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Monday July 7, 2008

Category: Bible Q&A

Bible Q&A for July 7

The Bible tells me not to worry about money. I don't work and I live on a fixed income. Does that mean I can spend money as long as I spend wisely, give generously to those that are in need, and give to my church? My income is $1056 per month but I spend about $1700 each month. Am I foolish? I believe God will always meet all of my wants and needs. Have I misunderstood what the Bible is trying to tell me?

You have certainly misunderstood some of what the Bible says about money. God does not promise to meet all our wants, especially in our consumer culture. And it is equally true that God does not promise you will always have a steady flow of money just because you give generously. When Jesus sets up the example of the widow who gave "her whole living," he was not exalting tithing. Rather, he was lauding sacrificial giving even by the poor, and he did not suggest that there was some sort of reciprocity agreement she had with God that guaranteed she'd get more back.

Some of the great saints of the church have been both generous and poor. Beware the American gospel of health and wealth, which does not comport with what Jesus says--for example, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16).

In fact, Jesus warns about the danger of wealth keeping us out of the kingdom. John Wesley once said, "If you make a great deal of money and keep much of it to yourself, you may be a living person, but you will be a dead Christian."

--Ben Witherington III

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