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Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

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God's been really dealing with me lately about my money spending habits and my whole philosophy of material possessions in general. I read about how Bill Bright gave all of his money to start Campus Crusade for Christ, and refused to take a salary, or own a house or own a car. I read about how Dr. Tony Evans and Dr. Rick Warren are reverse tithers, giving 90% of what they take in. And I was starting to wonder what God's will was in this whole matter of possessions. So I ordered Craig Blomberg's book, having read his awesome work "Jesus and the Gospels," and finding him to be a trustworthy and reliable exegete.

I was very impressed with this book. I like how he started with the Old Testament, and how he pointed out the generosity of the patriarchs (Abraham in particular), and how even Joseph used the possessions he had access to to provide grain for the world and for his starving brothers and family.

He then talks about wealth as God's covenant blessing to the Israelites if they obeyed Him (and how that this principle is not transferable to the New Testament era, as we have our own covenant with God that is NOT tied to the land).

There is also a discussion of wealth and possessions in Proverbs and in the other salient Old Testament books, Blomberg concludes that wealth is a blessing from God and that we should use what we have to be a blessing to others and especially to the poor around us (Proverbs 3:27-28; Deuteronomy 15:11). He notes the texts that promise judgment to those who neglect the poor (Proverbs 11:24-26; 21:13). He concludes that the overall OT understanding of personal possessions is summed up in Proverbs 30:8-9 (Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me my daily bread). As he says later on page 131, "Ask God to meet your needs, not your greeds." Right on!

There is a brief chapter summarizing the widely different views of possessions in Jewish intertestamental literature, as well as the literature of the Stoics and of Aristotle, and of other Greco-Roman writers.

Then Blomberg discusses the New Testament data. He notes that the overall message of the parables is that we need to be ready to part with material possessions to serve God wholeheartedly, to put kingdom concerns over material concerns. He interprets the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) as Jesus' call to minister to the physical and emotional needs of his workers in particular. He is aware that this text has been co-opted by many as a directive toward all people, and while he acknowledges this as an admirable venture, he feels that this is a misinterpretation of the text.

I couldn't wait for Blomberg to get to the story of the rich young ruler, and I liked what he had to say. He notes that the young man's wealth stood in the way of him becoming a disciple of Jesus, and Jesus called him on it.

Yet Blomberg stops short of giving a clear application for believers today based on this text. I found myself wishing he had said more. He did say later that we cannot be legalistic and demand that everyone give 100% of what they have to the poor, as apparent from the fact that not everyone in scripture does this.

Blomberg also notes that the New Testament is consistent with the Old Testament in its admonitions to give generously to the poor (Mark 10:21, Luke 11:41). He goes on to say that Mary's anointing Jesus with the expensive perfume (John 12) was an extravagant act of giving in advance of a one time, never to be repeated event (the death and burial of Jesus).

Blomberg also surveys the material found in James, noting that true salvation will result in doing good in the lives of those are less fortunate.

He also discusses the material in Acts, observing that the early church tried to take the words of Deuteronomy 15:4 seriously (there shall be no poor among you). People regularly sold their possessions and laid the money at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:32-36; Acts 2:43). Blomberg also recognizes that these were not one time acts, but as needs were made known.

He notes that Dorcas (Acts 9:36, Cornelius (Acts 10:2-4), and the Antioch church (Acts 11:27-30) are all commended for their giving.

He also points out that there are a number of wealthy people in Acts who use their possessions to be a blessing, yet they still held on to some of their wealth as well (Lydia in Acts 16, Aquila and Priscilla, who apparently had enough money to travel (Acts 18:2-3), and others.)

In surveying Paul's letters, he notes Galatians 2:10, which mentions the desire of the Jerusalem leadership and of Paul to remember the poor.

He observes that Paul is consistent with James in that genuine Christianity should lead to obedience, including the whole area of financial stewardship.

He notes from 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus that families should take care of their own before they burden the church with requests for support.

Blomberg also recognizes the possibility that Christians may be rich, as he instructs the wealthier members not to put their hope in their wealth, but to put their hope in God and to be generous (1 Timothy 6:17-18).

In surveying the Johannine literature, Blomberg states that Jesus is no ascetic, as demonstrated by his generously turning the water into wine, and his feeding of the 5000, and cooking breakfast for the disciples (John 21), after he allows them to catch 153 fish!

Blomberg concludes that there is danger in oversimplifying what the Bible says about material possessions. Yet he gives these observations: 1. Material possessions are a gift from God meant for His people to enjoy. 2. Material possessions can be used by Satan to turn people's hearts from God (Gen 3, 1 Tim 6:10). 3. A sign of spiritual life is that we become better stewards of what God has blessed us with (Jas 2:14-17; 1 John 3:17-18). 4. Certain extremes of wealth and poverty are intolerable. 5. The Bible's teaching about material possessions are intertwined with its teaching about spiritual matters.

Blomberg also gives a personal testimony of how he was challenged to give 25% ofhis money for ministries around the world, and now he and his wife give over 30% of their income, even though his family's income is $4000 less than the average suburbanite family in his neighborhood, and he gives all the glory to God.

This was a great book, and it makes me want to experience more of God's blessings by being a generous giver.

I read this book as background for preaching on Christian giving and its relationship to tithing in the Old Testament. Blomberg provides a detailed look at the Bible's teaching on money and possessions, by examining the various biblical corpora.

He also gives sobering, up-to-date information on how Americans spend their money and the proportion of it which they give to Christian missions. His account of his own journey on this issue is one of the many helpful features of the book.

I also appreciated his discussion of capitalism versus socialism. This is done with grace, and should be helpful to you, whatever point of view you have.

As a result of reading this book, I have been challenged to develop a plan for my own giving. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for sensible guidance on Christian stewardship.

This is a work that the Western Church needs today. With our pre-occupation with vending machine theology, a God who is obligated to give us what WE want Him to, whether it be "health/wealth gospel" preaching or the simple deemphasis of passages that speak on our need for contentment in all things, the author makes a good case for a Biblical view of wealth. One that does not despise the things of the world, nor does it cling to them.

There is nothing extraordinary here to those who have thought on the issue. But it produces a thorough development of the Biblical teachings on weath, synthesizes thsoe teachings well, and given our general LACK of thinking on this issue, it is needed and welcome.

Craig Blomberg has produced the single best volume on the topic of what Christians should do with their money and other resources.

He surveys hundreds of publications (nearly 700 are listed in the bibliography alone) and also includes relevant discussion of extra/inter/post testament documents from the ancient Levant.

He presents a representitive sample of views and comments on every relevant Biblical passage from Genesis to Revelation in an equitable light.

Not until the final chapter (almost with out exception) does the author "get preachy" and then it is not so much a guilt producing "what you need to do" as it is a humble example of what he has been lead to do with his considerable fortune (by global standards).

If you are at all interested in taking action on this topic your time and money could not be better spent.

I read Dr. Blomberg's book several years ago and I consider it one of those "life-altering" books that come along every once in a while that actually causes a change in behavior. The book is scholarly (as Dr. Blomberg stated that he read very widely on the subject of wealth), but can be read by the average layperson who is used to reading the opinion section of the daily newspaper. The book's title comes from Proverbs 30:7-9, a beautiful "life verse" if you're into that sort of thing.

The Biblical Theology aspect of the book examines the positives and negatives of wealth in the Scriptures: how it has been used for good by those whom God has blessed with abundance and how it has been a source of contention, covetousness, and even idolatry. Even a casual reading of the historical books and the Prophets will reveal that when the kings (and in turn the people) turned away from the LORD, it led to worshiping false gods, which resulted in great injustices done to the poor, the widows, and the fatherless. A contrast is shown in those who barely had enough to survive, but were called upon to feed the LORD's prophets and thus were blessed as a result (1 Kings 17:7-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7). The Torah called upon the covenant community to provide food for the poor in practical ways such as leaving gleanings in the field (Leviticus 23:22; Ruth 2:8-9).

Among the Christian community there were those who used their resources to house missionaries (Acts 9:43; 17:7; 3 John 5-8) and host "house" churches (Philemon 1:2). Jesus' ministry was also supported by those with means (Luke 8:3; see also Luke 10:38). Conversely, the love of money is listed among the godlessness to characterize the last days (2 Timothy 3:2 - not limited to the present time), can prevent one from entering the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24), divides loyalties (Matthew 6:24), and may even determine the fate of one's eternal destiny (Luke 16:19-25; cf. Matthew 25:14-46).

The sources cited by Blomberg are not limited to evangelical authors (the same is true with his other books) and some of his conclusions may be a bit upsetting to those who are conservative in their politics and their theology. Of course, these same conclusions may be upsetting to those who are liberal in their politics and their theology as well! The balance, then, is Blomberg's belief in the God of the Hebrew and Greek Testaments (seeing the documents as historically reliable), but not linking Christianity to a certain political or economic system as is the tendency in the West (and the East as well).

Wealth in and of itself is not evil. The ability to produce wealth comes from God (Deuteronomy 8:18) and this gift is to be used to bless others, with the ultimate goal of bringing glory to God. While Bruce Wilkinson's book The Prayer of Jabez also has a (supposed) theme of "bless me so I can bless others," it unfortunately takes the prayer found in 1 Chronicles 4:9 out of its historical context (who reads 1 Chronicles anyway?) and does not take into account any suffering that may effect from living the Christian life.

Neither Poverty nor Riches changed my view of money and has caused me to pause and consider how I use it. Dr. Blomberg's own application in the last few pages of the book is a fabulous testimonial to how we can be faithful stewards of what God has given us, giving a witness to the world as servants of Christ.

As a Christian financial advisor, this is a great book to help me understand the Bible's view of money. I wish to help my clients see money not as an end goal but as a tool to use to spread God's kingdom. This book is a great tool to help me understand those Biblical principles. The writing is very thorough and academic and may be dry to the common layman, and not every chapter is very applicable on a daily basis, but that really isn't the point of the book. For someone who wants to understand the overall view of money in the Bible, this would be a valuable reference.

Craig Blomberg consistently offers among the most deeply researched, carefully considered and clearly organized, well articulated, biblically-based theological studies available. I have read numbers of his treatments of historicity of Biblical documents, and have read his volumes studying the Gospels and New Testament from theological, critical and historic perspectives. He is consistently fair and I believe forthcoming in identifying those who disagree with his work, and equally consistent in treating his critics and those with whom he disagrees with respect in his written analysis and rebuttal.

In his body of work, over his career, Blomberg regularly references the question of Christian ethics, discipleship and potential distraction from and confusion of the chief end of followers of Christ relating to wealth and materialism. He himself offers that he and his wife have, after careful study and consideration, elected to contribute substantially more than a tithe of 10% of their annual income, but closer to 40%. Both Dr. Blomberg's concerns and his personal leadership in acting on those concerns are out in front, fully disclosed, for those of us who want to know where he stands, personally, on these issues.

Because I have seen the references to this issue in earlier studies of New Testament documents and the Gospels by Dr. Blomberg, I was anxious to read his study focusing on the theology of possessions in this volume. The text is among the most accessible of Dr. Blomberg's work, minimizing footnotes and technical exegetical, socio-historical, critical and theological discussion, presenting the discussion in a very direct, easy to follow manner. Yet, Blomberg touches on each and all of these aspects of the discussion, and provides ample bibliographic references for deeper study should the reader wish to pursue a more detailed, exhaustive and technical course. You may, in any event, "skip the footnotes" and get the thrust of the book without missing any critical element.

As said, the book may not be, and is not intended to be, exhaustive. However, it is rather thorough and complete in bringing together the background of Old Testament, Inter-Testamentary, Extra-Biblical and New Testament literature to provide context, continuity and coherence to the volume's discussion and conclusions. Some discussion presumes an understanding on the part of the reader for covenant and dispensationalist, reformed and Roman Catholic theological principles. Blomberg is, as seems typical for his work, careful to qualify those points argued from silence, assumption and inference by himself and other writers.

The reader will gain a good grounding in the applicability of Old Testament covenental, legal and rabbinical teaching to the problem of wealth and its proper treatment, as well as limitations, in the context of the New Testament and Christianity. Likewise, Blomberg points to likely avenues to analogize and, in some cases, avoid analogy, between New Testament context, cultural milieu and socio-economic circumstances and those facing present-day Christians. Numbers of differing interpretations are discussed, and treated however briefly, by Blomberg before reaching the conclusions he clearly, unambiguously, identifies as his own supported by reasons he states from the discussion. Dr. Blomberg is unflinching, it seems to me, in his addressment of both "success theology" and "liberation theology"--both of which he argues lack robust, credible Biblical support. He respectfully explains why he sees it that way.

Dr. Blomberg does not find support for the view that Jesus himself was indigent or impoverished, denounced personal ownership of possessions and means, or avoided the occassional lavish meal, party or other display. Nor does he suggest the disciples were required to give up all personal property, or access to gainful employment. He discusses problems with accepting Christ's parables and other teachings as literal and specifically directed to present-day earthly materialism, finance and possessions; or, conversely, brushing them aside as purely arguing from allegory and analog using money and wealth as proxies for spiritual well-being.

While Blomberg provides no comfort to those who believe their conduct as Christians on earth is rewarded by material and worldly success as an end to itself, he also finds no merit in a conclusion that the "poor" are acceptable to God and deserving of special salvonic treatment merely because they are poor. Nor does he find any real support for a thesis that the "rich" are less acceptable to God merely because they are rich. Blomberg finds facets of modern capitalism addressed, but not capitalism as we know it today; and, he finds any attempt to find Marxism in the pages of the New Testament generally and the teachings of Jesus specifically misplaced. As is the case with socialism. Blomberg does a good job explaining the context of the social and economic system in Judea and Galilee in Jesus's day, and distinguishing communalism from communism.

Yet, as the title of the book suggests moderation and a middle-ground on the ultimate question, so Dr. Blomberg finds the teachings of both the Old and New Testament cut across all modern-day political, social and economic systems to advocate socio-economic concerns that overlap and transcend both theology and politics. And among the various enumerated criteria for consideration distilled from the scripture and its study in the book, none features more clearly than taking the measure of any system, church, or person based on how they treat the marginalized.

In the end, Blomberg finds no support for condemnation of wealth per se, but a responsibility born of Christly stewardship in the use of that wealth to advance the needs of marginalized people in the name of Christ and His Gospel. Excess for personal gratification is a problem. Distraction from Christly pursuits and the Gospel mission is a confusion, and therefore a problem. God places those he so chooses to endow with wealth in that position to do His work, to seek His glory--or, possibly as a test. This responsibility carries over through Christians as a whole, the institutional church and the Church Universal, to seek justice for the poor and marginalized. The action is expressly through the efforts of Christians acting individually and in concert, NOT by the compulsary means of the power of the state.

Are there structural barriers to the equitable distribution of financial and material resources to all peoples across the globe today? Inarguable. Is addressment of those barriers and undertaking efforts to reach all peoples, however financially, socially and politically marginalized they are, a Christly virtue in furtherance of the New Commandment and a chief means by which we might advance the Gospel message by contact with these peoples and exemplifying the teachings of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior? It is. Is their a clear litmus test for each of us individually as to how we use the blessings before us, material and spiritual, in this world? Discernment according to what the scripture teaches and the as the Spirit guides us. So Dr. Blomberg leaves us to ask ourselves the question: a new high performance sports car, or financing a mission program attempting to reach the Dalits, or Untouchables, of India? His treatment of these issues and problems is balanced, and not the least heavy-handed. But, in the end, his treatment of these issues and problems is very clear to the reader, who must wrestle with their own position in light of the points made.

Is the end result a call to monasticism or aeseticism? To the contrary. Is guilt inflicted on those who are blessed with enormous wealth, and those who have significant financial and material resources? I, personally, did not find the thrust of the text to be that at all. The call is to moderation, and to guard against the distraction, confusion and temptation extraordinary wealth and all that comes with it may bring. Dr. Blomberg's conclusions certainly feature social justice and compassion for the indigent and needy, as did the ministry of Jesus Christ. But he does not conclude we must all live just above the poverty line. We should avoid excess except where the glory of God is concerned, and in regards to material wealth in this life pursue a balance of "neither poverty nor", I would add in relative terms and to clarify, excessive, "riches", which we direct solely to our self-gratification and personal glorification rather than the glory of God. The precise line above poverty at which we choose to balance our personal material wealth is in our discernment--but, we must SEEK that discernment by self-examination and the request that the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts.

Blomberg provides some clarity, and comfort, that Godly, Christly behavior does not guarantee material or worldly success granted from God, and we should not expect it. In fact, taking up the cross of Christ and following Him is expressly stated to be a difficult path, even dangerous to the point of costing us "all", materially, but rewarding us "all" spiritually in the sense of our eternal souls. But, we also should understand the focus of New Testament teaching, while looking forward to everlasting life without material considerations, tells us in the here and now we must do what we can with what God gives us. Those who seem, despite living a Christian life to the best of their ability, to be failures and marginalized in this world must not despair that God has declined their service or refused to acknowledge them. As Christians, we should look upon one another with honor AS Christians, not based upon our relative socio-economic or political status in worldly terms. Blomberg's theological perspective on New Testament Kingdom theology informs most of his discussion.

The book continuously caveats, by reference to scripture and the larger historic and cultural context of the times, that neither wealth nor poverty are evil or virtuous in themselves. We are reminded God is no respecter of persons, and all have fallen short of the Glory of God, utterly lost but for the price paid by Jesus Christ on the cross. As such, we must reach out to those less fortunate when we believe it may serve God's purposes, and we must respect and honor one another as Christians without regard to our worldly station.

After reading his treatment of the subject, I for one have a clearer understanding of where my duty and responsibility as a Christian resides. A fine discussion, well supported and very readable.

Craig Blomberg, a New Testament scholar of impeccable credentials, surveys the Biblical evidence concerning material possessions. His survey is scholarly, comprehensive, and critically engaged.

My only objection to this book was that Blomberg did not engage in as much analysis as was needed. While it is true that scripture, in many ways, speaks for itself, he passed up numerous opportunities to clarify important points and to drive home the pastoral message behind this work. Despite this minor flaw, the book makes an excellent reference work for developing a comprehensive, Biblical understanding of wealth and stewardship.

Armed with the Bible and over 300 references from other books and articles, Prof. Blomberg presents what he rightly sub-titles "A Biblical Theology of Material Possession" because he went through the entire Old and New Testaments as well as the Inter-testament documents as the foundation for the study. It contains a massive amount of information on the subject, not only the views on material possession and the principles of stewardship, but also a compelling cultural and historical background supporting them, as well as realistic and honest applications for the present day where he uses himself and his family as an example, and goes beyond that for further encouragements to Christian readers. Blomberg prioritizes the Biblical principles to answer the seemingly perennial squabble between the leftist call to be more compassionate to the poor or for more distribution of wealth, in which he seems to quote Ronald Sider's work often, such as "Rich Christians in the World of Hunger" and the foul cry of socialism from the right, represented by, for example, David Chilton's "Productive Christians in the Age of Guilt Manipulators."

Blomberg divides the Old Testament study into Torah, the Prophets and the Poetry or Wisdom literatures, where the principle he outlined in the first chapter is specifically applicable, namely, the principles of the original texts can be practiced in changed contexts. This is important to note because "the closer the situation in any given portion of our contemporary world corresponds to the features, in this case the socio-economic features, of the world behind any given biblical instruction, the more straightforwardly one can transfer the principles of those texts to our modern age. The less the correspondence, the higher one has to move up the ladder of abstraction to look for broader principles that may transcend the uniqueness of specific situations" (p.30). Those embracing the prosperity gospel and liberation theology would do well to reflect on this since they mistakenly apply the Old Testament contexts that lead to some Old-Testament views, such as material blessings for obedience. But even with the abundance that God may bless someone with, Blomberg comments, "One can hardly claim that God's people were free to enjoy unbridled prosperity from their material resources" (p.47). It is sobering to note that when pro-rated annually, all the offerings instituted in the Old Testament added up to 23.3% `tithe' (p.46), that leads to the conclusion that tithing in a 10% sense shouldn't be the rule but something to start with, with the ultimate goal of the so-called graduated tithe for contemporary Christian stewardship (p.248).

The study of the inter-testament documents, though I love the lessons, needs to be digested with caution since some teachings might be potentially heretical. For example, consider the impression that almsgiving atones for sins, "For almsgiving delivers from death and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have the fullness of live (quoting Tobit 12:8-9 on p.94). Other examples that need to be treated with care include some verses in the book of Enoch that seem to equate the rich and the oppressor, and the treaty of Shem that links fortunes entirely to the signs of the zodiac (p.95). Here I believe Blomberg assumes the readers are able to discern what is to be imitated and what is false since he rarely points out the fallacy of the verses he quoted.

The New Testament studies, the choicest meat of the book, consist of the parables of Jesus, the gospels, Paul's general, prison and pastoral epistles, and other epistles, where a particular attention is given to James, the treatment of which is combined with Acts; among others like Hebrews, Jude, Peter, and John, which includes Revelation. There are so many precious lessons to learn here. I dog-eared so many pages and wrote so many side notes in these sections that I was worried that I dog-eared every page because the studies are simply too good not to be marked, re-read and studied all over again. Rather than writing the highlights from these sections that would cause this review to take up several pages, I would invite the readers to dig-in and enjoy the feast for themselves instead.

There are two additional reasons why I appreciate the entire study. First, Biblical principles on stewardship are pointed out carefully with numerous references and sincerity avoiding harsh and uncharitable language. Consider for example, in the last point in last chapter when summarizing the study, "Above all, the Bible's teaching about material possessions is inextricably intertwined with more spiritual matters. No ungodly poor people are ever exalted as models for emulation. No godly rich people, who are generous and compassionate in the use of their wealth, are ever condemned. But in a remarkable number of instances throughout history, poverty and piety have been found hand in hand, as have wealth and godlessness. There is no inherent connection between the items in either pair, just recurring trends" (p.246). Second, Blomberg is also sincere and realistic when using himself and his family to show he talks the walk and walks the talk. He goes to great details on how he applies the principles of generosity and moderation taught in the Bible to his family and ministry. His honesty is displayed when he wrote, "Nor is anything I have written meant to suggest that I believe savings, investments, insurance or pension schemes are wrong. I have all these and hope their earnings continue to grow. While I know of others who, for a variety of ministry-related reasons, have adopted a much more radically simple lifestyle, and while I admire and approve of their approaches, God has not yet led me to follow them, even after considerable discussion, prayer and soul-searching. In short, I feel I have a very rewarding life, materially speaking, and am not a particularly exemplary model of sacrificial giving (p. 249).

In recommending "Neither Poverty Nor Riches," I can not find better words but agree with Prof. D.A. Carson's comment on this book,

"On a subject as sensitive as this one, it is extraordinarily rare to find balance and prophetic voice rolled up in one. In my view, this is now the best book on the entire subject,"

though the difference between he and I is that I have not read much literature on material possession. Nevertheless, it has been a great joy and blessing to find a book like this to learn from.

This book is very thoughtful. I truly enjoyed the scholarship and the insight. I highly recommend it.