God's Rules for the Rich

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1Tim 6:17).

You gotta love it when someone goes after the rich! For Pete’s sake, they’ve got it and we don’t. Those greedy rascals must have done something sneaky or underhanded to live in those mega-mansions and drive those sweet rides. Communists and socialists believe they can fix the world like political Robin Hoods. The Occupy Wall Street movement is all about punching the so-called One Percent down in the throat. The filthy rich are easy targets.

So when the Apostle Paul sets his scriptural laser site on the wealthy, the rest of us get excited. We want to get a good look when God uses the man from Tarsus to bring them down to size. In a letter to his protege Timothy, he’s about to bust the chops of those living the glamorous life. This is gonna be good. Make sure you’ve got a good seat. Buckle up, boys and girls, here come God’s rules for the rich.

Paul tells Tim, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (v17). So just who is the apostle going after? Who’s he taking down? Must be the first century version of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, or even the Koch Brothers, right?!? Who wouldn’t love to see those cocky rascals taken down a notch or two or two billion!! Man, I can’t wait!! Let class warfare begin.

From the start, the apostle makes a point of specifically describing these folks as “the rich in the present age” (v17). He uses the Greek word plousios, which means wealthy, abounding in material resources, and abundantly supplied. It comes from a root word describing filled and overflowing. These are people who have more than enough. It’s not surprising that Matthew the tax man knew all about the fat wallet of Joseph, a follower of Jesus and “a rich (Gr. plousios) man from Arimathea” (Mt 27:57). Joe would certainly qualify as one of the people Paul’s talking about.

When Paul writes to Pastor Tim about “the rich in this present age” (v17), he’s pulling back the curtain on the demographics of the Ephesian church. Remember, the apostle has left his young protege as lead pastor of the congregation while he’s on divine assignment to Macedonia (1Tim 1:3). Ephesus sits on the west coast of what we know today as Turkey. It was a thriving center of Mediterranean trade and crossroads of Greco-Roman culture. The Gospel turned this big port city on its head as people turned to Jesus. That included every social strata and income level. Including “the rich in the present age” (v17).

But what about THIS “present age”? What about today? There sure are plenty of folks out there living large that Jesus needs to get His holy hands on! What if I told you Paul’s probably talking about you and me? Wait, WHAT?!? Me?!? You’ve got to be out of your ever-lovin’ mind! I’m just a workin’ stiff living in the ‘burbs. Rich?!? Not in this present world or any other! No way!! Listen, if it makes you feel any better (and I’m pretty sure it won’t), I’m not too happy about this either.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Did you realize that if you earn $40,000 each year, you are in the top four percent of wage earners in the world? Top FOUR percent in the WORLD! Raise the bar up to $48,000 annually, and you’re in the top ONE percent of money makers on the planet. 

I might not be the richest guy in my cul-de-sac, but zoom the map out just a bit. No, a little bit further. Make sure we can see all of our little blue planet. There you go. Compared to the rest of the world, I’m in the dreaded (insert dramatic “bum-bum-bum!” here) One Percent! I’m…GULP!…“rich in this present world” (v17). I’m pretty sure Paul is talking to you. And I know he’s talking to me. Yeah, this is about to get real in God’s rules for the rich. 

First of all, the apostle tells us “not to be haughty” (v17). He drops a compound word (Gr. hupselophreneo) that literally means “high (hupselo-) minded (-phreneo).” It’s thinking you’re above the riffraff and rabble. Arrogant. Proud. It’s when someone has enough financial security that they’re carrying a ‘tude. 

God has loaded Scripture with page after page of warnings against thinking you’re hot stuff for any reason. Flip open just about any book in the Bible and it won’t take long to find a verse poking a finger in our pride. Jesus’ kid brother James sums up the big idea: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Just in case you’re wondering, opposing God is never going to work out well for you. Ever.

One particular way of getting too big for our britches is when we believe we can buy our way out of any trouble. Dave Ramsey calls it outspending our stupidity. But Paul warns the wealthy “not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches” (v17). The apostle wants us to know that money is just a mirage. He uses a Greek word (Gr. adelotes) that describes something that disappears. Now you see it, now you don’t. If you constantly checked your 401k during the financial meltdown of 2008, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about! It was there one moment, then POOF!

How about a little financial advice from two of the wealthiest people to ever walk the planet? King David wrote a hit song in his music library about the dude who made the fatal mistake of not trusting God, “but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction” (Ps 52:7). His son Solomon has the all-time top spot on the Forbes 500 (1Ki 10:23). He went out of his way to tell his own son that “whoever trusts in his riches will fall” (Prov 11:28) and “do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist” (Prov 23:4).

After a rich young entrepreneur refused to release the kung fu grip on his portfolio in order to gain eternal life (Mk 10:17-22), Jesus warns His followers about money. “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mk 10:23). How difficult? You’d have better luck shoving a camel through the eye of a needle (Mk 10:25). So there are no rich people in heaven, right? Wrong. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mk 10:27). Only God provides a loophole in His rules for the rich. And that loophole is Jesus.

But don’t think we can’t buy our way into God’s kingdom. Not with a fat tithe. Not even with a seven-figure check to the church’s capital campaign. Someone has already shelled out the unbelievable price of admission for you and me. Jesus personally spilled His own precious blood on a Roman cross in order to make that happen (1Pet 1:18-21). We have no shot at eternal life without placing our trust in the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee. Christ lived the perfect life we failed to live. He died the death for our sin we should have died. He rose to the glorious new life we don’t deserve.

Meanwhile back in Paul’s letter to Timothy, the apostle has said that money isn’t just risky. Just a few verses back, he goes so far as to write, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1Tim 6:10). Anytime I put the love for money above my love for God and people, I’ve got a terminal case of human root rot. Money is yet another gift from our incredibly gracious God. Just a tip. Never love the gift more than the Giver.

Instead of banking on the risky investment of our own riches, Paul tells Tim that the wealthy must put their hope “on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (v17). Do you see God as the Greatest Giver in the entire universe? Or as some sort of a super-stingy supernatural Ebenezer Scrooge? The apostle puts an end to any misconceptions. He’s not only God, He “richly provides.” He doesn’t just give a little, He gives in excess! God’s rules for the rich means trusting in the One who’s not only rich but “richly provides” (v17).

All throughout Scripture we see God the Giver in action. The very act of Creation is a gift of overwhelming generosity (Gen 1). He gives life (Gen 2:7; Jn 1:3-4). He gives wisdom (Prov 2:6; Ecc 2:26; James 1:5). He gives strength (Ps 68:35; 29:11). He gives peace (Num 6:26; 2Th 3:16). He gives us the desires of our heart (Ps 37:4). He gives His Son who gave His own life (Jn 3:16). There’s no greater giver than God.

If I have anything good, it’s from God. Everything. Anything. All things. God told Adam and Eve to enjoy Eden with just one important exception (Gen 1:28-31). James tells us every gift has a tag on it that reads: From the Father of Lights (James 1:17). If our generous Heavenly Dad doesn’t hold back in giving us His one and only Son, we can take it to the bank that He will “graciously give us all things” (Rom 8:32). Earlier in this very letter, Paul tells Tim about how we’re to be grateful as we enjoy everything God has created (1Tim 4:4). God’s rules for the rich include enjoying the very good gifts that point us back to our Very Good Giver.

Let’s review the regs. Rule number one, God is talking to you and me. Rule number two, don’t get cocky. Rule number three, don’t trust the money mirage. Rule number four, enjoy the generosity of our Great Giving God. Those are God’s rules for the rich.