The Bible Teaches Money Is Amoral, Versus Moral or Immoral (Proverbs 22:2)

Is money good or bad? Proverbs 22:2 says, "The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.” Read or listen to this material from Your Finances God's Way to learn that the Bible teaches money is amoral versus moral or immoral. Table of ContentsMistakes We Make with MoralityFirst Mistake with Morality: Thinking Something Is Amoral When It Is Moral or ImmoralSecond Mistake with Morality: Thinking Something Is Immoral When It Is AmoralMoney Is Amoral in the Bible (Proverbs 22:2)We See Money Is Amoral by Considering Some of the Bible’s Greatest MenMoney Is Amoral, but How We Spend Money Is MoralFootnotes During college, I took a world religions class. A Buddhist monk was brought in as a guest speaker. He had no modern luxuries, such as a vehicle, a computer, or a refrigerator, because he thought they were sinful (immoral). He thought it was good (moral) to allow himself only what was necessary for survival, such as food, water, and shelter. But this is not what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). There, Jesus referred to denying ourselves immoral pleasures, but the monk was abstaining from things that are amoral (non-sinful, or spiritually neutral). Colossians 2:20-23 records: If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. When people rigorously neglect the amoral and follow legalistic, manmade commands, there’s “an appearance of wisdom,” but there’s “no value against [indulging] the flesh,” which is to say there’s no spiritual benefit. It’s heartbreaking when people spend years rigorously denying themselves in ways that offer no moral or spiritual benefit. The Bible teaches that drunkenness and homosexuality are immoral (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). It’s tragic when people spend years getting drunk or participating in homosexual relationships because they’re convinced their immoral actions are amoral. We must understand morality because if we don’t, we might find ourselves in one of the above situations and fail to see the goodness (morality) of certain behaviors and the sinfulness (immorality) of others. These are the two mistakes we typically make with morality. Let’s consider them in more detail so we’ll be prepared to view our money correctly. Mistakes We Make with Morality These are the two mistakes we typically make with morality. Let’s consider them in more detail so we’ll be prepared to view our money correctly. First Mistake with Morality: Thinking Something Is Amoral When It Is Moral or Immoral Many verses discuss the morality of our words. For example: Matthew 12:37— Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 1 Peter 3:10—“He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.” Most people know their speech is moral, but they might not know that the amount they speak (and listen) is also moral (versus amoral). James 1:19 says, “My beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” This verse contains three commands, which means we’re dealing with morality: it is moral to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, and it is immoral to be slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger. Anger and listening might be mentioned together because they’re closely related. As a pastor, when I’m counseling couples, it’s sometimes obvious early on who’s more at fault when problems arise because they’re slow to listen and quick to get angry. Ecclesiastes teaches that one way to identify fools is they talk too much: “A fool’s voice is known by his many words…a fool also multiplies words” (Ecclesiastes 5:3; 10:14). David took so seriously how much he spoke that he prayed God would protect his mouth: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). Proverbs is filled with contrasts between wise and foolish people. One of the contrasts is that wise people listen, but foolish people babble on: “The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall” (Proverbs 10:8; see also Proverbs 10:19; 13:3; 17:27-28). Second Mistake with Morality: Thinking Something Is Immoral When It Is Amoral Food, guns, and knowledge are amoral, which means people are not spiritually better or worse if they do or don’t eat certain foods, have or don’t have guns, or have more or less knowledge than others. But what we do with food, guns, and knowledge is moral. Certain foods are healthier or unhealthier, but spiritually, they’re not better or worse than others: “Food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse" (1 Corinthians 8:8; see also Matthew 15:11; Mark 7:18; Acts 10:15; Romans 14:17; Colossians 2:16-23). Food is amoral, but our relationship to it is moral. We can commit the sin of gluttony or, on the other side of the spectrum, the sins of anorexia and bulimia. God doesn’t care what we eat, but He cares how much we eat. Guns are also amoral, but they can be used in moral and immoral ways. The same is true of knowledge, which is information, but it can be used in moral and immoral ways. Some people have used their knowledge morally to benefit humanity: Jacob Perkins used his knowledge of mechanical engineering to invent refrigeration. The Wright brothers used their knowledge of aviation to develop human flight. Tim Berners-Lee used his knowledge of computer programming to develop the World Wide Web. Isaac Newton used his knowledge of astronomy to promote creationism. Other people used their knowledge immorally in detrimental ways to humanity: Genghis Khan used his knowledge of politics and war to lead a Mongol horde that killed millions of people. Karl Marx used his knowledge of law and philosophy to try to destroy capitalism and create a classless, communist society. Margaret Sanger used her knowledge of reproduction to establish organizations that evolved into Planned Parenthood. Richard Dawkins uses his knowledge of biology to promote atheism and the theory of evolution. What does all of this have to do with our finances? Good question! People make these same mistakes with money. First, they think the way they spend money is amoral when, in fact, every purchase is either moral or immoral. Second, they think money is immoral when it is amoral. Money Is Amoral in the Bible (Proverbs 22:2) Because money is amoral, having more or less is not good or bad. The rich and poor are made in God’s image; therefore, they have equal value: “The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2). Many of the greatest people in Scripture were wealthy. In the Old Testament, there were Abraham, Job, and Solomon. In the New Testament, there were Joseph of Arimathea, Lydia, and others who hosted a church in their homes because they were wealthy enough to have homes that could accommodate large groups. You could look at this list of wealthy people and say, “They’re rich, but we don’t know that God wanted them to be rich. Maybe God wanted them to be poor, but they disobeyed Him!” The problem is that we’re told God gave them riches, which we wouldn’t read if riches were immoral. Genesis 13:2 says, “[Abraham] was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” In the Abrahamic Covenant in the previous chapter, God said, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing” (12:2). Part of the blessing was wealth. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” Sometimes, God blesses people with riches, and when He does, nothing negative accompanies it. We See Money Is Amoral by Considering Some of the Bible’s Greatest Men When Solomon replied that he wanted an understanding mind so he could better govern the people of Israel, God said, “Because…you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life…wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like” (2 Chronicles 1:11-12). After Job’s suffering ended, “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys” (Job 42:12). This is rich, whether in the ancient world or ours. Solomon, Hannah, and David saw wealth coming from God: “Every man to whom God has given riches and wealth…a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires” (Ecclesiastes 5:19; 6:2); “The Lord makes poor and makes rich” (1 Samuel 2:7); and “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all” (1 Chronicles 29:12). God also gives the ability to obtain riches: “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Would God do this if money was immoral? However, before you start thinking that being rich is good or moral, consider that some of the greatest men in Scripture were also poor, including our Lord: “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus said, “Foxes have holes,