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Apache is functioning normally

Previously, we took a look at the question, “Should Christians Invest In Stocks?“. What we found is that it is possible to be a good steward of God’s money, and still invest. However, there are still a couple of things that we as believers must be careful of when we choose to invest.

The two most prominent dangers to investing for a Christian are, supporting or profiting from sin, and trusting in our wealth instead of God.

Let’s take a look at the first danger:

The First Danger Of Investing: Profiting From Sin

This is probably the most popular reason given by Christians as to why they refuse to invest in stocks. We don’t like the thought of our money going to support Playboy or some other entity that makes money off of sin!

It’s pretty clear from scripture that there is to be a separation between Christians and the sinful practices of the world:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17

If we as slaves to Christ must avoid the “lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life”, then it stands to reason that we should not benefit from companies and organizations that promote these things. It would seem hypocritical to speak out against these things while secretly building our retirement accounts on their success!

It can become so difficult and time-consuming to figure out if a company that you are currently invested in derives any of its profit from ungodly activities. So because of the danger of profiting from sin, many Christians will choose not to invest.

There is something else that we must consider when choosing to invest:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? ~ 2 Corinthians 6:14

To present a more clear understanding of this command, here is a note on this verse from my study bible:

not be bound together. Lit. “unequally yoked,” an illustration taken from Old Testament prohibitions to Israel regarding the work-related joining together of two different kinds of livestock (Dt 22:10). By this analogy, Paul taught that it is not right to join together in common spiritual enterprise with those who are not of the same nature (unbelievers). It is impossible under such an arrangement for things to be done to God’s glory. with unbelievers. Christians are not to be bound together with non-Christians in any spiritual enterprise or relationship that would be detrimental to the Christian’s testimony within the body of Christ. ~ The MacArthur Study Bible (page 1741, note on 2 Corinthians 6:14)

When you purchase stocks, you are buying a share of the ownership of that particular company. Because of this, investing is commonly looked at as a partnership between the company and its shareholders. Since we are to avoid joining together in partnerships with ungodly people and entities, we have to now be even more careful about the companies in which we choose to invest.

Can We Avoid Profiting From Sin?

On the surface, this seems like an easy question to answer – of course we can avoid it, just investigate each company to see exactly how they make their money! However, this type of investigation can quickly go pretty far. You may want to consider looking at their business partners, suppliers, and even network on which they advertise.

My point is that it can be pretty much impossible to invest in a company that has no connection to sin and worldliness. If that is the case, how can we feel comfortable investing at all? I think we follow two main principles in order to invest in a way that honors God…

Cut Off Any Clearly Ungodly Partnerships

Any company that openly makes its profit by violating God’s word can immediately be cut of your list of potential investments. Now, I’m not going to take the time to create a list of every action that violates God’s holy and perfect standard, but take a look at 1 John 2:15-17 above, and you should be able to create a list of your own!

If you know that a company involves itself in sinful practices, then you should cut off your relationship with them if possible.

Do Not Violate Your Conscience Or That Of Another Believer

Hear what the Apostle Paul says about this:

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this–not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. ~ Romans 14:13-23

In many of the pagan temples, worshipers sacrificed meat to their idols. This was to both cleanse the meat from demonic contamination (because they believed that evil spirits would indwell food in order to enter into a human’s body when they ate), and to offer up a sacrifice to their false god. Any meat that wasn’t burned on the altar was then sold in the meat markets at a cheap discount.

Many new Christians had been saved out of that pagan lifestyle and thus were very sensitive to these practices, and were sometimes reminded of their past. However, more mature believers knew that there was nothing inherently wrong with the meat and that it was fine for a Christian to buy it and save a lot of money! 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 has this to say about this situation:

However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

As we see in this example, even if we understand that the word of God doesn’t explicitly speak against a particular practice, if it offends another believer, then we are not to do it. Helping to protect the conscience of our brother or sister is more important than whatever gain we would have received by a particular investment (0r meal).

Even if you believe that it is acceptable to invest in a particular stock or fund, if your doing so causes another believer to stumble or even go against his conscience, then you have sinned against both him and Christ!

A Few Things To Consider

  • Unless you purchase your shares of stock in an I.P.O. (Initial Public Offering), your money does not go to the company
  • If you are not comfortable investing in a company that owns a company that owns a company that owns a company that sells vending machines to casinos, then please do not go against your conscience
  • If you scrutinize your investments this heavily, but do not give the same consideration to where you make your day-to-day purchases, some may regard you as a hypocrite and your testimony will still be ruined

Reader Questions

  1. Have you ever invested in a stock against your conscience for any reason (fear of missing out on a huge profit, the pressure of an adviser or other Christian, etc)?
  2. How careful are you when it comes to choosing your investments?
  3. Do you think it’s possible to avoid profiting from sin?

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

When considering investing in stocks as a Christian, we have more to think about than just potential return. We also have to be sure that we are being good stewards of God’s money. First we have to be sure that we are not supporting sin, or violating our conscience in the process. Secondly, we have to guard against putting our trust in our wealth.

When writing about the question, “Should Christians invest in stocks?“, I touched on this concern. However, since it can become so easy to let this happen, I decided to write a full post about it.

We Are Commanded To Trust God For Everything

We are told over and over in scripture that God will provide for us as along as we focus on His kingdom and are living in obedience to His word. Here are just a few passages which speak to this fact:

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ~ Matthew 6:25-33

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:19

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ~ Romans 8:32

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7

We can go on and on, but the point is that God not only commands us to look to Him for all of our provision, but he also assures us that we will never lack the basic needs of life as long as we live in faith and obedience! Even when we save and invest and look to create wealth for the years when we are unable to work, we are still to ultimately depend on God for our provision!

The Dangers Of Trusting In Our Wealth

One of the main problems with obtaining wealth is that we can easily become comfortable with and dependent on our riches, rather than God. Because this is such a common occurrence, even with those who are committed to Christ, the bible is full of warnings to this end. Here are a few:

For he sees that even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations; they have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ~ Psalms 49:10-12

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. ~ Proverbs 11:4

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. ~ Proverbs 11:28

When we are forced (through poverty, illness, or something else out of our immediate control) to depend on God for every step, it is much easier to keep our eyes upon Him. However, it can be difficult to look past our wealth, or even the prospect of wealth, to see God! Here is the record of a man who let his wealth keep him from Jesus and eternal life:

And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. ~ Matthew 19:16-22

This young ruler’s faith and trust became so grounded in his wealth, that he actually refused eternal life because it would mean giving up his riches. The same thing can happen to our heart over time if we fix our eyes upon our growing 401k balances! There is nothing wrong with trying to grow our wealth in a God-honoring way. However, the problem comes in when we allow the temporal security of money to replace the practice of standing on the promises of God!

How To Avoid Trusting In Wealth

The first step to this is to be content no matter what state we happen to be in:

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ~ 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:11-13

Since we know that it is ultimately God that provides for us and sustains us, we must be content no matter how much or little we actually have. As we saw earlier, Jesus promised that His true followers (those who are seeking the kingdom first) will not have to worry about food or covering! Now we are told above that if we have these things, we should be content!

We must remember that every possession in this life is temporal, and we cannot take it with us when we die. Therefore, we are warned in Matthew 6:19, not to “store up for [our]selves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal“.

A Final Instruction To Those Who Are Rich

In the final chapter of the letter to Timothy, we find this great passage directed toward those who are rich:

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. ~ 1 Timothy 6:17-19

So, even as we begin to invest and build up our net worth, we must never make the mistake of fixing our “hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

Reader Questions:

  1. Do you look over your bank and investment statements more than the bible?
  2. Have you ever come to a point where you felt like the rich young ruler who turned down eternal life for his riches?
  3. How do you stay content – whether you have much or little?

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson Leave a Comment – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited April 28, 2009.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

What does this verse mean? Unfortunately it means that I have to pay my taxes, and live under the govenerment authorities God has established. I may not always like it, but as Jesus said in Matthew 22, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. Later on in this passage, it continues:


Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Romans 13:5-7

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Apache is functioning normally

By Craig Ford 6 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited March 20, 2014.

Psychologists tell us that the word “free” sets off a mental trigger.

Endorphins are released when you see the word ‘free’.

Yet, ‘free’ also makes us immediately skeptical.

People say ‘free’ is never free.  Free means that you have the opportunity to receive something without cost.

The reality is that nothing is free!  The only question is – who assumes the cost? Nothing is free until someone has first paid for the item.

Reasons To Beware Of “Free”

“Free” is often a marketing word.  Researchers tell us people would rather buy one and get one free than buy two for 50% off.  Any word that becomes a marketing resource is a word that should cause us to pause.  When something free is being offered always stop and ask the question – why would they be offering that product to me for free?

Free might simply mean there is not a dollar requirement, but there might still be a cost.  ‘Free’ can be a terribly inconvenient thing at times.  Free can also be extremely time consuming.  When someone offers you a free product, ask yourself if a cost is involved other than price.

Reflecting on my own experience with’ free’ I think many of us have a fear of free – and rightfully so.  This month I have been offering a free eBook to new and existing subscribers on my site (www.moneyhelpforchristians.com).  I offered that book to my readers ‘free’ in that there was no financial cost to the book.  However, in this case there is a requirement – a subscription to Money Help For Christians.  Furthermore, free to my readers did not necessarily mean free to me – the one who provided the eBook.  When I offered the book free I did not ask readers to cover that cost; I carried it.  This concerned people.  Many were looking for the catch.

In the case of my eBook I was hoping to increase my readership, and so in exchange I was willing to offer a free incentive.  Since my motivation to offer the product free was known, you could proceed with confidence.  Once you determine why someone would offer the product for free, you can evaluate its worth. If, however, you cannot figure out why it would be offered free, it is quite possible something else is happening that you are unaware of.  Avoid unexplainable offers of free.

Free – Consumer Implications:

As a consumer you need to remember that nothing is free!  When something is offered ‘free’ it simply means the provider is assuming the cost.  Typically, there is a valid reason for this. When you get a better deal, you spend more.

Just because something is ‘free’ does not mean it is better or even cheaper for you.  Many organizations offer a free month or two for a subscription based product because they know most people will be too lazy to cancel their subscription after those free months.  Remember, free is a marketing word.

Free – Ethical Implications:

While remembering that nothing is truly free, we should recognize that anything you take for free is coming out of someone else’s pocket.

Consider the the following example.  You check out of the store and when you are unloading the groceries you realize that you unintentionally didn’t pay for an item.  At this moment that item is ‘free’ to you, but the store has now assumed that cost.  This is why it is important to pay for the product as you now have the product.  Theft is a means by which some people get items free.  However, a price has been paid – honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity were all sacrificed.  As a result, the cost is assumed by the store owner instead of the customer.

How about another seemingly silly example?  When you eat at a fast food place and you load up your bag with 50 ketchup packets so you can use them at home for ‘free’, you need to remember that all you are doing is transferring the ketchup bill from yourself to the restaurant.  The ketchup is not really free – you just didn’t pay for it. In this case you essentially determined it would be more appropriate for another to pay for the item so you could have it for free.

We should only accept free products when they are offered.

Free – Christian Implications:

and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24 NIV)

As I read the Christian story I notice and embrace the importance of our freedom from the unrelenting forces of evil.  On the one hand, the grace offered to us is free – we pay no price for our salvation.  However, ultimately one cannot speak of forgiveness as a free product since a terribly substantial price was paid for forgiveness.

The beauty of forgiveness is not that it comes without a price, but that the price was not passed along to us.  God assumed the cost. Though not ultimately liable nor responsible for the price, Jesus assumes it and pays it.

I, for one, am extremely thankful for God’s free gift of his son – Jesus Christ.

What good or bad experiences have you had with “free”?

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com