Biblical Passages dealing with $$, Wealth, Possessions, etc.

Old Testament

Ps 37:7,16 (NAS) Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who
prospers in his way... Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.

Prov 23:4-5 (NIV) Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast
but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky
like an eagle.

Job 31:24-25,28 (NIV) [Job:] "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my
security,' if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained... then these
also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high."

1 Sam 2:7 (NIV) The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

Prov 30:8-9 (NIV) ...Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or I may become
poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

Ps 49:16-19 (NIV) Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house
increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.
Though while he lived he counted himself blessed--and men praise you when you prosper--he
will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.

Ecc 5:10-15 (NIV) Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never
satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume
them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a
laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no
sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or
wealth lost through some misfortune... Naked a man comes from his mothers womb, and as he
comes, so he departs...

Prov 11:4,28 (NIV) Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from
death... Whoever trusts in his riches will fall...

Jer 5:27-29 (NIV) ..."They have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek... they
do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I
not punish them for this?" declares the Lord.

Eze 28:2-10 (NAS) ..."Thus says the Lord God, 'Because your heart is lifted up and you have
said, 'I am a God...' yet you are a man and not God, although you make your heart like the heart
of God... You have acquired riches for yourself... and your heart is lifted up because of your
riches--Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you... and they will draw their swords... and
defile your splendor... and you will die... Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of your
slayer, although you are a man and not God, in the hands of those who wound you?'"
Prov 28:20 (NIV) The faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go
unpunished.

Jer 9:23-24 (NAS) Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom... let not a rich
man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this, that he understands and knows
Me... "

New Testament (Gospels)

Mark 4:18-19 "Then there are the seeds which were sown among the thorn bushes. These are the
people who hear the message, but the worries of this world and the false glamour of riches and all
sorts of other ambitions creep in and choke the life out of what they have heard, and it produces
no crop in their lives."

Mark 10:21-27,31 Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, "There is one thing
you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; then come, follow me." But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was
a man of great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those
who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were astounded by these words, but
Jesus insisted, "My children," he said to them, "how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God." They were more astonished than ever. "In that case," they said to one another, "who can be
saved?" Jesus gazed at them. "For men," he said, "it is impossible, but not for God: because
everything is possible for God... Many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Luke 3:11 (NIV) John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none,
and the one who has food should do the same."

Luke 6:30 (Jer) "Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the
man who robs you."

Luke 8:14 (Phi) "And the seed sown among the thorns represents the people who hear the
message and go on their way, and with the worries and riches and pleasures of living, the life is
choked out of them, and in the end they produce nothing."

Luke 9:25 (NIV) "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very
self?"

Luke 16:13 (NIV) "No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and
Money."

Luke 12:29-34 (Phi) "You must not set your heart on what you eat or drink, nor must you live in a
state of anxiety. The whole heathen world is busy about getting food and drink, and your Father
knows well enough that you need such things. No, set your heart on his kingdom, and your food
and drink will come as a matter of course... Sell your possessions and give the money away to
those in need. Get yourselves purses that never grow old, inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where
no thief can ever reach it, or moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, you may be certain that
your heart will be there too!"
Luke 14:33 (Phi) "Only the man who says goodbye to all his possessions can be my disciple." ,
OR
Luke 14:33 (TEB) Concluded Jesus, "none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up
everything he has."

Luke 14:33 (RSV) "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Luke 12:15-21 (Phi) ..."Be on your guard against covetousness in any shape or form. For a man's
real life in no way depends upon the number of his possessions... A rich man's farmland produced
heavy crops. So he said to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have no room to store this harvest of
mine?' Then he said, 'I know what I'll do. I'll pull down my barns and build bigger ones where I
can store all my grain and my goods and I can say to my soul, Soul, you have plenty of good
things stored up there for years to come. Relax! Eat, drink, and have a good time!' But God said
to him, 'You fool, this very night you will be asked for YOUR SOUL!...' That is what happens to
the man who hoards things for himself and is not rich in the eyes of God."

Luke 12:33 (NIV) "Sell your possessions and give to the poor... "

Luke 12:47-48 (NIV) "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does
not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know
and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. 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 14:12-14 (NIV) "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your
brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will
be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you
will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."

Luke 16:9-12 (NIV) "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it
is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings... If you have not been trustworthy in
handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been
trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?"

Luke 16:19-31 (NIV) "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived
in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus... The beggar died and angels
carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died... In hell, where he was in torment, he
looked up... 'I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime
you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here
and you are in agony...' 'Then I beg you... I have five brothers... warn them so that they will not
come to this place of torment.' 'They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them.'"

Luke 19:8, Half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I
restore it fourfold.Today, salvation has come to this house.

Mat 6:19-21 (TEB) "Do not save riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust
destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, save riches for yourselves in heaven, where
moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always
be where your riches are."
Mat 6:24 (NIV) "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money."

New Testament (Epistles)

Acts 2:44-45 (Phi) All the believers joined together and shared everything in common; they sold
their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to
individual need.

Acts 4:32,34-35 (NIV) All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of
his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had... There were no needy persons
among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the
money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had
need.

Phil 4:11-13 (Phi) ...For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know
now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In
general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry--of facing either
plenty or poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.

1 Thes 2:5 (Jer) ...Never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery or a cover for trying
to get money.

1 Cor 4:8-21 (NIV) Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have
become kings--and that without us! How I wish you really had become kings so that we might be
kings with you!.. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are
strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are
in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless... Up to this moment we have become the scum
of the earth, the refuse of the world. I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my
dear children... I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not
only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is
not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with punishment, or in
love and with a gentle spirit?

2 Cor 2:17 (NIV) Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.

1 Tim 6:5-9 (NIV) ...men, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a
means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

1 Tim 6:10-12 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for
money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many griefs. But you,
man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness.

Heb 13:5 (RSV) "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you
have."
James 1:9-11 It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his high rank, and the rich one to be
thankful that he has been humbled, because riches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the
scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so beautiful now
disappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business goes on; he himself perishes.

James 5:1-3,5 And now, you rich people [see James 2:2-7], listen to me! Weep and wail over the
miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been
eaten by moths. Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against
you, and eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days... Your life here on
earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter.

1 Tim 6:17-19 Tell those who are rich in this present world not to be contemptuous of others, and
not to rest the weight of their confidence on the transitory power of wealth but on the living God,
who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in kindly
actions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathize with those in distress. Their security
should be invested in the life to come, so that they may be sure of holding a share in the life
which is real and permanent.

1 Tim 6:8-10 Surely then, as far as physical things are concerned, it is sufficient for us to keep
our bodies fed and clothed. For men who set their hearts on being wealthy expose themselves to
temptation. They fall into a trap and lay themselves open to all sorts of silly and wicked desires,
which are quite capable of utterly ruining and destroying their souls. For loving money leads to
all kinds of evil, and some men in the struggle to be rich have lost their faith and caused
themselves untold agonies of mind.

1 Jn 3:16-18 We know what love is because Christ laid down his life for us. We must in turn lay
down our lives for our brothers. But as for the well-to-do man who sees his brother in want but
shuts his heart against him, how could anyone believe that the love of God lives in him? My
Children, let us love not merely in theory or in words--let us love in sincerity and in practice! (2
Cor 8:9)

Rev 3:17-19 [Jesus] "While you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and there is nothing that I need,'
you have no eyes to see that you are wretched, pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked. My
advice to you is to buy from me that gold which is refined in the furnace so that you may be rich,
and white garments to wear so that you may hide the shame of your nakedness, and salve to put
on your eyes to make you see. All those whom I love I correct and discipline. Therefore, shake
off your complacency and repent."