Is there anything in the Bible concerning financial matters?

In the Bible, are there any teachings concerning financial matters?

Having enough money is essential. We can pay our bills and keep a roof over our heads because of it. However, the Bible is silent on the topic of wealth. Are we talking about a negative thing or a positive thing? There is more nuance than meets the eye.

The question of why Christians argue about money is a common one.

Some Christians would immediately label it wicked, while others would say God only blesses his chosen people. The difficulty that arises from Christians’ presumptions about money stems from the fact that these beliefs are frequently constructed on the basis of Scriptures that have been ripped out of their original context. According to Madeline Kalu’s essay on Christian affluence:

For some reason, discussions about riches never seem to end up on the right side of the fence among Christians. There is a danger that labels like “prosperity gospel” and “poverty gospel” would drive Christians farther apart on theological grounds.

Therefore, some Christians look down on their fellow believers for their extravagant spending, while others feel guilty about their financial situation and choose to live a life of austerity.

Many of these false beliefs regarding money may be dispelled with a more thorough knowledge of the Bible, which in turn can foster more compassion and unity within the Body of Christ.

The worldwide “Body of Christ” needs to come together. Separately, we need unity in our own homes, churches, and hearts. How often does conflict over financial matters cause churches to break apart after a board meeting? How many families have been broken apart because of financial problems? The health of the church and the quality of personal relationships would both improve if members had a clearer picture of God’s perspective on and guidance for the use of riches.

Is It True That The Bible Says Money Is Evil?

God foresaw that we would need extensive financial education. There are nearly 2,000 references to money in the Bible, so clearly Jesus anticipated our need for financial assistance. Here is a compilation of 50 verses that address the topic of wealth.

The Gospel of Matthew contains one of the most important biblical passages on the topic of wealth. Something that happened at the conclusion of Jesus’ mission is described by Matthew. It took occurred when Jesus rode into Jerusalem upon a young donkey. People laid down their cloaks to create a scarlet carpet for him as he rode into the city, and they waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!”

During this journey, Jesus did not get out of the car to interact with anybody or perform any healings. Just as dramatically, once inside the city, he drove out the merchants selling items to buy and sell within the Temple. He chased them out, warning them that they had turned God’s sanctuary into a marketplace instead of a place of worship (Matthew 21:12).

At first glance, it would seem that the moral of this narrative is that money is evil. But let’s dissect this story and figure out what’s outside the scope of our contemporary understanding.

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To Fully Understand the Bible, One Must Consider Its Cultural Context

Jesus rode into Jerusalem not on a white steed but on a colt. One may reasonably conclude that this was an act of humility. However, Jesus did not show signs of poverty or humility. Only by understanding the customs of the historical period can this be grasped. According to Stephen Baker, when a monarch rode into a city on a donkey, it was a symbol of peace. Conquering kings went into towns on gorgeous war horses, which represented their dominion.

Many Jews, particularly the elite, would have been familiar with the prophesy that predicted their king would come “lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey,” which Jesus’ triumphant, peaceful arrival fulfilled (Zechariah 9:9).

Yet Jesus rode toward the temple with intent on his donkey of peace. He didn’t go out to start a revolution against the Romans that day. He set out to purify the place where God dwells. Many people have taken Jesus’ actions to mean that the lobby of a church should not be used to sell goods or services. The leaders’ greed, rather than the money itself, was the driving force for the overturning of the stone tables and the expulsion of the money changers.

What does the Bible have to say about greed?

One risk associated with wealth is the temptation to become greedy. This is clearly stated in the Bible. Jesus cautioned his followers to guard against greed, and he said that life is not about accumulating material goods (Luke 12:15). Jesus said this nearly 2,000 years ago, yet greed has plagued humanity ever since Eve craved the apple of knowledge.

The world constantly tells us that if we only had a larger home, a quicker automobile, or the newest technological equipment, we would be happy, just as Eve desired more than she had. In spite of this, Jesus cautioned that material possessions do not bring eternal life. Things that can be bought with money eventually corrode. A place where thieves cannot break in and steal is in paradise, as Jesus said. Your heart’s aspirations are a reflection of where you place your treasure (Matthew 6:19-21).

It’s not money that’s the issue; it’s our emotional attachment to it. Jesus’ teaching on this topic continues in the Sermon on the Mount. Initially, it may seem that Jesus is talking about something unrelated to the matter at hand.

Your eye is like a lamp in that it gives forth light that the rest of your body can use. When the eye is in good condition, the whole body glows. When one of your eyes isn’t healthy, though, the whole body begins to feel like it’s in the dark. If what you believe is light is really shadow, just think about how dark it is. No one can satisfy two masters at once. In that you will have strong feelings for one while rejecting the other. Money slavery is incompatible with religious service. (Matthew 6-22)

I fail to see the connection between having excellent eyesight and financial success. Here’s what we could overlook.

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A good, healthy eye is very giving.

The Jewish listeners to Jesus’ teachings would have been familiar with an idiom (still in use today) concerning the relationship between one’s eyes and one’s wealth. Take a look at the translation of his statements in the Jewish Bible:

They say “the eye is the torch of the body,” which is a metaphor for how important sight is. Accordingly, if you have a “good eye” (i.e., are generous), your whole body will be filled with light; conversely, if you have a “evil eye” (i.e., are miserly), your entire body will be filled with darkness. How severe must that darkness be if your inner light is really a lie?

Having a “good eye” means you give freely. A person with a “bad eye” is one who is miserly. I practically fell out of my chair when I read this for the first time. It was the missing piece that completed the biblical passage. Jesus was talking about being generous. He made it clear that people cannot satisfy both God and money. Jesus taught that wealth is neutral, but he also warned that it may corrupt our souls if it were to rule our lives. Yet if wealth can corrupt us into hoarders, should we conclude that it is the source of all evil?

Do the Scriptures Actually Teach that financial Gain Causes All Sorts of Trouble?

Christians have taken a message of Paul’s out of context, leading to the widespread notion that money is the source of all evil. When we forget the whole of a poem but remember a fragment, as so often occurs, we completely miss the message. Paul, however, did not suggest that money itself was sinful but rather that one’s desire of money was the issue.

“Those who want wealth fall prey to temptation and a trap, where they are likely to encounter several unhelpful and even destructive urges. Because money itself is a source of temptation. In their pursuit of wealth, though, some individuals have strayed from the religion and caused themselves much suffering (1 Timothy 6:9-10, emphasis mine).

Paul cautioned against putting material possessions before God and others. Jesus often stressed the difficulty of a wealthy person gaining entrance to the kingdom of God. If you study the scriptures in context with the society of the period, you’ll see that the religious system benefited the affluent. Jesus flipped the script by highlighting a poor widow who contributed just a few pennies as an example of someone who gave more than the rich could afford to give. Because she contributed all she had, Jesus informed his followers that she was the one who had given the most (Mark 12:43-44).

The lack of cash is not an issue. A person’s financial priorities might be gauged by the importance they attach to certain possessions. Like Jesus said, we can’t put God in the second place in our lives, and we can’t put money ahead of God. When wealth takes center stage, it corrupts our values.

Is there a way to keep money from becoming an idol?

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How can we tell whether money has replaced God as the ultimate goal in life? The first symptom is an insatiable need to increase production. The second is that supporting the church and the poor is becoming more challenging. The third is when financial concerns dominate your thoughts at all times of the day and night.

I’ve realized a trend in my life: the more money I have, the harder it is to part with it, while the opposite is true when I have less. This is not an isolated occurrence; I have seen it in the lives of others as well. When it comes to charity, some of the poorest individuals I know are the most charitable. We may have let money become an idol if we cease donating. It’s captured our hearts and won’t let go.

The passages before the one that talks about the love of money being the source of evil give us Paul’s advice on how to avoid falling into this idolatry. Timothy was counseled to value eternal things over temporal ones, to be thankful for what he had, and to remember that he couldn’t take anything from this world with him when he died (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

We may avoid making money our god by keeping God at the center of our finances and by keeping an eternal perspective.

So, what does the Bible have to say about wise financial management?

When we put God first in our lives instead of money, we are free to follow God’s will for how we spend our earnings. Others who follow this course of action give to God and help those in need. Malachi is one of the most often referenced books of the Bible, and for good reason: God promises to “throw up the floodgates of heaven” and shower his people with blessings if they tithe (Malachi 3:10).

The tithe is just ten percent of our gross earnings at the beginning of the year. Even though this was written before the time of the New Covenant, its basic truths are just as relevant now as they were then. The rule of thumb is to give to God first out of gratitude, whether that’s 10 percent or more of our income. Bringing the tenth of our income to God is a sacred ritual for us.

Helping others less fortunate than ourselves is an act of devotion that brings us everlasting rewards. Paul elaborates as follows:

Instruct them to be kind to others, generous with their possessions, and eager to give what they have with those in need. That manner, individuals may secure their future and seize the “life that is genuinely life” that is coming in the next era. Verse 16-19 of 1 Timothy.

When it comes to financial matters, one must have a broad perspective. In light of eternity, it is a resource to be used to benefit others while also being a transitory requirement. The fact of the matter is that money isn’t evil until we make it our religion.

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