For those of you who don’t already know, this blog is my side hustle. I like to call it my 5-8 a.m. job.
But, for my 8-5 p.m. job, I’m a pastor.
If you are surprised by this, it’s probably because I don’t often use Bible references to support the financial guidance on my site. Instead, I strive to give unbiased, financial advice that will work for you no matter your religious background.
That being said, this is an article that is written specifically for people who believe the Bible is God’s Word.
If that isn’t you, then feel free to skip this one!
As a young pastor doing my best to serve God in the ministry, it would amaze me to learn how many Christians had wrong ideas about what the Bible had to say about money.
- Many thought the Bible commanded Christians to be poor.
- Others thought the Bible taught that the true sign of having God’s favor and blessing in your life was to be rich.
Needless to say, there is a lot of confusion around this issue. So let’s tackle this question head-on.
Just what does the Bible really have to say about money?
1. God is the owner. I am the steward.
It is important for Christians to change their paradigm when thinking about money. Instead of thinking about money in terms of ownership, we must look at it in terms of stewardship.
A steward is simply a manager or an overseer. God has called us to be wise stewards of all the resources that He has entrusted us with – this includes physical abilities, spiritual gifts, and, yes, money. (1 Peter 4:10)
- When you are an owner, you are ultimately the one who has to deal with the consequences of your bad choices.
- When you are a steward, you are held responsible for your choices by God.
Stewardship raises the stakes. To put it simply, stewardship = accountability.
1 Corinthians 4:2- “Moreover it is required (not recommended) in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
When our finances are a mess, it’s God’s money that is being needlessly wasted through our mismanagement and neglect.
Luke 16:1-2- “And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.”
Budgeting
This principle of stewardship is why I firmly believe every Christian should form the habit of creating a budget each and every month.
How can you be sure you’re managing your finances well if you don’t even have a written spending plan and you have no objective way of evaluating how well you’re really doing?
Luke 14:28- “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
What does this verse teach us? God is a big fan of planning.
That’s why budgeting is so crucial. Saying “Oh, I didn’t think about how high that mortgage payment would be when I bought that house.” isn’t going to cut it.
You NEED to think about it. If you don’t have a budget yet, you really need to start one today.
Investing
And to go even further, God not only wants you to manage your money well, but He wants you to invest it wisely too.
Remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-29)? In that story, the master was pleased with the first 2 servants because they had doubled the money that they were given to manage.
But what happened to the third servant who buried his money in the ground? He was reprimanded for his laziness and punished. And what was the reason given for the harsh treatment?
Matthew 25:27- “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers (banks), and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury (interest).
Here’s what the master was saying in layman’s terms: “Come on man! If you weren’t going to find creative, high-return, investments for my money like the other guys, the least you could have done is put it in the bank so it could have gained some interest!”
Now, I realize that there was a spiritual application of this Parable, but that doesn’t negate the literal application — that managers expect stewards to grow their investments.
If we are the stewards of God’s money, then it is only reasonable to expect that He is also pleased when we use every available means at our disposal to invest our money wisely.
2. We have been bought to serve Christ, not money.
Did you know that when you trusted Christ as your Savior, a transaction took place? The Bible teaches that you were purchased with the blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Money should not be your master. Only God has the right to this role in your life.
Matthew 6:24- “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (money).”
This is why staying out of debt and seeking financial independence are such important financial goals. When you are not indebted to others and when you don’t have to have your next paycheck to survive, it completely changes your relationship with money.
Money simply becomes a tool to help you reach your giving and living goals, not your slavemaster threatening to take away your possessions if you miss a payment.
3. It’s a good thing to work to earn money.
Many Christians have misread 1 Timothy 6:10 and fail to recognize that this verse teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil, not money itself.
Those who think that in order to be godly, you must live in poverty, have not read Proverbs 24:30-34. This passage describes one man’s poverty as being the result of his laziness and lack of understanding.
After talking about utter disarray that the man’s vineyard had fallen into because of his neglect, the author finishes with these words:
Proverbs 24:33-34- “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come…”
This is not to say that everyone who is poor has become so due to laziness and neglect. But it’s also unbiblical to view poverty as a badge of godliness or spirituality.
The point is that Christians who believe that they are exercising faith when they allow their homes to abide in financial confusion and disorder, while “trusting God” to take care of their needs, are misguided.
This is not faith; this is foolishness. It is silliness, not stewardship.
God not only wants us to work to provide for our own needs, but also so that we can build up financial reserves in our life so that we are able to help others in need when opportunities arise.
Ephesians 4:28- “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.“
4. God expects us to find our contentment in Him, no matter our level of wealth.
Luke 3:14- “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”
Hebrews 13:5- “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Contentment is simply a state of being satisfied.
God expects us to find our satisfaction (contentment) in Him. Because of this, He expects Christians to display contentment no matter how rich or how poor they may be. (Philippians 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:6-8)
If you try to find your contentment in money, contentment will always elude you. (Proverbs 27:20; Ecclesiastes 5:10-11)
And as I discussed here, until you learn contentment, you will never be able to win at money.
No matter how many raises you get, you’ll always find a way to spend them. Throughout your life, your standard of living will always rise to meet your income level.
To be successful financially, you have to first understand that while financial freedom can bring happiness, spending cannot.
If you aren’t happy today, more stuff in your house won’t fill the emptiness in your heart…it can, however, create a bigger hole in your wallet and bank account.
Conclusion:
It is clear from all of the verses that we have examined that how we handle money does matter to God. God has entrusted us as stewards of the money that we are given, and He expects us to act as wise stewards.
In future posts, we will see what the Bible has to say about debt and investing as well.