Question 3 - Is it Against the Bible to be Wealthy

#3 Is it Against the Bible to be Really Wealthy
To answer your question simply, no it is not against the Bible to be really wealthy. There are many characters in the Bible that God has blessed with wealth that is folks like Abraham, Job, King David etc. So no it is not against the Bible to be wealthy, but I would say the Bible definitely warns us about becoming wealthy. The Story that comes to mind is a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16 about the Rich Man and Lazarus. So there was the belief then, and believe it or not it’s still around, that God blesses obedience with wealth. That the more spiritual you are then the more wealthy you will become. That was the belief during Jesus time as well. So to counter that Jesus tells the story about a Wealthy Man who died and a man named Lazarus who was covered with sores who had no money and the best he could do was eat what feel from tables. It has this image of a dog eating the scraps.
Now if Jesus asked his listeners who would make it to the kingdom they would say, “Obviously the Rich man, because God has blessed him with possessions and prosperity and has cursed Lazarus with sickness and poverty because of his disobedience.” However as Jesus tells the story it is revealed that the Rich man went to Hades and Lazarus went to Paradise. Jesus is quick to say, it’s not rather you are rich or poor, it’s your heart that I care about… And the problem that usually that is associated with wealth is that the wealthy usually forget where they get their blessings. It’s easy to say, I am wealthy because I worked hard and I earned it and I got to where I am because of my own boot straps. It’s hard to say, I am wealthy because God has given me gifts and he has given me this wealth to do good. Do you see the difference? I will say this, if God has blessed you with wealth he has done it for a reason, and that primary reason should be to give back. Because missions cost money, and ministries cost money. If there were not the “wealthy” to support these ministries then these ministries would not happen. Here at K-Life, we totally rely on donations. We need support to run. And if we don’t get financial support then we have to close our doors and there will be no Tulsa K-Life. That is just a reality.
So in recap, no it’s not wrong or against the Bible to be wealthy. However when your love for your wealth replaces your love for the Lord and for his business then you are in trouble. Will you be able to say as Job did, when his wealth and his family was stripped away from him, “The Lord Gives and he takes away.”