Does God Want You To Be Rich?

by ANDREWS, P. | Category: N/a | Feb 2009

More and more Christians think so. 'Prosperity Theology' teaches that God wants His followers to be healthy, successful and (particularly) wealthy. Extreme forms use an investment analogy and promise that for every pound or dollar we give, God will give us a fixed return. Its teachers point to verses like Proverbs 10:22 - 'the blessing of the LORD makes rich' - and the riches God gave to Abraham (Gen. 24:35) and Job (42:10-15). But their 'signature' verse is John 10:10 : 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.' They argue that God wants us to have 'good stuff' here and now. So a Christian lifestyle leads to material rewards in this life.

As the world plummets into recession, this thinking is attractive. But is it accurate? Most Christians argue not. You can research all the objections yourself. But let's summarise a few here.

What did Jesus teach about riches?

He spoke about money a lot, but largely to warn us about it. The Gospels are full of cautions about the deceitfulness of riches (Mat. 13:22). Jesus stressed that Christians who focus on accumulating (necessarily temporary) things take their 'eye off the ball' and cease to rely on God (Mat. 6:19-21). Our life is not to be dominated by what we own (Luke 12:15).

Jesus met 'faithful' rich and 'faithful' poor, but far more of the latter than the former. People who had little found it easier to identify with Him, because He was in the same position (Luke 9:58). People with plenty of 'stuff' found that a barrier to understanding Him properly (Luke 18:23). This is borne out by history. There have been faithful, wealthy Christians over the years. But so often, the best examples to us are those who had little to weigh them down.

What were the early Christians taught about money?

They treated it with great caution. They recognised that providing for family through honest work is a good thing (1 Tim. 5:8); but even then, the emphasis was on getting to give, not getting to keep (Eph. 4:28).

The early Christians did not persevere in their faith hoping to accumulate wealth. Quite the opposite. For them, materially, life became much worse. They knowingly faced persecution, imprisonment and death. They knew we are exiles here and the reward is elsewhere.

1 Timothy 6:5-10 is a key passage. Please read it. It is very clear. We are specifically warned against 'depraved' teachers who treat Christianity as a means to material gain. Paul stresses the painful consequences for those who desire to be rich and fall in love with money. We can see those today. Greed is an awful, ugly thing. Some ways of making money are exploitative and wrong (Prov. 22:16). The more we have, the more we want and the more tempted we are to cut corners. The real prize, the real contentment, comes through reliance on God and being happy with the basics.

A distinction without a difference?

While Jesus was on earth, He was the light of the world (John 9:5). But astonishingly, for the moment, He has entrusted that job to us (Mat. 5:14). We have to be different. Many argue that 'Prosperity' teaching is dangerously similar to any number of secular self-help books. Time magazine noted that in some 'Prosperity' teaching, Jesus' death, burial and resurrection is somewhat sidelined. If our description of Jesus' message is contaminated by materialism, we fail to deliver the distinctive message of the Gospel just at the time when the world needs it most.

Where does this leave us?

It's dangerous to believe that God wants us to be rich. It just does not sit easily with Jesus' life and teachings. We're specifically warned against falling in love with money, and 'depraved' teachers who encourage us to do so. Jesus asked us to keep His commandments out of love, not so we will be rewarded with more and more things. The world worships money. Just as money is letting them down, we need to show the clear alternative: godly contentment. That is abundant life in the true sense.

Bible quotes from ESV

ANDREWS, P. | Feb 2009
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