What the Bible teaches about Money

There is a major fight going on in the Church today about what is the right teaching about money.

One school of thought states that we give not to expect something back, just because we love God so much and are generally such wonderful selfless people. These people usually also - somewhat paradoxically - trust that as they give to God's work, God will be "faithful" and take care of their "needs".

Again, as in basically every other case, God's word is VERY simple and straightforward on the topic of money. Some of the more direct scriptures below:

Malachi 3:10 Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.

Luke 6:38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.

Ephesians 6:7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord

Now, it is very clear from scripture, that God constantly uses the stick and carrot method in trying to motivate us to stay on the right path

Deuteronomy 11: 26-28 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God --

Ephesians 6:1 2 "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 "that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."

Now with regards to money, there is a challenge: the LOVE of money. Now, the word that is translated "love of money" does mean avarice or covetousness in general as well, but we should still understand it to have a special meaning in the context of money.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you.”
1 Timothy 3:2-3 Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money.

There is a very important thing we need to understand about money. It is out of this world and does not really belong to this world. Now, the earth and everything in it is the Lord's (Psalm 24:1), and gold and silver also belongs to God (Haggai 2:8). However, money is not measured in anything of this world. Your bank account statement is not given in millions of pine cones, gold, or silver. It is simply a number, representing an agreement made between humans.
Matthew 22:19-21 And they brought him a coin.[a] And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

This passage actually gives us a little glimpse into how the antichrist is going to rule the earth: not by anything of Gods, but with a system built entirely on the decisions/agreements of people that agree to it.

The love of money thus takes on a whole new meaning when we look at it from this point of view. The love of money is really the love of the praise of man, as money only has the value that men give it. The love of money is the love of mankind and ultimately of the antichrist.

Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

The ABC of Money in the Kingdom of God

1. 10% of your gross income belongs to the house of the Lord, meaning the Church in all of its forms, especially the place where you get spiritual nourishment (Malachi 3:8-10; 1 Corinthians 9:11)

2. You MUST give the 10% as if you don't, you are a thief (Malachi 3:8)

3. The more you give the more you get back (Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8) A note on receiving... you will receive in this age and the coming, but there is a relationship aspect to this: you may ask God to deposit onto your earthly bank account or your heavenly one.

On Woman's Obedience in Marriage

A woman submitting to her husband may sound like some kind of medieval male ego-puffing apparatus, through which a man can live like a king while his wife is the peasant. But actually I find that the "nice" man who lets his wife take the lead is usually trying (unconsciously) to hide an ugly interior filled with pornography, lust, hedonism, laziness and downright rebellion against God! Having your wife "in front" taking the visible lead and role is a good way to make sure that your own weaknesses never surface for public scrutiny. Even if you are not actually engaging in a sinful lifestyle, giving the leader's role to your wife ensures you always have the option of backsliding without anyone noticing! Becoming the "head of your wife" involves a public commitment to be the champion and forerunner of your marriage. This is what men are built, created and called to, and anything else is "missing the mark" and a loss for both husband and wife.

Unfortunately, submission to one's husband is a modern-day taboo in the Christian church. It is almost completely ignored and the whole topic conveniently forgotten. Common excuses revolve around the above: the man is also a sinner and therefore why bother with a woman's submission. Fake, but sounds logical, as false humility often does. Rebellion against God is often concealed in an exterior of false humility: "I'm not good enough", "I'm just a sinner", "This is just the way I am and she is the better half", etc.

Biblical Foundation

I'm sure you have found the verses pointing to a woman's obedience in the bible, if you have read it. But for some, its still unclear if this is some kind of cultural/temporal tradition instead of being an actual biblical lifestyle for the modern christian.

Lets do a little statistical analysis on the topic. List all the things that the New Testament advices the wife to do in a marriage. Not the things outside a marriage, such as adultery, but the things that are inside. You will quickly find that the bible says very little. In fact, it only says two things: a woman is to be submissive to her husband, and that her body belongs to him so she needs to give him sex. Below I have listed these passages:

SUBMISSION:
1. 1Peter 3
Likewise you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives

2. Ephesians 5:22
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.

3. Ephesians 5:24
As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

4. Col 3:18
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

5. 1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

6. 1 Timothy 2:11-14
I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor

SEX:
1 Corinthians 7:3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does;

You may disagree with this list, and feel there are other passages. If you do, please send them to me. I have deliberately left out passages such as Titus 2:3- where it says things like older women should teach younger women to love their husbands etc. since that passage does not DIRECTLY advice the wife.

Whatever your own listing, its very obvious that obedience to a husband is the most often given New Testament commandment for the wife.

What Christians Need to Understand about Sex

The purpose of sex is building a family; having children and creating a lasting bond between husband and wife. In our society, sex has become viewed as a basic need that everyone should take care of, but that is not true, nor God's view on the topic. A man (or woman) can easily abstain from sex for indefinite periods of time and still regain full sexual function for later marital use.

Unfortunately, emotional needs are often buried and they do not find their natural expression, but the pressure of emotional needs pushes through and expresses itself through anything that it can, leading to sexual addiction and compulsive masturbation and lust. Dealing with emotional needs is a part of recovering from sexual sins, and becoming whole.

The bible does not say much about sex itself, except that we should do it with your wife and enjoy it [1]. What it does say is that a man may not have sex with another man's wife[3], nor engage in perversions, such as bestiality or homosexuality [3,4], one is not to have sex during the menstrual period [5]

Significantly, sex is the core and indeed definition of marriage:
Genesis 2:23 a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh
Matthew 19:6 a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. wWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

There are well-meaning people who insist that sex is something that should only happen INSIDE marriage, but in so saying they are in fact missing the point that becoming one flesh through sex is where the marriage starts. Our other considerations, most importantly the related contracts should follow and respect the sexual covenant. This can be found in scripture where it says that if a man and an unmarried woman have sex, the man needs to marry the woman (in a public way) and not put her away all the days of his life:

Exodus 22:16 If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.

The point here being that the union in the flesh is to be respected by default, and responsibility taken for providing for the woman financially.

Questions regarding "premarital" sex suddenly become irrelevant: the sexual union is to be held in honor no matter how it begins, and the social marriage must yield to the physical one. Note that a woman that has become one flesh with a man cannot have sex with another. That is adultery, whose punishment in old testament times was death (for both man and woman).

The ritualism of marriage is similarly irrelevant, except for the purpose of communicating the exclusive sexual bond between husband and wife to the surrounding community - to prevent accidental adultery. The marriage ritual can be summed up in this sentence: "this woman is now the wife of this man, any other man approaching her sexually is guilty of capital offense"

[1] Prov. 5:18 may you rejoice in the wife of your youth
[2] Deut 22:22 If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.
[3] You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
[4] Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it.
[5] Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period
[6] Genesis 2:23 a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh
[7] Matthew 19:6 a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. wWhat therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.