How Shall the Godly Respond to Passing on Affluence?
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full.
Proverbs 8:17-21
The biblical wisdom literature makes it abundantly plain, as does the rest of the entire Bible, that it is God alone who grants both wealth and blessing. There are numerous ways to get wealth but the way of godly gain is by seeking God, and the way of his righteousness, alone. And those who are given wealth by God will usually have an inheritance to give at the end of their lives. This is summed up quite well in these words: “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
I have been thinking a great about the theology of wealth over the past two or three years. I have also been immersed in a discussion of the subject, with about twenty Christian businessmen and women, for the past two days at the Kuyper Business Summit in San Diego, sponsored by the Center for Cultural Leadership. I have become convinced that the Church has little or no balanced understanding, in the pulpit or the pew, about this subject. We either feel that seeking wealth is inherently wrong, and then deal with the attendant guilt feelings that come with generating wealth, or we promote a “health and wealth” theology that stresses great wealth as the personal promise of God for every Christian who knows how to ask and receive by faith. Both are failed ideas theologically and thus badly distorted when applied to daily living.
Wealth is the blessing of God! He alone gives it. To some he grants the ability to gain wealth for his glory. This, in itself, means much more than merely attaining wealth so you can support your family and then give large sums to charity. (These are both good goals but not the whole picture!) Some are clearly called to make wealth as a divine calling. Indeed, I am convinced that many businessmen and women are so called by God to produce wealth but the Church has been of little or no help in creating the right context and support for this to actually happen in the right way. An alternative theology to these two extremes is to be found in the work of the Dutch Calvinist Abraham Kuyper, thus the name of the very event I am attending. Serious readers should explore Kuyper’s thought on this matter. John Schneider’s outstanding book, The Good of Affluence (Eerdmans), should also be a must read for serious consideration of this important subject. (Schneider is a professor at Calvin and presents, by far and away, the best short volume on this subject in our time.)
Comments
#1 2007-10-29 11:22 (Reply)
It should be said that in the scriptures quoted, it is not wealth that is pursued, it is wisdom. Wealth is second to wisdom both in benefit and desirability.
Wealth is an offshoot of wisdom. I would say that the Bible is clear that when you pursue wealth itself, you are not wise.
Also, the wicked too have wealth. Your own wealth is no measure that God particularly likes you.
I do believe that there is nothing morally wrong with leaving an inheritance to your children’s children. You can do this to make sure they can pay for college, buy a home, and send their kids to Christian school. But if they buy a Ferrari, your inheritance would have been better given to the CRWRC.
Taxes are good, by the way.
#1.1 2007-11-01 01:35 (Reply)
Ryan
I am afraid you missed the whole point. There seems to be a dualistic notion in the modern church that business, profit, and the marketplace are less spiritual than arguing and promoting theological idealogies on the internet, or giving ones hard earned dollars to build a new Sunday School wing. There are many entrepeneurial believers whose calling or vocation given by God is to create jobs and create wealth. They take the re-distribution of that wealth very seriously. Taxes may be necessary, but not “good”. The Biblical, faithful entrepeneur can change the world through his or her calling, vocation, and passion as much as any other believer called to other equally noble vocations, such as missions, the pastorate, politics or whatever. My frustration as a Christian businessperson is that the Church at large only recognizes my money, not the desire to Glorify God that produced it.
#1.2 2007-11-03 20:13 (Reply)
You are making some good points here. I as a Christian, have just prayed for your teachings on this subject to be enlightened and in line with God’s will, etc.
I know personally the importance of elder parents leaving inheritances. It is a crucial factor in many cases, in keeping the younger poorer generations out of the social welfare systems, off the streets, etc. Yes, in some cases, it should be put into trust so that it is not squandered. But, i very strongly believe that family should make sure that family has a roof over its head, etc. This very Christian ethic (taking care of your own) is sorely neglected not only in the church memberships, varying from one group to another~~ but it is also not reflected in our governmental laws. There oughtta be a law~~~ like there is in Louisiana, I am told, which has a Napoleonic Code law base~~~ that parents MUST pass their wealth on to their descendants when they die at least.
Of course, since there is a God, some people die younger than need be, simply because they do NOT share wealth when they should---so it becomes necessary for them to die of some disease or whatever before needy family etc can access the resources for survival???? stupid of them isn’t it. Share while you are alive, when there is need in the family! or the more righteous shall inherit--- sooner than you think!
The more you have, the more you can share! so wealth is a desirable thing for sharing caring Christians to get. Ever hear the word, “improvident”? God provides, and so should we.
“enduring” wealth--- is what God promises to those who listen to His Spirit and obey Him: different from “temporary, fleeting” wealth gotten by evil means: which God then TAKES AWAY from the evil ones. hmmm...some of it, by taxes...cuz some of those evil ones do not give or share to the needy around them, or ever to their own! yeah.
Lord Jesus bless every word of your mouth, to be only His word, on this subject; and every word of your hand, to be only His words. Because this is His very important, life-sustaining business, that He will bless His own with!
#2 2007-10-31 21:51 (Reply)
I have written about this subject at some length at
http://naturalaw.failuretorefrain.com/2007/10/24/prosperity-and-the-christian-ethic/
please take a look and leave you comments.
N Snow
ndsnow@gmail.com
#3 2007-11-03 15:36 (Reply)
Great timing! I am currently re-wrestling with this very topic. I attended a Christian Singles meeting the other night at a non-denom “mega church.” The topic was money, but the first discussion question had to do with greed. Everyone at my table had an answer that directly or indirectly implied that money/wealth was somehow evil or corrupt, or at the very minimum a currupting influence in ones life. I pointed out that greed could be experienced by the very poorest kids in Haiti, Africa, or Appalachia. Each person in given to according to their ability to handle it, according to one famous parable. Even when that is true, some make mistakes with what they have, but the worst example given is the one who did not increase what they had, and was called “wicked servant.” This seems to imply that we are to do the maximum we can with what we have been given, but the church is stuck in a guilt-driven, shame-enabled view of wealth, (or, as pointed out above, the opposite.) Please continue exploring this topic, as it is of vital importance that the church undergo a “makeover” in this area.