It’s a complex issue that has sparked debates for centuries. Opinions on this matter vary among individuals and even among Christian denominations. The Bible acknowledges the potential dangers of wealth and cautions us against the love of money. Still, wealth can also be a tool that can be utilized for good when managed responsibly. We are called to love our neighbors; sometimes, loving them well requires resources.
Is wealth inherently evil? Jesus never labeled it so. Instead, He warned about its
potential to distract us from our devotion to God and our service to others. Fair warning, indeed. Yet there were Old Testament figures such as Abraham, Job, Solomon, and David who were wealthy yet had faithful relationships with God and used their resources to serve God and others. The New Testament also has numerous wealthy individuals who were part of the Christian community, including Barnabas, Zacchaeus, Lydia, and Barnabas.
We face a delicate balancing act here, and the two main perspectives observed throughout history may each have something to teach us. One perspective could be called the ascetic perspective, and the other could be called the stewardship perspective. Let’s look at each.
The Ascetic Perspective
This view sees material wealth as a potential distraction from spiritual growth. Prominent examples include monastic movements, where individuals choose lives of poverty and simplicity to focus on their spiritual development. St. Francis of Assisi, for example, advocated for a life divorced from material wealth, emphasizing what he saw as the pure pursuit of spiritual riches instead.
Christians following this perspective argue that we should prioritize a simpler, more humble lifestyle and focus on spiritual values rather than material wealth. They believe wealth can be distracting and lead to a heightened sense of self-importance, which may interfere with our relationship with God and our ability to practice compassion toward others. Additionally, they argue that pursuing wealth can lead to greed, selfishness, and a neglect of spiritual values.
The Danger and the Wisdom:
If taken too far, this view insists that material wealth and wealth creation are intrinsically corrupting and must be avoided at all costs. This “poverty gospel” may fuel a pietistic spiritual pride that asserts the more significant your material poverty, the more spiritual you must be! That’s a step too far for me, yet there is Ascetic wisdom that shouldn’t be neglected. Ascetics rightly call our increasingly affluent Western Church to more extraordinary material generosity and deeper sacrificial living.
The Stewardship Perspective
This perspective views wealth as a force for good when managed wisely and used in alignment with God’s purposes. Here, financial resources are seen as tools for supporting one’s family, helping those in need, and contributing to the community. Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents) is often cited, where servants are commended for wisely using and multiplying their resources.
Christians in this camp view wealth as a tool for blessing others and advancing the kingdom of God. They also emphasize using wealth for charitable purposes, providing for their families, supporting the Church, and helping those in need.
The Danger and the Wisdom:
If taken too far, this view can lead to the belief that God blesses His true followers with health and wealth and the assertion that God wants everyone to be materially prosperous. This leads to ignoring scripture’s balancing call to a sacrificial lifestyle fueled by neighborly love. The wisdom? Wealth accumulation should be approached with caution and responsibility.
Worthy Questions
1. Have We Gone Astray?
Many financial coaches (including Christian) have taught us how to get out of debt, fulfill our monetary obligations, have financial stability, anticipate our retirement needs, and ensure that we give God a tithe. None of those things are wrong, and all of them are helpful in some way, but have these coaches caused us to become so focused on our personal needs that we are neglecting God’s grand gospel agenda? Are all those nifty plans leaving us devoid of our more significant call to be God’s ambassadors on earth? These are questions worthy of some serious reflection.
2. Are There Areas of Agreement?
YES! Both the Ascetic and Stewardship perspectives agree on the importance of generosity in its various forms, not just monetary but also in time, talent, and other resources. Wealth should be used to bless others and further God’s work, like supporting the local Church and the poor, funding missions, and helping those in need. In his letters, Paul speaks about the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7) and how God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
3. Does Generosity = Tithing?
Does a commitment to generosity mean we should commit to tithe? Not necessarily. If generosity is only about a levy, it completely misses the point. It’s as if 10% belongs to God and 90% belongs to us rather than 100% belonging to God. [Watch for a future post on this topic. It’s challenging!]
Looking for Higher Ground
Viewing Wealth as a Calling from God
This idea is tremendously helpful. Suppose we view our wealth as a calling and responsibility to manage God’s resources rather than as something we earned. In that case, we can begin looking at living a lifestyle of continually seeking God’s will so that we can steward His resources in accordance with His plan. We can actively look for ways to bless others and be wise about giving in ways that will make the most Kingdom impact. Furthermore, an argument can be made that we should also look to multiply the wealth God has entrusted us with by saving and investing to continue giving to His Kingdom’s work.
A Few More Conclusions…
The path between the Ascetic and Stewardship perspectives must be navigated with wisdom, prayer, and a heart oriented toward serving God and others. While there isn’t a universal answer to whether Christians should be wealthy, we can come to a few conclusions that fit all of us:
Wealth should never take precedence over our relationship with God or the call to love and support others.
2. We should all continually assess our relationship with wealth and seek God’s will in our financial decisions.
3. We should seek to honor God in how we earn, manage, and use our resources.
4. We should engage in critical reflection, prayerful discernment, and dialogue within our faith communities to navigate the complexities of wealth and its implications for our spiritual journeys.
5. We should each seek guidance through prayer, scripture, and wise counsel to determine how to best use our resources for God’s glory and the well-being of others.
…and Some Wisdom from Paul
If you are in a season of material wealth, you may have found, like many others (me included), that this season may be the most challenging of all. Thankfully, Paul the Apostle gives us some excellent guidance in 1 Timothy 6:17-18 where he advises us to do four things:
1. Avoid arrogance by remembering the Source. Don’t think of yourself as better than others because of your wealth. In Deuteronomy 8:18, Moses gave us a foretaste of this idea when he said, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
2. Don’t put your hope in your wealth. As I found in 2004, an excellent job with steady earnings can be here today and gone tomorrow. (My company downsized, and I went from substantial to zero income overnight!) [Side Note: Our Emergency Fund helped us immensely in this period. See more about that idea here: https://www.wordsofabundance.com/post/building-resilience-how-an-emergency-fund-provides-a-safety-net-in-uncertain-times]
Take heed of Proverbs 23:5, which says, “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” The stock market crash in 2008 reminded me all too well of that truth!
3. Be rich in good deeds. “A good deed is a free and voluntary act of service toward another person. Doing good deeds for others is the fruit of your salvation in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” –Unknown.
4. Be generous and willing to share.
In the End…
In the end, I’ve come to appreciate both points of view. It wouldn’t hurt me to be a bit more of an Ascetic. I believe God is calling me to a more extraordinary material generosity and deeper sacrificial living, and I want to submit to that. And I want to be a better steward as well. I have found it so helpful to view wealth as a calling and responsibility to manage God’s resources.
Should Christians build wealth or avoid it? It’s a question of wisdom and balance. May God grant us the former and guide us in the latter.
Comments