Question: Is it a sin to be rich?
Answer: According to the Bible it is not a sin to be rich.
It is a sin, however, to love money. 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” This verse tells us that it’s the love of money that is a root of all kinds of evil.
Money is an object we have to have to make it through this life, but it should never become the object of our life. Proverbs 23:4-5. Many people’s lives have been reduced to the point that they live only to make another dollar. They work for 45-50 years of their life and then about the time they can actually start enjoying the fruit of their labor, they start slowing down and soon die. Jesus told us in the Bible that we need to store up our treasures in heaven and not in this life only. Matthew 6:19-21.
The Bible teaches that to be rich in and of itself is not a sin, but to love riches is. God is the one who blesses people with wealth and honor, 1 Chronicles 29:12, but that doesn’t mean that every Christian is going to be rich in material things. The Bible says it’s better to have a little and have love and peace in your home than to have much with strife and hatred. Proverbs 15:17.
Anyone who has lived in a broken home would certainly have to agree. Money can easily become an idol even for a Christian. So, we must keep the Lord Jesus as our first priority and give Him of our first fruits (money).
Proverbs 3:9-10. Then we’ll be blessed beyond measure, and we won’t let the love of money creep into our hearts and strangle our love for Jesus. Matthew 22:37. 1 John 5:21.