Should Christians be poor? Or in poverty?
Question 11063
The idea that Christians should be poor, or that poverty is somehow more spiritual than financial comfort, has deep roots in church history and continues to shape how many believers think about money. Monastic vows of poverty, the example of Saint Francis, and the powerful imagery of Jesus with “nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20) all contribute to a widespread assumption that godliness and material prosperity are incompatible. On the other side, the prosperity gospel teaches that God wants every Christian to be wealthy. Between these two extremes, what does Scripture actually teach?
Jesus and Poverty
Jesus was not wealthy by the standards of His time, but neither was He destitute. He was raised in a working tradesman’s family. During His public ministry, He was supported by a group of women “who provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:3), and the disciples carried a money bag (John 12:6; 13:29). Jesus chose simplicity and dependence on the Father for the sake of His mission, not because material provision is inherently sinful. His statement about having nowhere to lay His head was a description of His itinerant ministry, not a command that all Christians live in homelessness.
When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell everything and give to the poor (Mark 10:21), He was addressing a specific individual whose wealth had become an idol standing between him and God. The command was diagnostic, not universal. Jesus did not tell Zacchaeus to sell everything. Zacchaeus voluntarily gave half his goods to the poor and repaid those he had defrauded fourfold (Luke 19:8), and Jesus declared salvation had come to his house. The difference in the two encounters shows that Jesus dealt with individuals according to the specific condition of their hearts, not according to a blanket rule about money.
Wealth in the Old Testament
The Old Testament consistently presents material blessing as one of the ways God provides for His people. Abraham was wealthy (Genesis 13:2). Job was the greatest man in the East (Job 1:3). Solomon’s wealth was legendary and explicitly described as God’s gift (1 Kings 3:13). The Mosaic law contained detailed provisions for property, inheritance, and economic life that assumed the legitimacy of personal ownership and financial prosperity. The promise of blessing for obedience in Deuteronomy 28 included material abundance. Proverbs repeatedly connects diligence with material reward (Proverbs 10:4; 12:11; 13:11).
At the same time, the Old Testament is unflinching in its warnings about the dangers of wealth. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 warns against the arrogance of thinking, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” Proverbs 30:8-9 expresses the desire for neither poverty nor riches, recognising that both carry spiritual dangers. The prophets thundered against the wealthy who oppressed the poor and trusted in their riches rather than in God (Amos 2:6-7; 4:1; Isaiah 5:8). Wealth is a gift from God. It is also a test, and many fail it.
What the New Testament Teaches
Paul’s teaching provides the most balanced framework. In Philippians 4:12, he writes, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” The “secret” is contentment rooted in Christ, not in circumstances. Paul does not teach that poverty is spiritual or that wealth is spiritual. He teaches that contentment independent of financial circumstances is the mark of maturity.
1 Timothy 6:6-10 is the definitive New Testament passage on the Christian and money: “Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” The problem is not money but the love of money. The danger is not possession but obsession. Wealthy Christians are not commanded to become poor. They are commanded to be generous, to store up treasure in heaven, and to put their hope in God rather than in the uncertainty of riches (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
The Prosperity Gospel Error
The prosperity gospel, which teaches that God promises material wealth to all who have sufficient faith, is a serious distortion of Scripture. It takes promises made to Israel under the Mosaic covenant (Deuteronomy 28) and applies them universally and unconditionally to New Testament believers, ignoring the covenantal context. It turns God into a cosmic investment banker who rewards financial inputs with guaranteed financial returns. It cannot account for the suffering of the apostles, the poverty of the early church, or the testimony of Christians throughout history who have been faithful and poor. It also produces devastating pastoral damage: when the promised wealth does not arrive, the believer is told their faith is deficient, compounding financial hardship with spiritual shame.
So, now what?
Scripture does not command Christians to be poor. It does not promise Christians will be rich. What it teaches is that money is a trust from God, to be received with gratitude, managed with wisdom, given with generosity, and held with an open hand. The Christian’s relationship with money is a reflection of their relationship with God. Where treasure is, the heart follows (Matthew 6:21). The goal is not poverty and not prosperity. The goal is faithfulness, with whatever amount God has entrusted.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” 1 Timothy 6:6-7