Bible Truth Foundations
Part 2 of 3: Growing in Christ
Please begin by answering this question honestly in your own words.
Complete this sentence honestly: "Deep down, I believe God's attitude to me having money is…" Where did that belief come from?
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Count the sweep of the verse: all grace, always, all sufficiency, all things, abundance, every good work. Then notice what the abundance is for.
The central idea of this lesson
God cares about your provision, spirit, soul and body, and biblical prosperity is having all sufficiency plus an abundance, not to hoard but for every good work.
Money is one of the most discipled areas of life or one of the least, never neither. Religious tradition has often taught that poverty is next to godliness; Scripture teaches something more balanced and more demanding: God provides generously, and He does it for a purpose.
3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
John's prayer for a beloved believer covers prospering, health and soul in one breath; God's concern is the whole person. The Scriptures are full of God's people prospering in His service: Abraham was very rich (Genesis 13:2), and David gave from his own treasure a sum in gold and silver that would be measured in billions today for the building of the temple. Wealth in consecrated hands has always funded the purposes of God.
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Scripture's warning is precise: not money but the love of it, not possession but greed. The rich are commanded not to trust riches but to be "rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share" (1 Timothy 6:17–18). Money is a tool; it makes a superb servant and a murderous master.
Caution
Two ditches line this road. One says God wants everyone poor, and calls the lack "holiness". The other says God exists to make you rich, and calls the greed "faith". Scripture walks between them: provision with purpose, abundance aimed at good works.
Deuteronomy 8:18
And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Genesis 12:2
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
The purpose clause matters in both verses: power to get wealth is given to establish God's covenant, and Abraham is blessed to be a blessing. The blessing cycle runs bless, then be a blessing; provision flows to you so it can flow through you. Ephesians 4:28 even gives work this aim: labour "that he may have something to give him who has need".
Note
2 Corinthians 9:8 is the Bible's definition of prosperity: all sufficiency in all things, needs met, plus an abundance for every good work, surplus with an assignment. By that definition a believer on a modest income who gives freely is prosperous, and a millionaire who cannot release a pound is poor.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
The order is everything. Money makes a terrible god and a fine servant; seek the kingdom first and provision is added, seek provision first and both are lost. Motive is the watershed: asking for more to consume on self is greed dressed in prayer, asking for more to bless and build is covenant partnership.
Practical Tip
Write a "generosity wish list": the good works you would fund if you had abundance. Pray over it weekly. It aims your heart before God aims His supply, and it makes Matthew 6:33 measurable in your own diary.
Work through these on your own before your group meets. Type your answers directly into the table below. Your answers are saved automatically in your browser.
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| Question | My Answer | Group Discussion Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What did your upbringing and church background teach you, in words or in silence, about God and money? Test it against 3 John 2. | ||
| 1 Timothy 6:10 blames the love of money, not money. Which do you actually battle: the love of having it, or fear about lacking it? What is the difference? | ||
| Deuteronomy 8:18 says God gives power to get wealth to establish His covenant. How would your working life change if you saw your earning power that way? | ||
| By 2 Corinthians 9:8's definition, sufficiency plus abundance for good works, are you currently prosperous? Explain your answer. | ||
| Genesis 12:2 runs "blessed to be a blessing". Where has the flow stopped with you rather than through you? |
These questions are designed for open conversation at any level of experience. There are no trick questions and no single correct answer.
Provision follows purpose. Consider how a blessed-to-be-a-blessing life looks in each area.
| Context | How I Apply This |
|---|---|
| Personal life | Draft your generosity wish list this week and pray over it. Then memorise Matthew 6:33 and let it audit one financial decision this month: kingdom first, addition second. |
| Church community | Practise 1 Timothy 6:18 corporately: be ready to give, willing to share. Find one practical need in the body, a bill, a repair, a shortfall, and meet it quietly with others. |
| Difficult seasons | In lack, refuse both panic and shame. Bring the need to the God of 2 Corinthians 9:8, keep sowing what you can from what you have, and remember that His record with His people in famine is remarkable reading. |
Tap each card to reveal the answer.
What is God able to make abound toward you?
2 Corinthians 9:8
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
2 Corinthians 9:8
What did John pray for the beloved?
3 John 2
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
3 John 2
What is a root of all kinds of evil?
1 Timothy 6:10
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
1 Timothy 6:10
Why does God give power to get wealth?
Deuteronomy 8:18
"For it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers."
Deuteronomy 8:18
What must be sought first?
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:33
What is biblical prosperity?
All sufficiency in all things plus an abundance for every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8): needs met and surplus with an assignment. Blessed in order to be a blessing.