Many times, we come across the concept that true Christians must be poor and live in poverty. But is this correct? Does the Bible require of true Christians to sell all they have and give it to the poor, so that they themselves become poor and dependent on others for their sustenance? Asking it this way, we should readily say how preposterous such a concept would be.

We find many Scriptures in the Bible about righteous people who were rich because God blessed them. God would not have blessed them with riches and wealth if having and possessing those would be wrong.

We read in Genesis 13:2: “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold,” and Genesis 24:34-35 adds that he became rich because God had blessed him greatly. The same can be said about Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 26:12-14).

We all know of course about the incredible riches of Solomon, surpassing all kings of the earth in riches (1 Kings 10:23), because God blessed him greatly in that regard, as 1 Kings 3:13 tells us. Later, Solomon departed from God to an extent, but not because of his wealth, but because of his inability to control himself regarding women.

Job was very rich, and even though God took his wealth temporarily away, when Job repented of his sin of self-righteousness, God restored Job’s riches and blessed him even more than He had done before (Job 42:12-13).

The Bible is very clear that God blesses His people, at times, with riches and wealth. This fact completely rules out the concept that being rich is wrong, a curse, and ungodly. David even said that he was young and grew old, and he never saw the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread (Psalm 37:25).

We read in Deuteronomy 8:18: “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Proverbs 10:22 says: “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”

The New Testament confirms that it is God’s wish for us to prosper and lead good Iives. We read in John 10:10 that Christ came “that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” 3 John 2 adds: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things…”

On the other hand, God does not bless someone who is unrighteous. It is true, of course, that unrighteous people may be rich, but this would not be because of God’s blessings. We will address this later. God warns us that if we refuse to tithe diligently, for example, we cannot expect to be blessed by God.

Proverbs 3:9-10 states: “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.”

And Malachi 3:8-11 says: “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,’ Says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ Says the LORD of hosts…”

There are of course many warnings in the Bible regarding an unhealthy desire to become rich. As it is true for every aspect of life, we must submit to and wait for the will of God to be revealed in our lives. And God might have decided that He may not bless us with riches, at least not for now, and if that is the case, we should not try to preempt God and desperately seek riches and wealth—apart from God’s blessing. Desiring to become rich, even though God might not have backed up or honored such desire, would be wrong.

Proverbs 28:20 says: “A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished…”

Proverbs 23:4-5 adds: “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”…

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 6:9-11:

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things…”

This passage does not condemn riches and wealth per se, but it includes a warning for those who “desire” to be rich because of their “love of money” and “greediness.” Rather, Paul says, let us be content with what God has given us (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

Paul continues his warning in 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor TRUST in UNCERTAIN riches but in the living GOD, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do GOOD, that they be rich in good works, READY TO GIVE, WILLING TO SHARE, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Trusting in riches and wealth would be a terrible mistake. We read in Proverbs 11:4: “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.” And Zephaniah 1:18 states: “Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD’S wrath…”

There are also warnings regarding wrong conduct when one is rich; that is, one who has become prosperous must be careful not to forget that GOD has blessed him.

We read in Deuteronomy 8:18 that we must remember God, “for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”  Hosea 13:6 states: “When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me….”

Hosea 2:8-9 explains what will happen when we DO forget God and the source of our prosperity: “For she did not know That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil, And multiplied her silver and gold–Which they prepared for Baal. Therefore I will return and take away My grain in its time And My new wine in its season, And will take back My wool and My linen, Given to cover her nakedness.”

Another reason why someone who had been prosperous might become poor is explained in Proverbs 10:3-4: “The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked. He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 27:23-24 adds: “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever…”

Diligence is important. We are told that “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). And we must be diligent in preserving what God has blessed us with.

Proverbs 21:17 says: “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be [or stay] rich.” Even though God may bless us with riches, we have to do our part. We must not waste what God gave us. And, we must in no way act dishonestly in our pursuits. Proverbs 13:11 says: “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”

We have to be diligent in our pursuits, without allowing wrong priorities to take over our lives. Paul says that when someone does not want to work, he should not even eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). He cannot expect to be blessed by God with riches if he refuses to work for it.

We need to remember that we can leave God’s way if we desire to be rich. Christ warns of the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22). He told us that it will be difficult for a rich man who trusts in his riches and does not want to give up his wealth to enter the Kingdom of God (compare Mark 10:17-24).

God also warns us to not become envious of unrighteous people who might have become rich—but not as a result of God’s blessing. It could be easy to become unsatisfied with God, asking Him, how come they are blessed, and I am not?

Psalm 37:7, 16 says: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass… A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.”

Otherwise, we might easily charge God with wrong. That is why Agur said the following in Proverbs 30:7-9:

“Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.”

But again, this does not make property, wealth and riches wrong per se. Some however claim that a Christian must be poor because, so they say, Christ was poor, referring to 2 Corinthians 8:9 to prove this assertion, which states: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” But Paul is using a comparison between the richness of the immortal God who owns everything, and, in contrast, the poverty of man whose insignificant riches might be here today and gone tomorrow.

There are numerous passages indicating that Jesus owned His own house—or perhaps even more than one. At times, though, when He was on a journey, He might not have been given shelter (Matthew 8:20; compare the context of His words in Luke 9:51-58), but this does not mean that Jesus was a homeless vagabond. The soldiers did not want to cut Jesus’ garments and clothing, when He was hanging on the cross (or better, stake), but they cast lots to determine who should receive them (Matthew 27:35; John 19:23-24). His garments and clothing were apparently not “cheap,” but of such a quality and value that the soldiers were willing to cast lots for them.

On the other hand, we all must be willing to give up everything to be able to inherit the Kingdom of God. This includes physical wealth and well-being, our health and security, and even our relatives and friends if a choice must be made between Christ and them. Christ tells us that when we love anything and anyone more than Him, we are not worthy of Him (Luke 14:26; Matthew 10:37). Otherwise, He tells us that He will bless us even in this life when we have our priorities correct (Mark 10:29-30).

Sometimes, we may be required to make tough decisions. Moses chose Christ and rejected the “passing pleasures of sin” and the “treasures of Egypt,” esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than those worldly treasures (Hebrews 11:25-26). Rather than laying up for himself “treasures on earth,” he laid up for himself treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19), “for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).

We must be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). We must first seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all the things which we need (compare Philippians 4:19)—and many things which we might not even need—WILL be given to us by God (Matthew 6:33). God knows what we need, and He will look after us (Matthew 6:30, 32). Even though we might be considered “poor” by the worldly standards of the rich and ultra-rich, we possess the greatest riches that could be imagined.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 6:10 that we are to commend ourselves “as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” Note also Revelation 2:9. The world might look at us as relatively poor people, but we have been promised the inheritance of the Kingdom of God! What greater riches could there be?

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

We explained before that God chose and knew those before time began whom He would call for salvation in this day and age. But does the fact that God knew those “called-out ones” a long time ago exclude those who would not be called for salvation now? To put it differently, did God know individuals a long time ago whom He would NOT call for salvation prior to Christ’s Return?

Consider this:

Since God knew YOU before the foundation of the world and chose you for salvation to be called now, then God must have carefully observed—or known—your forefathers or ancestors to make sure that you would be even born in the first place. This explains the many otherwise unexplainable events of protection and survival which your forefathers might have experienced in war or in other dangerous situations.

In addition, we point out in our free booklet, “Are You Predestined to Be Saved?”: 

In Ezra 1:1, we read that King Cyrus of Persia made a proclamation to rebuild the temple, in fulfillment of God’s prophecies in Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:1. It is interesting that these prophecies named Cyrus, even though they were written hundreds of years before Cyrus was born. However, even though God called Cyrus for a certain task, He did not call him to salvation…”

Please note carefully that God knew Cyrus, by name, long before he was born. He had not been predestined to be called for salvation at that time, but he was preordained to fulfill an important task in the line of prophetic events. Having said this, it means that God must have known Cyrus’ ancestry too to make sure Cyrus would be born and live to fulfill his prophecy.

God also saw to it that Cyrus would survive as a child. We are told that Cyrus was born sometime around 600 BC and was the son of Cambyses, king of the Persians, and grandson of Astyages, king of the Median Empire. Astyages was warned in a series of prophetic dreams that Cyrus would one day supplant and kill him. Astyages ordered his top general Harpagus to kill the child, but instead Harpagus had Cyrus taken away to live as a shepherd.

Continuing with quoting from our booklet:

Ecclesiastes 6:10 sets forth an interesting observation: “Whatever one is, he has been named already…” The Revised English Bible states: “Whatever exists has already been given a name”…

Paul makes a similar observation about God’s foreknowledge in Romans 9:10-13, when he discusses God’s mystery of election: “…when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’”

Again, it is implied here that God knew the older Esau and the younger Jacob, by name, before they were born, and that He had already called Jacob and rejected Esau, prior to their birth. In that sense, God “loved” Jacob and “hated” Esau—that is, He loved Esau less by comparison, insofar as the timing of God’s election was concerned.

The point to note is that God knew Esau, not just Jacob, before their birth… even though God would not call Esau for salvation during his lifetime. As God had known and chosen Jacob for salvation before time began, He must have also known Esau, whom He rejected, before time began.

Continuing with quoting from our booklet:

It is also noteworthy what is stated about Christ’s knowledge about His betrayer Judas. We read in John 6:64: “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him”…

Christ knew that one of the twelve whom He chose was “a devil” (John 6:70). In John 17:12, Christ prayed to the Father, “Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” Peter, one of Christ’s original apostles, later explained that Judas “fell” from apostleship, when he stated, “Judas left it and went to his place which was predestined for him.” (Acts 1:25; Die Grosse Bibel)…

Jude 4 reminds us of the following: “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation”…

Paul asked in Romans 9:22: “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction…?” [Compare Proverbs 16:4: “The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.”].

It is implied here that God knew those individuals “marked out for condemnation” and “prepared for destruction” long before their birth. They were “called” by God to fulfill their destiny in God’s plan.This does NOT mean that they lacked free will (Judas, for example, DECIDED to betray Christ) or that they were predestined to commit the unpardonable sin. Even though God uses evil men to carry out His purpose, He does not “make” them commit the unpardonable sin. It is not as if they never had a chance. They will still get their chance to qualify for God’s Kingdom in the Second Resurrection. God NEVER predestines someone to end up in the lake of fire, just as He does not guarantee eternal life for those who are called to salvation.

Continuing with quoting from our booklet:

We have already read about an end-time political figure, called “the beast” in the prophecies of the book of Revelation. God has predetermined that this “beast” or political leader, as well as the government he will represent, will rule for “one hour” (Revelation 17:12). During this time, he will persecute God’s people (compare Revelation 13:7). We are told, in Daniel 7:25, that this Biblical term (“one hour”) means, in this case, 3½ years…

We also read about a future king of Assyria—none other than the “beast” in the book of Revelation—whom God will use to punish modern Israel (Isaiah 10:5-7, 12). God is using those individuals to bring about prophecy.

The beast—also called King Jareb of Assyria and the king of the North—will work together with the false prophet, a religious figure, to bring much evil to this world. God knows the identity of the beast and the false prophet, and He did so at least when the Book of Revelation was written. In fact, as the beast is the same as King Jareb of Assyria and the king of the North, He knew them already at the time when the books of Isaiah and Daniel were written; but in reality, He already knew them much earlier than that. They would not be called for salvation in this day and age, but they would be “called” for a particular task which had to be fulfilled prior to Christ’s return. To put it differently, Christ could NOT come back unless these events were to occur first.

Continuing with quoting from our booklet:

We find an additional statement of God’s foreknowledge and pre-appointment, regarding the existence of nations, in Deuteronomy 32:8: “When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.” This statement is highly remarkable because when God separated the sons of Adam (compare, for example, Genesis 11:8) and gave them their land, Israel, the son of Isaac, or Israel’s children, did not even exist.

The individual, called Jacob or Israel, would only be born many years later, and the nation of Israel would not emerge for many hundreds of years. Still, God says that He set the boundaries of the peoples “according to the number of the children of Israel,” stating that He knew that the children of Israel would exist in the future and implying that He even knew their number. Paul confirms this fact in Romans 11:2: “God has not cast away His people [Israel] whom He foreknew.”

This means, then, that God foreknew many members of the House of Israel and the House of Judah BEFORE they were born… and BEFORE those houses even came into existence. He had to preserve Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who were predestined to be called for salvation during their life time—the ancestors of the Houses of Israel and Judah. In addition, He also preserved others in their lineage who were NOT predestined to be called for salvation in their lifetime, but who nevertheless were “called” to fulfill an important role, function and task.

There are many more aspects to consider which should motivate us to stand in awe when realizing God’s incredible plan, and all that is involved for its fulfillment.

For example, we read that Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world (compare Revelation 13:8). We even read that He was foreordained to give His blood for mankind as a lamb without blemish and without spot BEFORE the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20). This means He must have known BEFORE creating Adam and Eve that mankind would sin and that He would have to die for man in order to bring about forgiveness with the potential of inheriting eternal life. This implies that God knew Adam and Eve before they were created. They were, in a sense, predestined and chosen to be called in their lifetime for salvation, but they rejected that call.

Later, God decided to destroy the earth in a flood. But it was clear that some would have to survive; otherwise, God’s plan for mankind and the prophecies given could not be fulfilled. And so, God “found” Noah, a righteous man who had been preordained and predestined to be called for salvation in his lifetime. He was “a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). But notice: We only read that Noah was perfect and that he walked with God. We do not read this about his wife, his sons and his daughters-in-law.

Still, in order to make sure that mankind would survive and produce offspring to replenish the earth, God had to save not just Noah, but also his wife and his three sons and daughters-in-law even though it does not say that they were righteous or called for salvation; only Noah was. Still, God did not only know Noah, but also his wife and family, and that long before they were born.

In addition, God had to save the Jews when at the time of Esther, Haman was determined to kill them, as Jesus would be a descendant of the Jews. So, He had to know at least some of them to make sure that they would survive. And God gave David a promise. David had been predestined and chosen before time began to be called for salvation during his lifetime. God’s promise was that there would always be one of his descendants sitting on his throne until the return of Christ (compare Jeremiah 33:17). So, God had to know them and protect and preserve them to make sure that they would fulfill His promise to David, even though the vast majority of kings and rulers sitting on that throne had not been predestined to be called for salvation during their lifetime.

There are certainly many more examples which we could give and our above-quoted booklet contains additional information. But what has been written here should suffice to show the incredible foreknowledge of God and His awesome plan for mankind. How great God is, and how small we are in comparison. As Paul says in Romans 11:33-36:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?’ ‘Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?’ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

And it is this awesome and all-powerful God who has predestined and chosen you before time began to be called for salvation in this day and age. He wants to share His Kingdom with you. He wants YOU to be in His Family. Think about it.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link