Is it a sin to be rich? This is a tough question if you’re a Christian. Our faith tells us that God is to be our first love, that He provides for our needs and we’re to trust Him in all that we do. The world tells us that we need to strive to be the best that we can be in all that we do, and that includes finances.
When it comes to money, the world tells us that more is better—the more money we have the better protected we’ll be, the more opportunities we’ll have and even that the more we have the more we’ll have to share with others.
Truth be told, it’s hard to argue against the worldly compulsion to have money, and plenty of it. In fact the entire financial realm is based on the idea that money is something to be nurtured and grown. Look at all the articles and advertisements for retirement planning; they promise us millions of dollars for a secure retirement. I know all about the inflation thing, but from where I sit, having millions of dollars sitting in a retirement account looks a lot like being rich.
The pursuit of financial security itself seems more like a money chase than anything else.
So here are the relevant questions: if we need a certain amount of money to achieve some level of security in life, how much money will be enough? Is it possible to carry the pursuit of financial security too far? Can the pursuit of “financial security” turn into—or mask—the quest for riches? And finally, is it a sin to be rich?
Is It a Sin to be Rich? Biblical Positions Against Riches
Most of us can easily cite passages that warn against wealth and its potential for sin. Proverbs deals a good bit on wealth and has a lot to say on the subject, both good and bad. Among the bad ones,
Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.—Proverbs 11:4
He who trusts in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall blossom like a branch.—Proverbs 11:28
From Jesus we have one of the most famous Biblical rebukes of wealth in Matthew 19:24:
”…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Perhaps scripture contains so many verses warning against riches precisely because we’ll be drawn to it—our sin nature virtually guarantees it.
Biblical Positions Favoring Riches
Less well known however is the fact that there are times where the Bible portrays wealth as a virtue, such as in Proverbs 10:15:
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the ruin of the poor is their poverty.
I could be interpreting this verse incorrectly, but it seems as if Solomon is according wealth to be the rich man’s reward—the very insulation we see money to be today.
Another example from Proverbs 19:4:
Wealth makes many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor.
Once again, Solomon seems to pointing out a benefit of wealth, that is “makes many friends”. This too appears like a reward for being rich.
Finally, in Matthew 27:57-60 we have the story of Joseph of Arimethea:
”As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”
Like many figures in the Bible, we know very little about Joseph of Arimethea—in fact, we know nothing about him other than that he was “a rich man” and he was from Arimethea. Yet this rich man did something that will exalt him forever—he provided for Jesus’ burial at a time when even his closest disciples had abandoned him for fear of their own lives.
Clearly not all rich people are outside of God’s love and there’s a message in there us all.
The Christian Conflict On Riches
There’s a notion in some quarters of the faith that we’re to swear off earthly riches and maybe even to live a life comparable to monks in monasteries. There is merit to this: if we aren’t participating in the pursuit of earthly riches we won’t be corrupted by them. But for the majority of us who feel that we need to be out in the mainstream of life to be the “salt and light” that Jesus called us to be, money IS a factor.
We do need a certain amount of money just to function in the world, and beyond that there is also the question of providing for our loved ones. Since the vast majority of us no longer grow our own food and barter hardly exists, we must earn money in order to survive in the world. But beyond basic necessities, we also need to educate our children, provide for our old age so we don’t become a burden to others, and to leave sufficient assets to our loved ones that they’ll have a fighting chance when we’re no longer around to take care of them.
Just exactly how much each of us needs depends on our individual circumstances, but there is a need for a certain amount of money—of riches—in order to accomplish those goals. To that extent, riches aren’t necessarily bad; they’re how we handle our responsibilities.
This Is A Complicated Subject—What Are Your Thoughts?
I don’t think there’s a right answer to the question, is it a sin to be rich. But the question is hardly irrelevant. There’s a line we can cross that can turn being rich into a sin, yet there is a certain level of wealth that we need just to get by in the world.
What do you think?
Is being rich a sin? Or is it only when we cross a line?
If so, where is that line? Is it being rich, or is it something about the pursuit of being rich?
Or is there a better question that I haven’t asked?
photo by pasotraspaso
Have You Committed Financial Infidelity?
I think that this is a good topic for us to continue to be challenged on. It is very easy for us to put the pursuit of wealth above the pursuit of God. Money is tangible and gives us a sense of security, while God can sometimes feel more distant.
At the end of the day, however, our money can do nothing to save us- our lives are completely in God’s hands. We will all one day have to give an account to God as to how we’ve managed our resources, and keeping this in mind can help us focus on that which is eternal.
Love the topic Kevin! Although this topic may seem unclear, the Bible’s definition of sin is not…”to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Personally, I can’t see richness as a sin in and of itself. Too many Biblical characters obtained vast amounts of wealth (Abraham, Job, David, Solomon) and were considered righteous before God.
True Brian, but then we have Jesus, Paul and many of the disciples who had no worldly wealth (“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”–Matt. 8:20), and Jesus confronting the rich young man (Mark 10:17-31).
There’s a balance there somewhere, but I think that too often the topic doesn’t generate the tension that it maybe should. Even within the faith, we often default to cultural norms on various issues. The notion that wealth is good, and more wealth is even better comes straight from the culture.
My own thought is that there’s nothing wrong with wealth and high income, but what we do with it is what makes all the difference. For example, using wealth to help others and to promote the Gospel are converting a blessing into another blessing. But using it to live a life of opulence…may not be the best witness either to nonbelievers or to other believers.
I think that as with anything it can go both ways and it depends on how you as a person approach it. For example, if you are gluttonous in your consumption and do not help others with your fortune/luck, you are sinful. However if you are modest in what you own and give back with both your money and your time then you can be an upstanding member of the community. It is up to you to decide which road to walk.
That’s one of the best positions I’ve heard or read on the topic. It’s not riches themself, but our attitudes toward- and use of-riches.
I agree with you 100% LMM! It’s all about what’s inside and what you do with the riches.
Isn’t the Church SUPER rich though? What are your thoughts?
Haha – great point 🙂
Well, in context, every person in America who has a warm place to sleep and food to eat is Rich. The “poor” in Bible times were much more third-wrold type poor than “American poor”. But Jesus does state that it’s “the LOVE of money that is the root of all kinds of evils.”
I don’t think an object can be evil, it’s what we do with it. If we’re being greedy, scamming someone, lying to get more money or using money for bad things, then yes, it is a sin to pursue riches in such a fashion. But as you said, guys like Solomon glorified God with their money, and that wasn’t a sin.
I think the question really comes down to, Are you worshipping your money or worshipping WITH your money?
Good post!
Hi Jacob, worshipping money really is the issue. But the problem with that is that we don’t always see that we’re doing it. For example, building an already large retirement plan into one that’s even bigger–are we really doing that because we’re preparing for retirement, or because we’re trying to create an earthly source of security (keeping in mind that utlimately, God is our security)? That can can become a form of worship. There’s a line we can easily cross, but identifiying that line is the hard part.
I don’t think being rich in itself is a sin, but if you’re fortunate enough that God blessed you abundantly financially, and desire even more wealth, then perhaps that could be construed as sin. I think the bottom line is where your heart is. If it’s greed, then it’s definitely a sin.
Hi Charles, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s not being rich that’s a sin, it’s worshipping being rich by wanting more, by defining yourself by it and by thinking that it’s more than it really is. If you have it and use it to bless others than it’s a total blessing.
Great discussion…I like how you leave it inconclusive. It’s always too easy to have one solution to these types of questions. I think it’s too simplistic to say that it’s a sin to be rich. In fact, I would suggest the focus on sin isn’t that important. Instead, we should focus on what we should do and not worry about if we have a perfect record. My question would be what type of commitment should the rich have to serve others and how can we make the world a better place.
That’s so true, that it may be inconclusive. I think God set up the Bible that way so that we’d always examine the questions. The problems come when we’re sure we know the answers. We don’t and we can’t and it isn’t even necessary. The important thing is that we approach everything with spirit of humility. When we do, we’re open to revelations from God.
I do think Charles has come really close though–it isn’t so much the state of being rich as much as our attitude toward it.