Handling Earthly Treasure

Biblical Certainties About Money

Alan Patterson

BOB JONES

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Greenville, South Carolina

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Patterson, Alan, 1953–

Handling earthly treasure: biblical certainties about money / Alan Patterson.

p. cm.

Summary: “Explains what the Bible teaches about money”—Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-60682-214-2 (perfect bound pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Money—Biblical teaching. 2. Money—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.

BS680.M57P38 2011

220.8’3324—dc23

2011025342

BWHEBB, BWGRKL: BWHEBB, BWHEBL, BWTRANSH [Hebrew]; BWGRKL, BWGRKN, and BWGRKI [Greek] Postscript® Type 1 and TrueTypeT fonts Copyright © 1994–2006 BibleWorks, LLC. All rights reserved. These Biblical Greek and Hebrew fonts are used with permission and are from BibleWorks, software for Biblical exegesis and research.

All Scripture is quoted from the Authorized King James Version unless otherwise noted.

NASB: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The fact that materials produced by other publishers may be referred to in this volume does not constitute an endorsement of the content or theological position of materials produced by such publishers.

Handling Earthly Treasure: Biblical Certainties about Money

Alan Patterson, PhD

Design and page layout by Nathan Hutcheon

© 2011 by BJU Press

Greenville, South Carolina 29614

Bob Jones University Press is a division of BJU Press

All rights reserved

ISBN 978-1-60682-214-2

I dedicate this book to my wife, Jan. Her commitment to these biblical principles has made it a joy to strive together to handle our “earthly treasure” in a God-honoring way.

Contents

Introduction

1 The Right Use of Money: Financial Planning

2 Cautions about the Wrong Use of Money

3 Guidelines for Christian Giving

4 The Joy of Voluntary Giving

5 A Biblical View of Debt

6 Capitalism or Socialism?

Conclusion

List of Abbreviations

KD C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Trans. James Martin. 25 vols. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1864–1901.

NASB New American Standard Bible.

TWOT Gleason Archer, R. Laird Harris, Bruce Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody, 1980.

ZPEB Merrill C. Tenney, ed., The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975–76.

Introduction

The godly stewardship of one’s possessions is as much a Christian’s responsibility as his parenting, his work ethic, or any other aspect of holy living. Some conclude that because Christ Himself referred to mammon as “unrighteous,” we must avoid dealing with it or even thinking about it. That is a misguided approach. The fact is that the Lord has given us much information and numerous guiding principles about the proper use of our wealth, whether significant or meager. The person who desires to ...