God’s View of Money
God has a lot to say about money and how we as Christians view and use it. In fact, “Jesus said more about money than about any other single thing;” He devoted “twice as many verses to money (about 2350 of them) than to faith and prayer combined” throughout the entire Bible.[1] Money is not a side issue. It is central to salvation. God’s comments about money revolve around dethroning it from being the lord of our lives so that Jesus can become the sole Lord of our hearts. For example, in the story of the rich young ruler, the ruler’s view on his own possessions was the single thing that was keeping him from receiving salvation and following Jesus.[2] The ruler was unable to leave his wealth behind and thus unable to follow Jesus. Comparatively, when challenged, Zacchaeus opened his financial storehouses and made gracious restitution to which Jesus responded, “Today salvation has come to this house.”[3] It is not that salvation comes through giving; rather, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”[4] By putting wealth in its proper place, God can take His proper place in our lives.
Jesus’ statements about money often come with specialized commands and actions that people are to take in order to break money’s hold. For example, in Acts 19:18-20 the Christians in Ephesus were moved by the Holy Spirit to “collect[] their books and burn[] them in front of everyone.” This amounted to the destruction of roughly six million dollars of material goods.[5] In today’s world, this story would be almost too painful to hear, but the response in the early church was that “the Lord’s message flourished and prevailed.”[6] Six million dollars was the sum that was holding back the Ephesians from fully following Jesus and so six million dollars was what was what the Spirit prompted them to give. On their own power, there is no way they would have been able to make that sacrifice; however, by the spirit of God, they gave cheerfully.
God’s heart toward the proper use of money is elucidated in a comparison of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 12:13-21. In Mark 12, Jesus observes people making donations to the temple treasury. The author recounts how most people were giving large amounts of money, but a “poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.” Jesus’ commentary on the event is telling as to His view of money. He said,
“This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty put in everything she possessed – all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:43-44
Financial magazines and advisors would consider her decision folly. From an earthly perspective, it does not make sense to give everything that you have so that you suffer and go without basic needs. Jesus used this occurrence to make the following points about money and the kingdom of God: (1) The dollar value of one’s gift does not indicate the size of one’s gift. In Jewish understanding at the time of Jesus, Jews believed that their wealth was a sign of salvation and blessing from God. Thus, those who could give the most would be considered the best of the Jews because God had blessed them. Thus when Jesus says that the widow gave more than all the others it was revolutionary. What mattered most was not the size of the sacrifice but the completeness of the sacrifice. This woman had demonstrated that she fully gave all her possessions over to the Lord. (2) Jesus demonstrated that He is not limited by the physical amount of the funds that are donated. More important than the exact dollar value was the faith with which the gift was given. (3) There is a difference between giving out of surplus and giving out of sacrifice. Supernaturally, Jesus knew that all of the other gifts would not hinder the givers ability to meet their basic needs or standard luxuries. Those gifts were all made from a surplus. The widow’s gift by contrast directly hindered her ability to meet any of her financial needs. The Spirit of God will often provoke us to give out of more than our surplus so that we will have to sacrifice. By sacrificing money, possessions, and wealth, we are able to keep those things from taking God’s place on the throne of our hearts.
The second story is found in Luke and is a parable by nature.
“A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’ “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 21:16-21
To the average person, this rich man’s ambition seems like common sense. Work hard to build up wealth so that one day you may retire and enjoy it. However, God calls the person a fool. It is important to note that He does not label him as an evil doer, idolater, or abomination. The word fool means “one who is destitute of reason … follow[ing] his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal happiness.”[7] In other words, an otherwise moral, upstanding citizen can grossly miss out on God’s view of eternity and what God’s plan is for a person’s life because he or she values earthly possessions and comforts more than eternal treasures.
It is not wrong to save money. This parable speaks against hording wealth and living one’s life with a retirement mindset. We are not called to live with ease and the pleasures of this world as our ultimate goal. If those things comes as a by-product of serving God it is fine. However, to live for those things distracts us from the ultimate treasure we have in heaven. The world can only see earthly treasures so it stores its money there, God has called us to see eternal treasures and have faith that money stored there will pay rewards for eternity.
Tithe
Giving has been given a poor reputation in America. The news is continuously filled with stories of pastors buying jet planes and extorting money from the church to fund exorbitant luxury goods and services. The concept of the tithe has been marred in the media by church treasurers who have mishandled money to the point that trust in church staff been eroded irreparably. The results can be seen in the numbers; “giving among evangelicals is now below 3 percent.”[8] Whether one approves of the tithe as a Biblical concept or not, it is clear that there are issues with giving in the church.
The goal of this section is two-fold: To take an honest look at what the Bible actually says about the tithe and to inspire readers to give generously. With regard to the first part of the goal, this section will examine pre-Mosaic records of the tithe, Mosaic records of the tithe, and New Testament references to the tithe. Regarding the second part of the goal, no matter where a person comes down on the tithe, this section should inspire each person to hear from the Holy Spirit about giving and generosity, prompting readers to relook at their finances and consider how they can contribute in a larger way to the kingdom of God.
Direct Biblical References to the Tithe
Pre Mosaic Law
There are two places where tithing is mentioned prior to the Mosaic Law. The first is in Genesis 14:18-20 which reads:
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and I give praise to God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:18-20
This passage records a specific tithing event with details that should be understood before more comprehensive conclusions are drawn. In this situation, Abraham tithed one time to a priest of God a tenth of all of his spoils of war. We do not know what Abraham did regularly, though for him to respond in such a way strongly indicates that there was some culture of tithing present in his day.
The second passage relates the story of Jacob:
Then Jacob made a vow: “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, if He provides me with food to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God. This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me.”
Selection from Genesis 28:12-22
This section on the tithe warrants special note because it is conditional. Here Jacob issues the conditions of safe travel and proper sustenance as prerequisites for giving God a tenth of all that God blesses him with. It should be noted that Jacob’s faith was not as strong as Abraham’s faith which could account for the conditional statements.
In general, these two verses alone do seem to speak of a tithing culture; however, it is impossible to derive the following from them: Who do we give the tithe to? What exactly does the tithe include? How often do we give the tithe? Do we tithe to our detriment? Is the tithe required? Is the tithe out of generosity? Is the tithe given out of blessing or special circumstance? In order to answer these questions further verses must be analyzed.
Mosaic Tithe
The common consensus is that there are either two or three tithes in the Mosaic law, each being 10%. The most general and normative citation about the tithe comes from Leviticus:
“Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. If a man decides to redeem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its value. Every tenth animal from the herd or flock, which passes under the shepherd’s rod, will be holy to the Lord. He is not to inspect whether it is good or bad, and he is not to make a substitution for it. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute will be holy; they cannot be redeemed.”
Leviticus 27:30-33
Of all of the verses in the Old Testament these seem to speak most strongly to the normative reality that a tenth of everything that is produced belongs to the Lord. There is a clear distinction between the normative statement and the following laws that define specifics around redemption of the tithe and various substitutions. However, it cannot be ignored that the tenth that was holy to the Lord is tied to the land’s produce. This land that the Old Covenant is referring to is not any plot of land, but specifically the Promised Land of Israel. A case could be made for the tithe to be tied to that Promised Land. However, there is nothing in the text strongly indicated either way. As a side note, the tithe being tied to the Promised Land was evidenced in the era of the New Testament as “artisans, fishermen, and tradesmen did not pay tithes on their income, and Jews outside Israel (those in the Diaspora) did not pay tithes on anything. Furthermore, priests and the poor (who owned no land or animals) were exempt from tithes.”[9]
The first of the specific tithes (Levitical tithe) comes from Numbers 18:20-24 which states,
The Lord told Aaron, “You will not have an inheritance in their land; there will be no portion among them for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites. “Look, I have given the Levites every tenth in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting. The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the consequences of their sin. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the Lord as a contribution for their inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”
Numbers 18:20-24
This tithe was specifically dedicated to the Levites because they did not receive “an inheritance of land in Canaan.”[10] To relate the Levitical tithe to tithing in the New Testament is merely interpretive. Church leaders in the New Testament were not tied to not receiving an inheritance of the Promised Land, thus they were not owed a tithe as a result of inheritance. Additionally, it is worth noting that in Numbers 18:25-29 the Levites were commanded to tithe a tenth of the tithe they were given to the priests.
The next tithe described in Mosaic law is the festival tithe which is found in Deuteronomy 12:17-19 and 14:22-27. This tithe was used specifically to fund the festival/feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles. This tithe was specifically used by God to bless the entire nation of Israel through the celebration of His promises and covenant.
The final tithe was only to be collected every three years as recorded in Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and 26:10-16. The charity tithe was specifically collected for the poor, orphans, and widows. This tithe may have been in place of the festival tithe or it may have been in addition to the festival tithe, it is difficult to say for certain.
Upon examination, the Israelites were instructed by God to give somewhere between 20 and 30% on average each year as part of their tithes. As stated earlier, whether one agrees with the concept of tithing or not, the 3% evangelicals are currently giving pales in comparison with what God required of His chosen people. At a minimum, this should spur Christians on to greater giving. It is also important to remember that the tithing system was established within the greater context of a theocratic economy which included years of jubilee, restrictions on interest, and other economic levers. These all worked together to ensure a balanced economy in the nation of Israel.
Finally, Malachi 3:8-12 yields another important aspect of the Old Covenant tithe: the reality of blessings and curses.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!” You ask: “How do we rob You?” “By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Hosts. “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Hosts.
Malachi 3:8-12
These verses strongly indicate that the tithe is directly linked to a promise of the Lord that when obeyed brings blessing and when disobeyed brings curse. What is interesting about the curse is that God Himself does not bring the curse, “the devourer” does. God’s blessing is simply that He “will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit.” It is possible that a similar principle holds true under the new covenant; however, it is linked to the land as are many promises in the Old Covenant and should be seen through that lens. It is not necessarily true that when a person tithes everything they need will be given to them.
Tithing in the New Testament
The first two citations of tithing in the New testament come from Matthew 23:23 and its parallel in Luke 11:42 which say:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
Matthew 23:23
These statements of Jesus were directly to the Pharisees and concerned their obedience to the Old Covenant. The Pharisees were overt about their willingness to tithe, but lacked obedience to the heart matters of the law: things like mercy and faith. As such these verses should not be used as commentary on a New Testament understanding of tithing. Another passage referencing tithing comes from Luke 18:12 which says,
The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people —greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’
Luke 18:11-12
Though this is a saying of Jesus, the actual comment about the tithe comes from the mouth of the Pharisee and again is in context of the Old Covenant. As such, these verses as with the ones above do not actually constitute commentary on the tithe from a New Covenant perspective.
There is one section of verses, however, that are traditionally used to justify a New Covenant tithe. They refer to the idea that Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek as normative.
For this Melchizedek— King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything; first, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace; without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God— remains a priest forever. Now consider how great this man was—even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him! The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers—though they have also descended from Abraham. But one without this lineage collected tenths from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, men who will die receive tenths, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tenths, has paid tenths through Abraham, for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Hebrews 7:1-10
Those who use these verses to justify New Covenant tithes typically rely on the identification of Melchizedek as the pre-incarnate Son of God and thus because tithes were paid to Him they should still be considered a requirement today. However, this does require interpretation and is not the only way to read the text.
Normative Understanding of 10%
“There are no negative sanctions imposed for not tithing today. It is not surprise that no denominations tithe. Churches must beg. Representatively, Jesus Christ, the high priest, is reduced to begging. As a representative symbol of Christians’ assessment of Christ’s authority, this speaks loud and clear. ‘Shape up, Jesus, and I may decide to pay what the Pharisees dutifully paid to their rivals, the priests. Don’t call me. I’ll call you.’ If your local church is not worthy of your tithe, transfer your membership. Until then, pay your tithe to it.”[11]
Gary North is as blunt as they come when referring to the tithe; however, he expresses the sentiments many pastors feel when it comes to addressing the tithe in a church service. Though we set aside specific times to give during services, giving, even the tithe, should not be a purely compulsory task resulting from a pastor begging from the pulpit. North’s final sentences also ring true in that if one does not deem his or her local congregation worth of a tithe, one displays a lack of trust in the church leadership. No one should be a member of a local church where he or she fundamentally mistrusts the core of its leadership. Tithing with a church is a two way covenant. The tither is entrusting the church leadership with his or her funds, and the church leadership is entrusted with stewarding that money appropriately.
The tithe has a normative precedent in that the first fruits of our labors belong to the Lord. In Genesis 4:3-4 Able was commended for bringing his first fruits to the Lord whereas Cain simply brought an offering. In Exodus, the Lord commands that “the best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God.”[12] Though these are not to be obeyed in exact wording, the precedent behind them is clear. Out of God’s provision we are to bless the Lord with the first fruits of our labor. The question is how much constitutes a first fruit? Is it 10% which is the literal definition of a tithe? Or is it 23% which is the rough estimate of how much the Hebrews were commanded to give on average for all their tithes?
The best way to view the tithe is to understand it from an eternal kingdom perspective. We often create rules for children because their spiritual conscience is not yet fully developed or attuned. The same goes for the law of the Old Covenant. Many of the rules were set up because Israel did not yet possess the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and needed a rule to guide and order their behavior. The 10% understanding of the tithe is useful in this regard. For those who have never given, 10% is the perfect place to start. It provides a place from which one can experience the spiritual impact of giving to the local church. Additionally, if everyone gives a tithe to the church, the church will be funded appropriately which includes staff positions, facility needs, missions needs, missionary needs, ministry projects, and other church functions. A properly funded church should have no basic needs going unmet. As your spiritual attunement for finances develops, the Spirit will lead you to further giving above the 10% and this is where a release from the tithe occurs. 10% is being given to the local church, but the options for additional giving abound so that the 10% tithe becomes only a brief thought compared to the rest of the giving one does in a year.
Giving and Offerings
All giving, including tithes and offerings, have relationship, grace, and love at their foundation.
During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will. So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you. Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this grace.
2 Corinthians 8:2-7
These verses give the context for all giving. First, there is often great testing at the exact moments when God calls us to give. God will use our poverty and affliction to bring out wealth and generosity. The key to doing this appropriately is having an abundance of joy. If one is prompted to give and lacks joy, it is necessary to seek the Lord for joy before giving. This is not to say a person should not give until they feel good about it; however, if there is a heart battle going on around giving, it should be dealt with, rather than fester.
Secondly, giving should be done “according to their ability and beyond their ability” both at the same time. No one is saying that every person has to literally give up all their possessions and live homeless on the street. Even the disciples and the early church when they sold all possessions and shared everything did not result in destitution but in everyone’s needs being met.
For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:12
God is not going to call an entire church to sell everything like in the past when it would result in no one having a place to live. Rather, God is calling us to give according to our ability while at the same time calling us to stretch what we think is our limit for giving.
Giving of any kind should also be as a result of the Spirit moving on the heart. The issue with giving is rarely that a person needs more teaching on giving; instead, they need a new heart toward giving. This new heart only comes through the Holy Spirit and the process of sanctification. This is why Paul is able to say what he does in the next few verses:
I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:8-9
There is no longer a command to giving; there is simply a genuineness of love. For those that are unwilling to tithe to the church, the reason is simple; there is a lack of love. For those unwilling to give when asked, the reason is again simple; there is a lack of love. This is why the Holy Spirit is necessary to facilitate giving. The fruit of the Spirit is love. When we have love through the Spirit all needs are met and all issues are resolved.
Thus the heart of giving is not duty, but “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”[13] The best way to think of giving and the tithe is like any other spiritual discipline. None of them are strictly required for salvation, but a life without prayer, study of the Bible, meditation on the word, worship, giving, and tithing is a life devoid of the bounteous relationship with Jesus. Technically one can be saved, but it would be unto a life that refuses to be transformed. Through giving we unseat mammon in our hearts and force it to be a servant of the one true God, Yahweh.
Alms
A significant part of the culture of America is individualism. People make their own choices, live their own lives, and are responsible for themselves. However this has led to a detachment of a social awareness both on the level of personal community and taking care of the poor. No one wishes harm on others, but no one feels responsible for them as well. Because of the great opportunity in this country it is easy to hold the poor responsible for their own plight, which never fully represents the whole picture for those who are homeless. Another errant theology is that the poor are poor because others are wealthy. There is not a set amount of wealth in the world, it can indeed be created and expanded.[14]
Others blame capitalism for the existence of the poor and thus feel as though they can do nothing about it except to rely on the government to meet the poor’s needs. The problem with this idea is that poor have “existed in every country with every economic structure in human history.”[15] The only reason capitalism results in exploitation leading to poverty is because of sin. However, capitalism also provides a way out of poverty for people which is the ability to “work themselves out of poverty.”[16] The alternative is socialism which centers the economic power into the government preventing any individual from becoming wealthier than another. However, those in power have traditionally been corrupt and become the wealthy class which creates a totalitarian problem. Additionally, socialism removes the incentive to produce, profit. So socialist countries typically utilize coercion to get people to work. There is no economic system that is going to eliminate poverty here on earth, only the gospel will.
One of the key things to understand about the poor is that in general we have not made poor people poor. However, they are our poor and we are responsible to help them under the commands of God. It is not about feeling guilty for an abundance, rather, helping the poor is simply about compassion and good stewardship of that abundance. A good example of this can be found in Luke 10:30-37 where the good Samaritan took pity on the destitute man in the street but did not feel guilt and remorse because he did not personally put him there. Following Jesus’ example, the early Christians were so known for their generosity concerning the poor that it attracted the attention of emperors and paved the way for the gospel to go forth.
The Mosaic Law officially mandated taking care of the poor in the following verses: Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 15:10-11, but it is easier to look to the proverbs and New Testament for Scripture that is more easily relatable to the modern era:
Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender.
Proverbs 19:17
A generous person will be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
Proverbs 22:9
The one who gives to the poor will not be in need, but one who turns his eyes away will receive many curses.
Proverbs 28:27
Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-11 (abridged)
He also said to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid. On the contrary, when you host a banquet, invite those who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14
The New Testament is filled with acts of generosity toward the poor both on the individual level and on a church wide level. Tabitha and Cornelius were individually lauded for their generosity and the early church was recognized for its actions as well.[17]
In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the time of Claudius. So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 11:27-30
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?
James 2:14-16
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence,
1 John 3:16-19
“Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 44-46
The entire second half of Matthew 25 should minimally give every Christian pause. Jesus literally states that treatment of the poor no matter who they are is a mark of one’s salvation and tied to eternal life or eternal punishment. Helping the poor is something that Christians need to take very seriously. However, for most Christians, it is not a matter of lack of love. Few Christians actually believe that the poor should stay poor and downtrodden. Instead, the following are some of the most common reasons Christians have for stalling in their ability to help: (1) mistrust of the poor, (2) inability to effect long term change, (3) lack of stewardship skills, (4) lack of understanding biblical mandate to help the poor.
Mistrust can only be helped by reaching out and getting to know people on an individual basis. Lack of stewardship will be covered later on in the document. The biblical mandate was just covered. However, the inability to effect long term change does deserve some ground at this point. As Randy Alcorn says in his book, “‘But I’m just one person. And we’re just a small church. How can we eliminate poverty?’ The answer is, you can’t. Jesus said the poor would always be with us (Mark 14:7).” So where does this leave the church? Helping one individual at a time. Just because we can’t solve the problem of epidemic sin does not mean we should retreat from any holiness at all. Eventually, God will rectify the sin problem and for now it is the Christians duty to fight against sin and evil here on earth winning as many victories as he or she can in Christ bringing glory to the Father.
Greed
Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 5:3
The Bible is very clear on how to define greed. It is idolatry pure and simple. “Everything material we have, including money, is either a tool or an idol. If we fail to use it as a tool for God’s intended purposes, it mutates into an idol.” There is no neutral ground in this world. Either Christians move toward God or away from him. Neutrality is simply the enemy’s way of disguising spiritual drift. Greed has a way of seeping into the spiritual life through improper stewardship. The second Christians or anyone fail to use their material possessions, like money, for the kingdom of God, the enemy and our sinful nature is waiting at the door ready to tempt to greed. Greed is one of the most self-destructive sins:
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
1 Timothy 6:9-10
The best way to view greed as idolatry is through a proper understanding of adultery. Randy Alcorn provided a provocative look at the comparison which will be recounted here:
Jesus said the rich are at a spiritual disadvantage (Matthew 19:23-24). The problem, of course, is not that God doesn’t love the rich. The problem is that the rich don’t love God. They simply have too much else to love. Who needs God, we think, when we’ve got everything? This is why Jesus didn’t say, “You should not serve both God and Money,” but “You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24, italics mine). Why? For the same reason a woman cannot have two husbands. When we carry on a love affair with the world, we commit spiritual adultery. We place God in the role of the jilted husband. He loves us and longs for our return but will not allow us in his intimate chambers when we are prostituting ourselves to another. God will not be a half husband. He will not be comforted by the fact that we call him “Savior” when we refuse to follow him as Lord.
Materialism consists of the two things God hates most—idolatry and adultery. The magnitude of God’s abhorrence for materialism surfaces in the final act prior to the return of Christ—the destruction of the money-loving system of this world, called “Babylon the Great.” It’s said of this Babylon, “The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” A voice from heaven pleads with God’s people—a voice that we would do well to heed today:”[18]
Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Pay her back the way she also paid, and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her. As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give her that much torment and grief, for she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.”
Revelation 18:4-7
With an enticement so strong that it is easily compared to adultery, how can greed be defeated and done away with? The simple answer is ask oneself, what is it that one really wants? Is it money? Or is it something that one believes money will bring? Peace? Posterity? Comfort? The deception is that money and material possessions will bring those things. When people recognize that only God can satisfy the inner desires of our soul (the desire for peace, security, safety, love, etc.) that people will be free and delivered from greed.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8
Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Anyone who hears should say, “Come!” And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.
Revelation 22:17
10 Dangers of Materialism[19]
Materialism prevents or destroys our spiritual life
Materialism blinds us to the curses of wealth
Materialism brings us unhappiness and anxiety
Materialism ends in ultimate futility
Materialism obscures many of the best things in life, which are free – including the gift of salvation
Materialism spawns independence and self-sufficiency, which are deadly to faith
Materialism leads to pride and elitism
Materialism promotes injustice and exploitation
Materialism fosters immorality and the deterioration of the family
Materialism distracts us from our central purpose
Prosperity Theology: The Gospel of Wealth
Propserity theology is the belief that when a person gives to the Kingdom of God with their finances and possessions, they will be rewarded with greater finances and possessions. In this view, emphasis is taken off of sacrificial giving to be a blessing to the world and placed on personal financial or worldly gain through buying off God. This teaching is pure heresy.
Wealth in the Old Testament
The scriptural source of prosperity theology as well as misappropriated tithing is centered on Old Testament verses that “link material prosperity with God’s blessing.”[20] Throughout the patriarchs and the line of the kings, God continually rewarded godly behavior and decisions with financial prosperity. This continued under the Mosaic Covenant with the people of Israel. There are multiple verses that state of Israel keeps the Mosaic Tithe as well as the giving principles of the Law that “the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do.”[21] As a result of some of these verses, and the purposeful ignoring of others, a doctrine developed by the time of Jesus that stated that those who are blessed materially are blessed by God and those who are poor are cursed by God. Needless to say, it is very easy to take these verses out of context and twist them to fit the needs of the world.
Christ and Wealth
Jesus completely upturned the common thinking of Pharisees. When He was confronted by the disciples who asked “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus responded by saying that “Neither this man nor his parents sinned … This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.”[22] In that statement Jesus uncovered the truth behind the Old Testament teachings. People were not blessed so they could become rich. God blessed the Israelites so that “God’s works might be displayed in” them. By blessing Israel for their obedience, the other nations would be able to see the works of YHWH.
God’s view of wealth can be easily seen in how the Father chose to reveal His Son on earth. Jesus was the ultimate son of the ultimate king and yet the Father chose a lowly setting and a manger as the Son’s birth place. At the time of His inauguration, he received a crown of thorns, beatings, scourging, and crucifixion. In heaven, the picture is completely reversed, but on earth Christians should view themselves not in terms of the worldly rich, but in terms of the lowly Servant.
Paul and Wealth
Paul’s life stands in direct refutation to the prosperity gospel. In Philippians 3, Paul reiterates how he puts no “confidence in the flesh – although [he] once had confidence in the flesh.”[23] Paul lost his standing in the Pharisaical courts, all possessions, and virtually all of his wealth. He literally gave up everything for the sake of Jesus and the gospel. He goes even further saying “everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord … because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth.”[24] No material thing can stand up to the riches of knowing Jesus. In pursuit of Jesus, there should be nothing on the table that is not willing to be made a sacrifice.
Stewardship
It is impossible to have an appropriate perspective and motivation on stewardship without keeping both eyes on eternity. The following verse by Paul should be especially sobering for American Christians:
If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
Heaven and by extension eternity will not be the same for everyone. Despite desires for egalitarianism and an equal share of rewards in heaven, the Bible authoritatively claims otherwise. Those who have not accepted Christ will be judged for their sins and receive varying punishments in hell under the banner of eternal death. Christians on the other hand will be judged for their works. Some works will burn away for they amounted to nothing more than stored up treasures here on earth. Others will withstand the refining fire of God’s judgment and be rewarded eternally.
To say that there is no fundamental difference between a person who lived a horrible life until the very end whereupon he or she was saved versus a person who prayed every day, preached the gospel, and lived a godly life is folly. These two people will both receive eternal life, but they will not receive the same rewards for their works. How should Christians respond with their possessions in appropriate stewardship? A great example comes from the movie Shindler’s List. At the end of the movie, the German manufacturer had purchased the lives of hundreds of Jews through great personal cost; however, he looked at his car and his watch and hysterically contemplated how many more people he could have purchased with the money tied up in those material possessions. The moral of the story was not to become a material ascetic; rather, it was to take a serious account of how one spends his time and money and whether or not those things are being spent on redeeming a fallen world. It is fine to own possessions, but never forget to ask the question, how can I steward what I have been given to further the kingdom of God on earth and build up treasures in heavenly storehouses.
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.
2 Peter 1: 3-11
Heavenly Rewards, Proper Motivation, and Stewardship
As evangelism, prayer, ministry of the Holy Spirit, and taking care of the poor are neglected, so is the doctrine of heavenly rewards. As the following verses demonstrate, the heavenly rewards do exist and will be given out appropriately and fairly to those who faithfully and diligently strive for the things of God.
For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.
Hebrews 11:26
Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10
Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
Ephesians 6:5-9
[1] Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Kindle 243.
[2] Matthew 19:16-30; Luke 18:18-30
[3] Luke 19:9
[4] Luke 16:1-13 (NASB).
[5] Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, Kindle 292.
[6] Acts 19:20
[7] http://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/fool.html
[8] Perspectives on Tithing, 1.
[9] Perspectives on Tithing, 66.
[10] Perspectives on Tithing, 9.
[11] Perspectives on Tithing, 155.
[12] Exodus 34:26
[13] 2 Corinthians 9:7 (HCSB).
[14] Deuteronomy 8:18
[15] Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, loc. 4095.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Acts 9:36; Acts 10:2-4; Galatians 2:10; James 1:27
[18] Randy Alcorn, Money Possessions and Eternity, loc. 1053-1064.
[19] Ibid, loc. 1113-1427.
[20] Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity, loc. 1780; Genesis 13:1-7; Genesis 26:12-14; Genesis 30:43; Genesis 39:2-6; 1 Kings 3:13; Job 42:10-17.
[21] Deuteronomy 15:10; Proverbs 3:9-10; Proverbs 11:25; Malachi 3:8-12.
[22] John 9:2-3.
[23] Philippians 3:3
[24] Philippians 3:7-8
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