The Danger of Wealth: When Riches Compete With God
Time and time again, we read in the Scriptures that wealth and riches are deceptive and dangerous. Jesus even goes as far as to say, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The Bible overwhelmingly conveys that this pursuit is dangerous, yet most of the world, including many Christians, is fixated on becoming rich.
Pursuing wealth is not a new thing. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples the story of the unjust steward who was mismanaging his master's money (Luke 16:1-13) and warns them, "You cannot serve God and money." The Pharisees who were also listening to this story ridiculed Him, and this show of contempt was motivated by their favorable view of being rich in material possessions.
Wealth is not evil. Money is not the enemy. Scripture includes many people who possessed significant resources and used them faithfully.
But wealth carries a spiritual danger.
Jesus warned that money can become a ri
val master, competing for the trust, devotion, security, and obedience that belong to God alone. In Luke 16:13, He says, “You cannot serve God and money.”
The question is not simply whether you have wealth. The deeper question is whether wealth has you.
Wealth Can Create the Illusion of Self-Sufficiency
Resources can make life more comfortable. They can provide options, solve practical problems, and create a sense of security. Those are real benefits.
But comfort can also make us forget our dependence on God.
The church in Laodicea believed it needed nothing because it was materially prosperous. Yet Jesus exposed its true spiritual condition: “You say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
Wealth becomes dangerous when it quietly changes the way we see ourselves. We may begin to believe our security comes from our income, investments, possessions, education, influence, or ability to control our circumstances.
But every resource we possess ultimately belongs to God.
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). We are not ultimate owners. We are stewards.
Jesus’ Warning About Riches
Jesus did not teach that poverty automatically makes a person righteous or that wealth automatically makes a person unrighteous. He did, however, consistently warn that riches can deceive, distract, and harden the heart.
In the parable of the rich fool, a wealthy man makes plans to store more for himself and then “relax, eat, drink, be merry.” God calls him a fool because he had built his future around temporary possessions while neglecting his relationship with God (Luke 12:16-21).
Jesus’ warning is clear: it is possible to have plenty materially and remain poor toward God.
This is why Scripture tells those who are rich “not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Wealth is uncertain. God is not.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31 tells the sobering story of a rich man and Lazarus, a poor man who lay at the rich man’s gate. Though Jesus was specifically addressing the disbelief and disobedience of the Pharisees, the implications and warnings also apply to us, and we must take them seriously.
"There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side." (Luke 16:19-23 ESV)
The rich man lived in daily luxury while Lazarus suffered in desperate need nearby. The story exposes more than a financial imbalance. It reveals a heart that had become indifferent to God, blind to suffering, and unwilling to respond to the truth already given in Scripture.
Jesus continues the story: "And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' 27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." (Luke 16:24-28 ESV)
The rich man’s wealth was not his only problem. His wealth had become a barrier between him and obedience. Though Abraham doesn't directly say it, he implies that the rich man's lack of compassion in sharing his abundance with Lazarus, and likely with others, is the reason for his current situation. The fact that there's no argument or rebuttal is sufficient to conclude that he knew he hadn't believed and obeyed the Scripture.
He had the resources to notice Lazarus. He had the opportunity to show mercy. He had access to the Law and the Prophets, which repeatedly called God’s people to care for those in need. But he chose a life centered on himself. The Law of Moses gave clear instructions on how to deal with the poor and warnings on how not to (see Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ESV). Yet, by ignoring them and living selfishly he missed the opportunity to be part of God’s plan to bring provision to Lazarus. People are asking for equality through force. Jesus is offering equality and prosperity to all people through acts of obedience and generosity.
Knowing his faith was justified, the rich man's concern turns to his still-living brothers, who were apparently living similar lives as he had, and pleads with Abraham in an effort to help them avoid his fate. "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"
This parable isn't about money, though Jesus tells it in response to the Pharisee's ridicule of his view on money. No, this parable is about believing in God and obeying his laws and commandments, which teaches us how we should manage his provision, including wealth, as well as other principles necessary for godly living.
Jesus shows us that stewardship is never merely about accumulating more. It is about what our resources reveal about our hearts.
The Problem Was Not His Wealth, but His Worship
The rich man’s life showed that he trusted in riches rather than God.
He had the resources to respond to Lazarus. He had the opportunity to show mercy. He had Scripture, which repeatedly called God’s people to care for those in need. But he chose self-centered comfort over obedience.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 gives clear instruction:
“If among you… there is a poor man… you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him.”
The danger of wealth is that it can harden the heart. It can make us believe we earned what we have, deserve what we have, or need only to protect what we have.
But biblical stewardship begins with a different truth: God owns everything, and we are accountable for how we manage His provision.
Wealth Can Make Us Forget Our Need for God
Material prosperity can create a false sense of independence.
We may say we trust God, but our actual confidence can shift toward our income, investments, savings, possessions, career, or ability to control our future. Those things can be helpful, but they are not a secure foundation.
Paul instructs those who are rich “not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God” (1 Timothy 6:17).
Riches are uncertain. God is not.
That is why generosity matters so much. Giving is not a way to earn God’s approval. It is a response to His grace and a practical way to loosen our grip on what we possess.
How to Steward Wealth Faithfully
The answer is not to fear money or feel guilty for God’s provision. The answer is to receive His gifts with gratitude and manage them with an open hand.
Ask yourself:
Do I see my resources as God’s provision or as my personal achievement?
Where have comfort and security made me less dependent on God?
Is there a need God has placed near me that I have been too distracted to see?
Am I using what I have to serve others, support ministry, and advance God’s purposes?
Does my financial life reveal trust in God or trust in money?
Jesus’ warning is sobering because He loves us. He knows that wealth can promise what it cannot deliver. It can offer comfort, but not lasting security. It can provide possessions, but not purpose. It can create options, but it cannot save us.
Only God can do that.
Choose Your Master
Money is a useful servant, but it is a terrible master. Wealth is not the enemy. The love of money, self-sufficiency, and indifference to God and others are the danger. God may entrust you with little or much. In either case, the call is the same: trust Him, obey Him, and use what He has given you for His purposes.
Do not set your hope on riches. Set your hope on God, hold His gifts with an open hand, and steward them in a way that reflects His generosity.
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