Does God want us to be rich in money?
God is not against the proper use of money, material riches, or physical wealth. A number of God's true servants were very wealthy, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, King David, King Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea, and some others. Physical abundance and material wealth is one of God's blessings.
The Bible issues several warnings against the love of money and the snare of wealth (1 Timothy 3:3; 6:10), but in Proverbs 30:8–9, Agur, the gather of wise sayings, asks that he would have neither poverty nor wealth.
Finally, 1 Timothy 6:17-18 offers divine instructions for the wealthy among us. The passage reads: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
No wonder Jesus explicitly warns us that we cannot love and serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). But there is nothing wrong with being rich. The rich are no less holy than others.
Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. 2 Corinthians 9:8: And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
While tithing 10% of your income is biblical, that doesn't mean you have to be a Christian to tithe. It also doesn't mean you're a bad Christian if you don't tithe.
Jesus told his followers to give to everyone who asks (Luke 6:30), to give to those who can't repay (Luke 14:13 – 14) and to freely give what we have freely received (Matthew 10:8). Paul established the principle that what we reap is a reflection of what we sow (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Jesus can and ultimately did provide a way for rich people—and all who believe in Him—to enter God's Kingdom. Peter seemed stunned by Jesus' statement that it's humanly impossible for the rich to inherit God's Kingdom. He said, “We have left everything to follow you!” (Mark 10:28, NIV).
Jesus recognizes the symptoms and says, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). By contrast, the poor often show amazing generosity.
Over and over Jesus spoke out against the rich and in defence of the poor. In the Luke 6 version of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them… but woe to the rich, for they have received their consolation.”
Is it a sin to hoard money?
Ecclesiastes 5:13 tells us wealth hoarded does so to the harm of the owner; Isaiah 23:18 tells us that those who don't hoard their wealth, their profits will go toward abundant food and fine clothes; and James 5:3 tells us if you hoarded wealth in the last days your gold or silver will be corroded and eat your flesh ...
In Christian tradition, the love of money is condemned as a sin primarily based on texts such as Ecclesiastes 5:10 and 1 Timothy 6:10. The Christian condemnation relates to avarice and greed rather than money itself.
Proverbs 22:2 In-Context
2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord made them both. 3 Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later. 4 Obey the Lord, be humble, and you will get riches, honor, and a long life.
Matthew 6:33
In Matthew 6, we're reminded to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you all that you need.” Notice Jesus doesn't say he will give you everything you want. God will give you everything you need.
Money, for the follower of Jesus, is a tool for the kingdom. 2. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2).
Money, then, is not an end in itself. Instead, it's a useful object that we've been asked to manage according to a higher standard and with reference to a more comprehensive goal. To put it another way, the Bible characterizes our relationship with money as a question of good stewardship.
The Bible clearly illustrates how Christians are to respond to the poor and hopeless. Jesus says, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you,” in Matthew 5:42, and in James it says, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
In Scripture, God lists the production of money as a spiritual gift. Romans 12:5-8 describes the gift of giving. Obviously, if there is a gift of giving, there must be a gift of gathering, as it is impossible to give otherwise. In every scriptural reference, God promises that as we give, so it will be given back to us.
Saving Honors God and Serves Others
Yet the Bible actually encourages us to set aside for expected, future needs. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (ESV). Saving honors God because it values money as a gift that He has given to us.
Plutus, in Greek religion, god of abundance or wealth, a personification of ploutos (Greek: “riches”). According to Hesiod, Plutus was born in Crete, the son of the goddess of fruitfulness, Demeter, and the Cretan Iasion.
What does God say about debt?
What the Bible says about borrowing: Exodus 22:14 - If anything is borrowed, it should be paid back. If what is borrowed is lost or injured, full restitution must be made. Ps 37:21 - The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.
[9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Do I still go to heaven? THE ANSWER IS YES!!! When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the penalty of sin for all who believe in him. He died for your past, present and future sin.
But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Yet, it's simply inaccurate (and inappropriate) to say Jesus spoke more about finances than anything else. It's just not true. If anything, he spoke more about the kingdom of God than other topics.
