Money, Possessions, and Eternity: A Comprehensive Guide to What the Bible Says about Financial Stewardship, Generosity, Materialism, Retirement, Financial Planning, Gambling, Debt, and More

by Randy Alcorn

This practical and refreshing theology of money contains topical and Scripture indexes, a study guide, and five helpful appendixes.

Randy Alcorn presents a biblical and comprehensive view of money and possessions, including the Who wants to settle for fleeting treasures on earth . . . when God offers everlasting treasures in heaven? It’s time to rethink our perspectives on money and possessions. In this thoroughly researched classic, Randy Alcorn shows us how to view these things accurately―as God’s provision for our good, the good of others, and his glory.

About the Author
Randy Alcorn is an author and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to teaching principles of God’s Word and assisting the church in ministering to unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled, and unsupported people around the world. A New York Times bestselling author of over 50 books, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, If God Is Good, Happiness , and the award-winning novel Safely Home , his books sold exceed eleven million copies and have been translated into over seventy languages. Randy resides in Oregon with his wife, Nanci.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Money, Finance, Theology, Spirituality

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Randy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."

Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.

Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.

Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.

Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.

Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org

Reviews

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading through this book. Still one of the more influential and foundational books I've read for the way I want to live my life. Every time I read this book, I'm entranced by Alcorn's vision for the Christian life and feel more direction in how I ought to best make use of my finances for the glory of God. Alcorn at times goes a bit further than I would, and the book does feel quite long. But I'm also not 100% sure what part of the book I'd recommend cutting since all of it is quite valuable. And even when he'd go further than I would, his view is still much closer to the biblical view (as he's persuaded me of it) than most Christians today are.

In the list of non-fiction books that will have made the biggest impact on my life when it's all said and done, this one is definitely going to be in the top ten.

Rating: 5 Stars (Extremely Good)

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is worth the money and time in buying and reading from front to end. If you do not have money, sell your possessions to buy it! Our church has read this for our mid-week fellowship and it has challenged all of us in our Christian life when it comes to the issue of finance and posessions. It has also been used by the Lord to make me re-evaluate and re-affirm the importance of what I do in this life now, in light of the reality that there is an eternity with God coming. This work is best read a chapter a week, and meditations or discussion over (the back of the work has some useful group questions). Alcorn teaches the principle of Christian finance with Scripture as his foundation and plenty of illustrations that vividly hammer the point home. Readers will appreciate the statistics he cite from time to time as well. I do not believe I am over-exaggerating when I say that every Christian must read this book. To borrow a saying Alcorn used in his book, our church hymns tells us a lot about Christ, and our check book should as well. The book tackles on the topic of how unbiblical the prosperity of the gospel is, Christian giving to the local church, wisdom in giving to charities, dealing with materialism, church building funds, paying of pastors, fundraisers, raising kids and teaching them Christian giving, loans, savings, etc. Again, this book is worth buying, not only to finish reading from cover to cover (and applying it), but it's worth being a home reference after one is done as well. Highly recommended.

[Rebekah Barkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a book, one that every Jesus-follower should read. And if every Christian applied what is written in this book, our world would see astronomical leaps and advances for the kingdom of God. As Christians, we have become so inundated with the world’s materialistic mindset that it takes a wake- up call like this book to step on one’s toes and show practical ways that things need to change in the area of money. Definitely a book I’ll keep coming back to. Stewardship isn’t a subcategory of the Christian life. Let it not be said of us that we “majored in the momentary and minored in the momentous.”

[Travis Bow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book last year and kept meaning to write a really in-depth review of it, citing every verse and backing up every point. About 50 pages of notes in I realized that that wasn't going to happen, so here's the extremely abbreviated version, with only quotes that well-versed (ha-ha?) Bible-reader might not be aware of.

This is a solid book with some good thoughts on just about every question a Christian might have about how to use money. Some of the side theology gets a little weird*, but he raises a lot of important questions, backs up all of his opinions with the Bible, and illustrates with tons of real-world examples, statistics, and quotes from the greats. My main takeaways:

1) Asceticism for its own sake is not valuable; it can be a pride-move and doesn't automatically stop materialism.

[God] is glorified by outwardly focused self-denial for the good of others, not be inwardly focused self-deprivation for our own benefit (including attempts to remove our guilt feelings) -Alcorn

Poverty also hath its temptations... For even the poor may be undone by the love of that wealth and plenty which they never get; and they may perish for over-loving the world, that never yet prospered in the world. -Richard Baxter, 17th century

2) On the other hand, wealth and possessions inevitably shift our focus from God to self by creating false self-security, encouraging pride, and distracting us from our purpose.

Similarly, the more things we own--the greater their total mass--the more they grip us, hold us, set us in orbit around them. Finally, like a black hole, a gargantuan cosmic vacuum cleaner, they mercilessly suck us into themselves, until we become indistinguishable from our things, surrendering ourselves to the inhuman gods we have idolized. This is the final end of materialism. -Alcorn

3) We are stewards of God's money. We should be as careful about how much of our wealth we spend on ourselves as we would if we were employees allowed to set our own salaries from the company's profits.

Because he's not physically present, there's a long-distance relationship--and, consequently, delayed accountability. It's a test of each servant to see if the master's standards are maintained even though he isn't there to give immediate reward or correction. -Alcorn

4) Remembering that this world is not our final home should guide how we use our money.

Women sometimes have the problem of trying to judge by artificial light how a dress will look by daylight. That is very like the problem of all of us: to dress our souls not for the electric lights of the present world but for the daylight of the next. The good dress is the one that will face that light. For that light will last longer. -C.S. Lewis

The more holdings we have on earth, the more likely we are to forget that we're citizens of another world, not this one, and that our inheritance lies there, not here. -Alcorn

5) Tithing a tenth of your income is a great way to start giving. Treating this as the bare minimum you'll give (not as the maximum amount God could ever demand of you or a free pass to live in opulence as long as you tithe) is an extremely valuable attitude. It was required in the OT, and evidence shows that Christians exceeded it rather than ignoring it.

....the Jews were constrained to a regular payment of tithes; Christians, who have liberty, assign all their possessions to the Lord, bestowing freely not the lesser portions of their property, since they have the hope of greater things -Iraneus, 2nd century

Tithes are required as a matter of debt, and he who has been unwilling to give them has been guilty of robbery. Whosoever, therefore, desires to secure a reward for himself… let him render tithes, and out of the nine parts let him seek to give alms. -Augustine,4th century

6) The first goal is to give - for the benefit of others and to keep our own focus on God. The second is to give responsibly (to help people, not to subsidize them, and to spread the gospel). Don't ignore the first because you don't have time for the second.

7) Choosing a lifestyle and giving away everything else is better than choosing an amount to give and enjoying everything else as "your own". It is extremely common for people to raise their standard of living to match their income and to give a smaller percentage as they get wealthier, which is the opposite of what should be true.

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them. -C.S. Lewis

How different our standard is from Christ’s. We ask how much a man gives. Christ asks how much he keeps. -Andrew Murray

8) While saving for the future is good and wise, saving 'too much' shows lack of faith and values your own security over the current needs of others.

Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, and give as much as you can – John Wesley

Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected. Hoarding is idolatry. -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Saving is a means of not presuming upon God. Hoarding is a means of replacing God.-Alcorn

9) A bunch of practical discussion on everything from gambling (never wise), investing (should be careful not to profit from evil), leaving money to your children (think carefully about whether wealth would be good for your children's spiritual welfare), debt (be careful about tying yourself to a master other than God / limiting the ways you could serve God), ministry finances / fundraising, etc.

Everyone should study this issue and examine their lives carefully. This book is a good guide.

*Alcorn tries to reconcile a "nothing you can do affects your salvation" view with a "God promises rewards for tough obedience when it comes to money" view by a tiered system of heavenly rewards, which I don't think I buy... but this is a side note to his point, which is to take the "do what God says and he will reward you" passages seriously.

[Jordan Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book believing that we are stewards of God's money, and that we are accountable to God for what we keep and what we give away. This book has maintained this view for me. However, it has made a larger impact than I was expecting. As I approached this book, I believed that all money in my hands was God's money. And while I knew I should be giving away money that I've been given, I reasoned within myself that I wasn't in a great place to increase my giving at this time, but over the course of the next several years, I would slowly increase my giving to levels that felt appropriate, at least to 10% of my income. However, Randy makes a great argument that God demands you give to His Kingdom money He has entrusted to you, and to fail to give that money is to rob God of what is His. We (I) don't want to be in a position where I'm robbing God "a little bit less" over the next few years until I'm finally not robbing Him anymore, because then I'm still consciously planning on robbing God for at least a few years. That is a no go. Randy has made excellent arguments and dissected financial giving and materialism in the church excellently. If I were to teach a course on financial stewardship, I would likely use this book as a textbook for the class. I highly recommend others read the book.

[Scotty Leandro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read like a lightly reviewed stream of consciousness rant, that lacked a pastoral tone. This was way too long and lots of material could have been cut back. BUT, there was some good stuff in here, and definitely some of my takeaway’s are maintaining our standard of living to increase our giving, tithing is bush league generosity, embracing an eternal mindset as stewards, and I enjoyed how to teach our children about money. I also enjoyed his personal examples of how he works through stewardship with his wife. Negatively, I found many verses that were unrelated to the context. It was like he did a quick word search to try and bolster his point with multiple pieces of Scripture. But at other times he would dive into the context of a passage to bolster his point eg leaving an inheritance is outdated & why the acts 2 community is not an example to be followed (which I agree with). A lot of times he also had flawed logic, or would essentially embrace a utilitarian mindset of “well this could be used to feed the poor and advance missions” well no duh. But this is me being picky. This book, nevertheless, has helped bear fruit and provokes you so that you give a lot more thought and prayer to your role as a steward of God’s money, even if you don’t agree with everything. Thanks for your thoughts and time, Randy!

[Chrisyatesbookguy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. This took me forever but it is done. It felt like this would never end.

At its best, this book is challenging and thought-provoking in a way I hadn’t seen. I grew up understanding tithing to be important but Randy rises above. His convictions are strong! He challenges you to think hard about what you’re willing to give and pushes you to consider where your treasure is.

At its worst, it’s about 150 pages too long. Randy makes the same arguments over and over again, especially in the first third. There are chapters that are good but there are chapters that are rants. At time his claims struggle with slippery slopes or angling stories to boost his argument. Ultimately, the biggest struggle is this book does not feel conversational. Randy often makes it seem like anything other than what he suggests is simply robbing God and loving money more than him. It felt harder to listen when it just feels like the author is talking down to you.

Take what you like and spit out the bones they say! Worth the read and the thought.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot of fantastic points in this book. My reason for 4 stars is sometimes the verses used aren’t fully applicable when read in context. He gets off track in chapters and the books feels disorganized at times. Overall, the key points are a well deserved discussion and I’m glad to have read the book.

[hannah cottrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

|| 4.5 ⭐️ ||

Whew! This book was sooo long, and had to be taken in gradually, but it was an instrument in my lifelong journey of dying to self, and completely worth it.

Even though it was written a couple decades ago and some information was outdated, the vast majority of it was still very relevant. I know that the economy and society have evolved significantly since then, however, and it would be interesting to read a more modern/updated version of this book that takes into account the new cultural climate.

Many of the concepts introduced in this book were new to me, as I had never really done an in-depth study on managing my—aka God’s—money in a way that is honouring to Him (aside from basic tithing which I grew up learning). Many specific topics were touched on that I had never considered at all, and I loved how thoroughly and clearly each of these topics were researched, pondered and presented. Some topics I really had to wrestle through and pray about. Some topics gave me useful strategies and questions to ask myself when managing God’s money. Almost all topics were enriching in some way.

Throughout this book, my perspective on my resources changed a lot. Not just on how I manage my money and possessions, but also on what I invest my time in. I was convicted through looking at what I really do with the resources that I have, and I have made a lot of adjustments to my life and budget since starting this book. I’m glad I was able to pick up this book while in my early 20’s, because I feel like much of what I’ve learned will set me up for life. I learned so much about what it actually means to give, to trust in God’s promises to provide for His children, to live with an eternal and global perspective (rather than our default temporary/earthly/instant-gratification/yolo perspective) and I hope I will continue to grow in that.

I would recommend this book to any Christian who deals with money or owns anything, is pretty much all of us. Read this book sooner rather than later.

[Lavon Herschberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book excels as an extensive reference for the Christian on the subject of money, a challenging group study, or an open door for honest self-reflection. The author is not afraid to make strong claims against the “American Dream” culture that he feels are based on the Bible, and I’m sure you may not agree with everything he says. But if a Christian is unable or unwilling to carefully consider Alcorn’s reasoning by asking God to search our hearts, doesn’t that itself say something about the state of our hearts?

4.5 stars because I think he could have been a little more concise without sacrificing content.

[Will O'kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scripturally-saturated, practically applicable, and full of wisdom. The more I read from Randy Alcorn, the more I appreciate his perspective, which truly appears to be an eternal one. Alcorn avoids the false extremes of asceticism and health and wealth prosperity gospel, showing how both of these are un-biblical. Instead, he re-oriented this reader to the importance of using everything we own for the glory of God and of fixing our hearts on the coming kingdom. One of the best books I've read in the past two years and one that I will be returning to often.

Note: I listened to the abridged version of this, since that was the only audio version I could find. I'm sure there's even more to appreciate about the unabridged version, and I hope to go back and read that one as well.

[Carina Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a Christian, you need to read Money, Possessions and Eternity ASAP. While reading I found myself being challenged, and it changed my outlook on how I'm supposed to interact with and handle money as a Christian. It combines tons of Bible verses and practical discussions on financial matters with a very readable and engaging writing style. Probably best for high school students and up.

[Sarah Pascual · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lengthy and thorough commentary on how Christians should engage using their money and possessions. I loved that there was scripture on almost every page and the stories Alcorn shared about his own practices helped me to trust what he wrote, seeing how he truly practices what he writes about. While I didn’t agree with all of his positions or practices, this gave me a lot to think about and definitely revealed some areas I’d my life where I am still holding to certain comforts.

[Izzy Wootonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished in the nick of time for my 2023 goals! Listened on audiobook on all the road trips w Josh we've taken this fall. IT'S SO GOOD, every Christian should read this!! So comprehensive in covering EVERY way that we interact with money on a personal and church level. Super convicting and left us both inspired to give more money away and be generous to God and others!

[Anjanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite modern books on Christian lifestyle: Jesus, increase my standard of giving!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really challenged my thinking in what it means to store my treasures in Heaven. This book is very countercultural in the best way possible. I appreciate all the principles laid out, but I don't agree with all the application presented.

"Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand" (Ecclesiastes 5:15)

[Lillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had a fair grasp of stewardship, but this book has made me re-think everything I thought I knew. Randy Alcorn says our tithe is just the beginning. If all we do is tithe, we are spending money on ourselves that should be spent on things of eternity--giving to God's work in the world. His position, well backed up by Scripture, is that the poorest people in the Western World are richer than most of the people worldwide. Yet, we often think we have earned our money and possessions and we are entitled to enjoy them. Randy Alcorn reminds us that we own nothing and nothing we have is ours. Everything belongs to God, and what we have has been entrusted to us as stewards. He is the director or CEO or head honcho of Eternal Perspectives Ministries, a ministry that gives money to Christian ministries. He has written a number of highly successful books, both fiction and nonfiction, but he never sees a penny of royalties. Everything goes to Eternal Perspective Ministries. He earns a salary, but years ago when he was a pastor of a church, he and his family began a way of life that they follow today. They have established a level of income that gives them a reasonable lifestyle, with some comforts and conveniences, but avoiding a large home, luxury cars, expensive clothing, and elaborate meals that so many people think should be the norm. They then take everything that comes in above the income they have established as their base and give it to churches and ministries. He recommends giving only to Christian organizations rather than secular nonprofits. He says that anything a secular nonprofit can do, there are Christian charities that can do the same thing plus deliver the Gospel along with the material help they give. He makes plain that the "prosperity Gospel" is not Biblical. God wants His children to have abundance, but not necessarily material wealth. He also says the tithe should go to the individual's church before other gifts are given to other ministries. He points out the many times the Bible talks about money: there are twice as many verses devoted to money than to faith and prayer combined; Jesus spoke more about money than about heaven and hell combined! The author reminds us of the many promises made by God for those who give him the firstfruits-10% off the top, and even more for those who make freewill offerings above and beyond the tithe. He suggests that if we focus too much on building wealth or even financial security in this world, we are laying up treasures where they will rot instead of laying up our treasure in heaven, which will bring us rewards. He doesn't suggest everyone sell all they have and give to the poor. If everyone becomes poor, no one can help anyone else. He does advocate all of us giving sacrificially and trust God's Word that He will provide for us. This book has really me consider that I might not be giving enough for God's glory. I will be looking at doing what the Alcorns do--determining the amount of income that will pay my bills and give everything above that to charity. My house is comfortable, but not fancy, and it's paid for. My car is 20 years old, and I don't own a lot of expensive things. But instead of storing up money for my "old age"--and I'm already there--maybe I need to trust God more than when I can no longer earn a living from editing and writing, God will provide for me. I highly recommend this book to all Christians who want to live for God's glory.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raises important questions to ponder on a range of financial topics, and provides a lot of (generally) Biblical guidance, including the importance of considering material things from an eternal perspective. I understand why Alcorn says what he does because statistically, American Christians give very little of their income to Kingdom causes, but, unfortunately, he holds Christians to a higher standard than the Bible.

Alcorn goes beyond the Bible in saying that we should "live on a certain amount of money each year, an amount that allows some room for discretionary or recreational spending. All income beyond that I will give to God’s kingdom purposes." Although he quotes verses about God blessing His people materially, and about believers being legitimately wealthy, many of the things Alcorn says would make one feel guilty for being wealthy.

A few passages to study on this topic: Ps 35:27; Deut 8:18; 28:11; Mal 3:10; Pro 3:10; 10:22; 13:11; 21:20; 31:22; 2 Cor 9:6, 10-11; 1 Tim 6:17; Ecc 3:13; 5:18-19; 9:7-9; Matt 26:8-10; Phil 4:12.

I also disagree with Alcorn's advice to save less and trust God more, and his promising that God will provide for all our material needs. A few examples:

"Giving beyond our means would appear to break us. But it won’t—because we know God is faithful."

Alcorn describes a man who became a Christian in his 20s and decided to sell his house and give the money to God. Older believers talked him out of it, and Alcorn calls this "tragic." He says, "If we ever feel inclined to talk a young believer, including our own child, out of giving, we should restrain ourselves."

"No one who has seen God work will be surprised to hear that within a week of the trip he gave back not only the money we had given but over a thousand dollars more."

"No matter how much we give, we can never outgive God."

"God promises his blessing and provision."

If Christ commended the poor widow in Mark 12 for giving to you everything she had—considering her faithful, not irresponsible—how much would I have to give away before you would consider me irresponsible.

Considering that the vast majority of people in history and most in the world today have nothing stored up for retirement, am I preoccupied with putting too many treasures in retirement funds? Are you [God] calling me to work without a net—or with less of a net—trusting you’ll catch me in case of a fall?

"If a work is constantly in want of money, always begging for donations, either it’s not God’s work or it’s not being done in God’s way."

"We can be certain that God will provide for our basic material needs if we seek first his kingdom (Matthew 6:25-34)"

"… work diligently for our current necessities, serve the Lord to the maximum extent, put everything above present needs into the work of the Lord, and trust him for the future."

"Like the poor widow who had no cash reserves, you know that God will take care of you, even if there are no visible resources."

It's true that we must not use wealth as a substitute for trusting God, but to neglect appropriate saving isn't exercising faith, it's tempting God (Lk 4:12). God promises to provide what He knows we need, which isn't the same as promising that we'll always have enough money, food, etc. God may decide that we don't truly need money, food, or even life itself. The Bible and experience shows this is true. We need to act responsibly while still trusting Him. 1 Tim 5:8 says that we must provide for our family, which can include saving, investing, insurance, etc.

Alcorn frequently cites the widow who gave all her money (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4), but always uses her as a model we should follow in sacrificial giving. He never points out how, in the verses before this, Jesus condemned the scribes for "devouring widows' houses," so it's likely that at least part of His point with the widow is the corruption of the Jewish leaders and Jewish temple worship, which allowed a widow to become so destitute, and motivated her to give away money she needed to survive. Jesus doesn't explicitly praise the widow or tell His disciples to imitate her. The Bible nowhere calls us to give away what we need to survive.

Interestingly, in the chapter on debt, Alcorn changes his tone, advocating more responsible behavior. A few examples:

Many people’s income increases over the years, but many others’ decreases. Many incur increased financial commitments beyond their control, such as health-related expenses or caring for an elderly relative. People get laid off. Has God promised that can’t happen to us?)

James 4:14 warns that we cannot know what will happen tomorrow. And if we don’t know and cannot control all that the future holds, how can we be sure that we can pay off new debts?

"The Bible says we don’t know what a day may bring forth and we should not presume (Proverbs 27:1)."

"It’s not faith to test God’s provision with presumption."

Notes
The Weakness of Asceticism
Jesus live simply, but wasn't an ascetic. He feasted (Mt 11:19; Lk 7:34), drank wine and made wine (Jn 2:1-11), associated with poor and rich (Mt 27:57-61; Jn 19:38-42), accepted material support from rich (Lk 8:2-3), accepted extravagant anointment with expensive perfume (Mt 26:6-12).

OT Israel celebrated national feasts to rejoice in God's material provision, which included worship, fellowship, celebration (Deut 14:22-27; 16:15).

The Bible is full of merriment, feasting.

Everything is fair game to have and enjoy, if we partake thankfully and prayerfully (unless partaking violates God's Word) (1 Tim 4:3-5).

Asceticism is selective and arbitrary. You could always get by with a little less.

God sends poverty and wealth (1 Sam 2:7).

Both wealth and poverty can tempt us to sin (Pro 30:8-9).

The Dangers of Materialism
Issue isn't income, but lifestyle and resistance to temptation.

Issue isn't things themselves, but depletion of time, energy, money that could've been invested in God's Kingdom. Question isn't, "Should a Christian own this?" but, "Should I own this based on how it will drain my resources? Will it contribute to or detract from my devotion to and service of God?" See 2 Tim 2:4; Lk 14:16-24.

Prosperity Theology: The Gospel of Wealth
Some OT passages link material prosperity with God's blessing (Gen 13:1-7; 26:12-14; 30:43; 39:2-6; 1 Kin 3:13; Job 42:10-17; Deut 15:10; 28:1-13; Pro 3:9-10; 11:25; Mal 3:8-12). NT does too (Lk 6:38).

OT warns against dangers of wealth (Deut 8:7-18).

Bible recognizes frequent exceptions to prosperity of righteous.

NT teaches not only that righteous may suffer, but that they often will suffer because of their righteousness (2 Tim 3:12; 1 Pet 5:9; Jn 15:18-20).

God gives us material things to use for good works (2 Cor 9:8); to generously give, not keep (2 Cor 8:13-14; 9:10-11).

Two Treasuries, Two Perspectives, Two Masters
God commands us to act in enlightened self-interest, for His glory, others' good, and our good (Mt 6:19-20; Lk 12:33). This isn't selfishness, which is pursuing gain at others' expense.

Lk 12:33 says to sell possessions in order to give to the poor. The purpose isn't asceticism, but ministry.

The Steward’s Eternal Destiny
In Heaven we'll eat and drink with Christ, Abraham, others (Mt 8:11).

We'll learn in Heaven (Eph 2:7).

In Heaven we'll remember earthly lives and relationships (Rev 6:9-11; 21:12-14; Mal 3:16).

The Steward’s Eternal Rewards
There will be differences of reward in Heaven (Pro 24:11-12; Mt 19:27-30; Lk 14:12-14).

Differences of reward may be differences of capacity for joy. All will have joy, but some will have greater capacity for joy (like different size jars that are all full).

We should be motivated by eternal rewards (2 Cor 4:16-18; 5:9-10; 2 Tim 2:5, 12; 4:7-8; Gal 6:9-10; 1 Tim 6:17-19; Mt 6:19-21). Christ appealed to our compassion but also self-interest (Lk 6:35; 14:13-14).

The Steward and the Master
Parable of shrewd manager (Lk 16:1-3) means that we should use material assets for ministry, and the people who benefit will welcome us in Heaven.

God is generous. He doesn't expect us to live in poverty, and doesn't resent us for reasonable spending on ourselves. But there's a line between reasonable expenses and squandering His money.

The Pilgrim Mentality
OT speaks of material blessing for obedience (Deut 28:2) and enjoying earthly wealth (Deut 28:11; Josh 1:15; Pro 15:6). NT talks of giving away possessions (Mk 10:17-21; 1 Tim 6:17-18).

Tithing: The Training Wheels of Giving
OT Israel had 3 tithes: for priests and Levites (Num 18:21, 24); festival (Deut 12:17-18; 14:23); orphans, widows, poor (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12-13). Average tithes were 23%/yr. Israel was nation and church, so some of these funds are equivalent to our taxes.

Tithing began before law given to Moses. Abraham (Gen 14:20) and Jacob (Gen 28:22) tithed.

OT speaks of voluntary offerings beyond tithe/firstfruits (Lev 22:18-23; Num 15:3; Deut 12:6, 17; Ex 35:29). Tithes demonstrated obedience; offerings demonstrated love, joy, worship.

NT never rescinds tithing, and Jesus commended it (Mt 23:23).

Being under grace in NT doesn't mean we have lower standards than OT law. Jesus raised the bar; He didn't lower it.

There's no evidence that early Church for a few hundred years thought tithing wasn't mandatory. It was described as mandatory by Irenaeus, Augustine, Jerome.

Tithing applies to everything accrued, paid, or provided for our benefit. God's provision includes gross salary and benefits, so we should tithe on value of all. If employer paid for your mortgage or groceries, you wouldn't consider those outside of your income and not subject to tithing, so you shouldn't exclude employer-paid benefits.

Giving: Reciprocating God’s Grace
NT promotes sacrificial giving, but Acts 2-4 was a unique situation.

Church in Acts didn't reject private property. People occasionally (Acts 4:34), voluntarily (Acts 5:3-5) sold property to give money to church.

Bread line in Acts 6 isn't normative for all churches; it was part of emergency situation at that time.

2 Cor 9:7 isn't about weekly giving; it's about one-time special offering for poor saints in Jerusalem.

Helping the Poor and Reaching the Lost
If people don't go on short-term mission trips, they don't spend that money on missions, but on expenses or recreation. Mission trips are usually not funded out of "mission dollars" but from money that would've been spent in other ways.

Ministry Finances and Fund-Raising: Special Ethical Concerns
In NT, giving wasn't directed to Church in general, but to local congregation. Gifts sent to other places were done through local church. Bible doesn't say to give to needy causes directly, but through local church (1 Cor 16:2; Acts 4:34-35).

Tithes should be given to local church. Offerings may go to parachurch ministries.

Making Money, Owning Possessions, and Choosing a Lifestyle
Bible says we shouldn't be dependent on others (1 Thess 4:11-12).

There are 2 kinds of disciples: traveling missionaries who leave behind major possessions, and people who use possessions for Kingdom causes, including supporting missionaries.

Majority of Christ's followers never sold or gave all possessions, and weren't expected to. If all Christians sold or gave away possessions, no one would support missionaries.

2 wrong interpretations of Mk 10:17-31: 1) Christ calls all disciples to sell possessions, give to poor, and become a missionary, and 2) Christ never calls disciples to do this.

Many early believers were wealthy (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; Mary the mother of Mark; others who supported Christ and His disciples; Priscilla and Aquila; others who supported Paul).

Lk 14:33 means giving everything over to Kingdom purposes, not necessarily giving everything away, since some disciples retained property and financially supported Him (Lk 8:1-3).

1 Tim 6:17-19 doesn't command rich to stop being rich.

We may keep enough money and possessions for our basic needs and some wants, but not so much that we're distracted from our central purpose, or that we keep large amounts from Kingdom causes, or that we become proud and independent of God (Deut 8:13-14; Mt 6:26-29).

2 Cor 8:14 and 9:11 say God gives us more money than we need so we can give generously.

To challenge the Corinthians in their giving, Paul told them about the Macedonians' giving (2 Cor 8:8).

We're in spiritual warfare, and should live a wartime/strategic lifestyle. But even in wartime, we need rest and recreation. God gives us things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17). "Life isn’t just utilitarian. There’s nothing wrong with spending money for modest pleasures that renew and revive us, especially considering that our battle will last a lifetime." Things that aren't necessary but contribute to your physical and mental health, energy, and relationships, are legitimate.

Debt: Borrowing and Lending
Debt isn't always sinful; Bible gives guidelines about lending, and says lending is a blessing (Deut 28:44-45). But Rom 13:8 says we shouldn't normally borrow, and should pay off debts ASAP (2 Kin 4:1; Mt 5:25-26; 18:23-24).

A home mortgage is different than other types of debt because the loan is secured by the home's equity. A mortgage may or may not be wise.

Debt may be the best or only option in cases of farmers, accident victims, unemployed, abandoned spouses.

In the 3 major Church building projects in the Bible (tabernacle and 2 temples), believers gave before construction; there was no debt. In responding to other needs, believers gave immediately, without incurring debt (Acts 4:34; 2 Cor 8:1-5). There's no record of debt to fund God's work.

Saving, Retiring, and Insuring
The Bible advocates saving for future expenses (Pro 6:6-8; 21:20; Gen 41:25-57), but saving vast sums for decades ahead can be foolish (Lk 12:13-21).

We're to be obedient, responsible, and wise, seeking first God's Kingdom (Mt 6:33). Any savings, retirement, insurance, or survival plan that diverts our attention from God undermines our dependence on Him.

Prudent foresight, realism, and planning are good, but panic and hoarding aren't (James 5:1-5).

Saving is a means of not presuming upon God. Hoarding is a means of replacing God. Saving can avoid presuming upon others to assume responsibility for our future needs. Hoarding is a self-absorbed commitment to independence from others who could help us if we’re in need, just as we can and should help others.

Saving is laying aside for a future need. Hoarding is being unwilling to part with what you've saved to meet others' needs, prioritizing your possible future needs of overs' actual present needs, which isn't loving your neighbor.

Ask yourself if you're using insurance as a legitimate tool (God's provision) or an illegitimate substitute for God (idol).

Evaluate savings, retirement, insurance by asking if they reduce or increase your sense of dependence on God, reduce or increase your openness to God's direction, and if money would be better put toward Kingdom causes. Have enough of these to avoid presuming on God, but not enough to avoid relying on Him.

Gambling, Investing, and Leaving Money
Children shouldn't be preoccupied about the fairness of receiving an inheritance (Lk 12:13-15).

If children don't need money, don't feel compelled to leave them an inheritance. If they won't use money wisely, don't leave them an inheritance. The answers may vary from child to child, so what you leave them may vary as well.

Charitable contributions upon death are good, but it may be better to give during your life, to exercise trust in God, make informed decisions about giving, and be sacrificial (1 Chr 21:24).

Appendix C: Lending Money, Charging Interest, and Co-signing a Loan
Lending appears positively in Deut 28:12; Ps 37:21, 26; 112:5.

Israel's economy was largely noninflationary. In an inflationary economy, it may be right to charge interest rate equal to inflation.

Jesus spoke of earning interest without condemnation (Lk 19:23).

Charging interest might be appropriate for lending institutions but not for individuals lending to fellow believers to help meet their needs (or interest rate shouldn't exceed inflation rate).

Appendix E: Should Giving Always Be Kept Secret?
Matt 6:3-5 doesn't mean that no one should ever know of your giving, but that you should do it unobtrusively, not divulge or flaunt it for human recognition.

The Bible records many believers whose giving was known (Acts 2:45; 4:32-37; Num 7; 1 Chr 29; Phil 1:7; 2 Cor 8:2-3).

There's a time for giving to be seen, for right reasons (Mt 5:16).

Just as Mt 6 doesn't mean all our prayers must be done in private, it doesn't mean all our giving must be secret. The point is that it not be self-serving.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book will make your head explode. It starts out well but eventually (right about the time you get sick of reading it, around chapter 15 or so) starts falling apart. I understand giving generously to charities, but I don't believe they must exclusively be third-world evangelical charities. There are plenty of non-sectarian charities that do noble work, even if it is something other than evangelism. I also don't believe in failing to plan for retirement in order to trust that God will provide. Maybe he's providing for my future now? He tries to make the argument that your riches will be worth nothing once Christ returns, but should we really live with the expectation that he'll show up tomorrow?

It's not all bad but if you don't agree entirely with his platform it sounds like soapbox ranting. Another thing to consider is that his personal financial circumstances are very different from most people's because he has cleverly structured his assets to avoid paying over a million dollars in legal judgments, and also this book was last revised in 2002, well before our current economic situation.

Yes people need to be more generous than materialistic but they also need not fail to plan for their own futures and rainy days.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years, multiple people I respect kept telling me this book changed their life, so I finally tackled it. It’s a big book, but if you only read one book on money in your life, make it this one. And it’s one of those very rare books I might read again and again.

[Bonita Jewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book and loaned me his copy.

He works in the area of finances and when he described the book, he used the word "orienting," mentioning that it's easy to go off in one direction and then another when it comes to finances, get overly concerned about retirement funds or insurance or any number of financial woes. But reading this book always brought him back to center, orienting him as to what's important and meaningful from an eternal perspective.

It took me a while to get through the book (counting the appendices, it's nearly 450 pages). If it were a novel, I might have sped through 450 pages in a few days, but in this book, each chapter and section is so rich with insight, advice, and helpful perspectives on money and possessions.

The main point throughout is the idea of all things belonging to God, and living with the perspective of a caretaker of God's good gifts rather than the owner. As such, questions about what to do with one's finances should always be considered in this light.

This is a great summarizing statement from the last page: “Five minutes after we die, we'll understand what's most important and what's been most important all along. We'll see with eternity’s clarity. We can either take off the blinders now while we still have our earthly lives to live or wait for them to be taken off after death when it will be too late to go back and change what we've done on earth.”

He also quotes A.W. Tozer in saying, “Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.”

Talk about a purpose to orient one's life towards.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bottom line:
I did not like it and will not read it again nor recommend to anyone I know.

I did not like this book because there was too much contradiction and hypocrisy. The author would lecture strongly against or for things and then slip in a "oh but I do this...." or and the end of the book he will give leniency against what he pushed for in the chapter on the topic.

I also found many things (see below for just a few) that I felt contradictory to Scripture. Alcorn does put many Scriptures alongside the things he says but it seems the case of choosing what Scriptures support your idea, usually out of context.


I'm still reading and at 30%.

The book started off interesting and I wanted to keep reading... However, at about 20-ish% it started sound lecturing/preachy. It gives me the impression that if you have messed up or are struggling in any way with finances that God will give you less and essentially punish you in Heaven because you failed that task on Earth with Scripture to back it up (such as the parable of the 3 servants). There is not any support or help to guide you in how to be a good steward (at least not yet). There is much lacking in teaching and guiding in finances so it seems to me that Alcorn is saying, "if you can't figure it out and do a good job, you will show/suffer for it compared to others who got it right" (my words, not his). I stress when it comes to investing because most of the time you are going to lose money so my thoughts are 'isn't it better to hold onto what you have and not risk losing most or all of it on the chance that you "might" get more?'... but according to what the book is saying, I'm in the wrong and that I should try to make more but there is no comment on what happens if you try but fail (which I assume will be worse because you lost the money you are a steward of). It is just all so confusing and feels like you can't win.


I am now at 38% and just read the chapter on tithing.

It is not getting any better for me. Alcorn tells you that if you are a true believer, you should tithe.... no excuses and if you don't tithe at least the 10% then you are stealing from God. He goes on to talk about viewing tithing as legalistic or minimum requirement because it was in the Bible before the laws were created. There is some confusion (?) or at least it is not really addressed about those who tithe because it is what we should do , falling under legalism, and those who tithe from joy that they are supposed to... except one little part in a list of scenarios at the end of the chapter where someone does not tithe because they are not cheerful about it because they are stressed financially. In Alcorn's words..., you are stressed financially because you don't tithe and once you tithe, you will no longer be financially tight because God will bless you for tithing and you tithe because its out of obedience (he has conveniently changed legalism into obedience for this example). He also never address those who are married to an unbeliever and how that may look for tithing. The bottom line: You tithe no matter what AT LEAST 10% or you are stealing from God and wrong and you will be punished for it... if you tithe at least the 10% (or more) you will be blessed.

Here at 63%....

it has been talking about debt, savings, and retirement. There is a strong lecture on debt. As in there is no reason to go into debt because it means you are selfish and unhappy with what God has provided you and if He hasn't given it to you , them you probably do not need it. Also, going into debt (as well as savings, if too extravagant) means you are taking God's place in being the provider and doing it yourself. Basically, for daily living and savings... you should have enough to barely get by. If you aren't struggling you are not allowing God to work and so going against your faith because you are not truly relying on God. If you happen to have more, whether savings or in your daily finances, then you should provide for others with less (above tithing) because that is loving your neighbor and if you don't love your neighbor you are not following what the Bible says and God's number 1 rule. And you shouldn't be focusing on the monetary benefits for yourself here on earth, I am paraphrasing/summarizing my takeaway: if you struggle and spend any extra on taking care of and loving your neighbor, you are putting deposits in you heavenly account and will reap those benefits which are far better then being comfortable on earth. Also, if any Christian advises you that doing anything differently is foolish..., they are not the people you need. For example, he talks about a guy to took all of his retirement and gave it to train missionaries and those who say that was foolish are not really being the Christians they are supposed to be and that guy can now solely rely in God to provide in place of his retirement and he cites the widow who God commended for giving away her last two pennies for support of this.

At 68%:

Society and particularly financial advisors constantly appeals to our fears and insecurities. My take? They are bad, evil and don't listen to them. I just can't even with this. Then, retirement is an American dream and it's not in the Bible.., giving the idea that to save or have retirement is unbiblical. And if you are healthy, you should be working... no matter your age because that is the reason 65 year old men die of a fatal heart attack chances immediately double if he is retired/retiring. Also you are given to think you shouldn't have insurance (car, life, medical, any kind) because you are taking away God's ability to provide and putting yourself in God's place. Even though Alcorn states a little later that he has life, medical, etc insurance. How should we then get this covered? Well other Christians in our church community and our church should because the Amish can pull it off. We are selfish and reliant on money for these insurance companies instead of other believers and God. He ends this chapter saying it is ok to have insurance but makes sure it isn't enough to completely cover what you need or even give you extra money because you take away opportunity for God's provision.

[Jacob Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

the ideas in this book are very important and rarely talked about in christian circles, but the ideas are presented in a fairly boring way and usually pretty cheesy (I looked forward to the sections where he quoted other authors)

The book basically starts by laying the foundation that as christians, we claim to believe that heaven is our true home, and that God promises rewards in heaven based on works done on earth, then goes on to answer the question, what does it like to live for heaven while on earth as stewards of resources that God has given us? So thorough and challenging and honestly a lot of fun questions to think about. This book was a slow read and a fairly big commitment, so if you don't have a lot of time on your hands I might recommend the treasure principal by alcorn as a warmup.

One of my favorite ideas from the book is that only valuable things are worth trying to counterfeit, and if Christians believe that the gospel is the most valuable truth then it should come to no surprise that there are counterfeit gospels. This is in context to prosperity theology but can be applied to most selfish spins on scripture.

[Micah Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Really makes you rethink the purpose of money and our role in the kingdom of God.

Only reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is because it was longer than it needed to be. Repeated ideas multiple times per chapter. Maybe that’s a good thing to emphasize and have it sink in … but sometimes it dragged.

Overall, would highly recommend the read to anyone who is wondering how to approach money, savings, retirement, giving, etc. as a Christian.

[Aaron Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essentially a Christian textbook guide on handling possessions that God has given you and how to biblically manage them. This is a fantastic resource for practical and spiritual guidance on broad financial categories such as tithing and giving, as well as more specific ones such as how to plan for retirement as a believer and do churches really need to raise money for bigger buildings?

This is a great book to read and reference for all believers.

[Michaela Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. I read this as prep for the personal finance class that I'll be teaching in the fall, and it was a good in helping me think through how I want to approach certain financial topics with my students.

I also personally benefitted from this book. Alcorn outlines what biblical finances should look like in a clear and balanced manner that keeps scripture as the central guide. Lots of what he said was convicting about how I think about and use resources and "my" money. Every Christian should give serious thought to what he lays out regarding tithe, giving, saving, and insuring in particular.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can’t help but be convicted about your money choices if you read this book. But it’s not a beat you over the head writing. Instead Randy gives solid Biblical principles for how Christians should be thinking about wealth, eternity, and possessions (just like the title says!). I knew I needed to change some things right away.

[Kaelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I'd recommend to every Christian I know (and those of you reading this who I don't know)! The concepts in this book are live-changing and thought-provoking.

Yes, it's long. But it's also filled cover-to-cover with important ideas, so stick with it!

This book has helpful concepts for every Christian, in any stage in life - from teen to retired!

[Dayton Rumbold · Rating 4 out of 5]

"May what matters 5 minutes after we die, become most important to us now."

He packs a LOT into this book. Tithes, Investing, Gambling, wills, etc...

lot of great takeaways. Pretty long book and hard to complete even doing the audiobook version. I recommend his Treasure Principle book first! Randy is solid though

[Kayla Hollatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has made a profound impact on my financial stewardship and generosity journey. It's a resource I'll be returning to for the rest of my life. Don't let its length deter you. It's well worth the read!