Ever thought about becoming a monk? Or a nun?

There is a pernicious lie afoot in the church that good Christians should be poor. Godliness is sometimes equated with destitution. I call those who believe this kind of thing “impoverists.” Mind you, this “piety equals poverty” is not the official stance of any major denomination, but still: the philosophy permeates throughout the rank and file of everyday believers. But where do these ideas come from? 

In the West, we see Catholic monks taking vows of poverty as they have for centuries to this day. There are different levels of poverty depending on the order and the time period one lives in. For instance, in the middle ages you might enter a monastery swearing off all worldly goods and live modestly for the rest of your days dependent upon the cloister. These days a vow of poverty may entail using an iPhone and a car as is the case with some modern Augustinian monks. 

In my current work, I sometimes interact with Amish people. If you’re not familiar with the Amish they are a Christian group mostly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. According to the Young Center, “Most Amish groups forbid owning automobiles, tapping electricity from public utility lines, using self-propelled farm machinery, owning a television, radio, and computer” They also live in privatized communes not completely dissimilar to Israeli kibbutzim. 

These are general trends in the Christian community and certainly not practiced by most Christians. Nevertheless, this associating good Chrisitan character with impoverishment is stuck in the popular imagination of those who are somewhat familiar with Christianity — but not as familiar with the Bible.

The Bible on Wealthy Christians

I want to review some verses that are representative of how the Bible addresses this false idea that God wants his people to be poor. Two against and two seemingly for it (though not really).  

There are many verses we could turn to, but let’s consider just two representative passages, starting in the book of Proverbs. To be upfront, I would not view the book of Proverbs as a blanket list of promises without exception. Instead, the Proverbs are general principles that are true in most situations. Proverbs are “truisms” and generally accurate in life. 

The first passage is Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” 

The author is telling the reader to honor God by giving up the first portion of wealth and produce. But why? So that the barns will be full and the wine cellars will overflow with sweet vintage. Interesting. Integrated into the giving is an assurance that the giver will be given more than he gave. Once again, I don’t think this applies to every situation — the promise doesn’t apply to giving to your best friend or your grandmother or a false religion. Instead, it’s giving to the Lord – Yahweh in the Old Testament. But it still applies. Givers tend to be given more than they gave in the context of a healthy relationship with God.

Now, what does this mean for us? God seems to be putting out there an incentive for giving. Namely, that you will get more. Now, I’m not talking about mansions or Gulfstream jets, just a simple math equation: honor God with what you have first and he will give you more. If God was not concerned with financial prosperity for his people, this verse would not be in your Bible. But he said it. 

The second passage is found in the New Testament. First Timothy 6:17-19 states, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Now I want you to look at something in this passage. Paul is writing to Timothy about a particular class of believers: rich Christians. They exist. Both then and now. But notice what he wrote to them: don’t be proud, don’t think wealth is the cornerstone of the blessed life – instead it’s God. Be generous, share with people, and store up treasures for the future – presumably in heaven. That’s it. The aged Apostle didn’t instruct those wealthy believers to take a vow of poverty. He didn’t tell them they were in sin for possessing more than they needed. That may sound like something a Communist would say, but not an Apostle. Instead, there was an acknowledgement in the early church that some Christians have more than others. And there’s nothing wrong with it — provided they manage their resources well: in giving, in looking to heaven, and in doing good things.

So the two takeaways are this in this ever brief review of two passages related to God (supposedly) wanting his people to be poor.  

1. God generally incentivizes people with more resources when they give to him. And that’s a good thing. 
2. Some Christians are wealthy and it’s commendable provided they handle their excess resources well.     

Impoverists Strike Back: What About…

Now I can hear what some of you are thinking, you impoverists. You’ve read your Bible and you’re ready to throw down your own verses. I’m not sure if I’m going to address the verse you have in mind, but I will talk about two passages that may appear to contradict what I just stated. 

Starting with Jesus, he said in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

In this passage, Jesus is addressing double-minded people. He tells us that a two-master slave is only good for one master. One master he will love and the other master he will hate. Jesus seems to be reminding us that ultimate human service can only be rendered to one entity. It sounds eerily similar to the first commandment, “you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). In other words, God wants first place in your allegiance. Nobody, nothing, not even money should take God’s place.  

All of this is true. Money is not God. Nor should money ever compete for God’s place. Money is a tool, a help, and many other things, but it does not possess the same qualities of the Creator and is a very poor substitute for the Almighty. We should never serve money before God. Agreed and amen. Sin happens when money takes the place of God. You cannot serve God and serve money in the same way at the same time and still expect God’s blessing. In fact, it’s wrong. But that says nothing about good Christians being poor. It’s a major leap to say you cannot serve God and money to “thou must be poor.” Good try, but a fail. 

A second passage an impoverist may bring up is Hebrews 13:5. The author writes, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” 

Here we see loving money and being discontent with your current situation as bad. The author points people to trust in God who promises never to forsake his people. This is a good reminder. Loving money isn’t helpful. In fact, it’s forbidden for followers of Jesus. Our ultimate trust should be in God, not money. For those of us who are inclined toward improvement and financial success, there’s a warning in here for us. Be happy, to an extent, with what you have. Don’t let money or the desire for more take God’s place in your ultimate affections. Once again, we still don’t find the sentiment that poverty is equated with godliness. Contentment should be present regardless of the balance in our bank accounts. 

But Does God Want You To Be Rich? 

So, dear friend, I can confidently say that the Bible does not instruct every believer to be poor. It’s just not there. With one caveat. 

Because I want to be honest with you (and I’ve read the Bible a few times),, there are some who God may want to be humbled and not dependent on any worldly comfort – including riches. I am reminded of the rich young man in Matthew 19:21-22. “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

It’s true. In his particular case, this young man was instructed by Jesus to sell everything. It was an exceptional situation where Jesus wanted this person to be poor. At least temporarily. Possibly for longer, though it’s impossible to know. Point is, God did not want him to be rich at that time. Jesus wanted a complete divestment of all this man’s assets so he could transfer them to heaven, so to speak. And if it’s true for this man, then it certainly can be true for others.

So admittedly, there may be a time when God wants a person to be poor. But according to my reading the Bible, I don’t see this as a pattern for most people. It’s an extreme situation that is called for at times, but not a rule for most believers. Bottom line, for most people godliness should not be equated with poverty.  

Takeaway: Beware the Impoverists

The takeaway from this video is simple: beware of the impoverists. As you are aiming toward financial success, you will encounter these impoverists. They’re out there and you may have already found them. (You may be one yourself.) They may think you’re abandoning the faith for wanting more out of life. They may actually think good people are poor and all those rich people are evil jerks. They may not say it like that, but they’re thinking it. And you know it by their discouraging comments, arguments, and generally negative disposition to your attempts to improve yourself and your family financially.  

The impoverist may be your mom or your dad. Perhaps he or she is your spouse, or your best friend. Whoever they are, just understand who they are. They may be trying to help. They’re not. They’re wrong, but you can be nice about it. Just avoid the subject as best you can whenever you’re around them. Know who they are, no need to change them. Your eventual success will speak volumes to them, especially when you maintain your character and faith in the process. 

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All the best!