Think Biblically!

PROPOSING A BIBLICAL APPROACH TO ECONOMICS

R. W. MACKEY, I I

Although the Bible is not an economics textbook as such, it certainly informs the economic component of a worldview. Over seven hundred passages of Scripture address the concept of wealth, either directly or indirectly. The book of Proverbs is replete with admonitions about prosperity. Christ spoke of wealth management more than He spoke of heaven or hell, causing one to ask, “Why would the Savior place such great emphasis on what seems, at first blush, to be a rather mundane, temporally-focused topic?” The answer to this question centers on the focus of redemption—the human heart! Christ told His followers directly:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

—MATT 6:19-21, emphasis added

The last sentence of this passage summarizes the concept that the individual’s management of wealth is a clear indicator of the heart’s allegiance. Taken one step further, the perceived nature of wealth as existing primarily for either immediate use (temporal purposes) or for long-term use (eternal purposes) clearly reveals whether the person is living with an earthbound or heavenly perspective. Since Paul reminds believers that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20), wealth is better reserved for the believer’s ultimate destination—an eternity with God.

Many roads in Southern California are lined with job seekers. Some of these day laborers have migrated north into California from Mexico, Central America, or South America to find employment opportunities superior to those in their native economies. When jobs are found, a small portion of the wages earned are applied to the costs of a very modest, albeit temporary U.S. lifestyle, while the lion’s share of the earnings are sent to the worker’s native home to be saved as a nest egg for future use. Wiring money to other countries is big business in Southern California because wealth follows citizenship! It is little wonder, then, why the Bible gives such an extensive discussion of economic issues when the very nature of the subject so clearly reveals the condition of the human heart.

FOUNDATIONAL THOUGHTS

Essentially the study of economics is a study of human problems that are rooted in scarcity. Since not enough goods and/or services exist to satisfy all human wants, the need for allocation with its attendant problems arises. How one behaves when solving these allocation problems is a significant theme of God’s Word. Although the Bible does not offer formulas for investment strategies or specific rules for accounting practices, the moral guidelines derived from the holy nature of God revealed in Scripture give clear and comprehensive guidelines for economic decisions. In God’sWord, one learns about:

• The origin of economics

• The economics of redemption

• The responsibility of stewardship

What better guide in these matters than the one given to us by the Creator and Sustainer of all that is visible and invisible?

THE ORIGIN OF ECONOMICS

When did the concept of economics begin? Some say the start of modern economic thought originated with a short book penned by Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1864), a British clergyman. In his work An Essay on the Principle of Population as It Affects the Future Improvement of Society (1798), he predicted human population growth would be approximately 3 percent annually, which would double the earth’s inhabitants roughly every twenty-five years.¹ Based on these numbers, he believed that the earth’s agricultural resources would be unable to sustain the population growth, eventually resulting in hungry people killing each other for food. The Malthusian scenario was gloomy indeed, causing economics to be dubbed “the dismal science,” a nickname that has persisted.

One can’t help but ask, did Malthus get it right? The answer is, yes and no. The earth’s population has doubled roughly every twenty-five years, but Malthus failed to factor human advances into his equation. If he had visited the United States prior to publishing his book, a vast wilderness would have filled his vision. Most of California would have appeared as unarable at best and inhospitable at worst. Now many of the nation’s farmers are paid by the government not to plant crops on all of their land in order to keep crop prices up. This is a testament to incredible technological advances that have led to record productivity.

But aside from these issues, Malthus did identify the very foundation of economics: scarcity. He knew that food was a scarce commodity. It exists in finite amounts. Furthermore, an item becomes significantly scarce when it exists in less than desired amounts. This explains why diamonds are more expensive than air. Air is certainly more important than diamonds (although some young lady may believe she will “just die” without a diamond); but diamonds are more expensive because they exist in significantly smaller amounts. Air would suddenly garner an exorbitant price if not enough were available for all. No doubt, people would gladly surrender diamonds for air to breathe.

Without the reality of scarcity, economics is not only irrelevant but nonexistent. Economics is simply defined as the explanation of “how scarce resources are allocated among competing ends.”² In other words, since most goods and/or services are in shorter supply than desired, some method of allocation must be employed. Allocation is the subject of economics, and the occasion for allocation is caused by scarcity. If an item exists in abundance, as air does, then allocation becomes a moot point. If an item exists in relative scarcity, as diamonds do, then guards must be hired and prices set to insure that allocation occurs as intended.

If an economic system performs well, it produces efficiently. This efficiency is the by-product of balancing the factors of production (land, labor, and equipment) in such a way that they complement (or cooperate with) each other and produce little or no waste. In an ideal economy, balance is also realized in the environment as a whole by providing adequate and purposeful work for people within their God-given roles in a constant fashion. A balanced economy produces jobs for all those seeking and able to work.

Questions may arise at this point. When did the human race first experience scarcity, and why does scarcity continue to this day? Does the Bible tell us about the origin and continuation of scarcity? Why do economic systems now need to deal with competition and imbalances? The answers to these questions are found in Genesis 1—3. At least three factors are apparent, and they have great import for economic thinking: abundance, cooperation, and balance.

Abundance

The account of creation is initially an account of abundance: An ample amount was made available by God for the earth’s human inhabitants. God told Adam:

“Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”

—GEN 1:29

This statement occurred after God made the earth habitable for plant, animal, and human life through introducing life-sustaining ingredients like land, water, atmosphere, light, heat, and seasons. All that Adam and Eve needed to live was available for the gathering. Plenty characterized initial creation.

Cooperation

Not only did abundance characterize initial creation, but cooperation was present as well. Initially Adam was created to complement his Creator, to subdue, multiply, and cultivate the created realm. The scriptural commentary on the second human’s (the woman’s) creation is:

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

—GEN 2:18

Eve’s God-given role was not to compete with Adam, but rather to complement him in the cultivation of the garden. As Adam’s complement, Eve accepted his household leadership and worked to help him accomplish the mandates spoken by God. She was designed for this role by God and assumed this role for a time. This complementary activity was true cooperation, not in an egalitarian context, but in fulfillment of God-ordained roles within creation. Competition was not an issue at this point in human history for two reasons:

1. Since the earth’s resources were abundant, plenty existed for everyone, and there was no reason to compete.

2. Since Adam’s and Eve’s motives were pure, they cooperated perfectly. Each performed within the roles that God had designed for him or her and experienced efficient homeostasis.

Balance

Abundance and cooperation existed in an environment of balance. The physical conditions of the earth were in balance: darkness and light, land and water, plants and animals, humans and animals, man and woman. This garden, masterfully created by the wonderful Father, was the model of order and, in that sense, capable of infinite existence (Gen 3:22). No mutations were present, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics was not a consideration. Adam and Eve did not need to ever listen to an economics lecture or sit for an examination over the laws of supply and demand. A business cycle with its inherent tradeoffs did not exist. Competition for scarce resources and environmental fluctuations were unknown to their world.

However, all of this changed. Economic considerations began with the events recorded in Genesis 3. That chapter describes how sin entered the world and the accompanying results of falling away from God. The conditions of abundance, cooperation, and balance were dramatically marred by the Fall.

Satan approached Eve in the garden and began a process of rationalization with her. His approach culminated in a statement to her that epitomizes the essence of sin—pride. Satan said, “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5). Prior to this encounter, Adam and Eve were not aspiring to be like God but were enjoying the benefits of trusting in the wisdom and goodness of their Creator. God’s goodness in creation was theirs to superintend. Now God’s way was called into question, and it seemed to Adam and Eve as though a better way had been identified. Since they were not like God, they lacked the foreknowledge to surmise the outcomes of eating the fruit.

One outcome of sin was the advent of scarcity. God said to Adam:

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground.”

—GEN 3:17-19

Abundance became scarcity due to the introduction of “thorns and thistles.” Good things became difficult to cultivate, while potentially productive things, left to themselves, deteriorated. The human enterprise for existence became a struggle with the circumstances that were set in motion by sin. Scarcity partnered with sweat. Getting and keeping enough devolved into an anxious endeavor. As a former professor at Los Angeles Baptist College, Dr. Herbert Hotchkiss, told his students, the fall of man moved mankind from security to insecurity; therefore, mankind would spend the rest of its days looking for food and a home.³

Scarcity resulted from and was accompanied by competition and imbalance. Adam would now compete with the earth’s marred conditions—thorns and thistles. These curses did not create equilibrium between crops and weeds, but initiated the domination of harm in the creation without constant, intelligent human effort. Adam would also compete with his wife for household leadership since God had pronounced that her “desire [would be] for her husband” (Gen 3:16). Later the competition became more pronounced between people and devolved into abject corruption, as recorded in Genesis 6. Those who possessed superior attributes dominated less-endowed people for evil purposes—i.e., a raw “survival of the fittest” scenario. The source of this corruption was genetic imbalances—i.e., the lack of parity or balance in innate abilities, coupled with depravity, producing a deplorable culture, so deplorable that God removed it through a worldwide flood.

These conditions of scarcity, competition, and imbalance, set in motion when sin entered the world, made economics a reality. Resources became difficult to acquire and hard to maintain. Competition characterized social interactions. Imbalance began a pendulum swing of extremes in the course of human affairs. How individuals approached the challenges of acquisition and allocation became a huge indicator of the extent to which the effects of the Fall were being reversed through the redemptive process.

Interestingly enough, when redemption is finally culminated in the believer’s eternal habitation with the Father, economics will no longer be an issue. The apostle John wrote:

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more.They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

—REV 22:3-5

The eternal existence in the new heaven and earth will restore the abundance, cooperation, and balance found only in humanity’s proper relationship to God. Christians would expect this to be so since the Father is totally sufficient, and life with Him, therefore, will be free from want. It is little wonder that, historically, believers who have undergone great persecution thought often of heaven and saw death as a joyous release, while affluent believers focused more on this life and saw death as a much more dreaded event. One’s view of future life with God is a barometer of one’s love or lack thereof for the world.

THE ECONOMICS OF REDEMPTION

Scarcity

The people of God, whether in the nation of Israel or in the church, have found themselves living in a fallen world and subject to challenging economic conditions. First of all, the believer must overcome scarcity through ongoing, intelligent effort. The often-cited passage that extols work makes the point:

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.

—PROV 6:6-8

The ant is the example of industry (work). This industry is simple, thoughtful, planned, consistent, and self-motivated. The passage says that without this initiative, poverty will take over (cf. Prov 6:10-11; 10:4-5).

The apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesians to work by writing:

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

—EPH 4:28

To the believers in Thessalonica, Paul wrote:

. . . aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may live properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

—1 THESS 4:11-12

WORKING

The biblical norm for overcoming scarcity in order to survive and to give is honest, consistent labor. Biblical principles are also given to outline the care of those unable to work. This scriptural mandate for work is so strong that those who do not engage in work are called sluggards in the book of Proverbs. These sluggards are glued to their beds (26:14), make poor excuses for laziness (26:13), fail to begin tasks (6:9), fail to complete tasks (19:24), and are useless to those who employ them (10:26; 18:9).⁴ Ultimately, these lazy individuals find that their lives are irretrievably wasted (24:30-31). Paul is so opposed to laziness that he tells the Thessalonian believers how to deal with those who are able to work but will not work: no work—no food!

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

—2 THESS 3:10-12

Lazy men with families are especially castigated by Paul. He instructs Timothy that men who do not provide for their families have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers (1 Tim 5:8).

Under normal conditions, scarcity is the problem and honest work is the solution. Many social activists believe that the solution to most cultural ills is wealth; they believe that a sizable group of people are problem people because they lack wealth. Such individuals often promote programs that give away resources only to find that the resources have been squandered or abused in time. The Scripture teaches, however, that problem people often lack resources because they are foolish, failing to work hard and to manage properly (Prov 24:30-34).

SAVING

Scripture also teaches that a portion of what is earned should be saved. Another visit with the ant in Proverbs 6:6-9 and 30:25 demonstrates this principle. The key words for this lesson are summer and winter. These words demonstrate the ant’s foresight in laying aside provisions when they are available (summer) against the time when provisions are scarce or nonexistent (winter). This sort of activity parallels in principle Joseph’s planning and provision in Genesis 41. Saving is simply preparing for future scarcity that may be brought on through predictable circumstances (e.g., old age) or somewhat unpredictable circumstances. The word somewhat is used because in a fallen world difficult circumstances are to be expected; only the time of the circumstance is unknown (everything is in a state of decay). This seems to be the thrust of Proverbs 21:20 where Solomon wrote, “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” The “treasure and oil” have been stored for future need, but foolish people live hand-to-mouth, as if undesired events will never occur, often relying on borrowed funds to handle emergencies.

Saving is mentioned by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:14. In reminding the Corinthians of his relationship to them, Paul uses a tender parent-child metaphor. He tells them that he will not be a burden to them because it is the responsibility of parents to save up for their children. Although Paul does not mention the purpose of parental savings, he extols the disciplined activity of setting aside resources for the future needs of offspring.

GIVING

The third antidote for scarcity is giving. Giving relieves the scarcity experienced by others. Jesus encouraged giving when he said, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). The early church set a pattern for weekly giving as a part of its Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:1-4). Giving was directed to the advancement of the Lord’s work (2 Cor 9), to those generally in need (Gal. 6:10; Eph 4:28), to the poor (Prov 14:21; 1 John 3:17), to qualified widows (1 Tim 5:3-16), and to those who have devoted themselves to spiritual leadership (Gal 6:6; 1 Tim 5:17-18).

Early Christians, who serve as godly examples, gave generously (2 Cor 8:2), sacrificially (2 Cor 8:2-3), joyously (2 Cor 9:7), lovingly (2 Cor 8:7), and worshipfully (2 Cor 8:5). Some of these contributions resulted from saving. This giving was voluntary (2 Cor 8:4), with no obligation to Old Testament law being mentioned. The New Testament is silent regarding Old Testament laws pertaining to giving. If a person were to adopt the tithe expected from the Israelites, the total tithe would be approximately 25 percent.⁵ One thing, however, remains consistent between the two testaments—giving to God has always been a matter of the heart (Ex 25:1-2; 2 Cor 9:7)!

Competition

But how does the second economic problem, competition, find its redemptive solution? Or, more specifically asked, how does the believer cooperate with God’s created order? The focus of this question is not initially upon competition among people for scarce resources, which is a worthy topic, but rather upon the believer’s willing cooperation with God’s design. This design contextualizes individuals within creation and therefore allows them to utilize their God-given abilities best, thereby aligning themselves with the blessing of God (Jas 1:25).

Initially Adam found himself under God’s authority, and Eve was placed under Adam’s leadership. The remainder of creation was subjugated to humanity (Gen 1:26). As creation continued in the established order, abundance persisted. When the order was broken, scarcity began. Economic well-being was ultimately dependent upon following God’s order. God reminded the nation of Israel that following His way would result in prosperity (Deut 6). Medieval theologians spoke of a plentitude inherent in gradation. When each stratum of God’s creation was willingly obedient to its role, plentitude was seen as the by-product.

Insightfully, Hamish McCrae has observed that the primary threat to prosperity in North America is the demise of the family unit,⁶ which many Christians believe has resulted from a movement away from cooperation with God-ordained structures. Since the home is the primary vehicle for value transmission within society, this familial meltdown affects every sector of the economy, including:

• Effectiveness of the legal system

• Proliferation of laws

• Need for more police officers and prisons

• Ethics of the workforce

• Costs of insurance

• Taxpayers’ burdens for social programs

• Adequate preparation of the workforce

• Attitudes toward debt and saving

Following the patterns established by God for the home (Deut 6; Prov 2; 31; Eph 5; Titus 2) positions a family and consequently a society for prosperity. Is it possible that poverty eventually accompanies a failure to cooperate with God’s order? Is the study of the sweep of successful endeavor in human history in reality a mapping of God’s sovereign movement geographically and culturally because His Spirit quickened hearts to obedience?

Imbalance

The restoration of balance to creation will also occur when redemption affects economics. The current human condition seems to be characterized by extremes. These extremes are promoted when individuals argue for the man-made systems of socialism exclusively or capitalism exclusively.

SOCIALISM

The proponents of socialism assume that people will put others before themselves and will work for the common good. Goods and services will be corporately owned and allocated on the basis of need, with some form of central planning to assess needs in advance. Socialists argue:

• Socialism is more noble than capitalism because socialism presupposes that people are capable of selflessness (i.e., goodness).

• The “haves” will take unfair advantage of the “have-nots” if capitalism is allowed to evolve freely (capitalism is no more than “survival of the fittest”).

• Eventually the “have-nots” (i.e., the poor working class) will overthrow the “haves” to restore equality.

• Capitalism simply panders to the base instinct of greed.

• Socialism prizes compassion for the less fortunate.

• Socialism emphasizes community over autonomous freedom.

Some Christians have cited Acts 2:44-45 as a defense for a “sanctified socialism” to be practiced by the church. The use of this Scripture for this defense, however, doesn’t work for a number of reasons. The church in Jerusalem practiced this communal approach to giving on a one-time, voluntary basis, with no biblical or apostolic command preceding it. No mention of this practice as normative for the churches appears in the remainder of Acts or in any other New Testament book.⁷

CAPITALISM

Capitalism, in a pure form, relies solely on market forces (buyers and sellers) to establish and regulate an equilibrium price as dictated by surpluses and shortages. Supply and demand govern free exchange, with the participants privately owning whatever they are able to garner through that exchange.

The proponents of capitalism argue that it:

•Works because it best accounts for the depravity of man (self-interest).

• Allows market equilibrium to coordinate buyers and sellers, while outside interventions (externalities) tend only to cause problems.

• Solves the subjective nature of pricing.

• Is truly egalitarian as proposed by Adam Smith and is not predicated on a “zero sum gain” (both parties in an exchange benefit).⁸

• Allows its participants to amass great wealth.

• Motivates (provides incentive to) workers because they may keep or give the fruits of their labors as they see fit.

• Has spawned a poor class of people who are relatively better off as compared to the poor in other parts of the world (“a rising tide raises all boats”).

• Self-corrects market imperfections when predicated on free exchange (mistakes cause losses, while correct actions produce profits).

• Has an antithesis, socialism, that has failed (as demonstrated by the collapse of the Soviet Union).

BALANCE

But again balance is needed. God’s economy, as portrayed in the theocracy of Israel, possessed both systems of allocation. Laws protecting property ownership were established and enforced (Ex 20:15; 22:1-5). Giving was expected from the one who loved the Lord, which implied ownership (one may give only what one owns). Yet, the year of jubilee returned property back to its original owners—an egalitarian/socialistic norm (Lev 25:10-16). Welfare was commanded in the Law as evidenced in the practice of gleaning (Lev 19:9-10), but laziness was allowed to run its course without a safety net. Because giving was a personal endeavor, the lazy could be differentiated from the truly needy, which is an impossibility under one-size-fits-all government welfare programs. God’s approach to managing a national economy was balanced.

One would think that an economic system from God would solve the problems of wealth acquisition and distribution, but Israel slipped time and again into imbalance. The problem was not with the system, but with the hearts of those in the system. In some respects John Kenneth Galbraith got it right in his famous aphorism, “Under capitalism, man exploits man; under communism, it’s just the opposite.”⁹ Economic principles are only as viable as the moral character of the participants. No system works unless it is adhered to by the majority of its participants, and even then it must be reinforced by an adequate legal system.

It behooves the individual believer to restore a redemptive balance as well. This balance may never be restored on a macroeconomic level, since the chances of the church’s affecting the business cycle seem rather remote. But it is certainly possible to live in such a way that believers demonstrate a balanced walk. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul exhorts the believer to walk “worthy,” using a word that originally meant “balanced” in classical Greek. Christlikeness will result in balance, since He was perfectly balanced in His approach to all things.¹⁰

This balance will demonstrate itself in a proper approach to working, saving, and giving. Work will not be an end in itself, robbing the believer of time in the church and the home. Saving will not be an end in itself, resulting in hoarding and its attendant false sense of security. Giving will not be an end in itself, with household neglect and religious pride. God’s child will learn to balance the enjoyment of the Father’s creation with a sense of self-sacrifice. The mature believer is growing “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18) who was perfectly balanced in all facets of life. The believer should be balanced because each of the three activities is ordained by God, and to neglect any of the three is an affront to His order.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STEWARDSHIP

The oft-used word describing the believer’s relationship to wealth is stewardship, and it is not a bad choice. A steward is “one who acts as a supervisor or administrator, as of finances and property, for another or others.”¹¹ The underlying issue in this concept is ownership. The steward does not own property; the steward manages property for the rightful owner. This lack of ownership limits the steward’s freedom. The museum curator does not own the impressionistic painting on display. The painting cannot be taken from the museum and placed in the curator’s home simply because the masterpiece matches his/her interior decor. The point is, the steward is responsible to use the property in the manner and the time designated by the owner. To do otherwise would be a violation of property rights.

The psalmist declares, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps 24:1). Paul, when addressing an Athenian audience, said that “God made the world and everything in it,” and that “he himself [God] gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). Actually the earth has always belonged to God by right of creation, and stewardship (dominion) has been the role of mankind since the beginning (Gen 1:28). Stewardship was marred by the Fall, however, and mankind began to see the material world as existing for human purposes rather than viewing creation as from God, for God, and to God.

A person may counter, “I made this money with my own time, energy, and expertise!” The question remains: What is the source of one’s time, energy, and expertise? How do individuals find themselves in the right place at the right time, allowing market forces to produce wealth? Moses told the nation of Israel, “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth” (Deut 8:18a). Ultimately, all wealth comes from God.

Redemption—i.e., reversing the effects of the Fall—is temporally expressed by the believer in subduing the created world in all of its facets (time, energy, expertise, wealth) to the sole purpose of God’s glory (1 Cor 10:31). The problem lies in the preoccupation with the temporal (mankind’s ambitions) to the neglect of the eternal (God’s purposes). Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”

—MATT 16:24-26

The cross was an instrument of death. The life of discipleship is a life of death—death to self with its ambitions, but life to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Dead people are not concerned with their own affairs. Does this mean, however, that believers are not at all concerned with the cares of this world? No, but it does mean that believers should first seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness; it is a matter of priority (Matt 6:33).

One morning, as this author prepared to face the day and looked at the bathroom mirror, he noticed a card taped there by his oldest daughter. On the card were these words from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (emphasis added)

The author’s first thought was, I guess she noticed the outward wasting away too! The second thought, however, was by far the better thought: Am I preoccupied with the transient? This preoccupation with the material will produce sadness because the material either departs from the person because of “moths . . . rust . . . thieves” or the person leaves the material behind by physical death. A focus on the eternal—the person and purposes of God—produces great joy in anticipation that the best is yet to come!

The believer’s attitude toward wealth (acquiring and using the temporal) is paramount in assessing whether one’s walk is by faith or by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Paul reminds believers to “set your minds on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:2-4, emphasis added).

One divine by-product of having a heart focused on the eternal is a spirit of contentment. When the believer is concentrating on the eternal purposes of God, the hand of God is not only seen as paramount in circumstances, but “slight momentary affliction” pales in light of “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17). The apostle Paul testified:

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

—PHIL 4:11-13

Paul also wrote about wealth to Timothy, who was serving as a pastor to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a city known to prize wealth, sports, and entertainment, sort of a miniature precursor to the current American culture. Apparently some Ephesians were embracing Christianity because they believed it to be the path to riches (a miniature precursor to the “health and wealth gospel”). Paul said that these people imagined that “godliness is a means of gain” (1 Tim 6:5). Paul employs an intriguing thought process when he counters this false idea in verse 6: “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.” This frequently cited statement summarizes the sentiment well:

Many Christians believe that: God + wealth = contentment.
The Bible teaches that: God + contentment = wealth!

Sometimes individual Christians and churches will fail to live within their incomes. In many instances the debt is merely a symptom, the root cause being a lack of contentment. Contentment comes when the believer is resting in the sovereignty of God (allowing Him to lead through circumstances) and is being controlled by His Spirit (one virtuous element in the fruit of the Spirit is “patience”). A spirit of discontent dictates the unending need for more, which is satisfied with more borrowing. When believers are content, they accept God’s hand in their standard of living. When believers are content, they patiently save (allowing compound interest to work for them) rather than rushing to borrow (causing compound interest to work against them).

One role of advertising in the world is to keep the population in a perpetual state of discontent. The world, living for the present, will desire the newer, shinier, bigger, better, more convenient, faster, more enjoyable, more luxurious, and tastier. God offers His children the opportunity to step off the treadmill and rest in Him. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2).

Contentment’s primary source is found in having God’s perspective on wealth. Knowing what God prizes, as expressed in His word, is a tremendous encouragement to His children as they find themselves in the world, but not of the world. According to the Bible, a number of things are of greater value than gold, i.e., material riches. These treasures include:

• The souls of people (Matt 16:26)

• Righteousness (Prov 16:8)

• Wisdom and understanding (Prov 16:16)

• A good name (Prov 22:1)

• The law of the Lord (Ps 19:9-10)

• Integrity (Prov 19:1)

• An excellent wife (Prov 31:10)

• Children (Ps 127:3, 5)

• Knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-9)

• Knowing God (Jer 9:23-24)

The world sees material wealth as a source of happiness, an end in itself. It is little wonder that so many people are driven to accumulate wealth since they perceive it to be the primary source of happiness in a finite existence. God sees material wealth as a means of advancing His purposes, and on many occasions a lack of material wealth may give rise to and even deepen the qualities that matter most. Some of God’s people may possess wealth, while others may not. In either case, a spirit of contentment delivers God’s people from a preoccupation with wealth. The believer, then, accepts those amounts given by a loving and wise Father as a sign of His leading. This attitude is wonderfully reflected in the prayer of Agur (Prov 30:7-9):

Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?”or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

HAVING AN ATTITUDE

When the world fell into sin, abundance was supplanted by scarcity, cooperation was replaced by competition, and balance was taken over by imbalance. God has revealed His remedy for this part of sin’s material results: overcoming scarcity through working, saving, and giving; cooperating with God-ordained structures; and balancing otherwise extreme positions. Between the historical bookends of God’s perfect environments (i.e., the garden [Gen 2] and the new earth [Rev 21—22]), believers have a powerful indicator of the heart’s affection—their attitudes toward wealth.