Balanced Biblical Stewardship

Scripture has much to say about our relationship to money – over 2,000 verses. But exactly what it says – and what it means – has often been distorted to extremes. Certain Biblical passages are ignored and others highlighted in order to “prove” one position or another when it comes to money.

For example, some assume that every believer is called to get rid of all possessions, as the rich young ruler was (Matthew 19) or to give everything to God as the widow at the Temple did (Luke 21:1-4). Others believe that God wants all believers to be well-off, based on passages like the Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10). Some teach that God’s provision is like a vending machine; if we put the right amount in – say, tithes and firstfruits – we’ll get a bounty in return (based on verses like Proverbs 3:9-10).

Give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

— Proverbs 30:8-9

The truth is that Scripture teaches a balanced approach, recognizing the dangers of extremes. Poverty may tempt us to desperation, leading to a life that dishonors God. Riches may tempt us to pride, leading to a life that ignores God. But the constant theme of Scripture is the need to honor God with our wealth – whether it be great or small.

Enough

Whoever loves money never has enough;

whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.

This too is meaningless.

— Ecclesiastes 5:10

Solomon wisely points out that whoever loves money never has enough. John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest people in history, exemplified this truth. When asked, “How much money is enough?” he replied, “Just a little more”.

But it’s possible to have enough, whether that amount is large or small:

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

— Philippians 4:11-13

Whether he had much or little, Paul was content. How did he maintain this attitude of contentment through the highs and lows? He answers that for us in verse 13: “through him who gives me strength.”

Balance and Perspective

All of this said, Scripture encourages us to multiply the resources God has given us – see the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). God blessed the Israelites materially until they turned away from him. 

The question isn’t really how much we have, or even how much we believe we need. The question is whether we’ve chosen to serve God or serve money (Matthew 6:19-24). We can’t serve both. It’s possible to have little and still choose to serve God. And it’s possible to have much and still serve God. Possible, but difficult – as we’ll see.

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What Balance Looks Like

Once in a while, God challenges a believer to an extreme in their stewardship. He gives some people the ability to earn significant amounts of money and calls them to steward those resources faithfully. He leads others to give up their careers in order to follow his call to the mission field.

But most of us live between those extremes. We live in that “neither poverty nor riches” place of Proverbs 30:8. For us, Biblical stewardship carries a certain balance that supports our pursuit of being and making disciples while faithfully stewarding the resources God has put in our care. So what does that balance look like in each of the major financial areas (earning, giving, saving, spending, and debt)?

Balance in Earning

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

— Colossians 3:23-24

God calls us to be Diligent Earners. Diligent earners work with purpose, integrity, and a positive attitude – as working for God, not for people. Their level of commitment tends to lead to material gain (raises, bonuses, etc.), but they don’t find their identity in their work. They balance work with other key areas of life, such as spiritual growth, community service and family relationships.

There are extremes on either side of diligent earning. Driven earners find their identity and meaning in their career. They associate their value with earning, and tend to neglect other areas of life for the sake of their work. Because they associate their value with their careers, their relationships at work tend to focus on how others can help them advance, rather than how they can serve others.

At the other end of the spectrum, Disinterested earners view work simply as a necessary evil in order to earn the money they need to live. They “work for the weekend” and dream of retirement. They tend not to maximize their earning potential because their interests lie elsewhere – anywhere but work. They watch the clock and tend to do the minimum needed in their jobs. They’re the first to complain when their job requires additional effort or time.

What Balanced Earning Looks Like

Diligent earners avoid these extremes by recognizing that work was part of God’s original creation and a part of his purpose for us. They see work as a way to honor God – both through relationships with co-workers and through stewardship of their earnings. Diligent earners bring a positive attitude even to jobs that are less than fulfilling because they see work as part of God’s purpose.

Balance in Spending

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

— Luke 12:15

Jesus’ words to the crowd came in response to a request to arbitrate between two brothers over an inheritance. His words reflect the truth that meaning can’t be found in worldly possessions or pleasures. Solomon experienced and expressed this same truth centuries earlier:

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my labor,

and this was the reward for all my toil.

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

nothing was gained under the sun.

— Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Prudent Spenders enjoy God’s provision (1 Timothy 6:17) without falling into materialism and consumerism. They recognize that all the good things they have are gifts from God (James 1:17) and they receive them with thanksgiving. They’re open-handed and generous with their resources (1 Timothy 6:18) because they see them as God’s provision. Their spending reflects a Biblical balance between generosity and enjoyment with thanksgiving.

As with earning, spending also has extremes. On one end of the spending spectrum are the ascetics, who shun pleasure and possessions, under the assumption that God calls believers to a life of poverty and self-denial. When God calls someone to this kind of life, they’re able to live it with joy, contentment, and gratitude – just like someone who has more. But those who simply assume that this is required of all Christians tend to see life as joyless drudgery. The resulting distorted view of God understands him not as a loving Father but as a harsh taskmaster.

At the other end of the spectrum are believers whose lives revolve around their possessions and wealth. Some of these are deceived by prosperity theology; others simply have not embraced stewardship principles and see themselves as owners of their possessions rather than as stewards. Some are overspending their income, endangering their future financially. Others are not outspending their earnings but are failing to accomplish God’s purposes with what they’ve been given. Their spending patterns reflect the priority they give to their own enjoyment.

What Balanced Spending Looks Like

Prudent spenders avoid extremes of asceticism and materialism by receiving God’s provision with gratitude and seeing themselves as stewards rather than owners of that provision. They balance spending for themselves against other priorities such as giving, saving, and retiring debt. They practice contentment, not coveting things they don’t have.

Additionally, prudent spenders know where their money is going and they plan their spending based on their income. They don’t spend money they don’t have, and their spending reflects thought-out and prayed-over priorities. Prudent spenders are patient and able to wait to satisfy their wants until they’ve saved sufficient funds.

Balance in Giving

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

— 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives two foundational instructions regarding money:

1. Our money leads our hearts, so we need to store our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
2. We can’t serve two masters, so we have to choose whether to serve God or money (Matthew 6:24).

These instructions apply to all of our stewardship, but nowhere more so than in our giving. Giving is the one way we can break the hold that money tends to have on us.

Generous Givers share the resources God has provided them out of gratitude to God and concern for others. They give cheerfully, not reluctantly. Their giving is based on grace, not guilt, and comes from their heart rather than from a sense of obligation. They put their resources at God’s disposal.

The extremes related to giving are less about amounts than they are about mindsets. Grudging givers tend to see all of their resources as their own. They give because they feel obligated (and, unfortunately, the church often contributes to this sense by the way giving is presented). Their giving is driven by the expectations of others rather than by gratitude toward God. Because they see themselves as owners rather than stewards, they tend to give as little as they believe they can while still meeting expectations.

At the other end of the spectrum, Guilty givers tend to give out of a sense of guilt and obligation. These two aren’t mutually exclusive, but givers driven primarily by guilt may give larger amounts because they feel “they owe it”. Guilty givers may see themselves as stewards, but their giving is driven by the needs of others rather than by God’s leading. They tend to respond to emotional appeals as opposed to seeking God’s direction for their giving.

What Balanced Giving Looks Like

Generous givers put their resources at God’s disposal and prayerfully discern how God would have them give. As a result, “balance” in giving is more about a mindset of stewardship than it is about amounts. It might look different for different people.

For one person, balanced giving is characterized by faithful, systematic giving often beyond the tithe. Another person delights in meeting specific needs through a generosity fund set aside over time. Still another focuses efforts on legacy giving.

Balanced giving doesn’t have a single profile. It’s God-directed and God-empowered.  One common factor is that God is glorified, as he was in the giving of the Corinthian church toward a special offering for the poor in Jerusalem:

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

— 2 Corinthians 9:12

Balance in Saving

The wise store up choice food and olive oil,

but fools gulp theirs down.

— Proverbs 21:20

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

— Luke 12:20-21

Saving may be the area where financial extremes are most visible. Scripture tells us that saving is wise. But it also says that hoarding is foolish.

Wise Savers know the importance of setting aside resources for future needs. They’re able to put off purchases until they have sufficient funds, so they avoid consumer debt. They include different types of saving in their Spending Plan, and they understand the purposes for which they’re saving.

Interestingly, Scripture describes both extremes of saving as foolish. Non-savers consume everything they make. Lacking perseverance and patience, non-savers tend to outspend their income on things they want, going into consumer debt to satisfy themselves. Because they have no margin set aside, every unforeseen emergency plunges them further into debt. Non-savers tend to live for the moment with little thought of the future.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, over-savers are also called foolish in Scripture. The parable cited above (Luke 12:16-21) is actually called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” Over-savers save without a clear purpose (beyond simple accumulation). They don’t have a specific target in mind; instead, they save beyond their actual needs because they trust in money rather than in God to provide for them in the future.

Non-savers and over-savers both miss God’s design for stewardship. Both of them treat resources as owners rather than as stewards. Their handling of money reflects self-centeredness. Non-savers typically spend all they make; for them, giving is an afterthought if it’s a thought at all. Over-savers accumulate for themselves and miss out on opportunities for generosity.  Both fall short of living out God’s will for their finances.

What Balanced Saving Looks Like

Wise, balanced saving has a purpose. It might be short-term (for example, Emergency Savings), long-term, or something between – but it has a defined purpose and goal. Balanced saving is part of an overall Spending Plan that prioritizes giving and takes into account spending, debt retirement, and income. It’s intentional and disciplined.

Balanced saving protects us from materialism by encouraging us to postpone purchases until we have the funds. It prepares us for future giving by making resources available when a need arises. It develops our character, encouraging contentment, perseverance, and patience. And it does all of this without replacing God as the source of our security (1 Timothy 6:17).

Balance in Debt

The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is slave to the lender.

— Proverbs 22:7

It might seem like debt is one area where an extreme (no debt) is preferable to “balance”. Certainly debt has several drawbacks Scripturally:

• It creates an obligation to repay, which limits our freedom.
• It presumes on the future.
• It’s dangerous.

That said, Scripture also never calls debt “sin”. Certainly it can be a result of sin in the form of self-centeredness and greed. But it can also be a result of unforeseen emergencies without any direct tie to a sinful practice or bad decision. And, in today’s economy, debt is almost a necessity for major life milestones such as college education, purchasing a home, or starting a business.

Cautious Debtors understand the dangers of debt and avoid it whenever possible. They especially shun consumer debt unless absolutely necessary and pay it off as soon as they can. Typically, they’re also wise savers, who have an emergency fund to help them stay out of debt from unforeseen circumstances. They look for alternatives to consumer debt (such as temporarily using a laundromat while saving up to replace a washer/dryer).

Cautious debtors also consider carefully the financial ramifications of major decisions that involve debt. For example, they weigh the financial considerations along with other factors when choosing a college or purchasing a house. They don’t assume that large amounts of debt are acceptable when considering these alternatives. They carefully weigh their decisions and understand the implications of repaying the debt (for example, the fact that a student loan will be paid off when they’re at the lowest earning point of their career and when they may also be looking to start a family, etc.).

Careless debtors pay little attention to their debt decisions. They incur consumer debt without thought in order to satisfy their wants. They tend to make impulsive purchasing decisions out of materialism or emotional need. They don’t have a specific plan for paying off the debt because they don’t see debt as a problem. When taking on large purchases such as a house or college education, they consider only how the purchase will meet their needs without regard to the payments.

Resistant debtors go to the opposite extreme. Driven either by conviction that all debt is sin or by fear of debt, they avoid consumer debt at all costs. Additionally, they miss opportunities to leverage efficient debt that might benefit them financially, such as a home purchase. Often, such a total evasion of debt leads them to make decisions that negatively impact long-term savings (for example, because they pay off a house early rather than using that same money to save for retirement).

What Balanced Debt Looks Like

Debt is risky. Whether it’s consumer debt brought on by materialism or debt from a careful decision, it’s risky. All debt presumes on the future – that is, it assumes the ability to repay. People have different risk tolerances, so the exact point of balance is different for different people. But generally, a balanced approach leads to limiting debt to that which has 2 characteristics:

1. It’s efficient. That is, it’s incurred on an asset that appreciates in value (such as a house or a college education).
2. It’s manageable. That is, it can be paid off under current circumstances without requiring an influx of new money (so it doesn’t depend on a hoped-for raise or bonus, for example). In the case of a college education, the debt can be paid off with the projected entry-level income from a job that the education would lead to.

Such debt should also be entered into prayerfully. God can see circumstances that we cannot, and he may have in mind a way of providing for our needs that we haven’t thought of. In this case, a decision to incur debt to meet a need may short-circuit God’s provision.

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Achieving Biblical Financial Balance

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

— Matthew 6:19-21, 24

Biblical balance in our finances starts with a decision to love and serve God rather than money. The more we follow that path, the more our hearts turn toward God, because our hearts follow our treasure. Think of it as a spiral upward – loving and serving God leads to storing treasure in heaven which gives us more of a heart for God, which leads to loving and serving him even more, and so on. Of course, the spiral also works in the other direction!

Biblical balance in our finances reflects three primary characteristics:

1. It’s based on the idea of stewardship, not ownership;
2. It’s guided by obedience to the Great Commandments and the Great Commission;
3. It takes into account the whole counsel of Scripture.

The Framework: Stewardship

When we treat our finances as owners, our financial decisions become all about us – our needs and wants, our preferences, our futures. When we understand that we are stewards of God’s resources, our decisions become more about God than about us. Of course, we still address our needs and wants and we still have to make decisions about the future (for example, decisions about saving and debt). But we consider our choices in light of God’s provision.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

— Romans 14:12

When we recognize God as the owner of the resources he has entrusted to us, we come to realize that at some point, we will give an account for what we’ve done with those resources. The Parable of the Talents illustrates this – eventually, the Master returns and expects an accounting. Faithful stewards will be able to give that accounting and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

— Luke 12:48

Scripture encourages us to be faithful with everything that God has entrusted to us (1 Corinthians 4:2). Some of us will be accountable for significant resources that God has provided; others will be answerable for less. The first two servants in the Parable of the Talents returned different amounts to the Master – but they both faithfully managed the resources entrusted to them. The point isn’t the amounts we’re given – it’s how we use them for the Master’s benefit.

The Imperatives: “Great Cs”

Two “Great Cs” stand out as overarching directives for the believer: the Great Commandments and the Great Commission.

As applied to stewardship, the Great Commandments are another way of saying in effect, “It’s not about us”. We saw earlier that we can’t serve both God and money – we have to choose. The Great Commandments show us the choice that God expects: Love God, and love people. Maintaining a Biblical balance in our finances requires that we make decisions with these commandments in mind.

This doesn’t mean that we never spend on ourselves, of course. After all, God has provided resources for us to enjoy with gratitude (James 1:17, 1 Timothy 6:17). But it does mean that we are not the center of our financial universe. In stewardship as in all things, we’re called to look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:4).

Loving God and loving others with our finances is more than a question of tithing. It’s a perspective that guides decisions throughout our earning and spending. Perhaps loving others looks like incurring debt to purchase rental housing that can be used to provide shelter for low-income residents. Maybe loving God looks like dialing back on a vacation in order to give to a special need at church. Obedience to the Great Commandments takes many forms in our finances, and it’s up to us to prayerfully discern what it looks like for us.

Of course, the greatest outworking of the two Great Commandments is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). There’s no fuller expression of love for God and of love for others than directing time and resources to making God known where he is not known today. Perhaps that looks like reducing overtime at work in order to devote energy to advocacy for the Persecuted Church. Or maybe it’s sharing our resources with refugees from countries opposed to Christianity and opening the doors to sharing the Gospel with them. Again, obedience can take many forms – but we’re accountable to ensure that it takes some form.

The Guardrails: Whole Counsel of Scripture

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

— 2 Timothy 3:16-17

As we saw at the beginning, some people take individual verses or passages of Scripture out of context and use those as universal absolutes. This leads to unbalanced interpretation of Scripture because it ignores the rest of the Bible. So, for example, some assume that Jesus’ call to the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor is a general command for all believers. They ignore passages like Luke 8:1-4, which portrays several women who traveled with Jesus and supported his ministry out of their means. They didn’t give everything away, or they wouldn’t have had the means to support Jesus!

Paul tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed. That means that we emphasize some passages and ignore others to our own peril.

God blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with great wealth. But their descendants lived in slavery for 400 years. God chooses to bless some with great means (for which they will be held accountable!) and others with less. And he sometimes changes our circumstances, like he did with Paul, who knew living both in plenty and in want (Philippians 4:11-13).

As we consider what stewardship looks like in our lives, we need to take into account all of Scripture, not just the parts we like (like the prosperity gospel) or the parts that seem difficult (like the widow at the temple). Paul’s words to Timothy, which we’ve mentioned before, provide a good balance:

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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

— 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Enjoyment, doing good, sharing with others, laying up treasure in heaven – these are all part of what balanced, Biblical stewardship looks like.

Accountability is Personal

Because God provides for us in varying ways and leads us differently, we must apply our understanding of stewardship to ourselves without assuming that God is leading others the same way he is leading us.

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

— Romans 14:4

God is the one who provides, who directs, and who will hold us accountable. The widow at the temple gave away all that she had (Luke 21:1-4). Zacchaeus gave away (just) half of his wealth (Luke 19:8). The women following Jesus didn’t give anything away (as far as we know) but used their resources to support Jesus’ ministry. All of them were following God’s leading, and it looked different for each one.

One person gives generously week by week, month by month; another gives regularly but sets aside money for a generosity fund to be used to meet a specific need. Yet another sells everything and goes overseas as a missionary to an unreached people group. Still another devotes significant resources to caring for aging parents, honoring their parents with their time and finances. All of these honor God.

The Path: Attitude, Prayer, and Obedience

Attitude

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

— 1 Corinthians 10:31

In this passage, Paul speaks to the question of whether it’s permissible to eat meat sacrificed to idols. His conclusion? It’s permissible, but not always beneficial (verse 23). He instructs his readers to abstain from such meat if eating it would cause another to stumble (verses 28-29, 32). Their decisions should be made with a view toward glorifying God. And he extends this principle beyond just eating and drinking to incorporate all decisions.

This passage takes us back to the two Great Commandments. Our concern should be to love God by bringing glory to him and to love others by restricting our own freedoms for their sake when needed.

A few questions to consider as we evaluate choices for using God’s resources:

• How does this decision affect my ability to love God and love others?
• Can I receive this blessing with a grateful attitude, as opposed to one of entitlement?
• Does this choice fit within a balanced spending plan?

Prayer

Sometimes, it’s not easy to answer questions like the ones above. Do we give sacrificially to that new campaign at church or do we take the vacation we’ve been promising the family for a year? Should we buy that new car knowing we can afford the payments, or should we buy a less expensive used car for cash and keep that margin in our spending plan? Do we use that new raise to increase our retirement saving or do we add more giving into our plan?

Of course, sometimes the decisions are easier. If the new car requires payments we can’t afford, then we opt for the used one. But these decisions aren’t always that clear-cut; sometimes we’re choosing between two good alternatives. And some decisions have ramifications that we might not be able to fully foresee.

Scripture promises us that God will give us wisdom if we ask for it. That doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily receive a discernible “yes” or “no” on that purchase (although that could happen). That’s not “wisdom” per se – it’s a specific answer to a specific question. But if we earnestly seek God’s wisdom – that is, the Holy Spirit’s leading regarding principles we should apply as we make these decisions – he will provide it. God cares more about developing spiritual wisdom and character in us than he does about the outcome of a specific decision (although that outcome could have significant implications).

Obedience

Ultimately, of course, disciples are called to live lives of obedience to God. Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a specific decision is obedient or disobedient (though it might be). Rather, it means that our lifestyle of stewardship should reflect obedience to the Great Commandments and the Great Commission.

There are many ways to enact that obedience. A given decision might be obedient for one person and disobedient for another. Or it might be disobedient at one time and obedient at a different time. As we prayerfully seek God’s wisdom, with our hearts centered on loving and serving him, God leads us down a path toward his glory and our good.

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