The Bible on Money: ‘Honor the Lord With Your Wealth’
June 17, 1999 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Scholars who have scoured the Bible searching for passages that deal with fund raising, personal money management,
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and other such topics estimate that 2,350 such verses are contained in the New and Old Testaments.
Many Catholic and Protestant churches are including those passages in courses and textbooks designed to teach the clergy and congregation members about financial matters.
Organizations like the Christian Stewardship Association, in Milwaukee, also use the passages to show how the Bible relates to modern fund-raising techniques. For instance, they say the concept of getting a wealthy donor to make a big gift to kick off a capital campaign appears in the story of King David, who gave a large portion of his personal fortune to build a temple. In so doing, he inspired other less wealthy people to give precious stones and other valuables to the effort.
Following are a sampling of verses, from the New International Version of the Bible, that are said to concern personal financial management and giving.
On Savings:
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money, in keeping with his income, saving it up.
On Debt:
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.
On Preparing Finances Before Death:
This is what the Lord says, “Put your house in order, because you are going to die.”
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.
On Giving:
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be full to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
But just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us — see also that you excel in this grace of giving.
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
