Greed is good. Or so says Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street. Here is his exact quote, “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for a lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right.” This iconic character, which was brilliantly played by Michael Douglas, was at least honest in his assessment of greed. He honestly believed that greed was good. Jesus strongly disagreed.
What Did Jesus Say About Greed?
Matthew 23:25 (NIV) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Mark 7:21-22 (NIV) For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
Luke 12:15 (NIV) Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
The idea that “greed is good” has crept, unnoticed and unchallenged, into the Church. Its entry has been subtle. Greed has metastasized beyond the Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel churches. The proverbial frog has been boiled in one-degree increments.
In this article greed, envy, and covetousness are defined.
Did St. Paul Write About Greed In The Bible?
Paul disagreed with Gordon about greed being good. He strongly opposed it and compared it to sins that most of us believe to be unthinkable.
I Corinthians 6:9-10 (NIV) Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:3 (NIV) But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Ephesians 5:5 (NIV) For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Colossians 3:5 (NIV) Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Here is an article titled, What Does The Bible Say About Money? It includes thirty money verses.
A Subtle Doctrine Of Deception
The love of money, envy, and other financial fouls are deceptive. Churches and pastors often fail to correct this bad behavior because deception is deceiving. Justifying ungodly financial behavior is easier than in other areas of sin.
Imagine that one of your married friends informs you that they have a boyfriend or girlfriend on the side. Attempting to justify breaking the seventh commandment is impossible. Your friend could beg, plead and cajole but you would not relent. This is a cut-and-dry situation.
Greed is more difficult to identify.
Cars must be replaced. Is a Tesla or a $95,000 pickup truck needed?
We often outgrow our homes as our family gets larger. Is a McMansion necessary?
Expensive clothing lasts longer than cheaply made clothing. Must we always buy from Nieman Marcus or similar stores? Do we really need shoes that cost $500 or more?
Vacations are healthy. Are we consistently playing “exceed the Joneses with our vacation budgets?
Retirement planning is wise. Dave Ramsey’s plan requires a minimum 15% contribution in every circumstance. How many families following this advice are overfunding retirement and unable to practice radical generosity?
Healthy foods are often pricey. Have we shunned stores like Aldi in favor of bougie stores?
Each of these areas makes us all vulnerable to the spirit of mammon. We
Dave Ramsey and The Doctrine of Greed
Dave Ramsey has subtly sold greed for decades without a hint of theological ambivalence. One of his popular catchphrases was “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” This statement is antithetical to everything taught by Jesus and His disciples.
Ramsey has recently changed the statement to, “If you live like no one else, later you can live and give like no one else.”
Why do pastors push back on his subtle doctrine of deception?
Perhaps it’s because Dave does yeoman’s work for many timid pastors. One of the primary lessons of Financial Peace University is on tithing (here are 41 bible verses on tithing). Pastors indirectly hire Ramsey to teach their congregations to give ten percent of their income to the church. Dave teaches students how to “live like no one else” and the pastors seemingly get an increase in financial contributions.
Dave’s take on tithing creates a false floor and a false ceiling for charitable giving.
Does Giving Start At Ten Percent?
Those who are struggling financially often feel as though giving ten percent is an unattainable target. Families in this situation are riddled with guilt and shame because of their inability to meet these false expectations. This teaching puts Christians back under the law. When one attempts to be justified by the law they fall from grace.
Galatians 5:4 (ESV) You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.
Families experiencing financial freedom might easily reach this ten percent false ceiling. Christians who give that magic number might feel smug and self-righteous.
Yes, Dave has indicated that if one “lives like no one else now they can live and give like no one else later.” It all sounds good but what does that really mean?
Biblical grace giving is radical and lavish.
Biblical Examples of Radical Generosity
Luke 19:8 (NIV) But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Luke 3:11 (ESV) And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) 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 through his poverty might become rich.
Neither Jesus nor His disciples encouraged or invited Christians to “live like no one else” in the sense intended by Ramsey Solutions. Jesus, at every opportunity, encouraged His followers to deny themselves and to pick up their crosses, daily.
Yes, we must have money to practice radical generosity. However, what we do with that money is what’s important. Greed is subtle. Idolatry is ambiguous. Both require daily crucifixion instead of justification.
Wealth can be perilous when it meets an idol-hungry heart.
— Reverend Ethan Magness
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears, while the used key is always bright.” Please allow me to expound on this quote. We live in a sin-fallen world. Keeping rust at bay is a full-time job. The effects of the fall are constantly fighting against us. Days and weeks off invite rust but constant use repels it.
I am persuaded that Franklin was inspired by the Epistle of St. James.
James, The Brother Of Jesus
James 5:1-3 (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.
When confronted with challenging Bible verses one has a few choices. The text can be accepted, rejected, or projected.
When accepted we use the Word as a mirror and work on reconciling our actions to the Word.
Rejection is often done through hermeneutic gymnastics or justification of abhorrent behaviors.
Projection is when we see others in the text but believe it doesn’t apply specifically to us.
Are All Americans Rich?
Many in the Church would project James 5:1-3 onto people such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Elon Musk. We would tell ourselves that “they are the truly rich” and that we’re struggling financially. The justification would continue as we don’t have the latest iPhone, our car is a few years old, and while our house is “nice” it’s not the best on the block.
The average income for a family in Afghanistan is less than $1,000 per year. Vietnamese families earn less than $5,000 per year. Families in Mexico earn less than $10,000 per year. The average American family earns 36 times more than the average family in India per year (World Data).
While we’re attempting to “prove” that God has blessed us millions of families are truly struggling to survive.
Is our money stored in a closet with more clothes and shoes than we could ever wear? Will our money work to reach the lost or will it buy a third car for our family? Are we feeding the hungry or spending thousands of dollars each year at restaurants?
Was Jesus Poor?
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV) 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 through his poverty might become rich.
Jesus was not poor because He was lazy and slothful. He was not poor because His prayers were ignored by God. Jesus was poor because He practiced radical generosity.
Paul used 2 Corinthians 8:9 to provoke the church in Corinth to begin practicing radical generosity. He used the Macedonians, a poor church, as an example of radical giving. He essentially challenged the Corinthian congregation to “make themselves poor” by giving in a lavish manner.
Jesus gave lavishly.
The Macedonians gave beyond their natural ability.
He was provoking the Corinthians to follow suit.
Will we give radically? Or are content with reaching some arbitrary metric number and then spending the remainder on ourselves so that we can “live like no one else?”
I believe that we imitate Christ and begin practicing impractical, unhinged generosity, and bless the lives of many.