Everyone cares about money. While there is certainly a lot of debate among Christians about how much we should care about money, there is simply no denying that money is an important part of our lives. Obviously, we need money in order to pay bills, buy food, and survive. Moreover, we need money in order to take part in hobbies, take trips, and do other enjoyable things. There is no doubt that money is an important part of our lives.
Money is also one of the most debated topics among Christians. This is largely because many preachers and teachers seem to take one of two extreme stances on the topic. You have probably heard people talk about the “prosperity gospel.” That term refers to the idea that God wants His people to live lavish, luxurious lives, and that if we support the Church financially, God will bless us with more money than we could ever need.
There is also a camp that teaches that Christians shouldn’t have much money. They believe that being “poor in spirit” involves being poor in finances, and that Christians are called to barely get by. Unfortunately, both of these groups, while they may mean well, fail to consider everything that Scripture says about money.
Since there is no denying that money is an important part of our lives, it’s important that we build our beliefs regarding the topic on what God’s Word says.
Does God Hate Money?
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
If you have ever heard it said that God hates money or that He wants His people to struggle financially, this verse certainly refutes that concept. Long before there was an economic system like the one we have today, Moses told the people of Israel that God gave them the power to get wealth.
In ancient times, a person’s wealth was tied to their crops and their livestock. Instead of an economy that operated on a money-based system like we have today, many people would barter. Moses reminded the people that God gave them the power to produce wealth, which meant the power to produce gardens, livestock, and other goods.
This verse certainly refutes the idea that God hates money. God does not hate the idea of His people enjoying financial success. However, He wants His people to work hard for their income. He gives us the power to produce wealth. While many people think that God blessing them financially involves Him miraculously making them millionaires, that’s rarely how things work. Instead, God gives us the strength to work and produce an income for themselves.
Is Money the Root of All Evil?
1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
You have probably heard people say that money is the root of all evil. That quote is simply a misrepresentation of this passage of Scripture. First of all, money in itself is not evil. However, the love of money can become a problem. Depending on the Biblical translation that you read, you may find some different terminology here. One translation says that “being obsessed with money” is the root of all kinds of evil.
There are very few obsessions that are good for us. Anything that we become obsessive over has the power to become a false god in our lives. Money is certainly no different.
Paul explained how people who are obsessed with money wander away from the faith. It’s because their obsession with money causes them to do things that don’t align with their faith. When you’re desperate to make more money, you may lie on your taxes, cheat the company you work for out of time, or commit some type of other crime.
Making money through honest means is not sinful. In fact, it is something to be admired. Money only becomes a spiritual problem when we become obsessed with it and allow the drive to make more to draw us away from our faith.
What About People Who Already Have Money?
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
One of the most common questions that Christians ask when dealing with God’s Word and money involves people who already have money when they get saved. This is largely because of an interaction that takes place in Matthew 19:16-22. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus meets a rich young man who asked Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him that he should sell everything that he had so he could give all the money to the poor. The young man walked away sadly because he didn’t want to give up what he had. Jesus told the disciples that it was hard for a wealthy person to be saved, and that conversation has created a great deal of concern about the ability of those who have wealth to become Christians.
The issues surrounding wealth and salvation are summarized in this passage from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. While every person who is wealthy is not arrogant, there is certainly no denying that the presence of wealth has the potential to make someone arrogant. This passage from 1 Timothy does not say that everyone who was wealthy should sell everything they had so they could follow Christ. Instead, Paul spoke about the important of remaining humble even though they had money.
Additionally, Paul said that those who were rich should use the resources God had blessed them with to bless others. God does not demand that His people live in poverty. Instead, He wants us to use our resources as a means to bless others.
Testing God
Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
The only time that God tells His people to test Him is in this passage from Malachi. It’s certainly not surprising that God’s only command for His people to test Him involves finances. God has known for thousands of years that money would be one of the biggest sources of stress in our lives. That’s why He told us to test His faithfulness with our finances.
When you commit your finances to God and give to the Kingdom, He will prove Himself faithful. No, this doesn’t mean that if you give $100 to your local church that God will put $10,000 in your bank account. However, we can rest assured that when we use our resources for God’s Kingdom, He will bless us.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the strength and ability to earn a living. Help me to use the resources that I have in a way that pleases You. Help me to never become obsessed with pursuing more money, instead choosing to be thankful for what I have. In Christ’s name, Amen.