The Bible and Money | What Does the Bible Say About Finances?
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What does the Bible say about money? We’ll be answering this question and more in today’s post. As Christians, there are many principles that the Bible tells us to live by. We’re are to offer forgiveness quickly and freely, live righteously, speak truth, don’t murder, not have idols, to run from sexual immorality, and so much more.
The Bible mentions money and possessions roughly 2,000 times. Jesus, himself, teaches on money in 11 out of the 39 parables. Clearly, the Bible has a lot to say about money. Why? Because God knows that it can have great power over us if we’re not careful.
Where does money come into play as a Christian? How are we to handle our finances? Let’s dive in…
This post is about the Bible and money. Handling our finances well and being good stewards of the blessings God has given us.
1. What the Bible Says About Loans
When it comes to money, the Bible talks specifically about loans. It talks both about loaning money to others as well as borrowing money.
The rich will rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7 ESV
The Bible makes it clear that borrowing money makes you a slave to the lender. You’re indebted to someone else so long as you owe them something, and they are expecting to be repaid. We must be careful with how we borrow money.
I am a long-time fan of Dave Ramsey. Although we don’t follow his debt-free principles to a “T,” we do glean a lot of inspiration and motivation from listening to his podcast. Dave Ramsey has a book that helps guide you toward financial freedom. We also really respect Rob West who teaches on Moody Radio’s Faith and Finance segment.
2. The Bible Warns Against the Love of Money
The Bible also warns against the love of money. Chasing after money and finding security in our finances is a slippery slope. We must be careful not to have idols in our lives. God knows our needs. He realizes that money is a necessary aspect of our lives in order to make a living, provide for our family, and put food on the table. However, we are to be careful with what, or who, we are putting our trust in. When it comes to the Bible and money, it is clear that we are not to allow our money to enslave us or put our trust in our finances.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6:10 esv
3. Don’t Let Money Be Your Master
For many, the pursuit of money and wealth takes over the driver’s seat. The Bible explains quite plainly that no one can serve two masters. We must be careful to make sure our loyalties lie with God only (Deuteronomy 6:5). God determines our self-worth, and he says we are sons and daughters of the King. Money can easily blur the lines of serving God and serving the pursuit of wealth, status, possessions, and achievements.
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Matthew 6:24 esv
4. Live For the Kingdom and Not For the World
According to the Bible, we are to store up our treasures in Heaven. We must be careful not to focus our efforts too much on gaining worldly wealth and possessions. After all, none of it can be taken with us when we go to be with our Father. By reading what the Bible says in Matthew 6:19-21, we can see that where we store our treasures first begins with the heart.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
matthew 6:19-21 esv
God knows our hearts more intimately than we do. He can see our innermost desires and motivations. Pray for the Lord to reveal any desires in your heart that need cut out and ask him to place his own desires on your heart.
5. Honor the Lord With Your Money
When it comes to the Bible and money, it teaches us to honor the Lord by giving back to him from our first fruits. All that we have in this life comes from God. It all belongs to him. We are just managers of it. As we recognize this, our hearts are led to give back to God what is already his as an act of honor, respect, and reverence for the blessings he bestows on us.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Tithing is one way we can practice this. Tithe literally means “one-tenth.” I encourage you to pray over your finances and the practice of tithing if you aren’t already honoring God in this way. The Bible makes it clear that the genuine act of tithing will, in turn, have a compounding effect on the blessings returned to us for being faithful stewards of money.
6. The Bible Says to Be Faithful With Our Money
As you can see, the subject of money is not taken lightly in the Bible. Jesus speaks on the matter of handling your money wisely in Luke 16:10-12. If we cannot manage our money well, then, Jesus asks, “…who will entrust to you the true riches?”
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
Luke 16:11 esv
We see another example of being faithful with our money in the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25:14-30. The man who is given little is too scared of losing his money, so he hides it away. Meanwhile, the two men who were entrusted with more chose to invest their talents and doubled the money given to them.
This parable the Bible teaches us also mentions that each man is given according to his own ability (Matthew 25:15). So again, if we find ourselves wondering why we don’t have more, perhaps we should first look at our own hearts, money managing habits, and motives as an indication of where we might be falling short in this area.
