This week, I was struck, yet again, by both the depth of fear — and the breadth of ignorance — regarding the subject of money in a Biblical context.
‘The root of all evil — that’s what you are talking about!’ came the stock reprimand when I dared to mention the words Bible and money in the same sentence.
This type of reaction saddens me for one simple reason; how are we, as Christians, ever going to learn how to put God first in our lives if we never seek to understand what the Bible says about how we should manage our money?
The Root of All Evil
God’s word abounds with scriptures that address this eternal struggle for our hearts:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33
… is about putting God first, money second.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… No one can serve two masters…. You cannot serve both God and money… Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Matthew 6:19-25
… (same passage) is about serving God, not money.
Still others, like seed thrown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19
… deals with money worries versus kingdom concerns.
Command those who are rich in this present world… [not] to put their hope in wealth… but to put their hope in God… Command them… to be rich in good deeds… 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.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
… deals with how we should use earthly wealth to produce eternal riches (i.e. souls in heaven).
I could go on…
Lest we assume that all these verses refer purely to choosing the kingdom over chasing after riches and amassing great wealth (a standard assumption in Christian circles), grab your Bible and read Matthew 6:19-33 again. Then refer to this post that studies that passage. You may notice that wealth and riches are not mentioned once in the entire passage.
Jesus was not talking to the rich when he said, ‘… do not worry about… what you will eat or drink; or… what you will wear.’ Rather, he was talking to every-day citizens. In fact, his focus is more on those who are in pursuit of their paycheck than in pursuit of great wealth.
The fact is, God’s word contains a myriad of passages that deal with every aspect of money in our lives. It goes way beyond ‘the root of all evil’ or even camels passing through the eye of a needle. The Bible includes verses and teachings about every aspect of money as a subject, including how we should:
- View it
- Earn it
- Spend it
- Use it
- Save it
- Invest it
- Share it
- Donate it
- Increase it
- Bequeath it and
- Inherit it
In every one of these areas, there is a Godly way and a Sinful way to manage our money.
Unfortunately, for many sincere believers, the mere mention of money triggers their deepest fears and their Built-in Christian-Love-of-Money Alarms start to sound. This brings the shutters down and elicits knee-jerk responses, like
- Love of money is the root of all evil
- It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
- Life isn’t all about money
- You cannot serve God and money
- You should seek first the kingdom of God
… without ever seeking to understand the true meaning in these verses.
When we do this, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to grow in God. We rob ourselves of the opportunity to let God’s word speak to us and challenge us, bringing us into a closer walk with him. Instead, we reduce all scripture on the subject of money to a ‘Poor good, Rich bad’ mentality. This is not only naive; it isn’t even true.
We need to open our hearts to God’s word and allow him to show us those areas where we need to grow. In this context, nothing cuts closer to the bone than the area of finances. But, if we would open our hearts just for a moment, we might just realize how far short we have fallen and how desperate our spiritual condition has become. The answers are all contained in God’s word.
And, if we let him…
God is able to deliver us from evil.