But money is evil, right?

Is money REALLY evil?

King Solomon was the richest man on earth, both from the perspective of material wealth as well as from the standpoint of wisdom. “I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” (2Chronicles 1:12). Yet, Solomon’s wealth did nothing for him in helping him to better love God. In fact, Solomon turned from God and worshiped other gods (1Kings 11:4-8), and even sought to murder a man whom God was going to bless (1Kings 11:40).

It is undeniable that money has the power to corrupt, and undermine our relationship with God, and that is why God says that the love of money (but not money itself) is evil. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (1Timothy 6:10).

Let me ask you this: Is there anything that comes from God that is not pure, holy, just, and righteous? God created the heavens and the earth, and all that we hold or view as valuable here on this earth. That includes money, gold, cattle, wheat, and anything else that grows or exists on this earth. When so many men whom are cited in the Bible as having great faith are also cited as having great wealth, why would man latch onto the gift of wealth and pervert it as being evil? Our ability to obtain wealth or money is a gift from God, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)

God has blessed people with abundance, throughout the course of the Bible. We’ve already mentioned Solomon. Joseph is another example, as he was sold into slavery by his brothers, yet prospered massively as second to only the King of Egypt in prosperity, power, and might. Genesis 24:35 says of Abraham, “And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and donkeys.” Regarding Isaac, “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26:12-14).

The Bible frequently puts blessing into terms we can understand, and by relating our spiritual blessings with material blessings or abundance. However, it is when we get caught up in the game of jealousy and greed, that God’s perfect plan is put asunder by the lowliness of man and our sin. God touches specifically upon greed when we are warned, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15). Further we are advised to be honest with our money and our dealings with money (Proverbs 11:1).

God knows our needs, He understands our needs. We are not to worry about what we will eat or drink, or be jealous that Godless men may have great wealth, as God knows all needs that we may have. (Matthew 6:31-32). As long as we look to Him and seek Him first, all things we need whether spiritual prosperity, emotional prosperity, or material prosperity, those things will be given to us from Him. (Matthew 6:33).

It is the love of money that is sinful, as well as the greed-filled desires that are in a man’s heart which are evil, not money in and of itself. Look at these passages and ask yourself if money is evil, or if it is the love of money that is evil:

For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy… (2Timothy 3:2).

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. (1Timothy 6:10).

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

See any themes there? 🙂 One of the best pieces of advice comes from Proverbs 23:4, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” And also Matthew 6:19-21 which says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

These two sets of verses teach us not to go crazy chasing riches, giving up our spiritual inheritance by putting money first, and to be generous with the wealth that God gives us. Wealth is not inherently evil, whereas greed is! If we have wealth or prosperity, we must be giving, we must be generous. We must not only give to God, we must also freely give to others.

If, as Christians, we obtain wealth or financial prosperity, and we wish to not only keep that prosperity and blessing but be pleasing to God, we should abide by what God asks of us related to that prosperity. Be generous! Further, we should be of good cheer when giving, and be giving with joy in our hearts, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2Corinthians 9:7). This is true whether it means being gracious to a friend or family member and blessing them with your abundance and prosperity, or by giving to God and tithing to your church or a ministry. Do it without reluctance, and do it with great cheer. 🙂

Though many Christians tithe the Old Testament figure of 10% in giving to God, the New Testament talks of our giving “in keeping with income”. (1Corinthians 16:2). The 10% tithe is not a hard and fast rule, and was nothing that Jesus specifically emphasized… instead, Jesus emphasized prayer. Of course prayer is our talking to God, and thus, relationship. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5).  If you struggle with what to give, the answer is simple… PRAY! If you lack that wisdom of what to give, just ask Him. A person making $500,000 per year is probably expected to be more giving than a person making $50,000 a year, but that is between you and God… if you don’t know, the answer is simple. Pray.

Whether the Old Testament or the New Testament, the message is the same… be generous when you reap prosperity. In the Old Testament, Solomon advised us over a thousand years ago, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing” (Proverbs 3:9-10), and Jesus Himself told us in the New Testament, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38). God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

In fact, there has been no greater giver or cheerful giver than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! He came to earth and gave his life, so that we could live with Him in eternity. Emulating His giving nature is the only way to honor Him, even if it pails in comparison to what He did for us on the cross.

So, is money evil? No! The love of money is evil, and what we do with our money determines whether we love our money or love Him. Though it is literally impossible to “out-give” God, the Bible makes it clear that the more we give to Him of ourselves, the more we get in return. The more we give to others, the more God will bless us. In the words of Peter, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms”. (1Peter 4:10). Whether it is a spiritual gift, financial windfall or prosperity, or even giving someone your listening ear and your time, the Word of God says we should give as if we are administering God’s grace in its varying forms.

So, here is to hoping that in some way, whether large or small, this writing found a way to bless you. We prayerfully hope that you will receive all the blessings that God desires for you! That includes God’s desire for you to be prosperous, so that your cup runneth over in abundance. 🙂 Enjoy your money, just be sure to enjoy and Honor Him more! Put God first, be generous, pray, and look to Him for wisdom.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and as always, may God bless you wildly in your business endeavors!