Money Theology - why do we need it?
- peterbriscoe7
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Most financial advice, even from well-meaning Christians, operates in a theological vacuum. We are advised to budget wisely, save for retirement, avoid debt, and give generously—all sound advice. But these practical tips often lack a deeper foundation. They fail to address the question of why money matters, where it comes from, or what its ultimate purpose is. Without this foundation, our relationship with money becomes pragmatic at best and idolatrous at worst.
On one extreme, we find the prosperity gospel, which validates greed in religious language and promises that God wants you rich. On the other extreme, we encounter an ascetic suspicion of wealth that views all material blessings as spiritually dangerous. Both errors stem from the same problem: a failure to root our understanding of money in the full counsel of Scripture and the character of God himself.
We need a comprehensive framework that connects our financial lives to the deepest truths of the Christian faith. We need to understand money, not as an isolated topic, but as one thread in the magnificent tapestry of God's redemptive purposes for creation.
Here are some reasons why we need to understand the theology of money.
It shapes how we view God's provision. Our beliefs about money reveal what we truly believe about God's character, faithfulness, and sovereignty. Do we trust Him as our provider, or do we rely solely on our own efforts?
Money is a spiritual issue, not just a practical one. Jesus spoke about money more than almost any other topic—not because He was obsessed with finances, but because our relationship with money reveals the condition of our hearts. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
It affects our witness and mission. How Christians earn, spend, save, and give money sends a powerful message to the watching world. A biblical understanding of money enables believers to live counterculturally in ways that point others to Christ.
It addresses common pitfalls. Without solid theological grounding, Christians can fall into extremes—either the prosperity gospel (where faith becomes a tool for wealth) or an unhealthy rejection of material blessings. Sound money theology helps navigate these dangers.
It connects faith to everyday decisions. From career choices to charitable giving, from budgeting to business ethics, money theology helps integrate faith with the financial decisions we make every single day.
We cannot truly understand money—or use it well—without understanding the grand narrative of Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Money is not a neutral tool that exists outside of God's story. It is woven into the fabric of creation itself, distorted by the catastrophe of sin, and destined for redemption through Christ. To handle money wisely and faithfully, we must see it through theological eyes, tracing its origins in the creative work of the Trinity, diagnosing its corruption in the Fall, and discovering its restoration in the Gospel.
What is money, really, and what does God think about it?
Managing money is not merely technical—it is profoundly spiritual. As Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Most financial advice, even from well-meaning Christians, operates in a theological vacuum, often failing to address where money comes from or what its ultimate purpose is. This failure leads to extreme errors, from the prosperity gospel validating greed to an ascetic suspicion of wealth.
Money Theology provides a comprehensive theological framework that connects your financial life to the deepest truths of the Christian faith. This book is an invitation to see money differently—not as a pragmatic, secular thing, but as deeply theological, woven into God’s story from the beginning to the end.
To understand money rightly, we must see it within Scripture's grand narrative: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.
In Creation, money reflects something good about God's design—the human capacity for exchange, cooperation, and valuing one another's labour. The fundamental economic realities of scarcity, choice, and trade aren't accidents of fallen history but features of how God structured creation.
In the Fall, money became twisted. What was designed to facilitate human flourishing became an instrument of oppression, exploitation, and idolatry. Money gained power to corrupt hearts, destroy relationships, and rival God Himself for human allegiance.
In Redemption, Christ came to dethrone every idol—including mammon. The Gospel liberates us from money's tyranny, from anxiety about scarcity, and from the seduction of greed. It transforms how we earn, save, spend, give, and relate to wealth.
In Restoration, we're called to live toward God's coming kingdom—where justice rolls down, where generosity reflects God's character, where our financial lives become acts of worship pointing the world to the Gospel's beauty.
Money Theology integrates Faith and Practice
One of the most common problems in Christian life is the gap between what we profess on Sunday and how we live on Monday. We acknowledge that God owns everything, but we make financial decisions as if we're autonomous owners. We affirm that we cannot serve both God and money, but our anxieties and ambitions tell a different story. We believe Jesus is Lord, but our calendars and bank statements suggest that career advancement and wealth accumulation are our functional lords.
A theology of money bridges this gap by showing the intrinsic connection between Christian doctrine and financial practice. It demonstrates that the doctrines of Creation, Fall, and Redemption are not abstract ideas but frameworks that should shape every budget, every investment, every charitable gift, and every business decision. When we understand why generosity matters (it's worship and spiritual warfare against Mammon), why ethical business practices matter (they reflect God's justice and the Imago Dei in others), and why contentment matters (it testifies to God's sufficiency), our financial lives become integrated expressions of our faith rather than compartmentalised secular activities.
Money Theology matters for you.
This book argues that we cannot truly understand money—or use it well—without understanding the grand narrative of Scripture: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Money is not a neutral tool that exists outside of God's story. It is woven into the fabric of creation itself, distorted by the catastrophe of sin, and destined for redemption through Christ. To handle money wisely and faithfully, we must see it through theological eyes, tracing its origins in the creative work of the Trinity, diagnosing its corruption in the Fall, and discovering its restoration in the Gospel.
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