Money has relative value and we use it to buy, sell, borrow, give, etc. In our society it is a means and unfortunately to some, it is an end as well.  The purpose of money as described in the Bible is merely a tool that man has possession of, but ultimately belongs to God. And we are accountable to God for our use of this tool called money.

 

“Money is a means for exchange of goods and services.  It functions as the reflex of economic intercourse, measuring relative worth and facilitating the transactions of commodities.”  

 

What is the Bible’s attitude about money?

Jesus spoke about money many times, he taught us truth in how we should view money and posessions.   Here are a few quotations:

 

Jesus speaking to the rich, hypocritical religious leaders:
“No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money” (Luke 16:13)

 

Jesus challenging a rich man:
“Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.’”  (Mark 10:21)

 

Jesus talking about taxes:
“…Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’” (Matthew 22:21)

 

Jesus talking about financial increase:

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)

 

The New Testament Church practiced wise financial management:

In the early church “All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions as his own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32 & 6:1-6).  Here we see an example of people pooling together all they had to live in a commune-like society.  But this is not the only picture of faith and money.   In other places in Acts we see that some of the believers were women of prominent status such as Lydia, one the first believers in Philippi (Acts 14:14) and the prominent new female believers of Thessalonica (Acts 17:4) and Berea (Acts 17:12).  

 

Paul encouraged those in the church to put into action their trust, reliance, and expectations: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap genersously...You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:6, 11)

 

Realistically, there were believers from all classes of people in the Bible. And all of them used their resources as tools for the benefit of the Kingdom of God!  

 

The Bigger Issue is Management

In the rest of the Bible we see the bigger issue being management which is “the responsibility to manage all the resources of life for the glory of God, acknowledging God as provider.”   He is the provider and sustainer of all that we have.  We treat our resources as if they are His.  The apostle Paul echoes this.  He teaches the church of Corinth, to count possessions as if they are not theirs to keep and they should not be engrossed in them. (1 Corinthians 7:30-31). However a proper understanding of management goes beyond money and possessions. 

 

God has entrusted us with a responsibility towards the land, property, time, real estate, influence, talents, money, etc.  (Matthew 25:14-30) Our decisions regarding how we are to use the resources entrusted to us should be subjected to the authority of Jesus and God’s will as described in the Bible.  God expects that we give back to him in expression of thankfulness and reverence, but he also demands that we use what he has given to us to honor Him.  For example tithes and offerings are an expression of thankfulness to God as well as an expectation that God has and will provide for us daily and in increasing measure! (Malachi 3:10)

 

Conclusion:
We ought to be good decision makers of what we have been given.  In every decision, we should honor God. (1 Cor, 10:31).  This includes money and all of our posessions. The purposes then of money is to be used as a tool in the Kingdom of God to express our trust in God and to help His Kingdom advance in this world!

 

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