Is it better, spiritually, to be poor than to be rich?

Answer

How does one’s financial status affect one’s spiritual status? Or is there any effect at all? Which is better, to be poor or rich? This topic has long been debated within the church. Israel was promised freedom from poverty if the people followed God’s laws “save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:”, (Deuteronomy 15:4). Yet Jesus taught that the poor are blessed “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.”, (Luke 6:20).

The apostle Paul addressed the issue of wealth in 1 Timothy 6:8–10: “If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Having money is not wrong, but loving money is. The abundance of money or the lack of money is less important than our spiritual condition.

In Jewish culture, poverty and even disability were often seen as the result of someone’s personal sin. In John 9:1–3, the disciples of Jesus asked, “‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'” While human nature often attributes poverty or other weaknesses to something wrong a person has done, God can and does use such circumstances to work His perfect plan.

The account of the rich youngThe story in Mark 10:17–22 illustrates how riches can act as a spiritual stumbling block. Jesus instructed the young man to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow Him. The man left feeling sad because he had great wealth. In this instance, the man’s wealth hindered him from following Christ. He valued his money more than he valued Jesus.

While many psalms and proverbs straightforwardly discuss the advantages of wealth and the challenges of poverty, the Bible emphasizes that both poverty and wealth can align with God’s will and be a divine blessing. Jesus lived in modest circumstances; Solomon was granted substantial wealth. King David started humbly but ended with riches. The apostles faced persecution and martyrdom while following Christ; they were not considered wealthy, yet they utilized all they had to spread Christ’s message to others «Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. », (Luke 18:28). “Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all” «The rich and poor meet together: The LORD is the maker of them all. », (Proverbs 22:2).

From a human perspective, wealth is often seen as a blessing and poverty as a curse. However, God’s plan transcends this view and utilizes both wealth and poverty to fulfill His purpose. We must resist the temptation to view wealth as the sole blessing from God and instead find contentment in every circumstance, recognizing that God’s blessings are not determined by our earthly possessions but are fully realized in a kingdom beyond this world.