A Summary of Biblical Teaching on Money and Wealth
The following article was written by the Messed Up Church “Bible Scholar in Residence,“ Daryl Rahfeldt, M.A., Ph.D.
St. Francis of Assisi, Painted by Philip Fruytiers in 1650
Christian history, both ancient and modern, is marked by varied viewpoints concerning what the Bible teaches about money and wealth. The monastic movement of the Medieval period often saw wealth as an evil to be shunned. St. Francis of Assisi supposedly forbade his disciples from even touching money and meted out punishment to those who did. The various religious orders (both male and female) forsook any pursuit of personal property and money, taking vows of poverty and chastity, in order to yoke themselves to a community that provided for all their needs. These communities saw themselves as spiritually superior to the ordinary folk, who also tended to see the “religious” in this same light. Parents of the poorer classes would encourage their children to join these orders so that they might escape the daily grind of hard work and feudalism. Wealthier people also joined these orders because of the status they conveyed in a world dominated by the Catholic Church. Among the clergy class, the higher one’s rank, the more wealth one could expect to gain. Bishops and Cardinals, for example, could become quite wealthy, while parish priests might remain fairly poor.
The Catholic Church, itself, of course, was one of the wealthiest institutions in medieval society. There is the story about Thomas Aquinas’ visit to Pope Innocent II when the latter was counting a lot of money. The Pope informed Thomas that the church could no longer say, “Silver and gold have we none.” Supposedly, Thomas replied that neither could the church any longer say, “Rise and walk.” Perhaps Thomas Aquinas was pointing out that the church had substituted wealth for spiritual power. The church had great influence over society and people’s lives in the Middle Ages and beyond due to its political and material power. The Roman Catholic Church today still has great wealth, although its political power is certainly not what it was centuries ago. But it still holds great sway over many people, especially in countries whose population is predominantly Catholic.
Lest we become myopically fixated on Rome, we should also acknowledge that there is a segment of the Protestant Church that emphasizes money and wealth, and whose leaders have become rich from donations, speaking fees, and book sales. Their message is often referred to as “the prosperity gospel,” or “the Word of Faith” movement. These men and women have created empires in which the collection of money and accumulation of wealth have become hallmarks of their message.
From Kenneth Copeland’s Monthly Magazine
The “mega-church” phenomenon, along with TV and the internet, has made it possible for these men and women to gain huge fortunes, including millions of dollars, huge estates, private jets, expensive wardrobes, and Hollywood-style fame. They have interpreted the Bible as teaching that God promises prosperity to those who give sacrificially to their ministries. They teach that money is a “seed” that can be “sown” in order to “grow” more money for the “sower.” They do not often point out, however, that they are the ones whose networth benefits the most from all this “seed sowing” activity.
In effect, they are promoting what can best be described as a modified “Ponzi Scheme.” A Ponzi scheme collects money from people with the promise of great returns on their investment, when in fact the collector is the only one benefitting. In a typical Ponzi scheme, the collector eventually runs out of victims, and the scheme implodes. This happens because the schemer uses the money from new recruits to pay off earlier investors. Eventually, the newer investors want their money, and the scheme is exposed, because there are not enough new investors to cover the cost. The schemer typically spends most of the money he collects on a lavish lifestyle. This part of the scheme certainly fits with the prosperity preachers. Of course, with the prosperity gospel, the preacher is not promising to pay the donors himself, but is telling them that God will somehow pay them. Meanwhile, the preacher keeps collecting more and more money, while the donors keep hoping for a miracle. It seems that the naïve people on whom these preachers prey are an inexhaustible resource for their promises of wealth and happiness. People continue to contribute, believing that their success is just around the next bend in the road. Since the preachers have made promises on behalf of God, and not on behalf of themselves, they can always blame the people’s lack of faith or lack of adequate giving when the prosperity they promise does not happen. It’s never the fault of the preacher or of God—after all, God wants to bless the giver—but His hands are tied because of some oversight on the part of the giver.
On the other side of the money issue are those who believe and teach that Christians should not accumulate wealth, but should give away as much as possible. We might call this theology the “give ‘til it hurts” message. This message is promoted by leaders and pastors who very well may be practicing it themselves. The leaders are generally not trying to become wealthy, but are continually pressing the people to give more and more to the cause of Christ, particularly to missionary enterprises.
There was a Canadian pastor named Oswald J. Smith who pioneered what he called “the faith-promise” offering for missions. He would challenge Christians not only to give out of their present means, but to promise God by faith that they would give a certain amount beyond their means, trusting God to supply what they promised to give in a year. You may have been in an audience or congregation where this method was used. Normally, pledge cards would be passed out, and people would be asked to “prayerfully” write down on a card what they would promise to give to missions (or even the church) by faith the coming year. The idea was that God would provide what they promised. The faith-promise only had meaning if the person promised more than he or she could afford at the time the promise was made. In a sense, the people were being asked to take an oath of sorts before God, putting God to the test to give them the money they would need to fulfill the pledge. Such a pledge goes beyond the often-promoted idea of tithing ten percent of one’s income.
Of course, pastors and others routinely preach and teach tithing as a law of God which all Christians are required to obey. The prosperity preachers also promote tithing as a law. One well-known mega-church pastor is a proponent of tithing as a “first-fruits” requirement incumbent upon all Christians.
Robert Morris, “The Man Who Extracts Money from Gullible Christians to Maintain Mega-Churches!”
According to his message, one’s finances are cursed if one does not obey this first-fruits tithing law. He is a much sought-after speaker because he gets people to give more money by threatening them with God’s curse if they don’t tithe the “first-fruits.” In this sense, he is preaching the prosperity gospel in reverse. He claims that if people do not tithe, they will lose jobs, get divorced, lose their children to the world, etc. Tithing, according to him, prevents God from cursing their finances and their lives.
Over the course of church history, there have been attempts at Christian communal living. In these experiments, individuals do not own property or have money of their own, but live as part of a community in which everyone shares in labor and resources. Many have based their efforts on a misunderstanding of Acts 2:42ff. Most of these experiments have failed due to the reality of human sinfulness. However, there are Hutterite communities in the U.S. and Canada that currently operate communally. One could call this lifestyle a modified monastic life, because although the people live “apart from the world,” they marry and have families and “go into the world” to purchase items they need and to sell what they produce.
The traditional Christian view of money has tended to see it more as a potential evil and corrupting influence than as a positive thing. For example, John Wesley said, “When I die if I leave behind me ten pounds . . . you and all mankind may bear witness against me, that I have been a thief and a robber” (written in 1744). But this is not the entire story of Wesley’s view of money. His three rules were (1) to gain all one can, (2) to save all one can, and (3) to give all one can. He counseled Christians to buy only necessities and to be careful not to let the love of money harm the soul. He taught that money could do much good in God’s world and that one’s money ultimately belonged to God. Wesley believed that we are merely stewards of what God has provided.
The church fathers wrote a lot about money. Their emphasis seems to have been on not being greedy and on using one’s money to help the poor, the orphan, and the widow.
(The following quotes from “The Orant blog”)
For example, in A.D. 300, Cyprian wrote, “the property of the wealthy holds them in chains . . . which shackle their courage and choke their faith and hamper their judgment and throttle their souls. They think of themselves as owners, whereas it is they rather who are owned: enslaved as they are to their own property, they are not the masters of their money but its slaves.”
Basil of Caesarea (330-370 AD) wrote, “The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging in your closet belongs to the man who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the man who has no shoes; the money which you put into the bank belongs to the poor. You do wrong to everyone you could help but fail to help.”
Irenaeus of Lyon (130-200 AD) wrote, “Instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to divide everything we have with the poor. And he said to love not only our neighbors but also our enemies, and to be givers and sharers not only with the good but also to be liberal givers toward those who take away our possessions.”
John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) said, “the rich are in possession of the goods of the poor, even if they have acquired them honestly or inherited them legally.”
The Didache declares, “Share everything with your brother. Do not say, ‘It is private property.’ If you share what is everlasting, you should be that much more willing to share things which do not last.”
Aristides, an early second-century apologist, wrote, “Christians love one another. They do not overlook the widow, and they save the orphan. The one who has, ministers ungrudgingly to the one who does not have. When they see a stranger, they take him under their own roof and rejoice over him as a true brother, for they do not call themselves brothers according to the flesh but according to the soul.”
It seems that a fairly quick search on-line of the teaching of the church fathers, reveals that their emphasis was on helping the poor and not heaping up wealth selfishly or even storing it up to give to one’s children. This emphasis would certainly be at odds with the proponents of the prosperity gospel, who ask for money for their own “ministries,” with the promise of success and prosperity for those who give. Some of the church fathers do speak positively of tithing. Irenaeus (quoted above) saw giving to the poor as the New Testament fulfillment or substitute for the Old Testament command to tithe.
“Prosperity Preachers” Benny Hinn and Chris Oyakhilome
The prosperity preachers who enrich themselves with wealth and wordly possesions would most certainly merit the condemnation of these ancient men of faith.
Further, the hoped-for riches and successes of those who give to these preachers would also be condemned by the fathers. The fathers would certainly advise them to give to the poor the money they are sending to the prosperity preachers, and not to think of God as one who can be bribed with their giving.
The most important question we can ask is not what opinion men have about the use of money and wealth, but rather what the Word of God has to say about those things. We will find that the Scriptures treat money and wealth in several ways. They sometimes refer to wealth simply as fact. Certain people are rich, often with the implication that God has given them wealth. God sometimes blesses his people with money and possessions. But money and possessions are not neutral. They can be misused. In fact, they can lead to God’s condemnation and the loss of one’s soul. Rich people receive God’s judgment when they use money and possessions selfishly. When the rich gain wealth by oppressing others—especially the poor—God denounces them through his prophets. Money and wealth can also be used in God’s service, and the Scriptures look favorably on those who use them to help the poor and to support God’s work in the earth. The Scriptures universally condemn greed, covetousness, and deceit regarding money and possessions. We will discuss the various ways in which the Scriptures speak of money, wealth, and possessions.
Prosperity preachers and others often speak of how much the Bible talks about money, and especially how much Jesus taught about it. There is truth in what they claim. We will survey some of what the Bible teaches about money a bit later. However, we first want to consider the idea that Jesus had a lot to say about money. On the surface, this is true. But most often, his parables use money as a symbol of some other principle he wants to teach. If we look at his parables, we see that the following use money as a means of communicating spiritual truth rather than to teach about money itself: Hidden Treasure; Pearl of Great Price, Unmerciful Servant, Workers in the Vineyard, Faithful and Wise Servant, Talents (or Bags of Gold or Minas), Moneylender, Lost Coin, Shrewd Manager.
Parables which actually have money or wealth as their focus are only these: The Rich Man and Lazarus, The Rich Fool, The Camel Through the Eye of a Needle.
Encounters with Jesus which have money and wealth as the topic include The Rich Ruler and Zacchaeus. Jesus teaches directly about money and wealth when he commands not to store up treasures on earth, but rather to have treasure in heaven and to “seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be provided.” Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that we should not worry about our life, for God will provide for us, just as he provides for the flowers and the birds. Jesus miraculously provided money to pay the temple tax for Peter and himself by putting it in the mouth of a fish for Peter to catch. In the controversy with the Pharisees about paying taxes to Caesar, Jesus reminded them that the coins they had in their possession had Caesar’s image on them. Thus, they should “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When the sinful woman anointed Jesus’ feet with the expensive perfume, Judas complained that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus rebuked him, stating that the woman had anointed him for burial, and that the poor would always be with them. We also learn from the Gospels that Jesus and his disciples had a money bag, and that Judas often stole from it. Luke 8:3 informs us that some wealthy women followers paid Jesus’ expenses out of their own funds.
From this brief survey of Jesus’ teaching about and interaction with money, it is clear that he warned of its dangers and taught that it should not be the focus of our lives. He commanded his disciples to trust God for their provisions rather than to store up earthly treasure. Instead of being “earth-bound,” they should “store up treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt, and thieves do not break in and steal:”
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
On the other hand, Jesus and his disciples had a money bag. In John four, when Jesus arrived in Samaria, his disciples went into the village to buy food. Wealthy women gave him money to supply his needs and those of his disciples. There is no evidence that Jesus or his disciples begged or asked for money from anyone. When Jesus sent out his disciples on a preaching tour, he advised them to find a welcoming home in which to stay. He was no doubt indicating that the family would provide their other needs as well, since he told them on that occasion not to take extra clothing or a money bag with them. But he never taught them to walk about begging as mendicant monks would later do in the Middle Ages. Jesus’ comment about the elderly widow who put all she had (two copper coins) into the temple treasury “trumpet” does not contain any teaching that others should do the same. He simply stated that because she gave all she had, she had actually given more than the rich gave who put in much more than she did. His teaching on this occasion seems to indicate that giving is not measured by the amount, but by what it cost in terms of sacrifice.
The sacrifice of the widow perhaps indicates the level of her piety. Probably few people would have noticed the poor widow depositing so little into the receptacle, especially since the two small coins would barely have made a tinkle as they dropped into the metal container. When the rich put in their large offerings, the sound of the coins dropping into the metal container was probably quite noticeable to passersby. Although the wealthy donors put in many coins, in comparison, they gave very little because they gave out of abundance, and perhaps also to show off their generosity and receive praise. The woman would scarcely be noticed for giving so little, but she gave the most of all. As we shall see when we survey some of the biblical teaching on giving, we cannot use this woman as a model for giving our last dime to some TV preacher in order to get a payback from God. We might ask the prosperity preachers if they would give away millions of their fortunes without fanfare and give up their fame and followings. I think we know the answer to that question! We will believe it when we see it happen!
Let’s take a look at some Old Testament teachings about money and wealth, beginning with the patriarchs. It seems that the Bible presents their wealth as a fact, and often as a blessing from the Lord. Genesis 13:2 tells us that “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” The text does not state explicitly whether God approved of his wealth, but it seems that we can assume that God had blessed him. Genesis 41:37-45 does not comment either positively or negatively about Joseph’s wealth in Egypt, but we read that Pharaoh made him second-in-command over his kingdom, bestowing on him a signet ring, a gold necklace, a special chariot, and fine clothing. He also gave Joseph his daughter in marriage. The tone of this passage seems to suggest that the Scripture is giving a favorable view of Joseph’s wealth and position, especially since he received them due to God’s giving him the ability to interpret dreams. God’s providence and leading were apparent in all that happened to Joseph, even in his brothers’ selling him into slavery and his being imprisoned unjustly.
“The Meeting of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, with the Four Elements,” Embroidered Canvas circa 1700, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Perhaps the best-known account of wealth in the Old Testament is that of King Solomon. First Kings ten relates how wealthy Solomon became. Verse 23 says that he “excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.” The Queen of Sheba was awed at his wealth. Solomon showered her with valuable gifts, and she gave him gold and spices, more than had ever before been brought into Israel. But the sad truth is that Solomon let his wealth lead him away from the Lord. He spent lavishly and acquired 700 foreign wives. He also built an altar to pagan gods. “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,” we read in 1 Kings 11: 9 (NIV). Earlier, in 1 Kings 3, God had asked Solomon what he wanted God to give him. Instead of asking for riches, Solomon asked for wisdom to govern Israel. It pleased the Lord that he had not asked for long life or riches. But God promised to add riches to his wisdom, and if he would remain faithful, long life as well. So we see that Solomon’s wealth was God’s gift, not something Solomon strived for or prayed for. But Solomon provides a cautionary tale, in that he abused the wealth God gave him, which resulted in God’s taking away the kingdom from his family line. We would say, I suppose, that his wealth “went to his head.” This fact is evident in his displaying his wealth to the Queen of Sheba and in his lavish spending.
The other major figure in the Old Testament known for his wealth is Job. His prosperity and wealth are listed in chapter one of the book bearing his name. Chapter one also reveals (through the words of Satan) that Job’s prosperity was a result of God’s blessing and protection. But the Lord commended Job for his upright life and his piety, not for his wealth. From the account of Job, it is clear that Job’s wealth and prosperity were not God’s primary interest. Through their loss at the hands of Satan (with God’s permission) Job repented and acknowledged God’s absolute sovereignty. Job prayed for his misguided friends, who blamed Job for his misfortune and losses. God ultimately doubly restored Job’s fortunes, and he lived to see four generations of offspring. Job’s riches were a blessing from God, but God allowed Satan to remove even his health, which gave Job the opportunity to prove his “naked faithfulness.” Satan’s accusation was that Job was pious and faithful only because God had blessed him, and that if the blessings were gone, Job would curse God. Job refused to take his wife’s advice to “curse God and die,” but instead struggled through to prove that he truly feared, loved, and trusted God and not his wealth. Job teaches that riches can be a blessing from God, but are never to be treated as life’s goal and security.
Solomon affirms the conclusion from Job:
“How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver”
Solomon wrote of the pitfalls of money and riches in passages such as:
“Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”
“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.”
Here, God’s Word teaches us the wise middle ground concerning money and wealth:
“Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
Solomon was not telling us to be lazy and not work for our money. Rather, he was warning us not to make the acquisition of money the goal of our work.
Riches can be lost quickly, so if we make them the goal of our life’s work, we may end in despair. A rich man who is crooked—who lacks honesty and integrity—is actually in a lower place than a poor man who is upright and honest. Again, this saying supports the message of Job—God may bless with wealth, but that is not His real interest in us. He wants us to live pious lives of repentance and faith, apart from our material status. Otherwise, when the riches are gone or when life comes to an end, we may take the advice of Job’s wife!
The wise man’s prayer in the third quotation above asks neither for poverty nor riches. Excess riches may lead to self-reliance and denying the Lord. Poverty, on the other hand, may lead to despair and dishonesty (even stealing). This, too, will blaspheme God. The Lord’s Prayer seems to take up this same theme in the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.” When God answers this prayer, we will have enough to make us thankful to God, but not so much that we forget about Him. We will know that God has provided and that we are dependent on Him.
Another selection of Proverbs teaches the wisdom of hard work and diligence with respect to wealth and poverty. Proverbs 6:6-8 advises us to take a lesson from the lowly ant, which is busy working and storing up food for winter. The lazy person ends in poverty, the wise man tells us. Proverbs 10:4 is explicit that “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (ESV). Proverbs 12:11 tells us, “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense” (ESV). The danger of getting rich quickly and the wisdom of saving little by little are pointed out in 13:11. Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty” (ESV). Proverbs 24:33-34 warns that laziness leads to poverty and want.
The Apostle Paul gave the Thessalonian Christians similar teaching in 2 Thessalonians:
“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day that we might not be a burden to any of you . . . For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: ‘If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.’ For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”
So we see that one primary teaching of the Bible—both Old and New Testaments—is that God designs and desires that we work diligently, save money, and avoid idleness. God provides for those who work.
Another teaching of Proverbs and the rest of Scripture concerns greed. The Decalogue commands us not to steal and not to covet what other have. Proverbs 1:19 puts it this way: “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors” (ESV). This verse is the conclusion to the warning not to throw in with thieves and schemers.
Psalm 49 also speaks to the sin of greed and the error of trusting in riches. “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?” (ESV), asks the Psalmist in verses 5 and 6. The Psalm goes on to point out that the wise and the foolish die and “leave their wealth to others” (v. 10). The Psalm calls trusting anything in this life “foolish confidence” (v. 13). The Psalm concludes with this warning: “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” (ESV). The understanding to which the Psalm is referring is no doubt the knowledge that all the things about which we boast in this life, including riches, are lost at death. Thus, we should not trust in them.
Continuing with the themes in Proverbs related to money and riches, we come to Proverbs 22:16 and 22:22-23. These verses warn us not to oppress the poor in order to increase our own wealth or to give to the already wealthy. Doing so, verse 16 says, will lead to poverty. Verses 22-23 warns against robbing the poor because he is poor—God will plead his cause and bring death to the robber. Robbing the poor because he is poor surely implies that the poor man has little or no means to defend himself against those who come after what little he has. Proverbs 27:24 states, “. . . riches do not last forever.” (ESV). Proverbs 3:27 reminds us of James’ teaching about not withholding help from a needy brother (James 2:14ff.): “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go and come again, tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you.” (ESV).
Some Proverbs indicate that God will reward our giving to the poor. “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (11:25, ESV). Proverbs 19:17 states, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (ESV). Proverbs 28:27 speaks similarly. He who gives to the poor, it says, will not be in want, but the one who ignores the plight of the poor will be cursed in many ways. Again, the New Testament Book of James has many similar things to say about not mistreating the poor (James 2:1-11 and James 5:1-6). The poor, James says, are rich in faith and will inherit the kingdom of God (2:5).
Proverbs 3:9-10 seems to suggest something like the “prosperity gospel.” It states, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.” (ESV). However, this advice seems to be addressed to one who is already well off, for the person has “wealth,” barns, wine vats, and land. These verses are not speaking about the poor getting rich by giving away the little they have to some ministry or other. Rather, this promise seems to assure the prosperous farmer that God will continue to prosper his efforts if he honors God with the wealth God has already provided. How are these wealthy farmers supposed to honor God with their wealth and crops? If we refer to many of the previous Proverbs quoted above, it surely involves giving to the poor (note the command in the Old Testament law in Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22 to leave the corners of the field for the poor to “glean”).
“Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet, 1857
No doubt they are also supposed to give a portion of their crops to the Levites, who had no land given to them, but were servants in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. The prosperity preachers have ignored context and history and made themselves the intended recipients of tithing and giving to the Lord. It is highly questionable in any case if the TV preachers who ask for money to support their ministries are doing the Lord’s work at all or even preaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. Proverbs 22:16, which we have cited above, warns not to give to the rich, for doing so will lead to poverty, as will oppressing the poor in order to get richer. This is a double-whammy for the prosperity preachers, all of whom are certainly rich (multi-millionaires in some cases). On the one hand, it condemns them for taking money from the poor under false pretenses in order to gain more wealth for themselves; on the other hand, it warns the poor not to give to them lest they become poorer! God does not promise prosperity to the poor for giving to these wealthy preachers, but instead promises greater poverty! If the victims of these preachers would heed this verse, the prosperity preachers would have to spend their own money on mansions, private jets, and fancy hotels, and they would soon be reduced to poverty.
But, of course, there is another kind of poverty—poverty of the soul. These men and women who exploit the sheep for “shameful gain” may not know it, but their riches are depriving them of the true gifts of God. The judgment of God will fall upon them, not only for lying to and robbing God’s people, but also for teaching what is contrary to God’s Holy Word. If they do not repent in this life and give their ill-gotten wealth to the poor, they will spend eternity in the flames with their father, the devil, and all his unholy angels. That will be their true poverty.
As Abraham told the rich man in Jesus’ parable (Luke 16:19-31), “Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.” (ESV), so these false teachers will hear the same condemnation from the Lord when they claim, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” (Mt. 7:22, ESV). How destitute will they be when Jesus tells them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”?
Jesus warns the wealthy in the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 not to rely on their wealth, for it will not save them at their death when God requires their soul of them and holds them to account. In his contact with the rich young man, Jesus put his finger on the very thing which enslaved him to this life and kept him from eternal life—his wealth. He was pious (he claimed he had kept all the commandments from his youth), but he had a divided heart. He was attempting to serve both God and “mammon.” Jesus warned against this in Matthew 6:24, stating that if anyone tries to do so, he will end up loving one and hating the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. In Matthew 19:24, Jesus warns the disciples that, even though it is possible for God to save a rich man (“with God all things are possible”), “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
One of the primary passages the prosperity preachers use to “prove” that giving abundantly will guarantee an abundant return from God is Luke 6:38:
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
The problem with using this verse as a proof text for financial prosperity is that it is not about giving money!
It is about going beyond not judging, not condemning, and forgiving to seeking the good and well-being of others. It could include giving financial help (lending without expecting a pay-back, for example), but that is not the primary meaning. This text goes along with Jesus’ teaching following the parable of the unforgiving servant and the petition in the Lord’s Prayer asking God to forgive us as we forgive others, but takes us beyond merely forgiving. Luke 6:37 introduces the thought behind verse 38: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” The command in verse 38 (“Give”) is parallel with “forgive” in verse 37. Note that the first two commands in verse 37 are negative, while “forgive” and “give” are positive-action commands. “Don’t judge,” and “Don’t condemn” require no positive action—they speak of not doing something. But “forgive” is a positive act, albeit still in the realm of the mind and heart. However, “Give,” moves “forgive” beyond our thoughts to taking action on behalf of the one we forgive. If forgiving another who sins against us brings forgiveness to us in return (as Jesus teaches and as the Lord’s Prayer declares), then giving help, support, encouragement, love, etc. to that person brings these same gifts back to us in abundance.
The conclusion makes this interpretation clear: “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (verse 38). It is not money or property or advances in life that will be measured back to us, but rather the mercy and good will we show even to our worst enemies. Jesus’ teaching in verses 37-38 in context arises from the previous verses (35-36) where Jesus declares, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (ESV).
So we see that the prosperity preachers (and others) misuse verse 38. It is not about giving money to ministries or ministers, or even to God’s work in the broader sense. It is about going beyond the mere refusal to judge and condemn our enemies and those who sin against us, to the positive actions of forgiving them and, and finally, doing good to them—even lending to them without expecting to be repaid. It involves doing to others what God does for us—forgiving us and giving us good gifts, even though we are sinful people who often rebel against him. God is merciful to us sinners, so we should be merciful to those who sin against us. God gives gifts to us who are often ungrateful and evil, so we should do the same for our neighbors, even those neighbors who are our enemies. Luke 6:38 has nothing to do with giving money to gain prosperity from God in return. Anyone who uses the verse in this way is not telling the truth and has taken the verse out of context to make it say what he wants it to say and what his listeners may want to hear.
Paul writes that those who preach the gospel should earn their living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14). However, Paul states that he often did not claim this privilege, but rather earned his own living so as not to give the impression that he was preaching the gospel for money (1 Thessalonians 2:9ff., 2 Thessalonians 2:7-10, and 2 Corinthians 11:5-11). Further, Paul declared that he had learned to be content both in lack and in abundance (Philippians 4:11-13). When writing to Timothy, Paul warned this young pastor about the dangers of loving money (1 Timothy 6:3-10). He included the love of money as a disqualifier for church leadership (1 Timothy 3:3). “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” Paul warns in 1 Timothy 6:10.
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound
words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the 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.”
“Love of money” is one word in Greek, φιλαργυρία, which could be translated as “money-love.” The verse does not say that love of money is the only root of all sorts of evils, for “root” does not have the article “the” in front of it. Literally, the verse reads, “For a root of all sorts of evils is the love of money.” Paul is thinking of money-love as a very specific idea, indicated by the use of the article, “the.” Some people, Paul warns, by longing for money (we might even say lusting after it), have wandered away from the faith. “The faith” here indicates the Christian faith, i.e. that body of doctrine which one must believe to be a Christian. Love of money has led, in some cases, to apostasy, to departing from the faith of Christ. Not only have some left the faith due to the love of money, but in doing so have “pierced themselves with many sorrows.” We may think of the so-called “rich ruler” in Luke 18, whose love of money kept him from eternal life. He went away from Jesus “very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). Why was he sad? Because he realized that his love of money was keeping him from the very thing he sought for from Jesus—eternal life. He no doubt thought that there was some law or requirement he might have overlooked which would guarantee him entrance into eternal life, for he had not found life in keeping the commandments he knew about from the Scriptures. He loved his money more than life itself, even more than eternity with God. When he realized this, he walked away in sorrow.
Those who claim to be ministers of the gospel and teachers of the faith, while building up and clinging to huge fortunes, are like this ruler, except for one thing: they believe they can serve two masters—God and money. They are not walking away from Jesus “very sad,” because they have deceived themselves into believing that wealth is proof of their faith and faithfulness. They have convinced themselves that the Bible authorizes their prosperity message and gives them the right to promise their listeners prosperity if they will only send them their money as “seed.” As we have seen from this essay, the Bible does not teach their prosperity doctrine, but quite the opposite.
At this juncture, we need to look at the only New Testament passage that gives extended teaching about giving: 2 Corinthians, chapters 8 and 9. The background to this instruction is found in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 and Romans 15:25-28. Paul is collecting an offering from the Gentile churches he has established to take back to Jerusalem for the poor Jewish Christians there. Paul sees this offering not only as charity, but also as a way for the Gentile Christians to give thanks to the Jewish people for passing on their spiritual blessings to them. Paul states in Romans 15:27, “For as the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings” (NIV). In 1 Corinthians 16:1, Paul refers to this offering as “the collection for the Lord’s people.” He instructed the Corinthians to set aside a sum each week so that when he comes to pick up the offering it will be ready and waiting. What are the highlights of the instruction for this offering, as Paul gives them in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9? The first thing to keep in mind is that this offering is specifically for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to relieve them materially but also to thank them for being the spiritual tree into which the Gentiles have been grafted. Were it not for the Jewish Christians sending Paul and others to them, the Gentiles would not have heard the gospel and been included in the kingdom of God. These two chapters are not talking about giving to support the work of some ministry or other, nor are they promising prosperity to those who give.
Second of all, Paul makes clear to them that this offering is voluntary (8:8). There is no set amount or percentage. It is to be “a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given” (9:5, NIV). “Each of you,” Paul writes, “should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (9:7, NIV). It is obvious that Paul is not calling for a tithe or for giving beyond their means, for he states in 8:12, “… the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” (NIV). Third, the goal of giving is equality, i.e. that all God’s people might have their needs met.
As he writes here:
“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written, ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.’”
On these points we would comment that there is great inequality in the demands of the prosperity preachers. Most of them lay the burden of the tithe on their audience plus the burden of giving even beyond their means in order supposedly to get God’s blessing on their own finances. But regardless of how poor some of the donors may be, the preachers do not give to them out of their abundance so that there might be equality. The prosperity preachers become extremely wealthy, while their listeners gain nothing but promises and false hope. This contradicts Paul’s teaching and the teaching of the rest of Scripture. To withhold one’s wealth from the poor is bad enough—and we have seen that Scripture condemns doing so—but to exploit the poor by making false promises in the name of God in order to get what little they have for oneself is deserving of the flames of hell!
Fourth, God does promise a return for our giving, but not in the manner which the prosperity preachers promote. It does state in 9:6, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (NIV), but what does this actually mean? Verses 8 and 9 begin to explain what we will reap from generous giving. We will have all we need, and we will “abound in every good work.” In verse 9 Paul quotes Psalm 112:9, which states, “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever.” (NIV).
Note once again that the emphasis here is on giving to the poor, not on contributing to the church or to a ministry. Enduring righteousness is a result of giving to the poor. The rest of Psalm 112:9 states, “. . . their horn will be lifted high in honor.” One will also receive honor (presumably from both God and one’s fellow man) as a result of giving to the poor. Paul goes on in 9:10-15 to promise God’s supply to those who give generously to the poor:
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayer for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
I quoted this entire passage so that you can see that there is no promise here of random prosperity and increased riches. The return God gives for our generosity to our fellow believers when they are in need is not only the supply of our own needs through others, but also the supply of more to give away to further help those in need. Also, God gets praise and thanks when people’s needs are met through our generosity. Those who hear about this mutual Christian giving also praise and thank God. Fellow Christians who have received our generosity will also pray for us, because of God’s grace administered through us to them. The prosperity preachers take a few of the verses in these two chapters out of context and present them as teaching that God will give riches in return for giving money to them. This is Scripture twisting at its worst. It is also blasphemous because it makes promises in God’s name which he has not made.
What Paul teaches here is in accord with what the rest of Scripture teaches about money and wealth. It arose from a specific instance of collecting money for the relief of poor Christians. It has nothing to do with giving to any ministry or minister.
Concluding Thoughts
We have seen in our brief survey that the so-called “prosperity gospel” is not taught in the Bible, nor was it advocated by the church fathers. There have been and still are among Christians a variety of approaches to money and wealth. The Roman Catholic Church rose to power in Europe in the Medieval period and acquired great wealth. During the Reformation, Rome was selling indulgences in order to build what would become St. Peter’s Basilica.
St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, photo from Wikipedia
But at the same time the Roman church was becoming wealthy, many people chose monasticism, giving up private property and money for the spiritual life. Some even forbade touching money. Some Christians past and present have advocated giving away as much money as possible while maintaining a minimalist lifestyle. John Wesley was one who famously taught and practiced that approach to money. There have been and still are today attempts at Christian communal living, in which all members of the community share everything in common. Most of these experiments have failed, but a few are still succeeding. Tithing (giving 10% of one’s income) along with moderate living seems to be the primary teaching about money in the churches of America today. There has often been a nervousness about wealth in the American church, possibly because of the Puritan influence of our religious predecessors, and the fear that money can easily become an idol (“The love of money is the root of all evil”). The prosperity gospel is a relatively recent phenomenon, although there have been charlatans throughout church history, including during the time of the New Testament. Paul warned about those who taught for shameful gain, and he was careful not to give the impression that he was preaching the gospel for money.
“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.”
“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of a brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those on the outside. Remove the evil person from among you.”
In our survey of the church fathers, we saw that their primary teaching about money was that Christians owed their wealth to the poor among them. In fact, not to give to the poor was thought to be robbing them of what was rightfully theirs. Hospitality and charity seem to have been the major emphases of the church fathers with respect to the use of wealth and property. Our survey of the Old Testament revealed that there were wealthy people among the patriarchs. Abraham, Joseph, Job, and Solomon were all rich in various ways. It seems that God had blessed them with their wealth. But God was interested more in their devotion and faithfulness than in their wealth, and as we learned from Job, wealth can be easily lost, and one can be left only with life and God. God gave Solomon his wealth because the King asked for wisdom, but Solomon abused his wealth and became an idol worshiper through his 700 foreign wives.
God’s blessings can go awry if one does not remain faithful to Him.
In our survey of Proverbs, we learned that God wills that we give to the poor. God will always bless the one who does so. Giving money to the rich and failing to give to the poor are both condemned. There is no promise in the Old Testament that God will give prosperity based upon the amount of money one gives away. God’s blessings are given to those who bless the poor. The New Testament does not condemn having money, but warns about its dangers.
Jesus taught that money can become an idol which can keep us from the kingdom of God. He also taught that we should not accumulate wealth on earth, but rather store up “heavenly treasure.” The New Testament also emphasizes giving to the poor. The deacons in Acts 6 were appointed to oversee charitable food distribution in the church.
The Epistles refer to taking care of widows. Paul’s teaching about giving in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 is in the context of his collection for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. On the other hand, even Jesus could not live without money. Judas was the keeper of the money bag, we are told, and wealthy women supported Jesus. Paul often earned his own living rather than claiming the right to live off the donations of those to whom he ministered. So money is a necessity, but one which must be handled carefully. God’s desire for giving is that no one in the Christian community should go without the necessities of life. When one has more than enough, he gives to those who don’t have enough, and later the direction of giving may be reversed. Paul wrote that the goal is “equality.” There should be no favoritism in the church toward the wealthy and no looking down on the poor.
“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ while you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there,’ or, ‘Sit down at my feet,’ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”
The prosperity gospel violates the Bible’s basic teaching about supporting and helping one another with the wealth that exists among us. The prosperity preachers make false promises and give false hope that if everyone gives money to them, God will make the givers rich.
The only people getting rich in this scheme are the preachers.
They are in the same position as the rich ruler and the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. They are like the rich man in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, and their fates will be the same as his if they do not repent and give their wealth to the poor.
Here’s a related article: “A Biblical Guide to the Prosperity Gospel”
This post was written by the Messed Up Church “Bible Scholar in Residence,“ Daryl Rahfeldt, M.A., Ph.D. (Editing by Kozar)
Steven Kozar started The Messed Up Church; he is an artist (StevenKozar.com is his art website), musician, blogger, and stuff. He makes videos, too, on The Messed Up Church YouTube channel.