Comments on: Christians, Is Money Really Neutral and Amoral?

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:22:50 +0000

@T.E. I think your absolutely right that money can be used for God’s glory. I do hope that we continue to do just that.

By: T.E.

T.E. — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:01:15 +0000

Money is always to be used to further the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s the only thing money is for in God’s plan. Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples as a lesson on service to your brothers and sisters, that is what we should all do with what God has given us. We are not the owners of that money, God is. To forget that is to be proud and greedy. There is no other option. The world of flesh is poverty, and if you can’t realize this it is because you hold the things of the earth in higher esteem than you do God.

John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Luke 16:10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

By: Joseph @ kickdebtoff

Joseph @ kickdebtoff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:37:22 +0000

Thought provoking article Craig! and great comments too.
I would personally agree with Jonathan above and say that money is a ‘powerful tool’. Christians who master the real use of this tool become great and faithful stewards. The condition of the heart is one big thing that comes to mind when we talk about money and @paul above noted that very well. Jeremiah 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it”
Let’s assume the rock comparison above was a gold rock or diamond rock; then the equation changes because we have the ability to convert it into dollar amount. The same rock that can kill is actually a diamond rock that can make me very rich, and i am now very obsessed with this rock because it has the ability to make me filthy rich…. (because i know it’s value)
I guess my point is..it’s not about the object /tool; but the heart’s condition. But also anything, that can take the place of God in our hearts as Christians we need as you said to put some flashing lights at those intersections (hobby, power, job, money)
.-= Joseph @ kickdebtoff´s last blog ..Getting Out Of Debt – What Motivates You? =-.

By: LenciB

LenciB — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:09:03 +0000

Wow. I like ” Money is slave when it is used in ways unnatural to its nature. To give is to use money in an unnatural way. When we give, we show our mastership over, not our slavery to money.” That is a deep statement right there.

By: Arthur @ FinancialBondage.org

Arthur @ FinancialBondage.org — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:39:11 +0000

Interesting Craig. I’d have to say that you may be on to something. What you say does make sense.

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:23:01 +0000

You’ve got a great discussion going here, Craig. Thanks for your thoughtful replies.

I second what Jonathon said about how you approached the topic. You make a very good point about the caution we should use when we approach money decisions and such. It’s an area we all must deal with at some point, and it’s extremely easy to fall away from Christ when we’re dealing with money.
.-= Paul Williams´s last blog ..What Should a Christian Retirement Look Like? =-.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:56:34 +0000

@Paul – I thought about getting into the money vs. mammon topic, but ultimately felt like the article was too long already. I do agree that using the word mammon in each of these contexts would have been more appropriate, but I also felt like that would have generated a whole different discussion.
@Gholmes – You are right about money. It is nothing more than a currency that we believe has value for exchange. When I talk about money I was referring to it in a deeper biblical sense (i.e. mammon, not the currency itself.
@Jonathan – I can accept the statement, “man is innately more predisposed towards an abuse of money than other things”. Ultimately, a view of man or money that causes us to treat money with an added dose of caution is (IMO) moving in the right direction.
Really, this closely parallels the biblical discussion about idols. Paul says idols don’t exist (in that there are not other God’s). Yet, idolatry was the greatest constant sin issue in Israel. Whatever it was about idols they challenge the human heart in a unique way.
@All
I could have mentioned this to each commenter, but it would have taken a lot of time. I have so much respect with how each of you have stated your thoughts, beliefs, and opinions. Too many of these types of conversations turn nasty. You are some of the best readers in the world because you respectfully focus on the topic. I am honored to have such Christ-like readers.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:54:58 +0000

@Joel – I think your comment would be similar to my reply to Jonathan – the key is the human heart. As a result, the question is – why is the human heart, historically speaking, so predisposed to follow money?
Wherein does the problem lie? In the heart? Or in money? Whichever one someone believes ultimately does not impact their actions. As long as we have a open realization about the deep dangers of money (or the human hearts propensity to seek money) then we will be able to honor God with our money.

By: Credit Card Chaser

Credit Card Chaser — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:48:12 +0000

Craig, I can appreciate where you are coming from but I think that Paul sums it up best. Just because one's view of money can relegate the purpose of money as either a slave or a master certainly does not turn an inanimate object into some sort of immoral or moral entity because it's not the money itself that is acting as a master or a slave it is the person's own sinful heart, thoughts, and attitudes about money. What the Bible stresses over an over again is that ones view & use of money is what is important not that money itself has any type of inherent immoral or moral qualities. The way someone thinks about and uses money is an exact index of that person's true character. That is why the Bible talks about money so much. .-= Credit Card Chaser´s last blog ..Warren Buffett’s $50 Million GEICO Credit Card Business Loss =-.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:02:29 +0000

Craig, I see your point in that there is a significant amount of cautionary teaching regarding money in the Bible in comparison to some other topics, and that it therefore should raise a red flag. However, it seems to me that this fact is not sufficient to demonstrate that money is NOT amoral or neutral, but rather that man is innately more predisposed towards an abuse of money than other things. To me, money is merely a tool and a technology man uses to interact with other human beings in certain and particular ways. Because of how important money and commerce is to living (and living in the way that he wants to), it is easier for man to transfer his loyalty away from our true Sustainer to a mere tool which we happen to use in the absence of something more. Man is constantly tempted to substitute God with something else, and money is one element of our fallen world which man is more predisposed to use than others. To say that the disproportionately high amount of Biblical teaching against money is dispositive of its moral status seems to assume that man is predisposed to all temptations equally. If, however, money is itself a greater temptation than others (perhaps because of its impact on more aspects of life than others), then disproportionate treatment in Biblical teaching would seem to make sense. It may not be that money itself is immoral, but that man in his fallen state is more inclined to sin in his love of money than in other things. Scripture teaches us (and constantly reinforces) how to have an appropriate relationship towards money, and what its proper place in our lives is. In our sin, we can have an improper and idolatrous relationship with anything, and this does not impute moral status to those things. We must constantly be searching our heart and praying for the Spirit to show us our sin so that we do not treat amoral objects in an immoral way.

I do appreciate the perspective you cast this in, though. I will certainly be reminding myself of how dealing with money is, in fact, a spiritual battle, which is a fact I do not often think of.