How do we as Christians cope with money? “We are in the world but not of
the world.” What does that mean? Is money a Gift from God to richly enjoy, or
is it Mammon, the rival master?
For the Christian, all of life falls under the Lordship of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This includes money matters, and our attitude towards wealth and
poverty. It is not surprising then that economic matters are prominent in the
teachings of the Bible and the social ethics of the Christian church. Money is
portrayed positively in some parts of the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
Abraham, Job and especially Solomon were very wealthy indeed. Proverbs tells us
that "The blessing of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow"
(10 v 22), and (10 v 4)
“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich”.
Of course the Old Testament has warnings about wealth. We must not forget the
source of our wealth, “Remember the Lord your God for it is He who gives you
the ability to produce wealth" (Deut 8 v 18). Also Ps 52 v 7 which says not to
trust in our wealth, but trust in God our stronghold. Further, the possession of
wealth comes with the obligation to care for the needy: “He who is kind to the
poor lends to the Lord” (Prov 19 v 17). These were given at the time of the
tithe, the Sabbath, and the Jubilee which all served to remind the Israelites
that their wealth was ultimately the Lord’s and that they were to use it to
His glory.
In the New Testament money has a more negative emphasis in a society which
was often poor and oppressed. Wealth was often gained at the expense of others.
Jesus spoke often about money. Perhaps the best known scripture on the subject
is that “The love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim 6 v 10). For Paul,
the opposite of covetousness is contentment, and this is the foundation of his
Christian life (Phil 4 v 12).
The Biblical teaching on money is twofold: money is a gift from God, a sign
of His blessing but it is not to be a god in itself. When we find we need money
more than we need God, it has become idolatry. Poverty is not virtuous nor is
wealth sinful. But true wealth, the Bible teaches, is not material but
spiritual.
St. Augustine wrote in his commentary on Psalms 72 that
covetousness is a sin that tempted the poor no less than the rich: “It is not
a matter of income, but of desire. Look at the rich man standing beside you,
perhaps he has a lot of money on him but no greed in him, while you who have no
money are filled with greed”.
In the Protestant era the ideal was the clean simple comforts
of the middle class. The careful stewardship of possession was seen as a very
serious God-given responsibility. The greater the possessions, the greater the
responsibility to use them for the glory of God, and by increasing them by
restless effort. Martin Luther saw three conversions necessary for the believer,
conversion of the heart, of the mind, and of the wallet.
John Wesley urged believers to practice business to the glory
of God: “Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, and give as much as
you can”.
The Puritans pursued an ethic of industry, moderation, and
simple living. Ironically this ethic produced great wealth. They were keenly
aware that riches could turn one from God, saying that, “Religion begat
prosperity, and the daughter devoured the mother”.
Ambrose, who was Bishop of Milan and lived 340 to 397 taught
“Possession ought to belong to the possessor, not the possessor to the
possession. Whosoever therefore does not use his patrimony as a possession, who
does not know how to give and distribute to the poor, he is the servant of his
wealth, not its master. The man belongs to his riches, not the riches to the
man!”
Apparently a balanced and well-integrated perspective on
finances was seen, not as an impossible ideal, but as realistic and practical,
though not likely to be achieved without a struggle. While the pursuit of wealth
as an end in itself was reprehensible, wealth as a fruit of labour in a calling
was a sign of God’s blessing.
So we see that money is a blessing from God, but the love of
money is sinful. In personal attitudes towards wealth these two ideas are
harmonised in the biblical concept of stewardship. Stewardship welcomes money as
God’s gift, but remembers that our property is ultimately God’s. We are
entrusted with it for a time, and we will be held accountable for our use of it.
Ralph Winter is the head of the U.S. Centre for World Mission.
To achieve our God-given goals, he says, we need to make personal economic
sacrifices, to develop a “war-time mentality”. He says if his fellow
Presbyterians in the U.S. were to live at the standard of living of the average
Presbyterian minister, it would free up $2 billion dollars for missions work,
three times the amount currently given for missions by U.S. Christians.
Americans he says, give no more to missions that they spend on chewing gum ($700
million per year). When we say we support missions, he asks, how serious are we?
Stewardship
is a key concept. Money is not bad, it is a tool that can be used for incredible
good, if it is not misused. Jesus told parables praising the enterprise of the
stewards who invested their trust funds and doubled the amount. Can we use our
money to make more money, and thus increase our potential to accomplish good
things with it?
Thought: How does money motivate you? How much do you think
about money? How important is money to you?
Excerpt from Christian
History magazine
Money Issues
