This excerpt is from Chapter 4, The Role of
Financial Wealth in Your Life. It
is has been divided into Parts I and II.
For Richer or Poorer… (Part I)
Does God want us to be rich? Is poverty a blessing or a curse? These are two
questions that can start a very impassioned debate among Christians. Your
answer to these questions will say a lot about you and your relationship with
God.
There are some people that truly believe that God wants us to be rich. There are
several verses that they quote out of the Bible to support their view, but one of
the more popular ones is 3 John 1:2, which reads as follows:
is has been divided into Parts I and II.
For Richer or Poorer… (Part I)
Does God want us to be rich? Is poverty a blessing or a curse? These are two
questions that can start a very impassioned debate among Christians. Your
answer to these questions will say a lot about you and your relationship with
God.
There are some people that truly believe that God wants us to be rich. There are
several verses that they quote out of the Bible to support their view, but one of
the more popular ones is 3 John 1:2, which reads as follows:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth.
The problem with using this verse as proof that God
wants us to be rich is that it
assumes that the word “prosper” means to gain financial wealth. As shown in
Chapter 3, the word “prosper” is derived from the Hebrew word “tsalach,” which
means to advance, make progress, succeed, or be profitable. However, a bigger
problem arises when you combine that verse with the one that precedes it. Here
is 3 John 1:1–2:
assumes that the word “prosper” means to gain financial wealth. As shown in
Chapter 3, the word “prosper” is derived from the Hebrew word “tsalach,” which
means to advance, make progress, succeed, or be profitable. However, a bigger
problem arises when you combine that verse with the one that precedes it. Here
is 3 John 1:1–2:
1
The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love
in the truth.
2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth.
The real problem with using 3 John 1:2 as proof
that God wants us to be rich is
that the voice of both verses is that of the Apostle John. In fact, the entire epistle
is a letter from John to his dear friend Gaius, who was a colleague in the ministry.
There is nothing in this entire letter that should be interpreted as God revealing
through the Apostle John that, above all things, He wants us to be rich.
Another popular verse that some people like to point to as proof that God wants
us to be rich is Deuteronomy 8:18:
that the voice of both verses is that of the Apostle John. In fact, the entire epistle
is a letter from John to his dear friend Gaius, who was a colleague in the ministry.
There is nothing in this entire letter that should be interpreted as God revealing
through the Apostle John that, above all things, He wants us to be rich.
Another popular verse that some people like to point to as proof that God wants
us to be rich is Deuteronomy 8:18:
But
thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for
it is he
that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may
establish his covenant which he sware unto thy
fathers, as
it is this
day.
On the surface, it would appear that since God
gives us the power to get wealth,
He surely must want us to be rich. However, to truly understand this verse, you
must understand the context in which it was written.
Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy for the Israelites. In the beginning of the
8th chapter, Moses told them to observe the commandments that he had given
them, and be fruitful and multiply as they went into the Promised Land. Then,
Moses used several verses to remind them of the many things that God had
done for them, and urged them to never forget.
But Moses understood human nature, so he issued these warnings in
Deuteronomy 8:17–20:
He surely must want us to be rich. However, to truly understand this verse, you
must understand the context in which it was written.
Moses wrote the Book of Deuteronomy for the Israelites. In the beginning of the
8th chapter, Moses told them to observe the commandments that he had given
them, and be fruitful and multiply as they went into the Promised Land. Then,
Moses used several verses to remind them of the many things that God had
done for them, and urged them to never forget.
But Moses understood human nature, so he issued these warnings in
Deuteronomy 8:17–20:
17 And
thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of
mine hand hathgotten
me this wealth.18
But
thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he
that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may
establish his covenant which he sware unto thy
fathers, as it is this day.
19 And
it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy
God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and
worship them testify against you this day that ye
shall surely perish.
20 As
the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your
face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be
obedient unto the voice of the LORD your
God.
The real message of the 18th verse in this chapter,
just as it was with the
Israelites, is that we should recognize that God gives us the power to get wealth
so that He can establish His promise (covenant). His promise to the Israelites
was that they would be justified (saved) by strict adherence to His laws and
ordinances, which were written on the stone tablets and further expressed
through Mosaic Law. What is God’s promise to us today? Because Jesus died
on the cross, our works, or adherence to the Law can no longer save us. We are
now saved by the grace and mercy of God. A covenant still exists, but instead of
it being written on stone tablets, it must now be written on our hearts (Hebrews
8:10). Wealth obtained and not used to establish the new covenant in your own
heart, as well as the rest of God’s children, will lead to your destruction.
If you think about it, it is really silly to think that God wants us to be rich in purely
financial terms. There are just too many Scriptures where God warns us of the
corrosive nature of financial wealth. In Chapter 1, we discussed the verse where
Jesus said it would be hard for a rich man to get into heaven (Matthew
19:23–24). He didn’t say it was impossible, He just said it would be hard. Wealth
can’t save you, but God can because all things are possible with Him (Matthew
19:26).
People who think that God wants them to be rich usually buy into this line of
thinking because they want to believe that their possession of financial wealth is
a validation of God’s favor toward them. They believe that if you’re rich, you
must be living right because God wouldn’t give you “the power to get wealth” if
you weren’t. This is nothing more than one of Satan’s old, tired, tricks to lead you
down the wrong path.
If God wants us to be rich, just how rich does He want us to be? Is $1 million the
minimum? Maybe it’s $5 million. The real truth concerning financial wealth is that
it is a relative term that God cares nothing about. What you do with that wealth is
what really matters to Him. Are you using it to further His ministry? Or, are you
using it for your own selfish desires?
You see, the mere possession of financial wealth is not necessarily a sign of
favor from God because wealth is something that Satan can easily reproduce,
which can lead you astray. As I stated in Chapter 2, just because you get
something that you want, doesn’t mean that it came from God. Fortunately, the
only thing that Satan cannot reproduce is a heart filled with the Spirit of God.
When your heart is filled with the Spirit of God, you have a key that gives you
access to the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, you are truly rich!
Israelites, is that we should recognize that God gives us the power to get wealth
so that He can establish His promise (covenant). His promise to the Israelites
was that they would be justified (saved) by strict adherence to His laws and
ordinances, which were written on the stone tablets and further expressed
through Mosaic Law. What is God’s promise to us today? Because Jesus died
on the cross, our works, or adherence to the Law can no longer save us. We are
now saved by the grace and mercy of God. A covenant still exists, but instead of
it being written on stone tablets, it must now be written on our hearts (Hebrews
8:10). Wealth obtained and not used to establish the new covenant in your own
heart, as well as the rest of God’s children, will lead to your destruction.
If you think about it, it is really silly to think that God wants us to be rich in purely
financial terms. There are just too many Scriptures where God warns us of the
corrosive nature of financial wealth. In Chapter 1, we discussed the verse where
Jesus said it would be hard for a rich man to get into heaven (Matthew
19:23–24). He didn’t say it was impossible, He just said it would be hard. Wealth
can’t save you, but God can because all things are possible with Him (Matthew
19:26).
People who think that God wants them to be rich usually buy into this line of
thinking because they want to believe that their possession of financial wealth is
a validation of God’s favor toward them. They believe that if you’re rich, you
must be living right because God wouldn’t give you “the power to get wealth” if
you weren’t. This is nothing more than one of Satan’s old, tired, tricks to lead you
down the wrong path.
If God wants us to be rich, just how rich does He want us to be? Is $1 million the
minimum? Maybe it’s $5 million. The real truth concerning financial wealth is that
it is a relative term that God cares nothing about. What you do with that wealth is
what really matters to Him. Are you using it to further His ministry? Or, are you
using it for your own selfish desires?
You see, the mere possession of financial wealth is not necessarily a sign of
favor from God because wealth is something that Satan can easily reproduce,
which can lead you astray. As I stated in Chapter 2, just because you get
something that you want, doesn’t mean that it came from God. Fortunately, the
only thing that Satan cannot reproduce is a heart filled with the Spirit of God.
When your heart is filled with the Spirit of God, you have a key that gives you
access to the treasures of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, you are truly rich!