| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||
 |
Personal Finance Workbook The Biblical Teaching of
Giving, Savings and Debt God calls on Christians to be good stewards for the things He has given us. He placed us here to care for all of the earth’s resources. As the verse from Psalms 24 above says, this involves everything—including our finances. The idea of financial stewardship covers three major areas: Giving, Savings, and Debt. Giving "Not that I
speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know
how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and
every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of
having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens
me." Savings |
Biblical Position on Giving, Savings, and Debt | |||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
Download a PDF version
of the Personal Finance Workbook. |
|||||
| We do not trust God when we save money based
on one of the motives above. When accumulation of money gives us a feeling of security or
pride, it is contrary to the biblical teaching in Matthew 6:19-21 and Philippians 4:19.
The Bible gives few commandments about saving money. It does, however, give us some
principles and guidelines for saving. Examining the verses mentioned above in Matthew and
Philippians alone might cause you to feel that saving money is not necessary. After all,
won’t God provide for our every need? Indeed he will, but there is a level of
responsibility and wisdom in a savings plan. Proverbs 21:20 and Proverbs 13:11 suggest the
wisdom of a savings plan for every family budget. How do we implement the purposeful saving of funds in our daily lives and personal budgets? First, there must be a commitment to spend less than you earn and stop all deficit spending. You will never have enough money unless you can currently live on what you earn. A dollar spent is gone forever—it can never be used in the future. Saving and giving are the only non-consumptive uses of money. Second, it is important to realize that our true significance, sense of self-worth, and fulfillment in life is the result of our relationship with God. Never try to buy what only God can give you. Debt 1) It often presumes future income to fund today’s lifestyle. Scripture warns us against presumptuous living (James 4:13-16). 2) It can enable us to fund some of our sin areas (e.g., greed, self-indulgence, impatience, fear, poor self-esteem, envy, or discontentment. See 1 Timothy 6:6-10). 3) It is very deceptive—it is very easy to get into, but very difficult to get out of. 4) There are consequences within the world system (kosmos) and our Christian walk when we are obligated to repay credit. Many Christians use credit to meet perceived needs and block God’s demonstration of His faithfulness to meet our real needs. Who better to meet our real needs than our Creator (Matthew 6:31-43,7:10). Most people have to use debt financing to pay for a house or to pay their way through college; we believe that these expenditures do not violate being good stewards of God’s resources. Think carefully about your decisions to borrow money and evaluate your options in light of the Bible. Don’t let excessive debt ruin the freedom God wants you to experience in the financial area. Top |
|||||
GIFT Home I Counseling Resources I Educational Resources I Giving TechniquesBiblical Verses on Financing I GIFT Bios I Contact GIFT I Xenos Adult Education Xenos Christian Fellowship |
|||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
