The Bible Speaks on Money
- Jan 24, 2006 - comment
Few things trouble people more than money. Too much of it might tempt us to be insensitive to the needs of others; not enough of it may result in hunger, starvation, sickness, and death. Too much of it makes for the sin of idolatry; too little of it makes for the suffering of poverty. Its management is one of the biggest concerns of the modern world; its mismanagement is a leading cause of family stress. In Bible times wealth was counted primarily in such possessions as cattle and land, but with the rise of capitalism about 500 years ago, money became a principal form of wealth. The Bible has a great deal to say about possessions and how the people of God ought to handle wealth.
- Work is good and its rewards have God’s approval.
“You are to labor six days and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9).
“If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
“It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts” (Ecclesiastes 3:13).
“…the worker is worthy of his wages” (Luke 10:7).
“…he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should do so in hope of sharing the crop” (1 Corinthians 9:10).
- God owns all wealth and He entrusts a portion of it to us.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
“‘The silver and gold belong to Me’—the declaration of the Lord of Hosts” (Haggai 2:8).
“…but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
- God expects us unselfishly to share what wealth we have.
“…God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
- We should share our money to support God’s work.
“Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields” (Deuteronomy 14:22).
“‘Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!’ You ask: ‘How do we rob You?’ [By not making the payments] of 10 percent and the contributions” (Malachi 3:8).
“Summoning His disciples, He said to them, ‘I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on.’” (Mark 12:43-44).
- We should share our money with others less fortunate than us.
“For there will never cease to be poor people in the land; that is why I am commanding you, ‘You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land’” (Deuteronomy 15:11).
“As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well… Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:40, 42).
“Don’t neglect to do good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices” (Hebrews 13:16).
Instruct those who are rich… to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).
- We should share our money to support God’s work.
- We should pay taxes to government with our money and tribute to God with our lives.
“Then the Pharisees… plotted how to trap Him… They sent their disciples to Him… they said, ‘…Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But perceiving their malice, Jesus said, ‘…Show Me the coin used for the tax.’ So they brought Him a denarius. ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ He asked them. ‘Caesar’s,’ they said to Him. Then He said to them, ‘Therefore, give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s’” (Matthew 22:15-21).
- God’s kingdom is more important than money.
“But He answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33).
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).
“What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?” (Matthew 16:26).
“In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).
“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).
- Christians are not to orient their lives around money.
“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money” (Matthew 6:24).
“And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
“Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
“Don’t keep striving for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious. For the Gentile world eagerly seeks all these things, and your Father knows that you need them” (Luke 12:29-30).
- There are great dangers and temptations connected with money.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God’” (Matthew 19:23-24).
“…Jesus said to him, ‘go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’ When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions” (Matthew 19:21-22).
“Do not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
“Do not covet… anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).
“Woe for the one… who makes his fellow man serve without pay and will not give him his wages…” (Jeremiah 22:13).
“The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2:6).
“…Do not be deceived: no sexually immoral people… thieves, greedy people… or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. Some of you were like this; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
“Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten; your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire” (James 5:1-3).
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Conclusion
The Bible speaks about money. God is concerned about our relationship to material things. Money is a useful tool but an evil master. As Christians we are obligated to subject ourselves to the mind and spirit of Jesus Christ in all our dealings related to money. “In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
All Scripture is from the Holman Christian Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated.