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The Gospel and Money

Tom NelsonMatt Perman

Matt Perman

Blog: www.whatsbestnext.comFacebook: Matt PermanTwitter: mattpermanEmail: [email protected]

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Introduction

The gospel frees us from the temptation to think simplistically about money.

The gospel frees us from the temptation to think simplistically about money.

Why does this matter?

We are here to serve.

Our goal in life should be to make life better for others to the glory of God.

Matthew 20:28

…even as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before others that they see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before others that they see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Serve others Glorify God In this is our joy

Good intentions are not enough. Serving requires wisdom.

Good intentions are not enough. Serving requires wisdom.

We do some simplistic things with money that seem spiritual but actually get in the way of helping people. We often settle for “stage one” thinking on money, to the detriment of the world – and therefore to the detriment of God’s glory.

Money is not the only area where we do this

Three Questions

1. How do we understand prosperity in light of the biblical texts that seem to be against money?

2. Is maximizing our financial giving always the best way to serve others?

3. Can we glorifying God in spending money as well as in giving money?

One Exhortation

We need to be creative, competent, and audacious in our endeavors to serve the global

poor.

Prosperity

How do we understand prosperity in light of the biblical texts that seem to be against money?

Human Prosperity is Good

Human prosperity is good

• The Garden of Eden• The new heavens and new earth• The OT feasts• Jesus came “eating and drinking” (Matthew

11:19)• Paul: God “richly furnishes with all things to

enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17)

But many passages seem to take a wealth-negative view


Luke 18:21-25Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven…. How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.


1 Timothy 6:5-10…But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

How do these fit together?

How do these fit together?

My solution: We were created – and redeemed – to enjoy prosperity in all forms, including material prosperity. Therefore, we are free to enjoy it without guilt.

However, material prosperity is priority B. We enjoy it without absolutizing it.

Therefore…

• Enjoy what you have• Receive it with thanksgiving

But do not love money


This is what the texts are getting at. This becomes clear when we look at some more:

Matthew 6:33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.


1 Timothy 3:3… not a lover of money

2 Timothy 4:10… in love with this present world

2 Timothy 3:2… lovers of self, lovers of money … not loving good


“Riches are evil on the conditions that people make them absolute ends of life, and especially when they become an altar on which to sacrifice to the poor. When that happens, it is better to remain poor than rich, for when people are rich in that evil manner, God will inevitably destroy them (5:1-7). And it is better to be patient and to endure like the prophets (5:10) and like Job (5:11). But none of this implies that James denies the possibility and goodness of riches in a context of faith and righteous action.” (Schneider, The Good of Affluence, 206)

This makes money more meaningful – in the right way

CS Lewis: “You can’t get second things by putting them first; you can get second things

only by putting first things first.

Our desires are not too strong; they are too weak

Our desires are not too strong; they are too weak

1 Timothy 6:17-19As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Jesus is not against investment; he is against bad investment

“Jesus is not against investment. He is against bad investment – namely, setting your heart on the comforts and securities that money can afford in this world. Money is to be invested for eternal yields in heaven – “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven!” (John Piper, Desiring God)

Application

In this world, we will often sacrifice material goods – and even welfare. This is glorious. But we do this not because material goods are bad or because it is wrong to have “too much,” but because there are endeavors of higher importance – chief among them becoming like Christ, advancing the work of the Great Commission, and working for the relief of the poor globally.

Application

Application

“Oh, that young and old would turn off the television, take a long walk, and dream about feats of courage for a cause ten thousand times more important than American democracy—as precious as that is. If we would dream and if we would pray, would not God answer? Would he withhold from us a life of joyful love and mercy and sacrifice that magnifies Christ and makes people glad in God? I plead with you, as I pray for myself, set your face like flint to join Jesus on the Calvary road. ‘Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come’ (Hebrews 13:13-14). When they see our sacrificial love—radiant with joy—will they not say, ‘Christ is great’? (John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life)

By the way…

Material prosperity will remain prosperity B in heaven

The riches of heaven don’t mean that it will then be OK to start being lovers of money. We will

never be lovers of money. We will use it right – and to feel about it as intended actually affirms

it more than loving it.

Giving

Is maximizing our financial giving always the best way to serve others?

Our responsibility is to maximize the total good that we do.

1 Timothy 6:17-19…They are to do good, to be rich in good works,

to be generous and ready to share

Jesus’ example: more than money

We all have multiple callings

The trade-off

Three Examples

• The project management trade-off• Overcapacity and the ringing effect: To get

more done, do less• Economics: Developing nations sacrifice time

for tangible goods; developed nations sacrifice tangible goods for time.

Time is the new scarcity.

Therefore, sometimes we will need to give less in order to do more good overall.

Spend money to make the doing of good easier and more likely

Money is a tool. Don’t be afraid to spend it in order to do good.

Systems trump intentions. Set up systems that will support your intentions of doing good and

being organized to do good. This may cost money.

If you didn’t believe that, you couldn’t exist.

Do not be penny wise and pound foolish!

Spending

Can we glorify God in spending money as well as in giving money?

My main problem with Alcorn

Alcorn does not seem to affirm clearly how we can serve God in our spending as well as in

our giving

Don’t have the hot potato view of money

Wesley: “Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find its way into

my heart.”

Monetary transactions are good in themselves

“Commercial transactions are in themselves good because through them we do good to other people. This is because of the amazing truth that, in most cases,

voluntary commercial transactions benefit both parties.”

“We can imitate God’s attributes each time we buy and sell, if we practice honesty, faithfulness to our

commitments, fairness, and freedom of choice.”

Wayne Grudem, Business to the Glory of God, 36-37

In spending our money, we create culture

Application

See all your spending as manifestations of your calling to create culture in all areas.

Don’t let us down!

If you only think of giving money away as the way to serve people, you will serve them less than you ought. You will be outsourcing the creation of culture and not making your own

distinctive contribution.

Global Poverty

We need to be creative, competent, and audacious in our endeavors to serve the poor.

The world is outdoing us in their concern for the poor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkbfF25sUZI

Competence, first, means understanding economics

"I believe the only long-term solution to world poverty is business. That is because businesses produce goods, and businesses produce jobs. And businesses continue producing goods year after year, and continue providing jobs and paying wages year after year. Therefore if we are ever going to see long-term solutions to world poverty, I believe it will come through starting and maintaining productive, profitable businesses" (pp. 80-81).

If this is true, then why is it that the evangelical church almost never talks about a biblical approach to economics, except with regard to personal finances?

Creativity means:

Pioneering new models and working against the policies that create poverty

Three Examples

• Kiva• Global Giving• Think of your giving as an investment portfolio

It is a Good Thing for Non-Profits to Raise Money: http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2008/10/it-is-a-good-thing-for-non-profits-to-raise-money/

Resources

Schneider: The Good of AffluenceGrudem: Business to the Glory of GodGilder: Wealth and PovertyD’Souza: The Virtue of ProsperityBlomberg: Neither Poverty Nor RichesCrouch: Culture Making