Two Foundational Principles of Christianity and Money

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NA Aug 13, 2006 - Show original item

Here's part 2 of the document I wrote years ago on the Bible and money. It deals with the two foundational principles on how to handle money:

There are two foundational principles regarding the proper attitude Christians should have regarding money. The first is that God owns everything (Psalm 24:1-2). Every thing on the earth is owned by God, not people. The second principle is that we are His stewards and each person has been allocated part of God's possessions to manage it in accordance with the Master's wishes (not ours) until His return. We will be rewarded or punished according to our faithfulness in this area (Matthew 24:45-47; Luke 12:42-46). These two principles, God's ownership and our stewardship, underlie all biblical financial teachings.

If you want a bit more detail on this issue, see The Proper Perspective.

As usual, here are the verses quoted above (NIV):

Psalm 24:1-2: The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

Matthew 24:45-47: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Luke 12:42-46: The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, `My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.