Should Christians be rich, or should we avoid material wealth and seek to live humble, minimalistic lives? To answer this question, we can go to the book of James, where the writer is addressing rich people who are not Christians.
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.
James is saying all your wealth will one day waste away, and testify against you on the day of judgment. No matter how much you have on earth, it can’t protect you from the righteous judgment of God if you obtained that wealth or used it sinfully.
Let’s dig into the two questions we should ask when evaluating whether being rich is a sin or not:
How did you get your wealth?
One of the sins of these rich people is hoarding. This is different from saving responsibly. Hoarding is about taking as much as you can to keep for yourself.
Another one of their sins was cheating people out of their wages.
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
Instead of being generous to the poor, the rich were cheating the poor out of their wages. In Jesus’ day, 80% of the society was below the poverty level. They were either day laborers, or people unable to work for various reasons.
That’s why the law of Moses included various provisions to protect the poor. Here are some:
You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and counting on it.
When someone does something for you, pay them for it immediately!
At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.
God did this so that there wouldn’t be a society where the rich kept getting richer, while the poor kept getting poorer. Every seven years there was somewhat of a debt reset.
God also set up laws to protect orphans and widows.
Another law to protect the poor was the law against interest on loans:
If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would.
God told people not to take advantage of someone in need by charging them interest when they’re already in need.
God told the rich to make sure excess food was left in the field when the crop was harvested, so the poor could pick it up and have something to eat.
When you harvest the crops of your land, do not pick up what the harvesters drop...leave them for the poor.
Finally, every 50 years was the Year of Jubilee. In this year, God restored their ancestral lands to people who may have had to sell them for some reason in the past; again, preventing the rich from always getting richer while the poor always got poorer.
How do you use your wealth?
Should Christians be rich? When considering this question, it’s important to look at what someone does with the money God gives them.
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
In that day, the rich were using their money to bribe the judicial system to punish the innocent poor while letting the guilty rich get away with corruption.
So what does the Bible say about how we should use our money?
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
If you’re rich, don’t flaunt it. Don’t think that your money means you don’t need God. But at the same time, don’t feel guilty if you have money, which God gives for our enjoyment. In that enjoyment, however, make sure you’re always willing to share and give away with others. Because the blessings that really matter are the ones we store up in heaven, not the ones we have on this earth that will pass away.
It’s not God’s will for every Christian to be rich, but that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with being rich. It’s all about how you get it, how you relate to God with it, and how you use it.