How to Spend Money God's Way

God gave the first humans a command about spending. In the garden, he told Adam: You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16-17). God provided abundance. He set clear boundaries. He asked for obedience in what they consumed. The first human decision about spending went catastrophically wrong. Eve saw that the tree was good for food and took from it. Adam followed. They spent what they had no right to spend, and this choice brought death into the world.

Every purchase we make echoes that choice in Eden. We decide what to consume, what to pursue, what deserves our resources. These decisions matter to God because they reveal what we value and whom we trust.

How Sin Corrupts Our Spending

Godless spending leads to pride and self-destruction. When humanity gathered to build the tower of Babel, they said to one another: Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves (Genesis 11:4). They spent their resources building a monument to their own glory. God scattered them before they could finish because their spending revealed hearts that wanted to replace him.

Paul warned Timothy that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils (1 Timothy 6:10). When we love money, our spending becomes destructive. We buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like, as Dave Ramsey says. We accumulate possessions we'll never use. We chase status and comfort at any cost.

The Psalms contrast how the wicked and the righteous spend their resources. The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives (Psalm 37:21). Our spending habits reveal our character. Jesus made this principle explicit when he said: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). We can look at our bank statements and credit card bills to see what we worship. Our spending tells the truth about us even when our words don't.

God's Spending on Redemption

God spent infinitely to redeem sinners. Paul wrote that we are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). Redemption cost God everything he had to give. Paul explained this further: Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Christ gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession (Titus 2:14).

Peter contrasted earthly spending with God's spending on our behalf: we were ransomed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot (1 Peter 1:18-19). God valued our souls more than he valued the life of his Son. His spending reveals his priorities. He spent everything to purchase us.

Principles for Spending Wisely

We need God's wisdom because millions of products and services compete for our money. Every advertisement promises satisfaction. Every sale tempts us to buy now. James tells us what to do: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5). We should ask God for wisdom before we spend. This prayer should become as natural as checking our bank balance.

Our spending should reflect God's priorities. James warns about spending driven by our passions: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:3). We need to examine our purchases honestly. Are we buying this because it serves God's purposes in our lives? Or are we buying it to satisfy a craving that will return the moment we've finished consuming what we just purchased? James continues: Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8). Double-minded spending serves two masters. We must choose whom we will serve with our money.

Our spending should reflect contentment with God's provision. Paul learned a secret that transformed how he used money: I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11-13). Contentment frees us from the endless cycle of wanting more. When we're content with what God has given, we can spend wisely because we're not desperate to fill a void through purchases.

Our spending should reflect gratitude for God's gifts. James wrote that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Everything we have comes from God. When we remember this, gratitude shapes how we spend. We're not spending our money. We're spending God's money, which he has entrusted to us for a season. This changes everything.

God expects wise spending because every purchase reveals our hearts, declares our priorities, and demonstrates what we trust. We can honor God or dishonor him with every transaction. The question isn't whether our spending matters to God. The question is whether we will spend in ways that reflect his values and point others toward his generosity.