This post is a continuation of my Faith Foundations Series. I’m attempting to lay out my foundational beliefs to help you know what makes this a Christian blog. Currently I am addressing what does the Bible say about … questions. Last week we addressed the question what does the Bible say about work? As a reminder, for simplicity I am keeping my comments to a maximum of one page Word document.
In the Bible there are passages that seem to indicate that saving money is a good thing, while there are others that apparently frown on the concept of saving money.
Bible Passages that Seem to Indicate Saving Money Is Wrong
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! (Luke 12:24, NIV)
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV)
Or Consider the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21.
Bible Verses that Support the Concept of Saving Money
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (Proverbs 13:11 NIV)
“In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.” (Proverbs 21:20, NIV)
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22 NIV)
Should Christians Save Money Or Not?
The question is not to save or not to save. Nor is it to give or not to give.
Both giving and saving should be practiced at the same time.
Those who save and do not give exemplify attributes of a hoarder. Saving in excess is a sign of greed, lack of trust, and a love of money.
Finding the Right Saving Balance
We will all find ourselves somewhere on the spectrum below:
_______________________________________________________________________
Squander Save Hoard
Each of the above choices (squander, save, or hoard) reveal something about our character:
One who squanders lacks self-control.
One who saves has self-control.
One who hoards has greed.
Which of these qualities are spiritual? (Gal. 5:16-26).
Each Christian must prayerfully find the right saving balance. Squandering our money does not honor God. Hoarding our money dishonors God. We must find the right – God pleasing – balance of saving.
To read a more detailed analysis of this topic, I suggest you read Is it Biblical to save for Retirement? and Part Two.
Photo by alamosbasement.
Do you think Christians should save money? How do you know when you’ve crossed over the line from saving to hoarding?
More Great Articles:
- What Does the Bible Teach about Work?
- Dealing With Challenging Bible Verses About Money
- Are Some Money Topics Unrelated to the Bible?
- What Does the Bible Teach About Investing?
- 70 New Testament Bible Verses About Money
- What Does the Bible Teach About Insurance?
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Looking toward our saving, spending and hoarding tendencies is a good spiritual exercise that will help us decide where our hearts really are. While we like to think that if our heart is in the right place, our money will follow it. Jesus seems to put it the other way around in Matt. 6:21 when he says that where our money (treasure) is there our heart will also be.
Hello Craig,
I saw the title and was intrigued. I enjoyed the majority of the article and agree with your conclusion that we should give and save at the same time. I do disagree with you on your characterization of “Biblical Passages that Indicate Saving Money is Wrong.” You cite Luke 12:24 but take the passage out of context. Luke 12:22-23 states:
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. This passage is about worrying about your life, not whether saving money is wrong or not.
You cite Matthew 6:19-21 which I read to say where we should save, instead of whether or not to save.
I do not seek to chastize you but to seek to use this opportunity to sharpen us and to thoroughly equip us for every good work. A good book on biblical observation, interpretation, and application for teachers is Living By The Book, by Hendricks & Hendricks.
Be Blessed,
Cedric
I think we’re OK saving money as believers. Luke 12:24 was about worry, not specifically about money. My thought is that if we have a reasonable amount of savings, we’ll worry less, and that can only put us on the right path. I think the problems here get into too much savings, where we start to believe that our money is our savior, and we worry about losing it, pulling us away from God. Worry is a form of worship, even though we don’t usually think of it that way. What ever consumes us is a false god.
Matthew 6:19-21 is more about the worship of money. It may also have been a teaching of comfort for a people who didn’t have money, but might have believed that having it could save them. I think Jesus may have been telling them to let go of that idea and not bank on it for salvation, they could have salvation without it. We have to remember that the culture of the day believed the haves were blessed, and the poor were out of luck. Jesus was nothing if he wasn’t counter-intuitive, and that’s what he may have been going for here.
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@Kevin
As per my response to Cedric, one of the things I was trying to highlight was ‘views from the other side’. As you’ve indicated there is a lot more going on in these passages. Thanks for helping clarify things.
Worshiping money does not honor God. Now if only we could know when we cross the line and start to worship money …
@jarthurford
I completely agree – self evaluating our tenancy towards hoarding is a spiritual discipline. More often than not I find that I am closer to hoarding than I would care to admit.
Cedric,
.
Thanks for you comment.
First, you did catch a mistake I made. I wrote “Biblical Passages that Indicate Saving Money is Wrong”. Shortly after I published the article I corrected so it says “Biblical Passages that Seem to Indicated Saving Money is Wrong”. I was trying to give a balanced introduction to both sides of the issue. If I didn’t mention those passages I think someone else would have (who things saving money is wrong).
If figured my conclusion would speak for itself to show that I don’t think saving is wrong, but hoarding is often the issue.
As your correctly pointed out these passages are often taken out of context. Not just their own immediate context, but the context of the larger Biblical narrative. I limited my response to one page so I couldn’t go into everything fully.
Thanks for keeping me on the ball
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