In both capitalist and socialist economies, either governments or individuals have to deal with the procuring or administration of material needs and resources. It is a certain fact of life that people have to deal with material needs in a world with limited resources.
This happens to be the subject matter of economics 101: the allocation of scarce resources. But what does the Bible say about money? About material needs of Christians? What should a Christian’s attitude be towards money?
The Biblical advice regarding money and material resources is something we must all learn as Christians. It contains invaluable wisdom in this important topic which affects many areas of human life.
It has beautiful, powerful and profound advice when it comes to this subject, one that may deeply instruct and touch our lives.
Table of Contents
1. Proverbs 21:5:
5 “The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
2. Proverbs 20:13:
13 “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay awake and you will have food to spare.”
3. Matthew 6:24:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
4. Matthew 6:32-33:
32 “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
5. Deuteronomy 28:12:
12 “The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”
6. 1 Timothy 6:7-8:
7 “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
7. 1 Timothy 6:9-10:
9 “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
8. 1 Timothy 6:17-18:
17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
9. 2 Timothy 3:1-3:
1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good.”
10. Ecclesiastes 5:10:
10 “Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.”
11. Ecclesiastes 5:19:
19 “Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.”
12. Matthew 25:18:
18 “But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
13. Mark 12:41-42:
41 “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.”
14. Ecclesiastes 7:12:
12 “Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves those who have it.”
15. Proverbs 3:13-15:
13 “Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.”
16. 1 Timothy 3:3:
3 “Not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”
17. Luke 18:11-12:
11 “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
18. Psalm 37:16-17:
16 “Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.”
This is beautiful.
19. Psalm 52:6-7:
6 “The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at you, saying,
7 Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
The Bible warns us against trusting riches.
20. Revelation 3:17:
17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
