Last Updated on June 12, 2025 by Muhammad Ramzan
Finances are one of the most significant forms of contention within the modern church. Despite this, the Bible has plenty of references to finance, with 16 out of Jesus’s 38 parables addressing wealth, attitudes toward money, and how to handle finances.
Aside from New Testament teachings, wealth is also discussed throughout the Old Testament, with specific laws, examples, and guidelines on how it should be obtained, utilized, and viewed. Below, we’ll look at what the Bible has to say about wealth, the pursuit of riches, and how we should handle our finances in a Godly manner.
Wealth as a Blessing
The first thing to note is that the Bible clearly gives examples of wealth as a blessing from God for living a righteous life. This can be seen in the lives of notable figures like Abraham, Job, David, and Solomon, who received wealth in abundance.
These men were considered the wealthiest among nations, with Solomon among the richest. The Bible says that he had so much wealth that silver lost its value entirely (2 Chronicles 9:20). His wealth was so great, in fact, that many searched for his hidden treasure, including the Crusaders.
For these men, as for countless others, wealth was a manifestation of God’s goodness and blessing. It resulted from the men walking closely with God and leading righteous lives. It also resulted from the men’s humility and understanding that God is the source of all provision, particularly excessive wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
This wealth in the form of a blessing also has various conditions attached to it. Chief among these is our willingness to use any wealth God gives us for Kingdom or divine purposes and, more pointedly, to aid those less fortunate and to be generous (Proverbs 19:17).
Wealth Through Works
Although the Bible states that God can give wealth to any man (Ecclesiastes 5:19), it also clearly indicates that wealth won’t occur overnight or simply because we pray for it. In various places, it also mentions that we must work (Proverbs 14:23) and be diligent to generate wealth (Proverbs 10:4).
More than this, the Bible calls us to be responsible with our finances to aid wealth generation. This includes being good stewards of what we receive and planning our finances purposefully for future growth and enjoyment (Proverbs 21:20).
The Dangers of Wealth
Despite God using wealth to bless us for obedience and hard work, the Bible also clearly outlines the dangers it attracts. The most significant is that the love of money (wealth) is the root of all evil.
Many misinterpret this verse as meaning that money and wealth are evil. However, the Bible makes it clear that it is the love of these things that is evil. Therefore, if we pursue wealth to the point where we “wander from the faith,” then we fall into the trap of having a love for money (1 Timothy 6:10).
More than warning against a love of money, the Bible also speaks about money becoming an idol in our lives, where our focus shifts from pursuing God and honoring Him to being focused only on pursuing wealth and what it can bring us. In this regard, the Bible clearly warns against having two masters, saying that one can serve God or money, but not both.
The Pursuit of Wealth
Based on the above, many believe the Bible explicitly condemns the pursuit of wealth. However, that isn’t necessarily the case. Instead, it provides a framework and specific stipulations under which wealth should be sought:
The pursuit of wealth should be second to the pursuit of God.
As mentioned above, the Bible clearly speaks against abandoning faith and turning away from God in the pursuit of money. It also clearly indicates that the Kingdom of God should be sought first, following which all other things (possibly including wealth) will be added to (or given to) you (Matthew 6:33).
The pursuit of wealth should be a byproduct of blessings received for righteousness.
None of the wealthy men in the Bible actively pursued wealth. Instead, they obtained wealth as a blessing from God for their obedience and righteousness. If we live in such a manner, there is a good chance that the pursuit of wealth will naturally occur without our focus.
Proper stewardship is a fundamental requirement for pursuing wealth.
Finally, if we aim to grow the wealth given to us by God and pursue more in the future, we need to be good stewards of what God has given us. As in the famous parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), if we are faithful and trustworthy in using the little we have to further God’s purposes and bring Him honor, then He will likely give us more to work with.
“Get Rich Quick” in the Pursuit of Wealth
One of the final notable things the Bible says about the pursuit of wealth relates to how we seek to get rich quick. These schemes often rely on walking over others in the pursuit of more money and can lead us to stray from the faith. Invariably, schemes to quickly gain riches don’t work. The Bible warns against this by stating that wealth gained quickly will disappear (Proverbs 13:11).
The condemnation of get-rich-quick schemes appears to have many implications in modern life. For instance, if you play the lottery or visit the most popular casinos in the gambling industry, you may feel like this verse addresses these quick ways of getting a windfall. However, as is common knowledge, gambling should never be undertaken to expect a win. Therefore, it doesn’t classify as a get-rich-quick scheme.
Instead, the Bible refers to anything that, with a high degree of certainty, will allow you to amass great wealth without doing the work that would generally be required to obtain it. These forms of get-rich-quick schemes are condemned, and the Bible says those who employ them will be punished (Proverbs 28:20).
