As Australian, we are very blessed to be able to live in a rich and stable country that is able to have a government large enough to fund social programs which help the most vulnerable. This past Saturday, Australians have exercised their freedom and right to vote for politicians or political parties they believe best represent their view and priorities in parliament.
Whatever the outcome was, the stability and culture of our country means that even if there are people displeased with the result, they will not be rioting or scheming a coup, but instead choosing to submit to the new government.
When we reflect on the political campaigns that were run by all parties, as usual, there was a large emphasis on economic policy in the terms of budget management, taxation and wages.
Looking at conversations seen in the media and amongst peers, it seemed to me like the parties were pitting an “us versus them” approach when it came to economic and tax policies. One key election issue was around offering wage increases to select groups at the expense of further tax burdens of another group who might already be paying a lot of tax to begin with. A lot of messaging was around what was “fair” and what was “yours”.
We know that the Bible has core economic principles which we still use today. However, does the Bible say anything about how much income or wealth we have?
Income and wealth
Understandably, people are really passionate about these issues. The ability and amount of income that we earn and how we can spend it forms any economy. A thriving economy gives us jobs, many goods and services to buy, money and the freedom to spend, invest or donate that money on things we want; and the things we need for today or our future selves.
Income, in its simplest terms, is defined as the amount of money a person has coming in. People primarily earn money through either working (earning wages or running your own business) or through investments (such as in shares, property or in our superannuation).
Wealth means the value of all your assets that you have (such as your bank account savings, car, house, laptops, etc).
The Bible has issues with…
The Bible does not have issues with the amount of income or wealth that any individual or business has. In fact, many of the important figures of the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, were quite wealthy and had lots of wealth and income. A well-known example was Abraham and his descendants (Isaac, Jacob) who had much sheep, cattle, donkeys and even servants! (Genesis chapter 12, verse 16, chapter 24, verses 34 to 36).
The warnings that the Bible gives to the wealthy and the rich are not on the quantity of their income or wealth but rather on how they:
- Acquired it - whether through legit means or through fraud (James chapter 5, verses 1 to 6 and Proverbs chapter 22, verses 22 to 23)
- Use it - overindulgence on the self, or oppressing others versus using it to help those in need and glorify God (1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 17 to 19)
- Value and treasure it - whether they live for money or live for God (1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 6 to 10)
There are many, many warnings and reminders in the New Testament that being worldly rich is full of temptation and ultimately futile if we worship it. Instead, we should be focusing on building true riches by putting our hope and trust in God. It is impossible to love both money and God. (Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 5).
We should be rightfully angry at fraud and dishonest wealth and income. At the same time, we should also be cautious of being envious of others who might have higher incomes or are wealthier than us. Both ultimately will feed into an “us vs them” mentality.
Let us instead try and steer our conversations away from dishonest gain or envy and instead focus on encouraging each other to be righteous in how we earn an income and spend it; no matter how much we make.
As a rich nation, let us set our hopes and trust in God and not in our riches. In thinking outwardly and how we can best serve God, we can, as a nation, “do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 18-19).
Brandon Tsang is a Sydney-based writer currently working in IT. He studied Marketing and Economics at UNSW and loves to spend his spare time hiking, playing volleyball or watching Netflix.
Brandon Tsang’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/brandon-tsang.html