Money and Wealth

treasures in heaven

love of money

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2016/04/st-john-climacus-on-love-of-money-or.html?m=1

The sins of the rich, such as greed and selfishness, are obvious for all to see. The sins of the poor are less conspicuous, yet equally corrosive of the soul. Some poor people are tempted to envy the rich; indeed this is a form of vicarious greed, because the poor person wanting great wealth is in spirit no different from the rich person amassing great wealth. Many poor people are gripped by fear: their hearts are caught in a chain of anxiety, worrying whether they will have food on their plates tomorrow or clothes on their backs. Some poor people are constantly formulating in their minds devious plans to cheat the rich to obtain their Wealth; this is no different in spirit from the rich making plans to exploit the poor by paying low wages. The art of being poor is to trust in God for everything, to demand nothing-and to be grateful for all that is given.

the abomination that is fiat money and credit

usury

good stewardship

https://publicorthodoxy.org/2022/11/01/christian-stewardship-and-wealth/

Ultimately, all of us act merely as stewards of God’s wealth. Thus, Jesus teaches us all to confess, “We are unprofitable servants. We have [only] done what was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10)

https://www.oca.org/the-hub/the-church-on-current-issues/an-orthodox-understanding-of-stewardship

stewardship, literally refers to the management of a household. Stewardship is a task, a responsibility bestowed on one person by another - usually by a master.

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/family-qa/biblical-principles-and-perspectives-about-money/

What does a good steward look like? We’d suggest that there are five key indicators of the faithfulness with which he’s carrying out his responsibilities. First, he gives generously in proportion with the level of his resources and abilities (2 Corinthians 8:12). Second, he exercises self-control by maintaining a debt-free lifestyle (Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:23. Third, he pays his taxes with integrity and an attitude of thanksgiving (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:7). Fourth, he sets financial goals with an eye to the needs of his family and loved ones (1 Timothy 5:8). And fifth, he seeks the counsel of wise advisors and remains accountable to others in all his financial dealings (Proverbs 15:22).

good money, from God ... how to discern good money from sin? light vs darkness, know them by their fruits

Value of Work

We are created to work. God could have created everything in a single instant with but a word, instead He worked for six days and on the seventh day He rested. The nature of work is fundamental to creation itself, including planning, ordering, and rest. That is the nature of reality as He created it. And He saw that it was good.

Despite the fall of man, work itself is good. Man's purpose is to work, to work in such a way as to glorify God, participating in His will.

Money is a technology, a social technology that allows for one person to save and then use that saved money to direct and influence the work of others. Simply by participating in a market, one is valuing some goods and services over others. And it is in this influence that the morality of money and wealth can be seen, both in money production and usage.

What makes a money good and not sinful? Money is good when it is produced through work, work that glorifies God. This means that money cannot be used as a system of control. God gave us free will so that we may come to him willfully, so that our God-given will can participate in His divine will.

Good money is the fruit of good work, and it belongs to God (as all things do). It is never your money, never your wealth, but it is in your possession temporarily, and you are a steward for God's wealth; God has granted you the responsibility to lead and influence the work of others. Such an awesome responsibility is a blessing and a temptation -- where a certain snake will whisper his familiar line, that "ye shall be as gods".

Good money must also be produced through good work. That is, money production must be good, must glorify God.

But it is God's sovereignty. It is His money. If you confuse it with yours then this is to give in to the serpent. This is where the rich man falls to pride, and the poor man to envy.

Shoulder the burden responsibly, knowing it is God's money no matter where it goes, and that it is in your hands for a reason, that you have been tasked by God. If you find yourself with money, pray for wisdom sufficient for such a challenge. Your salvation is on the line.

Honest Money

Godly money

honest weights and measures

work, proof of work

the desert, life post fiat (Pharoah)

if Bitcoin is true we will know it (as Pharoah knew the truth of the Lord).

good money is and can only be from God.

Fiat money is not from God. It is from man, from systems of control, allowed by God but not from God, as all evil is. It is money created ex-nihilo by man, confusing man with God. Even fiat central bankers will tell you that money is a shared illusion, and as such they imagine themselves as in control of the narratives that control the illusion. It is at best a deceptive spell.

Is Bitcoin from God? Is it more like gold or like fiat? Bitcoin is peculiar in that it is backed by cryptography, by mathematics, and requires proof of work for both issuance and transaction settlement. Gold requires work for issuance only, no work is explicitly required for transaction settlement (though it implicitly requires massive work to secure any transfer and verification of gold). Fiat requires no work for either.

Arguably, if we see that God is the author of this universe, and the author of the mathematical laws that we can discover in order to better understand the universe, then Bitcoin is from God in the most profound sense.

Another way to think about it, acts of God can cause the loss of gold, of Bitcoin, but not of fiat. After an act of God more fiat can be and is created. The supply of fiat is limited only by central planners, and not from God. That is, the rules of mathematics limit the supply of Bitcoin.

Work is God-given and pure, existing before the fall. Proof of work for transaction settlement is a harder money than gold in every possible sense. The incentives for mining will be in part due to the desire for transaction settlement itself. Financial sovereigns will mine not just for profit, the margins will be too slim over time, but they will mine so that they can guarantee that their transactions can be settled and not whitelisted.

Gold does not provide proof of work for transaction settlement (including securing gold), hence the hidden cost of settlement is born out in physical security of transferring gold. Bitcoin includes proof of work for transaction settlement, and in fact this is incorporated into issuance (money production). The same work backs both. Should these have been separate? Would a separate proof of work for transaction settlement be beneficial? Or is it necessary to include them together? By including them together, it provides the minimum proof of work necessary for the monetary system to sustain.

Tithing

Tithing means literally one tenth, and in our modern view we view this as 10% of ones gross income given to the church.

In the early church, tithing was adopted from Jewish tradition which involved three tithes,

1. annual tithe to the priests
2. annual feast tithe to the temple
3. 3rd year tithe to the poor

These practices and the history of tithing goes back centuries before the mosaic law, with the earliest biblical references of Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizedek,

Genesis 14:18-20

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

In this context Abram gives a tenth of all he possessed, an offering to the God most high. It is a callback to Abel's offering of the firstlings of his flock,

Genesis 4:4

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering

Meanwhile Cain offered "of the fruit of the ground" and the Lord "had no respect". We can discern that Cain did not offer the firstfruits.

This sets a pattern of setting aside the finest of our work to give to God. And then in the time of Israel tithings were codified in law.

And while it is tempting to treat these laws as prophecies fulfilled and no longer applicable, the truth from the apostles and early church fathers is contrary, rather than a tithe (tenth) all was given, for we are but stewards of the wealth and all must be given up to God.

In the history of the early church tithing went from common to non-existent, and at different periods in history re-emerged. Tithing became more common in the west, especially by the time of the reformation.

The truth, the sprit is to be good stewards, to offer up to Christ all that you have: your work, your wealth, everything. All is from God and the Christian gives gladly all.

In practical terms this seems impossible, but this impossibility should speak not of an error in the Biblical understanding of giving and stewardship, but of a lack of true faith in one's church. Either you are holding your wealth away from God, or you do not believe your church is the true church of Christ.

If we met Christ resurrected, would we not sell everything we own and give to his church? What if it was the apostle Paul? And what does it mean to offer up everything we own to Christ?

Does it mean we trust the priests to manage wealth and meet our needs? Or do we manage that ourselves? What is expected of us?

Luke 12:48

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.