Torch, Fall/Winter 2010

Viewpoints 18 TORCH | Fall–Winter 2010 RUDY MALMQUIST | GETTY IMAGES To Whom Much is Given by Jeff Guernsey, M.S. Throughout Scripture , God encourages us to be prepared, work hard to be worthy of our hire, meet our financial obligations, and conduct our business with integrity. Money is not the problem, nor is it “the root of all evil” as is often misquoted. The verse actually says, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). God does not condemn wealth, rather, He is concerned with how we live in relation to our money. How does the Bible instruct us to think about wealth? A few thoughts and principles on that question: We are inclined, incorrectly, to view wealth as a spiritual reward and poverty as spiritual judgment. In the Old Testament, God promises the Israelites wealth, possessions, and material success as a result of their obedience (Deut. 28:1–14). He also warns that their disobedience would result in negative material consequences (Deut. 28:15–44). Our tendency, however, is to invert this relationship, looking at wealth first and then trying to work back to the blessing of God: “I am wealthy; therefore God must be blessing my good choices.” Or the converse: “I am not wealthy; I must be doing something wrong.” This reasoning does not hold up as Scripture reminds us that the wicked sometimes prosper (Job 12:5–6, 21:7–16). Equally, we find many examples of people doing right, obeying the Lord, who nonetheless suffer — Joseph was thrown into prison, and Job lost everything he had. The Bible names wealthy individuals who served God — Abraham, Jacob, Boaz, Job, Joseph of