The Poverty Gospel

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

The following is an excerpt from Dollars and Doctrine. This excerpt and the one last week on the Prosperity Gospel deal with what the author calls the two extremes of how Christians view money. He starts off the comparison with this: "When approaching prosperity as a whole, many Christians take one of two extremes:  Either prosperity is evidence of Godliness, or it is evidence of worldliness, selfishness, and sin.  Neither view is Biblical, and both contain colossal errors when standing next to the truths of scripture.  For most, these philosophies are not quite so blatant, but their subtle undertones shape many Christians’ thoughts and actions towards money."

The Poverty Gospel

“And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied…But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.  Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry.” (Luke 6:20-21, 24-25)

The argument could now be made for poverty in what I like to refer to as the “poverty gospel.”  After all, there are plenty of verses that seem to exalt the humility that poverty creates in the heart of its holder.  In addition, the end of the previous section explained that Christ held no significant material wealth.  Could all of these things be pointing to the possibility that poverty is part of the pathway to sanctification?  Essentially, this philosophy argues that not only is poverty a required attribute of true discipleship, but prosperity itself is inherently evil--the byproduct of sinful, selfish greed.  This extreme view does not hold up to the truths of scripture, either.

First, the Bible does clearly relate the connection between poverty and humility.  It denotes the logical likelihood that the poor are more receptive to the message of the Gospel: “Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith,” (James 2:5) while the rich are more resistant: “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:23)  This premise was discussed in detail in chapter 10.  The heart of this distinction comes from one’s willingness to accept his inability to save himself.  The poor are just more aware of this reality.  The Bible makes no deeper implications than this.  Even after Jesus states, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” He answers the disciples’ question, “Who can be saved?” by stating, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:24-26)  The Bible does teach that the wealthy are more prone to autonomy, but they are not out of the reach of God’s grace.  To go beyond this begins to twist the truths of scripture.

When proponents of this view attest that poverty is a necessary ingredient of true discipleship, they connect spiritual certainties with physical circumstances.  This is no different a distortion of God’s word than the prosperity gospel.  Both extremes have committed the same error, just on opposite ends of the spectrum.  To declare our physical circumstances as the governing principle of our spiritual lives is legalistic, shallow, and unbiblical: “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)  We cannot be deceived into believing the external determines the internal.

To clarify this position and further expose the distortion of the poverty gospel, one naturally would ask the question:  Is poverty ever criticized in the scripture?  The answer is yes.

“Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline.” (Prov. 13:18)

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” (Prov. 21:5)

“In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Prov. 14:23)

“He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.” (Prov. 28:19)

“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” (Prov. 10:4)

How can poverty be the mark of true Godliness and obedience when it also can signify laziness, haste, mere talk, a following of empty pursuits, and negligence?  Simple: it cannot.  This is not to say that poverty is always the result of these attributes, but to show that poverty itself is not to be equated with Godliness.  From this point we can move beyond the misconception that living an impoverished life is a necessary component of true discipleship.

The second major claim of the poverty gospel is the belief that prosperity in and of itself is sinful.  This idea is easily disproved by scripture.  The Bible clearly relates that many Godly men were also wealthy:  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Boaz, David, Solomon, and Hezekiah.   Biblically speaking, this is quite a list.  Surely these men cannot be judged as sinful, selfish, and greedy.  Of David it was said: “The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart.” (1 Sam. 13:14)  David was a man with a heart to follow God yet also was very wealthy.  Riches and righteousness are not mutually exclusive.  In light of several scriptural examples of men who were both Godly and prosperous, it is impossible to state that poverty is a necessary requirement for Godliness.

One final argument against the sinfulness of prosperity is found in several of the prayers of the Bible.  Prosperity is prayed for in multiple passages.

“O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!” (Ps. 118:25)

“May they prosper who love you.  May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.” (Ps. 122:6-7)

“The LORD bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.” (Ps. 128:5)

“May the LORD give you increase, you and your children.” (Ps. 115:14)

“Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!’  And God granted him what he requested.” (1 Chron. 4:10)

“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)

Prosperity is prayed for in both the Old and New Testament.  God even granted this request to Jabez.  The Bible would not record these prayers if the desire for prosperity is inherently sinful.  As we will see later in this chapter, prosperity has great power and potential in the hands of a Godly steward who manages it according to the will of God.

So where does this leave the Christian?  What is he to make of these two extremes?  The Biblical stance on the relationship between Godliness and wealth has everything to do with perspective.  Righteousness runs the gamut from the lowest poverty to the highest prosperity.  In conclusion, we see that both financial states can have their own unique advantages.  The real issue, as outlined in Christ’s teachings on money,  lies in the heart of the believer.  There is freedom to serve Christ and glorify God in any tax bracket. 

Comments

[Big Spender]

Well done. One of the most thoughtful pieces on the topic I've ever seen. I cringe every time I see TV preachers asking their flock to "tithe" 12% or more of their income with the promise of prosperity.

For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.
Martin Luther

[Padre29]

When Christ said that, sometimes the subject and area is not kept in mind, he was speaking to the wealthy of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was going to be leveled in 40yrs from when he spoke.

Such a crushing defeat in a Society based on Inheritance would literally turn the rich into inter generationally poor overnight.

[Angie]

I'm a fairly new reader, and this is a great post - thank you for introducing this concept to people who may not have a firm grasp on biblical finances.

One interesting note that I learned recently about the eye of the needle - In those days there was a naturally occuring rock formation called "the eye of the needle" that travellers had to pass through. It was low hanging and in order for a camel to pass through they eye of the needle they would have to bow so low that they were almost kneeling. One listening to Christ speak would have understood this verse to mean that in order to get to heaven you would have to assume a position of submission and humility. Not always easy to do when you have a bunch of money and people hold you in high esteem.

[Rob @ dollars and doctrine]

Thanks for all the great feedback. It encourages me to keep writing.

[KT]

Thank you so much for writing this. I've heard many messages lately that make it sound like a sin to have more than anyone else, and that "in the name of Christ, we must give it away." Give, give, give to "God's work," are what the messages say. As Christians, I believe, God is not confined to His work only being at a church, or only things that the government has declared tax-deductible. Churches should not even be preaching the 10% number and in doing so coming very close to trying to put a law on us. Instead, the message should be about God owning everything, and our hearts and minds must be seeking and obeying the Holy Spirit in the area of our finances, just as much as in the area of our talents, time, and other resources.

[Life Compass]

Thank you for sharing this well-balanced article! I "roll" with some people who have tremendous wealth and some who are the poorest of the poor. I've discovered that I have much to learn from both sides. And, I've discovered that when the rich help meet the needs of the poor, the rich become Jesus to the poor, but the poor also become Jesus to the rich (Matt 25).

[Seth]

Hey FMF,

Why don't you have a printer friendly button?

[FMF]

Seth --

I don't think Typepad has one.

[Jonathan]

For a more indepth treatment of the subject. Check out "Happy Are You Poor" by Thomas Dubay. In this book he distinguishes between poverty and destitution. The quotes from Proverbs would imply destitution or not being able to care for oneself. Poverty on the other hand implies "Living Simply, so that others may simply live". A sharing and sparing lifestyle is very much presented in the Acts of the Apostles and was one of the hallmarks of the early Church. I think that the love of money and the freedom it brings is more ingrained in us in the "1st World" than we know.