Revised May 2024

By guest financial blogger and Medi-Share member, Bob Lotich

Explore finances through a biblical lens with five Bible verses about money every Christian should know, including guiding principles for stewardship, and trusting in God's provision.

Being a Christian is about more than just eternal life; it’s about pleasing our Heavenly Father here on earth by living out our faith and living a life that is peaceful, victorious, and God-honoring. It should affect every aspect of our lives, even down to our stewardship of the money God provides.

And the best way to discover how God wants us to steward money is to go to the source … His Word!

There are five Bible verses about money every Christian should know. As we go through these verses from the Bible, the goal is to get you familiar with what God’s Word says about money, so that you can follow His guidance. 

1. 1 Timothy 6:10
2. Malachi 3:10
3. Acts 20:35
4. Prov 22:7
5. Philippian 4:19

1.  1 TIMOTHY 6:10 (NIV)

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

This is one of the most misquoted bible verses out there! Money is a tool for us, it isn't evil.  As the verse states, it's the love of money that is evil.

Search your heart by asking yourself these questions:

• Does my pursuit of money interfere with obeying God?
• Do I always look for something that will benefit me financially, regardless of how it affects others?
• Am I more concerned with what my cost will be instead of allowing myself to be moved by compassion? 

Jesus warned that the love of money can have eternal consequences in Mark 10 and Matthew 19:21-26, when a young man came up to Him  and asked how he could know he’d have eternal life. After Jesus told the man to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and come follow Jesus, the man turned and walked away, because he was rich. Listen to Jesus’s warning in verse 24 (KJV): “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

2.  MALACHI 3:10 (NIV)

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” 

We believe that as New Testament believers who have been “redeemed from the curse of the law” (Gal 3:13) that tithing is not an obligation for us. However, we don’t believe that nullifies the promise in Malachi 3:10.

Let’s look at what Billy Graham had to say about tithing: 

“We have found in our own home…that God’s blessing upon the nine-tenths, when we tithe, helps it to go farther than ten-tenths without His blessing.”

3.  ACTS 20:35 (NIV)

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Our giving changes us and it changes the world! Here are a few ways we see this come to fruition: 

• Provides resources for Kingdom growth.
• We bring light and joy to the world through our generosity.
• Our giving helps us fulfill the two greatest commandments. 

Remember, Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." If you think seriously about what that means, we should be excited when we are giving!

As 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV) tells us: "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."

Giving should be fun and we should be chasing after opportunities to do more of it! 

4.  PROVERBS 22:7 (NIV)

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

When we were slaves to sin, Jesus came to set us free. It seems unlikely that God would want to set us free from our sins, but would want us to be slaves to our debtors. 

If you have debt due to mistakes or circumstances beyond your control, we believe God wants to help you get that debt paid off.

Practically speaking, for most people we recommend using the debt snowball payment method to start the process, but if you are really serious about getting out of debt, check out this free guide here. 

But first and foremost, the wise man asks God for help.  

While writing about Biblical personal finance for over a decade now, we have seen it over and over and over again: when a believer steps out in faith to pay off their debt, God comes rushing in to provide divine assistance. 

5.  PHILIPPIANS 4:19 (NIV)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Putting our trust in anything other than God is just silly – and yet everyone struggles with this sometimes. 

The economy, our job, the government, our bank accounts ... these are places we should not be placing our trust and they are shaky grounds that will only let us down at some point! 

On the other hand... God is ALWAYS faithful, He will ALWAYS be there, and He will ALWAYS provide for us! 

Additional Bible Verse About Money

While those are some of our 5 favorite Bible verses about money, there are many other verses that show us how the kingdom of God deals with money. Here are some verses you can read to learn more, listed under their appropriate categories:

Generosity/Giving

• "Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’” (Luke 14:12-14, NIV)
• “John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.’” (Luke 3:11, NIV) 
• “Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” (Luke 6:30, NIV)
  
  
  

Offerings

• “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8, NIV)
  
  

Stewardship

• The entire chapter of Matthew 25 is a good one to read. It included the parable of the talents and talks about generosity, too.
• "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" (Luke 16:10-13, NIV)
  
  
  

Wealth/Possessions

• “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, NIV)
• “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.” (Proverbs 21:20, NIV)
• “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.” (James 5:1-6, NIV)
• “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NIV)
• “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it...” (Psalm 24:1, NIV)

Wisdom

• “The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.” (Proverbs 15:27, ESV)
• “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12, ESV)

Treatment of the Poor

• “Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.’” (Luke 6:20-21, ESV)
• “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31, ESV)
• “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11, NIV)

God’s Provision

• "The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty." (Psalm 37:18-19, NIV)

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After learning many financial lessons the "hard way," Bob started SeedTime.com as a resource for Christians to get practical help with their finances. The site focuses on the Biblical principles that apply to debt, saving money, making money, and all other areas of personal finance. To get the free email course, visit SeedTime.com.

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