In the second episode of ‘Where Your Treasure Is...’, Season 1 (Foundations of Faith & Finance), Simon and Bex explore what the Bible has to say about money.

Key points covered include God being the creator and owner of all things, with our role being one of stewardship: to be wise, faithful and responsible managers of the wealth and possessions entrusted to us.

Specific points of interest in this episode include the following:

• Simon starts by observing that the Bible has a great deal to say about money, referring to it in many different contexts and highlighting regularly its relevance and significance for us. [01:04]
• The aim of this episode is to provide an overview of key themes relating to money that are mentioned in the Bible in order to establish a foundation for topics that will be covered in greater depth in future episodes. [02:41]
• The first key theme is that God is the creator and owner of all things. Bible verses: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” Psalm 24.1; “To the Lord your God belong the heavens... the earth and everything in it” Deuteronomy 10.14; the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25.14-30; “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” 1 Chronicles 29.14; “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things.” Romans 11.35-36; “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6.33 [03:33]
• ‘Stewardship’ seems to best describe the biblical relationship between mankind and money: God delegates authority and responsibility to us for what he has given us but also holds us accountable for the way in which we do that in practice. Bible verses: “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to the human race.” Psalm 115.16 (see also Genesis 1.28 and Psalm 8.6); the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25.14-30; “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12.48; "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5.10 [06:17]
• Simon explains that he has drawn heavily from Mark Lloydbottom’s excellent book ‘Blueprint: Reflections on Money, Wealth and Possessions’ when identifying themes to be covered in the podcast. [10:01]
• The Bible’s attitude towards debt is explored, highlighting some of the implications of being in debt and possible responses to being in that situation. The discussion also considers briefly the nature of ‘debt’ in modern society and some of the different ways in which it is handled. [10:39]
• For anyone for whom debt is a current issue, Simon would highly recommend seeking advice from Christians Against Poverty (https://capuk.org/), who also run a very practical CAP Money Course, which could be relevant and helpful for anyone. [15:01]
• Honesty runs through the Bible as a key principle, which can be challenging in modern society where we can often be tested on matters of integrity relating to financial matters. [15:43]
• Another key biblical principle is the importance of generosity and giving to others. It can be hard for us to get our heads fully around what the Bible says about giving; in addition; it is not always an easy topic to discuss in a church setting. It is, nevertheless, of crucial importance, especially as – through ‘the grace of giving’ - it can be a means by which blessings can be experienced not only by the recipients of gifts but also by those who give. [19:07]
• Contemporary financial topics – such as saving options and investments – will be covered during the podcast. In addition, matters relating to retirement – a concept that does not feature strongly in the Bible – will be discussed against a backdrop of established biblical principles and priorities. [24:30]
• The Bible also covers topics such as budgeting, financial planning, teaching our children about money, taxation and lifestyle – these will also be explored with the aim of helping listeners to develop a clear understanding of modern financial planning, supported by a strong biblical foundation. [25:24]
• The next episode will focus on Financial Planning. [27:18]

Links

Mark Lloydbottom: ‘Blueprint: Reflections on Money, Wealth and Possessions’

Christians Against Poverty: https://capuk.org/

CAP Money Course: https://capuk.org/i-want-help/courses/cap-money-course/introduction