What does the Bible say about rich people?
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, and Jeff Bezos are all billionaires. They can buy all the worldly things in the world, but they can’t buy salvation. They cannot buy their way into God’s Kingdom, nor can their good deeds get them into Heaven. Is it a sin to be rich? No, there is nothing wrong with being rich and wealthy, but the rich have to be careful and make sure they’re living for God and not money. Even though we all have a duty to help others who are in need when much is given to you much more is required. It’s not bad to have some possessions, but you must never be obsessed turning worldly and making it your goal.
You can’t have a bunch of material possessions yet you see someone in need and you close your ears to their cry. It is hard for the rich to enter into Heaven. The reason is, many of the worlds wealthiest people are not storing up treasures in Heaven but on Earth. Green dead people and possessions mean more to them than Christ. They hoard $250 million in their bank accounts and give $250,000 to the poor. They are filled with selfishness, pride, and greed. Most of the time being rich is a curse. Are you going to put your trust in money today or are you going to put your trust in Christ today?
Duty
1. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who are rich with things of this world not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not in their uncertain riches. God richly gives us everything to enjoy. Tell the rich people to do good, to be rich in doing good deeds, to be generous and ready to share. By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.
2. Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
3. 1 John 3:17-20 Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be reassured in his presence. Whenever our conscience condemns us, we will be reassured that God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.
4. Deuteronomy 15:7-9 If there are poor among you, in one of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be selfish or greedy toward them. But give freely to them, and freely lend them whatever they need. Beware of evil thoughts. Don’t think, “The seventh year is near, the year to cancel what people owe.” You might be mean to the needy and not give them anything. Then they will complain to the Lord about you, and he will find you guilty of sin.
5. Luke 3:11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
6. Acts 2:42-45 They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching, sharing, breaking bread, and praying together. The apostles were doing many miracles and signs, and everyone felt great respect for God. All the believers were together and shared everything. They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it.
Rich Christians must live for God and not money.
7. Matthew 6:24-26 No one can serve two masters. The person will hate one master and love the other, or will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. You cannot serve both God and worldly riches. So I tell you, don’t worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you are worth much more than the birds.
8. Galatians 2:19-20 It was the law that put me to death, and I died to the law so that I can now live for God. I was put to death on the cross with Christ, and I do not live anymore—it is Christ who lives in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to save me.
9. Psalm 40:7-9 Then I said, “Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart.” I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people. Lord, you know my lips are not silent.
10. Mark 8:35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
11. 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 leave you nor forsake you.”
Desiring riches.
11. 1 Timothy 6:8-12 But, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. Those who want to become rich bring temptation to themselves and are caught in a trap. They want many foolish and harmful things that ruin and destroy people. The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the faith, because they wanted to get more money, but they have caused themselves much sorrow. But you, man of God, run away from all those things. Instead, live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever. You were called to have that life when you confessed the good confession before many witnesses.
12. Proverbs 23:4-5 Don’t exhaust yourself acquiring wealth; be smart enough to stop. When you fix your gaze on it, it’s gone, for it sprouts wings for itself and flies to the sky like an eagle.
13. Proverbs 28:20-22 A truthful person will have many blessings, but those eager to get rich will be punished. It is not good for a judge to take sides, but some will sin for only a piece of bread. Selfish people are in a hurry to get rich and do not realize they soon will be poor.
14. Proverbs 15:27 The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.
Advice
15. Colossians 3:1-6 Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Christ is your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory. So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed. This is really serving a false god. These things make God angry.
The rich man and the poor man Lazarus. Guess who went to Heaven and guess who went to Hell!
16. Luke 16:19-28 There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom; the rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime didst receive thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted here, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass from there to us. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Reminders
17. Ecclesiastes 5:10-13 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth–except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.
18. 1 Samuel 2:7-8 The Lord makes some people poor, and others he makes rich. He makes some people humble, and others he makes great. The Lord raises the poor up from the dust, and he lifts the needy from the ashes. He lets the poor sit with princes and receive a throne of honor. “The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and the Lord set the world upon them.
19. Luke 16:11-12 If you cannot be trusted with worldly riches, then who will trust you with true riches? And if you cannot be trusted with things that belong to someone else, who will give you things of your own?
20. 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Misuse of money
21. Luke 6:24-25 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
22. James 5:1-3 Come now, Oh ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are rotten, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is corrupted with rust; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall completely eat your flesh, as fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
23. Proverbs 15:6-7 There is treasure in the house of the godly, but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble. The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give.
Bible Examples
24. King Solomon– 1 Kings 3:8-15 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
25. Zacchaeus– Luke 19:1-10 He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.” So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully. All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to lodge with a sinful man!” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!” “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
