Transcript
Ben Fallon: Today's question comes from Matt, a Certified Financial Planner, who asks, “How should a Christian think about saving for retirement and/or long-term care facility requirements in their old age?” He then references part of your book, Paul, Redeeming Money, where you write:
Could it be that when it comes to finances, we have the whole thing upside down? When we think of money, we tend to think of it as God's primary means of providing for us, and oh yes! He has called us to give. Could it be that Scripture teaches that God's primary purpose for money is that we would be tools of his generosity mission on earth, and oh yes! He also uses it to daily provide for us.
The question from Matt continues, he says, “In light of that, if I think I can live a perfectly comfortable lifestyle on social security when I retire in the future, should I not then give generously today to those who have far less? Doesn't Jesus, in Matthew 25, tell us to care for the least of these?” And then to round out this question, he quotes Bonhoeffer, who says in The Cost of Discipleship, “The way to misuse our possessions is to use them as an insurance against tomorrow,” which Jesus also tells us not to worry about tomorrow and our provisions, in Matthew 6:25-34.” So, all of that to say, Paul, “How should a Christian think biblically about saving for retirement, and how much should they save?”
Paul Tripp: So I do love this question, because the Bible has so much to say about money, yet often in the Christian community, we're reticent to talk about it. And the answer to this question is really about how you read and understand God's Word. The question comes out of Matthew 6:24–34.
But many people handle the Bible like it's an isolated set of wisdom principles. So you can take a single passage, and you can pull it out, and you can build your view of something from a single passage. And that's just not the way the Bible works. The Bible is, first of all, a grand narrative that tells me all I need to know about God, all I need to know about the world I'm living in, all I need to know about myself, all I need to know about the tragedy of sin, and God's redeeming grace. And so, everything that you understand has to be understood in the grand sweep of that story. And then it's very clear that context matters. You have to look at a passage in its larger setting to really understand fully what that passage means. And a third thing, that is important to understand, is that Scripture interprets Scripture. So, there may be another portion of Scripture that alters the way that I understand the passage that I'm now reading. So all those things have to be considered as you build your view of something like money. The question comes out of this passage in Matthew 6 that says:
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?
Well, in order to properly understand this passage, you have to understand the passage that comes before it. And I want to read that passage. This is Matthew 6:19–24.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
The giveaway of what Christ is trying to teach us, in Matthew 6:19 all the way through to 34, is the word “treasure.” Treasure is something that has a value, usually something that I've assigned value to. And Jesus is basically saying there are three treasure principles that you need to understand. First, “Every human being lives for some kind of treasure.” We're value-oriented, goal-oriented, important-oriented; we're always driven by something that has value to us.
Second principle is the thing that is “Your treasure will rule your heart.” That's an important principle because the heart is the control system of your words and behavior. So the treasure that you love will then control your heart.
And then the third principle is “What controls your heart will then control your words and behavior.” So Jesus is telling us that our hearts always live under the rule of something. So here's how human beings operate. We are ruled by a desire for something in creation or we're ruled by a desire to please the Creator. That's the game. Your thoughts, desires, words, and actions will always be controlled by whatever rules your heart. And then we get to verse 24, which just says it loud and clear, “You cannot serve two masters.”
So here's what the whole passage is about. The whole passage is not about the sin of saving. It's not about being concerned that you have enough clothes and you have enough food–that's not what it's about. It's about what rules your heart. It's about the danger of having your heart ruled by money because if your heart is ruled by money, you will disobey all of the commands because that will be the thing that you live for; that will be your lord and savior. And you will look for money to do what money can't do, and the rest is a very bad story. So again, when you look for biblical guidance on an issue, you have to look at context.
Now I want, in a more focused way, to address the issue of retirement and savings. And I love this passage in Proverbs 30:24–25. This has been very helpful to Luella and me. It was first pointed out to me by my brother, Tedd. Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise. “The ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer.” Now what is that about? Well, the word “provide” could really be translated “store-up.” So ants understand that there'll be a time in their little lives when they can't gather food because it's winter. And so, they gather all their food, and they store it up for that time when they will need it later. Now that's held out as an example for us. “Go to the ants and learn.”
Then there's Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children.” Think about that. Again, ‘good” could be translated “righteous.” “A righteous man not only cares about his inheritance and not just the inheritance for his children, but an inheritance for his children's children.” Not only does the Bible say it's not wrong to save, but it's wrong not to, not just to leave money for yourself, but to leave money for your grandchildren as well! Proverbs is teaching that to steward your money well leaves a generational blessing for your family. That's such a beautiful thing to think about. So you are not only to take care of yourself in your old age, and think just about yourself, but you are motivated to provide for the next two generations of your family. So, don't be ruled by money, steward your money well, so that you have an inheritance to pass down to the generations that follow.
BF: Well, Paul writes at length about money in his book, Redeeming Money, but it's not a financial principles or practice book, rather one that addresses the heart motivation behind how we interact with money. You can learn more at paultripp.com/money.
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