The Best Way to Make Money…According to the Bible

Did you know that there are over 2,000 Bible verses about money and financial topics? Compared to around 500 verses each for faith or prayer, money is certainly a hot topic for God; probably because there are few other things in life with as much power to replace God in our hearts. The Bible gives many examples of bad ways to make money, but I think that the Bible is also clear about the best way to make money.

God Owns it All

Let’s start with the acknowledgement that God is the provider of everything we have since he is the owner of it all. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” and there are many other verses that teach the same truth.[1] As Dutch theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper put it,

There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’

God is the creator, sustainer, and provider of all that we have, graciously meeting our needs. Whatever ethical opportunities we have to make money come from Him.

The Best Way to Make Money

There are no Bible verses where God says, “The best way to make money is XYZ.” Nonetheless, I believe the Scriptures are pretty clear that the primary and best way to make money is through work. Genesis 1 and 2 illustrate three facts about work:

• God works. He is the creator of everything and Genesis 2:2 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” God is perfect, righteous, and good so the fact that God works indicates that it is a good activity.
• Humans work. Part of being made in “God’s image” is that we are made in the image of a worker, that is part of our nature and purpose. God commands Adam and Eve to multiply and fill the earth, subdue it, exercise dominion over everything, and to work and tend creation. (Genesis 1:28-29, 2:15,20).
• All this happened before Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3. So work is not a result of the Fall. Work was always a part of God’s design.

After Adam and Eve disastrously sinned against God, work was corrupted along with every other beautiful thing in creation. Because of sin, God says in Genesis 3:17-18 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.”

Adam went from being master gardener in a perfect, weed-free garden to toiling away in fields that produce thorns and thistles along with food. We live in a world where we regularly encounter these thorns and thistles in our work and work is often hard and unenjoyable.

While many feel that work is a “necessary evil”, that is not how God sees it. Working is part of our God-given purpose and design as image-bearers. As such, it is the primary way God intends for us to support ourselves and increase our wealth. As Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

Even in our broken world, God graciously gives us opportunities to live out our God-given identity as workers, using our skills, experience, and time to glorify Him. As we work, we reclaim our identity as image-bearers of God and have the privilege of meeting the needs of our family. Our work also plays a part in our interconnected economy that provides jobs, products, and services that improve our lives. A small, broken glimpse of what our work will be like in the New Jerusalem!

Our advisors and staff at Beacon Wealth Consultants are thankful for the God-given opportunity to use our skills and experience to serve you and your family. If you’d like to talk about how your work contributes to your financial plan or if you need help crafting a spending plan, give us a call. We’d love to encourage you and help you improve your stewardship of God’s resources – both now and for the future.

[1] For example: Job 4:11, Deuteronomy 10:14, Haggai 2:8, Psalm 50:10-12, Deuteronomy 8:17-18, Colossians 1:16, 1 Timothy 6:17, James 1:17