Can I Be a Christian and Want to Be Rich? | Faith & Life | Our Daily Bread Singapore (2024)

Can I confess something? I am a Christian, and I would like to be rich.

Well, not rich on the level of Bill Gates or Elon Musk, but rich enough to give me a certain level of comfort and more options in life.

If you’re rich, you could save time by going to private hospitals and doctors for medical appointments instead of queueing up at a public hospital.

If you’re rich, you could take a sabbatical anytime, and not worry about having enough to pay for all daily expenses and needs, especially during this time of inflation.

If you’re rich, you could have a much more comfortable life. You could take your family on the best holiday, buy anything you want, live anywhere you want.

And, of course, if you’re rich, you could help many others without feeling the pinch. You would be more able, as Paul instructed in 1 Timothy 6:18, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous, and to share with others. I’m sure many people would give more if they had more.

But then, in the same chapter, in verse 9, Paul also warns us (emphasis added): “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

After meditating on this verse, I have to wonder: perhaps wanting to be rich isn’t so good for me. Or is it all right?

Can I Be a Christian and Want to Be Rich? | Faith & Life | Our Daily Bread Singapore (2024)

FAQs

Can I Be a Christian and Want to Be Rich? | Faith & Life | Our Daily Bread Singapore? ›

No wonder Jesus explicitly warns us that we cannot love and serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). But there is nothing wrong with being rich. The rich are no less holy than others. One can be rich and still love God more than he loves or trusts money.

Can you be wealthy and a Christian? ›

One can be a real Christian and be rich. But it is not easy, the Bible says, and experience confirms it. Jesus knew that the rich young ruler would not obey the most important thing he told him – “and come, follow me” – if he kept his wealth. The goal of getting rich is a foolish goal.

How to become wealthy according to the Bible? ›

God's blessing of wealth is usually obtained by great wisdom and responsibility and through discipline, hard work, saving, investing, and seeking God's will. Occasional, Biblical wealth is obtained suddenly by a great blessing such as an inheritance, oil and gas discovery or great invention.

How to become financially blessed? ›

Seven Steps To Having God's Blessing On Your Finances
  1. 2) Work if you are able. ...
  2. 3) Be honest in paying taxes. ...
  3. 4) Tithe 10% of all you have back to God. ...
  4. 5) Decide how much of your income you will live on. ...
  5. 6) Keep accountable and joint bank accounts.
Jan 22, 2018

Does God want us to be rich or poor? ›

The Bible issues several warnings against the love of money and the snare of wealth (1 Timothy 3:3; 6:10), but in Proverbs 30:8–9, Agur, the gather of wise sayings, asks that he would have neither poverty nor wealth.

Does God want every believer to be rich? ›

Physical abundance and material wealth is one of God's blessings. And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth… On the other hand, it's not a sin to be poor. Poverty doesn't automatically make you less righteous, or more righteous.

Can I be rich and go to heaven? ›

Just as it's impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, it's impossible with people—but not with God—for a rich man to enter Heaven. Jesus can and ultimately did provide a way for rich people—and all who believe in Him—to enter God's Kingdom.

How to get financial blessings from God? ›

Serving God with your finances means 'giving to the Lord's work, financing the church and the expansion of the gospel. ' I believe the minimum amount you should give to God's work is a tithe, or ten percent. Malachi 3:10 says that the Lord will open the windows of heaven and bliss you if you obey him in giving tithes.

What does Jesus say about rich people? ›

ESV And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. NIV Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.

How does God view money? ›

Money, then, is not an end in itself. Instead, it's a useful object that we've been asked to manage according to a higher standard and with reference to a more comprehensive goal. To put it another way, the Bible characterizes our relationship with money as a question of good stewardship.

How do you ask God for a financial miracle? ›

Prayer for financial breakthrough:

"Dear God, I pray for a breakthrough in my financial situation. Please open doors and create opportunities for me to increase my income and achieve financial freedom."

When God gives me power to get wealth? ›

Deuteronomy 8:18 New King James Version (NKJV)

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

How do I put God first in my finances? ›

Five actions that show we put God first with our money
  1. We tithe. “'Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. ...
  2. We provide for specific needs. ...
  3. We get out of debt and stay out of debt. ...
  4. We live contently. ...
  5. We don't fret about finances.

What does the Bible say about being too rich? ›

First Timothy 6:17 says, “As 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 provides us with everything to enjoy.” Jesus himself talks about how hard it is for the rich to remain untangled by the trappings of their wealth, ...

What are the poor in spirit? ›

Now, the phrase 'poor in spirit' speaks to an even deeper reality … beyond physical poverty … but to true spiritual poverty. To be poor in spirit means to acknowledge our deepest human need for God and to grow in that longing and that dependence on a daily basis.

Why does God want you to be rich? ›

God does want each of us to be rich in every possible way -- health, love, and peace of mind, as well as material possessions. God wants this, however, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of all humankind.

What does Christianity say about being rich? ›

Finally, 1 Timothy 6:17-18 offers divine instructions for the wealthy among us. The passage reads: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

What does Christianity think about wealth? ›

There have been a variety of Christian views on poverty and wealth. At one end of the spectrum is a view which casts wealth and materialism as an evil to be avoided and even combated. At the other end is a view which casts prosperity and well-being as a blessing from God.

What is God's view of wealth? ›

God's intentions for wealth and prosperity

God desires that His children use their wealth and prosperity to bring about positive change in the world. He calls us to be good stewards of the resources He has entrusted to us, using them to bless others and advance His kingdom on Earth.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Otha Schamberger

Last Updated:

Views: 6308

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Otha Schamberger

Birthday: 1999-08-15

Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

Phone: +8557035444877

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.