The Bible, Money and a Paradox

I am sure we have all heard of various definitions of a paradox. They range from two contradicting statements to a husband and wife that both have PhDs. But if you look in a dictionary you will see a definition similar to this: "A statement that is seemingly contradictory and yet is true." Given this definition, I believe the Bible is full of paradoxes. Here are a few: we see the unseen things; we conquer by yielding; we find freedom under a yoke; we reign by serving; we are made great by becoming small; we are exalted when we are humble; we become wise by being fools for Christ's sake; we gain strength when we are weak; we live by dying.

Likewise many biblical financial principles are given in this same paradoxical format. Proverbs 30:8 says don't make me rich and don't make me poor. Proverbs 10:22 says God's blessing brings wealth while Matthew 19:23 says it is hard for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of God. Proverbs 21:20 says wise people save and Ecclesiastes 5:13 warns us against saving too much. Proverbs 12:15 says "A wise man listens to advice" and Proverbs 14:15 says the naïve person believes everything. And this list as well could go on.

So why does God give so many financial truths and principles in the form of a paradox?

I believe the first reason is that God uses these paradoxes to help us see the deeper truth that is buried in the financial principle. The passage quoted above (Proverbs 30:8) leaves little room for our economic status by eliminating both the rich and poor. The truth is not about how much we have in our bank account, but the need to make God the center of our lives and not the pursuit of anything else including money for survival or the expensive toys that money buys. By using a paradox, God communicates to us a much deeper truth than a simple directive on what economic class of society we should strive for.

A second reason that I believe God uses paradoxes is that if the bible had given us detailed, one-directional rules on how to handle money, we would have been trapped in one century or one culture. How much money we need in savings is much different today than it was in the Bible times. By giving us principles in the form of a paradox, we can apply the principles at any time and in any place. If God's Word laid out a specific amount of dollars an individual needed in their bank account it would be irrelevant after a few years. By telling us to save and not to hoard, we are provided with guidelines that can be applied to any culture and economic conditions.

A third reason is God's loving way of reminding us that we are in the age of grace and not under laws and rules that lead to legalism and judgmental natures. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 instructs us in a paradox form to share our money, enjoy it and save for the future. Compare this to the OT laws, when the tithe was 20% or 30% (Numbers 18:21,24; Deuteronomy 14:22-29), forgiveness of specific debts took place every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1), and the amount of interest charged on a debt was set (Deuteronomy 23:19). If we lived under that system today, it would lead to legalism. Praise God, we are not under law, but under grace.

Many of those laws and rules from the Old Testament are foundations for the principles we live by today, such as tithing, debts and interest. But by giving us biblical financial principles in the form of paradoxes, God is reminding us we are not under law—we are under grace.

And finally, if the Bible had laid down specific lifestyle rules, breaking one of those rules would be a sin. When God expresses Himself in paradoxes, He is showing us that in most financial decisions, we are not dealing with issues of good versus evil or sin verses righteousness but with wisdom versus foolishness. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything." Following God's principles leads to wisdom (Proverbs 2:6).

When we explore God's plan for how to handle our money by looking at paradoxes, we tend to see more of the purpose of the journey of living by God's economy as opposed to the step by step details. And by doing this our eyes our opened to how we are to live as Christians.

Many people deal with these paradoxes by latching on to the side they like best. This can be dangerous. Randy Alcorn said "Satan is the master of extremes, and he cares little which side of the horse we fall off. He cares only that we don't stay in the saddle."

God loves us and there are times when He presents us with all-or-nothing ultimatums. But when it comes to financial principles, He primarily uses paradoxes. This is an act of love designed to gently lead us on a path that is best for us. These are principles and not laws. Principles are guidelines, given by a loving Father, always for our benefit and protection. His purpose is to protect us and point us to living a Christ-like life by using financial paradoxes to reveal these truths.

By embracing the wisdom of God's paradoxes on financial principles we never will go wrong.