By Brother Michel Lankford
Todays Question:
Why do people think that making money is a good thing to do? It doesn’t set any good examples for the good of humanity, especially since the Bible says that it is a sin to make money.
Money is Neutral. Money is not good. Money is not evil. Money is a tool. It is HOW one USES the TOOL that determines good or evil.
Beloved, with all due respect, you are mistaken. Please give the verse of Scripture that says that making money is evil, or sin. It’s not. That idea is NOT in Scripture. Making money is NOT a sin. LOVING money more than God, or LOVING money more than you love people, THAT is a sin, (i.e. 1 Timothy 6:10), but NOWHERE in Scripture does it say that making money is a sin.
- Scripture upholds the right of individuals to own and possess their own property, (e.g. Luke 12:13-14; among others). It’s actually more of a sin to want and to crave other people’s possessions. That’s called coveting. That is a sin, (see Exodus 20:17). Coveting is equal to the sin of idolatry, or worshiping false gods, (Colossians 3:5).
Money is a TOOL. It’s just like a hammer or screwdriver. The tool itself is neither evil nor good. It’s a tool. It’s neutral. What makes something good or evil is HOW one USES a tool. If I use my tools to build houses or to build furniture and make money to support my family, that’s good. That’s legitimate. That is perfectly honorable. However, if I use that same tool to hit people over the head with my hammer, or to stab them with my screwdriver, so that I can dominate them, or steal their possessions, then that’s bad. I have misused and abused my tools to commit evil deeds. The money, the screwdriver, and the hammer were not bad in and of themselves. Possessing them was not bad. What is good or what is evil is decided solely based on what I do or do not do with the tools that God allows me to have. That’s what makes all the difference.
- In fact, God’s intention is to use money to teach us godly principles. If we are not faithful with earthly things like money, we will not be faithful with godly principles either, (e.g. Luke 16:1-13). Money is a tool that is supposed to serve us, we are not to become servants of money. That is a key principle. We should not mix that up.
- We are told to put God first with our money and possessions, and not to let our possessions dominate us, but we can still have them, (e.g. Proverbs 3:1-10; Malachi 3:8-12).
- Scripture teaches us that we should plan well when it comes to matters of money. It is foolish not to plan things well, (e.g. Luke 14:28-30).
- Scripture commands us to be diligent in paying people who work for us, and not to withhold wages when they are due, (e.g. Leviticus 19:13)
- We are instructed to keep money in its proper perspective. Money is valuable. Money is a valuable and worthwhile tool, but it is not more valuable than your character or your reputation, (e.g. Proverbs 22:1).
- We are commanded to be honest in how we use our wealth and conduct our business transactions, (e.g. Deuteronomy 25:13-15).
- We should learn to invest our money and possessions and to increase them. Scripture teaches that this is a good thing, NOT a bad thing. In fact, not working hard and not increasing what God has provided you is considered to be wicked, unfaithful and lazy, even Messiah taught this (e.g. Matthew 25:14-30). Again, money is a physical tool that is intended to teach us HOW to apply Godly and Kingdom Principles; but you can see in this example that the guy who did not increase the wealth he was given was actually punished, and severely punished. If increasing money was automatically all bad, then Jesus would not have taught this as He did.
- Prosperity CAN be a blessing, if you follow God’s decrees, (e.g. Deuteronomy 28:12; in contrast to Proverbs 22:7).
- The Bible actually teaches that it is a sign of goodness to have enough resources to leave an inheritance to your children. That is one sign that you have done well with your life, (e.g. Proverbs 13:22).
- You are supposed to provide enough wealth to properly take care of your family, and if you don’t, that is a sign that you are wicked, and not righteous, (e.g. 1 Timothy 5:8).
- The Bible teaches that those who work are supposed to benefit from their wages. It’s not supposed to be taken away from them, (e.g. 1 Timothy 5:17-18).
Try to Avoid Making EXTREME Generalities
(Especially when they are Counter-Scriptural)
God has given dozens more instructions throughout His Scriptures, just like these. The point is that money is just a tool. Working for money is not bad. Having money is not bad. Taking care of family with money is not bad. Having an inheritance to leave to the next generation with your money is not bad. The Bible says we are to do all those things. Money is a tool. The tool is neutral. If you use the tool according to God’s directions, that’s good. If you use the tool to abuse others, or you violate God’s Instructions with regard to how you obtain and use the tool, that’s bad.
I also want to respectfully caution you that you need to be careful about making blanket statements such as, “Money is bad,” or anything such as that. We need to make our decisions based on what the WHOLE Bible has to say about something, not just based on ideas and philosophies that we personally prefer. If we take the WHOLE Bible and the WHOLE counsel of God on every issue, we are much less likely to make unnecessary mistakes. Please consider this carefully. Thank you for your kind attention.
Brother Michel Lankford