Wealth is something Christians in the West should certainly think about because, by any objective standard, we are all wealthy. We have at our fingertips more than the great kings of old could have dreamed of. Sure, some of us have less than others, but even those who are relatively poor in our nation are wealthy by biblical standards, so when we read passages in Scripture on wealth, we should read these with our ears pricked up.
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
I Timothy 6:17-19
One of the great dangers we face is demonizing wealth. This has been a common course in church history. We still hear it today from many Christians. Wealth corrupts and turns hearts from Christ. Thus, from the pulpit, we will often hear of the dangers of wealth and the importance of giving it away – especially to the church! Of course, it is true that wealth can corrupt our hearts. Moses warned the Israelites of this truth in Deuteronomy. Moses was worried that when Israel was settled in the Promised Land that they would become complacent.
Yet for all that, many saints have been rich. Abraham the father of faith was a very wealthy man. Here in writing to Timothy, Paul urges his son in the faith to charge the wealthy not to put their hope in wealth but God. At the same time, he avoids associating sin with the wealth itself. Instead, he reminds Timothy that it is God who richly provides everything for our enjoyment. Wealth is a blessing from God, and something we can enjoy without guilt. Sure it can be turned into a curse when we make it our hope, but like any good thing that comes from God, it should direct our hearts to God, and then to others in love and generosity. If God has blessed you with wealth, and if you are reading this from a phone in a home in a Western country, he has, then thank God for your wealth. Enjoy it, and bless others with it by sharing the blessings you have received.
This generosity lays up a firm foundation for the coming age. By giving and sharing we take hold of what is truly life. Just as Christ by giving up his riches and losing his life provided life, we too by giving ourselves and our wealth reflect Christ and reflect the paradoxical truth of his universe that giving of self is the only way we can lay hold of life.