What God Has To Say About Money Part 5: Greed

March 1st, 2007 • Related • Filed Under • by admin

Greed is an interesting concept that’s come under a lot of debate in the last several decades. In the late 1980’s there was a class of young business men who started a trend that a certain amount of greed was healthy and necessary to attain financial success. Others deplore the notion of greed. Some people think they are greedy but deplore the notion of being such. What does the Bible have to say about greed and how can we make practical use of it in our every day life? Let’s find out.

The bible is extremely clear when it comes to greed, don’t be greedy. 1 Timothy 6:10 states, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The apostle Paul also condemned greed in Colossians 3:5, “”Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” There are dozens of quotes which condemn greed in the bible. A topical index of the bible will show you the rest of them.

Being greedy also comes with some negative consequences Proverbs 15:26 states, “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who
hates bribes will live.” Greed will also inevitably lead to poverty. Proverbs 28:22 states, “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

We are even told avoid greedy people. Proverbs 23:6 says, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man, do not crave his delicacies.”

We’re told to not to be greedy, that being greedy comes with some major negative consequences, and that we should stay away from greedy people. How do we reconcile this with this alleged healthy level of greed? Perhaps this confusion exists because of the confusion in the definition of greed. Most dictionaries define greed as an excessive desire for material wealth. A Christian website provides some more specific definitions for greed including, “obsessed with abundance over God.”

So what defines greed? Is there some magic level of wanting possessions that makes you “greedy?” When does wanting to be able to provide for one’s family and taking care of themselves end and being greedy depends? It’s certainly not a sin to work hard and hope to be well compensated for doing so. If you work to the point that you are neglecting your family, or that you are neglecting God, then you have become greedy. It’s a fine line.