Dear Chuck,

My pastor talked about sin in a recent message at church.  I am curious to know what the Bible says about financial sins.  Do you have a list? 

Needing Insight 

Dear Needing Insight, 

Last week I shared that of the more than 2,350 verses in the Bible dealing with money and possessions, the majority of the principles deal with our heart and mind. Within those verses, we are told how to handle material goods and wealth. Although I cannot give an exhaustive list of financial sins, I covered six:

•     Dissatisfaction
•     Coveting
•     Greed
•     Love of Money
•     Selfishness
•     Arrogance

Here are four more, for a total of ten for you to contemplate.

A Short List – Part II

Putting Money Before God

Prosperity is dangerous and can become a false god. 

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (Deuteronomy 30:15-18) 

Unfaithfulness

God wants us to be loyal to Him whether we have a lot or a little. We are stewards, not owners of all that we have. 

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Luke 16:10-13 ESV)

Desire to be Rich

Our desires reveal our true priorities. 

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. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10 ESV)

Controlled by Debt 

When we borrow in excess, we become a slave to the lender.  

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7 NLT)

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 ESV)

Dealing with Financial Sin 

I have been guilty of most of the financial sins I have mentioned in these two articles at one time or another! I learned the hard way that God’s principles are given for our own good. When we follow them we experience peace and the true riches promised to the faithful. In fact, I have learned that the true riches of Christ are greatly to be desired above the temporal riches of money and possessions. 

If you know that you too have sinned – intentionally or unintentionally, confess your sins to the Lord.

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:10-12 ESV)

Then, ask Him to restore the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2:25 ESV) 

He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, capable of doing far more than we can even hope or imagine!

No mistake is beyond God’s ability to redeem it for our good and turn it around. Don’t be discouraged or give up the fight; learn and apply God’s principles to your financial circumstances and trust Him to restore your relationship and your financial health. 

You and your church should become aware of the courses available to you on Crown Online. These courses offer spiritual guidance as well as practical tools in your journey to become a faithful steward. This is a journey that has set millions free of financial sin and delivered them into financial freedom. 

Originally published on the Christian Post, January 17, 2020.