Is possessing great wealth sinful, or is it a blessing from God?
Deuteronomy 28:8, 11“The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. . . . The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops.”
Job 1:1-5There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and he employed many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area. Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
Although we are not promised material wealth, God does desire to bless his people with abundance. Material wealth can be a blessing as long as it results in good for us and for others. But if it becomes our god, it quickly ceases to be a blessing and instead becomes a curse.
Psalm 49:6-9They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave.
Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Luke 19:8Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
Material wealth can do much good, but it cannot redeem the soul. Along with wisdom and strength, wealth can become a source of pride and boasting, of taking glory that belongs to God alone. None of these dangerous “blessings” compares in value to knowing God and experiencing his forgiveness and delight.
Luke 12:15-21He [Jesus] said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
A life dedicated to the accumulation of material goods is a life foolishly lived. Greed can destroy our relationship with God and with others.
Mark 10:17-22As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Mark 10:25“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
We must not allow our material possessions to take the place of God and stop us from living for him. Jesus loved the rich young ruler so much that he gently confronted his idolatry and called him to follow him. The rich man chose to walk away from Jesus. As hard as it is to give up our idols, it is always possible with God’s help. No matter what barriers separate us from God, they can always be overcome with God’s help.
Acts 2:42-47All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
As believers we must see possessions as something to be shared in God’s service. If our possessions are not available to God, then we aren’t either.
1 John 3:17If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
We demonstrate our love for God when we notice the needs of others and give of our possessions to meet those needs.
