Is It Wrong to Be Rich?

The short answer: No. The Bible never says having money is a sin, and some of God’s faithful people were wealthy. But it warns about money more often than almost anything else, because it so easily takes God’s place in our hearts. The question isn’t how much you have, but who’s in charge of it.

Some teenagers grow up with plenty; others go to bed hungry. Wherever you are, you’ve probably noticed that money shapes a lot of life. Some people say Christians should be poor. Others say that if you have enough faith, God will make you rich. The Bible says neither.

Money isn’t the problem

People often misquote the Bible as saying “money is the root of all evil.” It actually says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself is a tool. Abraham, Job, Joseph of Arimathea and Lydia were all wealthy and all served God. Rich women funded Jesus’ own ministry.

And the Bible doesn’t treat poverty as a sign of holiness, or wealth as proof of God’s favour. Some of the most faithful Christians who have ever lived were very poor. God doesn’t promise riches to anyone who prays the right way.

But it’s dangerous

Jesus spoke about money a lot, and He was blunt. “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). “No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

When a rich young man asked how to have eternal life, Jesus “looked at him, loved him,” and told him to sell everything, give to the poor and follow Him. The man “went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth” (Mark 10:21–22). His money had become his god, and he couldn’t let it go. Then Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were stunned. Jesus answered: “With man this is impossible, but not with God” (Mark 10:25, 27).

Money is dangerous because it promises things only God can give: security, significance, freedom from worry. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Rich by whose standard?

Here’s an uncomfortable thought. If you have a phone, regular meals and a place in school, you may be richer than a large part of the world, even if you feel ordinary where you live. Paul’s instructions to “those who are rich” might be talking to more of us than we’d like.

Here they are: “Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:17–18).

Notice what’s there. God “richly provides all things for us to enjoy,” so enjoying good things isn’t wrong. But don’t be proud, don’t trust money, and be generous.

The secret of being free

The best prayer about money in the Bible might be this one: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You... Or I may become poor and steal” (Proverbs 30:8–9).

And the motive for generosity is the gospel itself: “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus gave up everything for us. People who know that can hold money loosely.

You can start now, whatever you have. Give some of your pocket money or earnings away. Notice when you want something just because others have it. Practise gratitude. Habits you form at fifteen tend to last.

Think about it: If someone looked at how you spend your money and time, what would they say you treasure most?

Go deeper: The Key Teachings of John Wesley — this chapter unpacks Wesley’s famous sermon “The Use of Money,” with its three rules, “gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can,” each fenced with conditions, insisting that money is not evil in itself but must be used for God and others. Start with chapter 18, “The Use of Money”.