What does the Bible Say About Money?
Money is not an invention of God, but of man. While money in the form of gold and other pre-cious metals initially served people as a prac-tical medium of exchange, it has now become by far the most influential means of exercising power and control. Money makes people depen-dent on each other and leads to jealousy and envy. The greed for wealth is the main cause of war, poverty and injustice in the world. Almost the entire global economy is now geared to-wards generating profit; with dramatic effects for people and nature.
Statistically speaking, money and wealth are very unevenly distributed. While 1 to 10% of people own over 90% of the world's real money supply, 90 to 99% of people have to share less than 10%. While few live in lavish luxury, many people suffer from hunger and deprivation. While some people fly to the moon for several billion dollars, others fight every day for their very survival...
Great wealth makes you greedy and stingy. You always want more and yet you never get enough. Furthermore, money tempts people to allow themselves to be corrupted, to bend the law and to cross ethical boundaries. It is not for nothing that the love of money is described in the Bible as the root of all evil. There is no doubt that money plays a central role in life for many people. For some, wealth is their god. For this reason, greed is equated in Scripture with idolatry, which drives man away from the true God and corrupts him spiritually and mo-rally. Even though God does not fundamental-ly condemn wealth, Jesus says that rich people have a hard time entering God's kingdom. The reason for this is that rich people's hearts are often more attached to their wealth than to God. On the other hand, well-known people such as Abraham, Job and King David, who are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, prove that one can be humble and God-fearing despite great wealth.
God wants us neither to accumulate excessive possessions nor to waste our financial resour-ces for vain or selfish purposes, but rather that we use them in His spirit and for the benefit of our fellow human beings. Money should prima-rily be used to earn a living and to provide for relatives and those in need. God is pleased when people are generous and selflessly share with others. In this context, Jesus says that true joy lies in giving (rather than receiving). This means: the more generous a person is, the more blessing it brings to him and his fellow human beings.
At the same time, the Bible describes frugality as great gain. Voluntarily foregoing wealth and limiting ourselves to the bare necessities not only makes it possible to use more of our money for good purposes, but also gives us freedom, independence and satisfaction. Added to this is the fact that God is the one who provides us with everything we need for life at all times. In this respect, no person is dependent on their money, but only on God. God gives us his promise that he will not let anyone who remains loyal to him starve and that he can remedy any de-ficiency at any time. At the same time, God gives everyone who trusts Him the strength they need to get through adverse life situations and still be a blessing to others.
Jesus calls everyone to lay up treasures in hea-ven instead of on earth. This refers to good works based on selfless love that benefit other people, which in turn is rewarded by God. Be-cause material wealth is uncertain and fleeting. In addition, no one can take anything from this world with them when they die. Likewise, no human being can buy eternal life with money. We can only receive this if we accept Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins and whom God raised from the dead, as our Lord and Savior and align our lives according to his command-ments.
Although Jesus himself lived in poor conditions on earth, he still had a fulfilling existence. His wealth lay in fellowship with God, his Father, who provided him with everything he needed both spiritually and physically. This circum-stance should serve as an example for us hu-mans and help us to place all our trust in God; regardless of how we are doing financially.
It can be assumed that there will be no more mo-ney in the world to come, which God promises to all who love him. Instead, all people will live in peace and abundance forever and ever.