Apart from basic necessities, are Christians supposed to give away all they own?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible does not tell us to give away all we own, but it does give us wisdom on how to handle our money and possessions. The proverbs of the Old Testament give us some wise counsel regarding how we handle our money. Proverbs 6:6–8 makes it clear that working hard and saving money is a wise thing to do, and Proverbs 13:22 encourages us to save money for our children. In the New Testament, the topic of earthly riches is mentioned by both Jesus and John the Baptist. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus states that we cannot serve both money and God because we will end up hating one or hating the other. In part of Luke 3:7–18, John the Baptist communicates that those with possessions, money, and power ought to honor God rather than themselves. Later in the New Testament, we are instructed to (1) financially support those in ministry, (1 Corinthians 9:13–14), (2) prioritize providing for the needs of our family (1 Timothy 5:8), (3) place our hope in God rather than in wealth (1 Timothy 6:17), and (5) be “rich in good works” (1 John 3:17–18). Our heart posture toward God and wealth matters.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Proverbs 6:6–8 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” It is wise to work hard and to save money.
• In Proverbs 13:22, it says that a good man “leaves an inheritance to his children 's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.” It is wise to save some of our wealth to pass down to our children.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• We must have our priorities straight and value our relationship with Jesus over money. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says: "No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”
• In Luke 3:7–18, John the Baptist tells the crowd to repent and show evidence of their changed hearts. He warns them that those who do not bear good fruit will be removed. He then tells them to give away their shirts and food to those in need, for tax collectors not to charge more than they are required, and for soldiers to be honest. He addresses those with possessions, money, and power and tells them to honor God, not themselves. We should do the same with whatever we have.
• We are instructed to give to the work of ministry (1 Corinthians 9:13–14). Church workers, missionaries, or ministry participants should be financially supported by their brothers and sisters in Christ.
• 1 Timothy 5:8 makes it clear that we should provide for the needs of those in our immediate family, especially those who are under our own roof.
• In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul says Christians are to put their hope in God, not riches: “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.”
• 1 John 3:17–18 says, “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…” As Christians, we should be generous, open-hearted toward our brothers in need, and prioritize being “rich in good works” rather than being rich in material wealth.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

All of our wealth ultimately belongs to God. Our heart posture toward God and wealth matters. He has entrusted it to us as His stewards. We do well to heed the financial wisdom of the Bible and to seek to use our wealth—giving it away and saving it—the way God leads. Jesus does not instruct us to give everything we own away, but we must have a pure heart devoted to God. To have that, we must know Him (John 14:6). When we know Him, we can listen to His instruction and follow His guidance on how we should deal with our money and possessions. Creating theology from one or a few verses or bits of Scripture, such as Matthew 19:21, always leads to skewed thinking about God. However, God does have much to say about riches and possessions. When taken in context with the rest of Scripture, God instructs us to put our allegiance, hope, and trust in Him, not anything else, including money, possessions, or earning power. This implies that Christians should be generous but not that we must give away everything except for the basic necessities. God wants us to honor Him with our money, our needs, our power, our desires, our possessions—with everything we have. Our giving should be cheerful (2 Corinthians 9:7). God will help us to decide what to do with what we have when we ask Him.

UNDERSTAND

• Christians should honor God with their wealth and be generous, but they are not called to give everything away.
• The Bible emphasizes working, saving, providing, and generosity.
• Trust and hope belong in God, not possessions.

REFLECT

• How does your attitude toward money reflect your trust and hope in God?
• How are you honoring God with your possessions and resources?
• How can you balance working, saving, and giving in a way that aligns with biblical wisdom?

ENGAGE

• How can we encourage others to prioritize their relationship with God over material wealth?
• In what practical ways can we support those in need while still managing our financial responsibilities wisely?
• How do the biblical principles of generosity and stewardship challenge our culture’s view of money and success?