We help you give and we strengthen the causes you give to

Generosity is our cause

Submenu title

Back

bible and money

Can you be a rich Christian?

What the Bible says about being a follower of Jesus and having lots of money

david flowers David Flowers
4 min

What the Bible says about being a rich Christian

So this rich and popular guy comes up to Jesus and asks, “How can I be blessed?” Some thought him blessed already, because he was rich, and popular. He may even have been popular because he was rich. Jesus replies “worship God and be good.” They both know there’s a follow-up coming. 

“I do all that” says the rich and popular guy, and he probably did do it all. Lots of rich people worship God and tell the truth, look after their parents, are faithful to their spouses, recycle diligently and wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone. But Jesus looks through the rich and popular façade and sees the fear and the insecurity that lie behind. “Give it all away” he says.

Another rich (and no doubt popular) guy was having an employment appraisal with his boss (in a story Jesus told). He’d made his boss a lot of money, doubled his investment in fact. “Well done” says the boss, “here’s some more. I know you’ve got lots but I know I can trust you with more.”

It looks like one rich guy gets told to give it away and the other gets given more. Whatever we learn from these biblical stories it has to include the truism that “the amount is not important”. We can point to any number of characters in the Bible whose faith we can respect, from whom we can learn; some who are rich (Job, Abraham, King David, Matthew, Joanna, Lydia) and others who are poor (Job, Elijah, Amos, Paul, John).

plus signs

I know a rich Christian who is content.

I know a poor Christian who is content.

I know a rich Christian who is miserable.

I know poor Christian who is miserable.

I know that God loves them all and welcomes worship and love from each one. I know that his Son Jesus became poor so that they may all become rich. I'm pretty sure that the amount of money that they have is irrelevant. 

Should we aim to be poor?

If the amount is not important, and it's not about whether they are a rich Christian, maybe the question needs reframing. Rather than asking is it okay to be a rich Christian, maybe we should ask, “Should being a Christian lead you inevitably down a road to poverty?”

It’s hard to find an example of someone whose faith has, in and of itself, led someone into poverty. Some of those who followed Jesus laid down their jobs and businesses in order to become fishers of men. But others stayed wealthy (particularly the women in Jesus’ entourage who may well have funded the team). There are plenty of calls to give up everything, to sacrifice, to take up the cross; equally there are many promises of blessing and fruitfulness.

I'm often struck by Paul’s instruction to Timothy, “command those who are rich in this world to be generous…” (1 Timothy 6:17). He doesn’t say, “command those who are rich to get poor”. The inference from Paul’s words is that the “rich in this world” will continue to be rich and should continue to be generous.

money bags

Maybe our question should be re-phrased. 

Does being a Christian change your attitude to money or wealth?

I think this was what Jesus was getting at when he looked in the rich and popular guy’s eyes. I don’t think Jesus was bothered about the amount of money; he was concerned about a heart in fearful lockdown. 

To press the point home Jesus told another parable about a rich farmer who hoarded grain in a fruitless attempt to suppress his fear and control his future. That very night he transitioned to a different life where the abandoned barns were of no help whatsoever.

Money brings many challenges to our faith. For the poor, the faith challenge is sometimes envy of the rich. For the rich, the faith challenge is sometimes a lack of trust. It’s not that rich Christians should inevitably pursue poverty but that becoming a Christian pulls radically on those cords that tie money to our souls. Faith teaches us to worship the Great Provider first and foremost and gradually we learn contentment and trust and that the amount is not important.

More on money, the Bible and generosity

We have an array of blogs that focus on biblical stewardship and charitable giving, as well as a range of resources to help you think more clearly about money, the Bible and generosity.

You can also sign up to Generous, Stewardship’s monthly newsletter for more news, updates and content on generosity and giving.

 

Profile image of David Flowers
Written by

David Flowers

David Flowers is co-Senior Pastor of the Leeds Vineyard church and a director of Flowers McEwan Ltd, a financial planning firm in Leeds.