Statement 4: On Economics
What about Economics? How is our dualism seen here? Again many Christians do not think the Bible has much to say about Economics, when in fact, it is a central topic of Scripture. This is going to be a longer section because to the degree this topic has been neglected or dealt with superficially we ought to correct common unbiblical assumptions on wealth.
God created mankind for dominion over the earth. We were designed to rule over it and develop it and build a God-honouring culture. Wealth is an integral part of this. As early as Genesis 2 we see that God has placed gold nearby ready for his vice-regents to find. Although ultimately owning everything, God plainly approves of private property and disapproves of the confiscation of this property. We see this implicit in the Ten Commandments numbers 6 through 10. It is wrong to steal a man’s life, his wife, his property, his reputation or even to enviously covet what he has.
The context of the Ten Commandments was a newly constituted people – a people who had escaped the tyranny of slavery in a totalitarian state that owned everything including the lives of every person. Remember, Egypt, under Joseph had survived the famine, but in doing so, the people of the land had enslaved themselves to Pharaoh in exchange for food (Genesis 47:19). This slavery is in the DNA of all idolatrous pagan cultures in history. Coming from this kind of state, the people of Israel would need to understand what godly dominion looked like. How ought God’s people seek dominion over God’s earth in the land he placed them? Obviously the tyrannous and statist approach of Egypt was not the pattern to follow for a redeemed people. Instead, the picture that God placed in the minds of the freed Israelites was one where each man could prosper in the good land God gave them. It was a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:17) and each man would have his own piece of land to exercise dominion over. The land God was giving his people was full of wealth (Deuteronomy 8:7-9) and he would continually bless the land and its ability to provide for them as long as they remained faithful (Deuteronomy 8,11 and 28).The ultimate picture of blessing would be that each man would enjoy the fruits of his own work and land under his own vine and fig tree (I Kings 4:25).
Yet rebellion against God landed economic consequences. The archetypal example is that of Adam and Eve. From the wealth of the garden they were expelled and were compelled to survive by the sweat of toil as Adam worked the cursed ground. Other classic cases of this are seen in the book of Judges, where for example Gideon practices tax evasion by threshing his wheat to avoid the stifling oppression of the Midianites who were instruments of God’s judgment on idolatrous Israel. Perhaps the greatest example of idolatry leading to economic consequences is seen in Israel’s demand for a king. Now a king per se was not an evil thing. What was evil was Israel’s rejection of God as their ultimate king (1 Samuel 8:7) and their desire to be like other nations. God’s punishment of this idolatry fitted the crime. You want to be like other nations? Well then, enjoy your slavery like the citizens of other nations. If you do not want to experience the freedom I have given you through redemption from slavery to Egypt, then taste what it is like for the citizens of the other nations whom I have not redeemed. Samuel warned them that this rebellion against God would lead to the curse of slavery, unjust taxation and government expropriation of personal property. In trying to point out how bad things would get, Samuel predicted what would have seemed to the people an utterly preposterous situation where a king would take 10% (the same requirement that God had of his people) of their wealth and confiscate their land. Oh that we would receive such mercy! Just as the laws of a nation will match its religion, so the Economic system of a nation matches its religious affinity. Those who are enslaved to sin will be enslaved economically. As David Chilton aptly puts it “The principle here is that your Savior will be your Lord as well, and that when you are saved you are also enslaved.” If a people look to the state as Saviour, then the State will be Lord. And any other Lord but Christ enslaves (John 8:34). If the Son sets you free you will be free indeed (John 8:36). The freedom that comes from Christ will spread out through all of life, and a nation of truly free people will be economically blessed. The Scriptures teach this, and history attests to it.
Now to some details. On Economics and wealth, the Bible says a lot. I will merely scratch the surface in this brief survey. It assumes and protects private property and censures individuals and states who seek to steal or ‘legally’ confiscate private property (Exodus 20:15, 1 Kings 21:19, Micah 2:1-2). Thus a Christian who holds to socialism is an ignorant or disobedient Christian who needs to read the whole counsel of God. The Bible speaks of the importance of honest business dealings (Deuteronomy 26:13-16). It commands personal (not state) generosity (Deuteronomy 26:12-14 among many passages) to the less fortunate who are deserving of help, and it highlights that not all are deserving of financial assistance (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This generosity is one of the uses of the tithe but another is the support of preachers of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:9-14). A final use of the tithe that is not really mentioned today is to celebrate before the Lord. Yes, really. The people of God were commanded to “Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.” (Deuteronomy 14:26). So part of our tithe is to be used to celebrate God’s goodness in giving us our prosperity. This is because it is God who gives us all things to enjoy, so we ought not to become haughty in our wealth, but give thanks to the giver of all good gifts (1 Timothy 6:17, James 1:17).
Yes it is true that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), it can be a temptation to idolatry (Matthew 19:16-22) and that rich people can exploit poor people (James 2:6) but it is also true that the absence of wealth can also lead to a variety of sins, envy being the most obvious. There have been evil rich people (Ahab, the rich man of Luke 16:19-31) but then again many of the saints have been rich to varying degrees (Abraham, David, Solomon, Joseph of Arimathea). Riches have their besetting sins, but so does poverty.
Furthermore, a lot of sin and foolishness is connected to poverty. Laziness leads to poverty (Proverbs 10:4). Wealth gained dishonestly vanishes (Proverbs 21:6). Wealth gained hastily dwindles just as fast (Proverbs 13:11). Debt is a dangerous trap that enslaves you and ought to be avoided (Proverbs 6:1-5) for the borrower is a servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). Conversely many godly traits tend towards wealth development. Industry for example leads to riches (Proverbs 10:4). Planning leads to wealth (Proverbs 21:5), because people who plan well get their income sources up and running before they spend up large (Proverbs 24:27). A godly man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren (Proverbs 13:22). And in what seems counter-intuitive, generosity leads to prosperity (Proverbs 11:25).
In general, godly living in the world God has designed ought to lead to prosperity. While it might not lead to fabulous wealth, hard work with a godly future orientation in planning, accompanied with generosity will tend towards the slow accumulation of wealth. This is the way God’s world works in general. Even the wealth of the wicked is ultimately stored up for the righteous (Proverbs 13:22), because ultimately this world is owned by Christ and his inheritance is the inheritance of his blood bought children.
So, contrary to the pietists who see wealth as some kind of curse until it is given into the hands of the church, wealth can be blessed or cursed, just as poverty can. But God’s people, who are freed from slavery to sin, in general will become freer in all aspects of their lives, including the economic realm. It’s incredible I know, but I’ve heard Christian leaders question the validity of saving for the future and whether passing on an inheritance to our grandchildren ought to be a priority biblically speaking. This stems, I think, from an unholy dualism, where we separate the good and spiritual (and here we misinterpret this to mean non-earthly) from the bad material realm. Yes, riches ought to be put to kingdom use (Luke 16:9), but that does not necessarily mean giving it all away. Imagine, for instance, if godly Christians had invested over generations in things like newspapers and media and passed them down the generations. We would be controlling the public discourse. Imagine if Christian businessmen had set up profit-making Christian schools all around New Zealand 50 years ago. Imagine the difference businessmen switched on to providing children with a thorough first-rate education in a Christian worldview could have made to our country. But in general, we have moved wealth creation outside the kingdom or at best made it seem a marginally Christian activity.
So in summary, the Bible teaches that economic slavery is a result of both individual and national idolatry. Economic systems that transgress God’s holy law on private property will not lead to national wealth, but to God’s curse. In fact, often the systems themselves are a sign of God’s curse. Wealth comes from the Lord to his people as a blessing, and is connected with redemption and the freedom that springs from this. God’s world is not random and chaotic, and certain approaches to life lead to prosperity and others do not. Wealth is a blessing from God, but it can become a curse when we forget the Lord who gives us wealth. Therefore we ought to remember his blessings and use our wealth for the building up of his kingdom as we exercise godly dominion in the vocations he has called us to.