What the Bible Says about Money

What the Bible Says about Money

By She

Money is a gift. 

Money is what you earn by working, and money is what you use to obtain provisions. 

Money is how you sustain your own life and the lives of people you are responsible for. In other words, money is a good gift from God because it is both a reward for the work He commands us to do and a means of sustaining the life He has given us. As a result, the Bible often portrays wealth as a result of hard work, honesty, and wisdom. Just take a look at this sampling from the book of Proverbs:

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.â€� 
“Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.�
“The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.â€� 

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a person cannot be wealthy and still love God. A number of people in the Bible were rich, including Abraham, Job, Solomon, and Joseph of Arimathea. In fact, within the covenant, God made with Israel at Mount Sinai, he promised the people that if they obeyed his law, he would bless them with children and livestock and crops. As it turned out, Israel disobeyed and received the consequences for that instead. Nonetheless, we must note the significance of God promising his people to have more than enough if they were faithful to him. It’s important to recognize that even the money we earn is a gift. Consider God’s warning to the Israelites when they were about to enter the promised land of Canaan: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ 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.�

Recognize that everything you have ultimately belongs to God. 

God owns everything—all money, all the earth, everything. This means that anything you have has been entrusted to you by God. None of it is yours to keep permanently. But you are to use it wisely while you have it. To help us understand this, the Bible often uses the concept of a steward. A steward is someone who is responsible for money or property. Though in charge of the money, possessions, or tasks that have entrusted to them, a steward is ultimately under someone else’s authority. This principle is so critical to what we believe that Jesus uses the metaphor of God as “master� and as followers, we are under his authority. In Matthew 25, Jesus compares God to a master who entrusts varying sums of money to his servants, goes away for a time, and expects them to be wise with their responsibilities until he returns—in this case, to invest the money and turn a profit. Jesus’ point here is far broader than merely what we should do with our finances, but that is indeed one aspect of the message. The Bible teaches that you’re not an owner but a steward. So, don’t get too attached to anything. Of course, this undermines the materialistic attitude prevalent in the culture of many societies today. But what matters to God is not how much you have but what you do with what you have—and it’s what you do with what you have that will have eternal consequences.

Be thankful for all you have. 

Moreover, if God has given you everything you have, then everything is not just a matter of stewardship but also a gift. James states this fact most clearly: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.� If God has given you a gift, thank him for it. Do you have food to eat? Clothes to wear? Money to pay your bills? Thank God for every bite, every shirt, every cent. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.� So however much or little you may have, be thankful for all of it.

Be generous. 

What does God want you to do with your money beyond providing for your own needs? The answer is simple: serve others and, through this, glorify him. Proverbs 3:9 teaches, “Honor the Lord with your wealth.â€� How can we do this? Start by embracing a mindset of generosity. Over and over again the Bible commends generosity: 

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.â€� 
“One person gives freely yet gains even more; another withholds unduly but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.�
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.â€� 

Jesus followers are directly instructed to be generous. Paul gives Timothy a clear message to pass on to other believers: “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.� A biblical attitude toward money is not “How much can I get?� but “How much can I give?� The difference in these thought processes is short-term gain versus long-term investment. Jesus reminds us that no wealth here will last. Stocks crash, money is stolen, houses burn down, clothes wear out. But when you use your money to serve others and glorify God, you’re investing in eternal treasure. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,� Jesus says, “where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.� It’s not that we shouldn’t seek riches at all. Christians are allowed to engage in a lifestyle that includes owning and enjoying things we like. However, our desire to have should never surpass our willingness to give. The pursuit of material goods must take a permanent back seat to generosity. We can give freely because we can rest in the knowledge that God will provide for us (perhaps even through the generosity of others).

Support the church community and care for the poor. 

It’s all too easy to think only about how we can spend our money on ourselves or our loved ones. The last time you started a new job or got a raise, what did you think of first? Was it the bigger house you could afford or the better car you could drive? Was it new clothes or a fancy TV or a long vacation? 
These things may bring some pleasure—and they are not inherently bad—but Jesus teaches that there is a far greater blessing in asking questions like, “How much more can I give to my church community? Or to the ministry that works to help homeless individuals get on their feet? Or to the local food bank, women’s shelter, or orphanage?� There are countless good causes, charities, and organizations that can benefit from our financial gifts. Why give to the church you might ask? Maybe you’ve heard of tithing, but you’re not sure of the point of giving your money to the church. Paul tells us clearly, “The one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.� Though “good things� does not apply exclusively to money, it is certainly included in the category. Intentional giving to the church is a way of giving back to God, in a sense. It is such financial gifts that allow churches to continue to serve God in their communities and around the world but most significantly to support the ways in which we tell the story of Jesus to the world.
Outside of the church, Christians are to assist and provide for the poor, the less fortunate, and those in dire situations. “We must help the weak, remembering the words of Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’� In fact, doing this is a direct reflection of our love for God. The Apostle John writes, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?� Note that John specifically mentions a “brother or sister,� by which he means fellow members of God’s family. Our care for our siblings in Christ is a litmus test of our faith. If we don’t provide for their needs, our “love� is only empty talk. And if we don’t love our brothers and sisters, how can we claim to love God, their Father?

Our faith calls us to action—and that includes faithful action with our wealth. 

James expounds on this concept:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if some- one claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.� Christians should be marked by wise and generous care for the disadvantaged and marginalized. Christianity states that on our own, we are spiritually poor, but we’ve been made immeasurably rich by the grace of Christ. This same gospel logic should transform our hearts so that we gladly give to support others.

Cultivate contentment and guard against greed and covetousness. 

Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’â€� Contentment is the biblical virtue of being satisfied with what God has given you. What does this mean, exactly? It means that we don’t base our contentment on something as conditional as our desires. Rather, we adjust our desires to fit what we’ve already been given and root our contentment in the steadfast love of God. In this way, we will always be satisfied, always fulfilled, always content. If you’re satisfied with whatever God gives you, you’ll hold it with an open hand. You won’t feel the need to clench your fist and hold it close against your body—metaphorically or literally. You won’t be so invested in what you have that you’re afraid to let go. You won’t feel that you must hoard money, because you know it comes from God and you can trust him to provide all you need. If you’re content, you’ll use your money for good instead of letting it use you for evil. 
That’s the offensive move. The defensive move is guarding yourself against greed and covetousness. Pay attention to how your heart responds to what others’ have. If something is bigger, better, or nicer than yours, do you instinctively want it? Do you find yourself collecting possessions more out of pride in having them than out of necessity? Be careful about what you let influence your heart. In many countries, advertising is an ever-present, multi-billion-dollar industry built on creating a desire you didn’t have for something you don’t need. So read, watch, and listen carefully. Notice what tugs at your heart and be honest with yourself about why it does.

The Bible gives us a simple message: Don’t let your life be ruled by money. Seek God first and foremost—even in your financial dealings—and all else will fall into place.

Sources: 
Prosperity With a Purpose, by Wendell Smith 
Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money, by Dave Ramsey 
ExploreGod.com 
Gotquestions.org 
Churchome