrote this today because my latest blog post addresses prioritizing time and money as a Christian. Working hard and earning money is a great tool that we can use to further God’s kingdom. The important thing to remember is that we need to seek His kingdom first. If our ultimate goal is to build wealth simply to have it and forget that we should use it to further the Gospel, we’ve made money our god and need to take a look at our motives.
Thanks again for posting – I’m looking forward to exploring your blog today and reading your articles!
I do believe that one can be wealthy and a real Christian, but they know Who comes first and Who their real wealth belongs to. There is nothing wrong with wanting to provide for your family and becoming financially stable (which some people would consider wearlthy). You just have to do it in the right way. Yes, I believe that tithing is part of this, but also putting God first in your life. This means even if you make a 6 fiigure income if you are asked to do something that goes against God, you need to quit your job and not worry about the money are you making as God will provide.
I think that wealth is a wonderful thing to strive for as a Christian, as long as we give back to the Lord once we get there.
It could be easy to forget about thi spiece, but the Lord is who brings us wealth in the first place
This is a topic that comes up often. We see so many warnings in the bible about making money a false God, and depending on riches rather than on God’s provision. I think that it’s clear that this is a very real concern, however, it doesn’t mean that money is evil or a rich person doesn’t understand how to rely on God. But we must be careful to gain all of our wisdom and direction from God’s word, and not from the world’s system.
Oh, I also have a Christian Personal Finance blog called “Faithful With A Few” (the link should show up in my name).