Finance

What Does The Bible Say About Money?

The Bible is full of advices, but what does it say about how we should handle our money? Take a deeper look at the following points:

Money Is a Major Temptation

Even though money is a good gift from God, the Bible teaches that it can also be a serious temptation. Why? Because it promises to deliver everything we desire. Want comfort? Security? Fun? Fulfillment? Power? Sex? Money seems like the universal key that unlocks all the doors to happiness. But this is a lie.

The Bible constantly unmasks the false promises of money. Money promises security, but it can’t protect you against God’s judgment. Money promises lasting happiness, but it can disappear overnight and you can’t take it with you when you die, anyway.²⁴ Money promises freedom and ease, but it brings anxiety and worry: the more you have, the more you have to lose.

Money Is a Noble 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 those for whom you’re responsible. In other words, money is a good gift from God because it is both a reward for the work he himself commands us to do and a means of sustaining the life he has given to us. As a result, the Bible often portrays wealth as the 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.”¹³ “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”¹⁴“The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.”¹

So, as you can see, material prosperity is not singularly fated in Scripture. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a person cannot be wealthy and still love God. Actually, a number of godly individuals in the Bible were rich, including Abraham, Job, Solomon, and Joseph of Arimathea.

Money Is a Dreadful Master

In fact, money can provoke such all-consuming desire in us that Jesus describes it as a would-be master of our lives: “No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.” It seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it? Can money really rule us? And who said anything about serving money, what does that even mean?

Well, consider what Jesus says just a few verses earlier: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”³² This concept is key: Money can control us by ruling over our hearts and dominating our desires. We invest in what we love and we love what we invest in. The more you strive to own money, the more money will own you.

The Apostle Paul makes a similar point when he writes, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”³³Idolatry is the worship of false gods. How, then, does covetousness equal idolatry? Because it involves directing the total devotion intended to be given only to God toward something that isn’t God. When you covet money or possessions, you can’t be satisfied without them. You’re effectively saying that God himself isn’t as satisfying as the thing you want—and obtaining that thing is more important than obeying or pursing God.

This is how money can rule us. But money, with its empty promises, is a terrible master. If we seek satisfaction in money, we will never find it. And when it comes to saving, giving and debt, it’s no different. The world says one thing, but the Bible points to a better way—ways that glorifies God and actually helps us live fuller, more joyful lives (Galatians 6:8)!Hey, we get it. It’s tough trying to resist the world’s ways when it comes to money. We’ve all experienced temptation in that area and have buckled at some point. That’s why keeping God’s desire for our finances front of mind is so important.

God says: Pay yourself by saving. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor.