Being rich is not a sin, but the Word of God (The Holy Bible) does not have very much good to say about being rich. When you read the Scriptures about the rich, you will see that God is looking at their motives and their intentions. This is what He is condemning. How they used their wealth and how they acquired it. According to Scripture those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them (James 1:10). In Isaiah it says that destruction is certain for those who buy up property so others have no place to live, and it also says that their personal properties where they live are cursed.
Another problem with being rich is that the temptations are a lot more alluring. Everything in the world is at their finger tips. The drugs, the alcohol, the gambling, the women, etc. Possessions are always pulling at them, when this does not satisfy their desires, sometimes they go after power and position according to Luke 6:24. It also says in Proverbs that a rich man has a lot of friends, but this is real confusing to the rich, because a lot of times they do not really know who their real friends are. In 1 Timothy chapter 6 it says, that to tell the rich not to be proud and trust in their money. For it says in Proverbs that the rich think that their wealth is an impregnable defense. They honestly believe that their money will protect them. But it also says in the Book of Proverbs that money does not necessarily pass onto the next generation and that it can also make wings and fly off.
I hear a lot of people say that money is the root of all evil, and what they are saying is not true. It says that the love of money is the root of all evil. The big difference is the motive behind the money. I tell people all of the time that money does not have any morals. It is an inanimate object with no way of having morals. Money is just a tool, it can either be used for good or evil, depending upon who has it. The same money that is being stolen by dirty politicians could be sheltering and feeding homeless people. But it is the love of money that makes that dirty politician do what he does.
Now in the Word of God (The Holy Bible) there were quite a few rich people that believed in God. We will start out with Abraham, he was quite rich for that time period, according to Scripture he had 318 servants and such large herds of animals that his herdsmen and his nephew’s herdsmen had to separate in order to sustain their own pursuits. Now you look at King David he was rich and God so blessed him that he supplied everything to build God’s Temple. Now his son King Solomon was really rich, according to Scripture it says that silver was as common as rocks, while he was the king. Each of these men had faith in God and not one of them, does it ever say anything bad about being rich.
I want to address the false prosperity teachers and the people who teach that it is noble to be poor. Both of these teachers are not teaching the whole consul of God. When you read the Scriptures you will see that God says that the poor should be glad, for He has honored them. And to the rich He says, they should be glad for He has humbled them. Now the prosperity teacher teaches that if you are not rich it is because you are not doing something right in order to receive God’s blessings and the people who teach people that it is a noble thing to be poor teach that you have to have nothing in order to please God. Both of these teachers are not telling the truth. According to the Word of God (The Holy Bible), Jesus Himself said, the poor will be with us always. To the rich Pharisees who were stealing from the people, He rebuked for their hypocrisy. Not because they were rich. Matthew the Apostle who Jesus told “follow me” was quite well off, but Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. The reason being, Matthew knew that how he got wealthy was not right. Zacchaeus was also a tax collector who did the same thing that Matthew did, stole from the people through collecting an unfair tax amount. When he encountered Jesus, Jesus told him to come down from the tree that he was in and to go have dinner with Jesus, after their conversation, Zacchaeus repented of his sins and told everyone that he would pay back four times as much as he had stolen from them. Zacchaeus was trying to make things right. Getting back to the point, it is neither bad to be poor or to be rich, wherever you are at in life it says, to be content with what you have is truly peaceful in your spirit. It is not bad to have ambitions, but what is bad is when your ambitions start making you make bad moral choices, which in turn destroys yourself. This is where you start putting price tags on relationships and worst of all, your integrity! I hope that this study will give you a better understanding about what the Word of God says about being rich and I suggest that you also read the poor study along with the wealth study to get a good rounded opinion of how God views money and possessions. I am involved with a ministry called Crown Financial and according to them, money and possessions is the second biggest subject in the Bible, of course, Jesus is the first. And when you look at that, it just goes to tell you that God is interested how you steward everything that He gives to you, and when you read the wealth study you will find that you are going to be accountable of how you used the resources that He gave to you to steward, while He was in heaven. And soon each of us are going to give an account of what we have done with His possessions. May God Bless You and keep you and give you wisdom of how to be a good steward of His possessions before we give an account on judgment day, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rich: adj. 1. having wealth; owning much money or property; wealthy
James 5:1-6
Look here, you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh in hell. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every whim. Now your hearts are nice and fat, ready for the slaughter. You have condemned and killed good people who had no power to defend themselves against you.
James 1:9-11
Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their achievements.
Isaiah 5:8-10
Destruction is certain for you who buy up property so others have no place to live. Your homes are built on great estates so you can be alone in the land. But the LORD almighty has sealed your awful fate. With my own ears I heard him say, “Many beautiful homes will stand deserted, the owners dead or gone. Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine. Ten measures of seed will yield only one measure of grain.
Luke 6:24-26
What sorrows await you who are satisfied and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger is before you. What sorrows await you who are satisfied and prosperous now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow. What sorrows await you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.
Luke 16:19-31 Side note: This was a parable given by Jesus himself.
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who lived each day in luxury. At his door lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distant with Abraham.
“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames.’
“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you from here is stopped at its edge, and no one there can cross over to us.’
“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won’t have to come here when they die.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to.’
“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’
“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.”
Proverbs 13:7
Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.
Proverbs 13:8
The rich can pay a ransom, but the poor won’t even get threatened.
Proverbs 14:20
The poor are despised even by their neighbors, while the rich have many “friends.”
Proverbs 16:8
It is better to be poor and godly than to be rich and dishonest.
1 Timothy 6:9-11
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
But you, Timothy, belong to God; so run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.
Proverbs 10:4
Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.
Proverbs 10:15
The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their calamity.
Proverbs 11:28
Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
Proverbs 14:31
Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who help the poor honor him.
Proverbs 18:11
The rich think their wealth as an impregnable defense; they imagine it is a high wall of safety.
Proverbs 18:23
The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.
Proverbs 19:4
Wealth makes many “friends”; poverty drives them away
Proverbs 21:17
Those who love pleasure become poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches.
Proverbs 21:20
The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.
Proverbs 22:2
The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD made them both.
Proverbs 22:7
Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 23:4-5
Don’t weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird!
Proverbs 27:23-24
Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation.
Proverbs 28:6
It is better to be poor and honest than rich and crooked.
Proverbs 28:8
A person who makes money by charging interest will lose it. It will end up in the hands of someone who is kind to the poor.
Proverbs 28:11
Rich people picture themselves as wise, but their real poverty is evident to the poor.
Proverbs 28:20
The trustworthy will get a rich reward. But the person who wants to get rich quick will only get into trouble.
Proverbs 28:22
A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty.