Biblical Principles of Investing With Ron Blue | FaithFi
April 6, 2022
Biblical Principles of Investing With Ron Blue
Faith & Finance with Rob West
You need only look at the Parable of the Talents to know that God expects His people to invest. What principles should guide us? The Bible has a great deal to say about investing laying out a set of principles when making our investment decisions.
The Bible has a great deal to say about investing, laying out a set of principles to follow when making our investment decisions. We’ll talk about them today with financial teacher and author Ron Blue.
The Parable of the Talents appears in both Matthew 25 and Luke 19. This parable makes it clear that God expects us to invest and that a certain amount of risk is acceptable.
In both accounts, the servants who were given talents and invested them were rewarded … but the servant who held onto the money out of fear was cast into the outer darkness.
The lesson is that God gives us resources to manage for our own living expenses, but also to gain an increase to advance His Kingdom. A good steward will do that.
9 BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR INVESTING
1. Do not presume upon the future. James 4:13-14 says, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.'”
We should invest with an eye toward the future with a long range plan that ignores market ups and downs, but we should not try to speculate on what will happen next week or next month. Don’t try to “time the market.”
2. Avoid speculation and hasty investment decisions. Especially those motivated by greed or fear. Proverbs 13:11 tells us, "Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow."
Fear and greed have led to a lot of costly mistakes with investing, such as selling when the market drops or buying when stocks are up.
3. Never cosign. Proverbs 22:26-27 warns, "Do not be the one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you."
4. Evaluate the risk of an investment. Luke 14:28 reads, "Suppose one of you wants to build a lower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" In other words, is the risk that you’re taking worth it?
5. Avoid investments that cause anxiety. Psalm 131:1 tells us, "My heart is not proud, 0 Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me."
We should be at peace with our investment decisions.
6. Be in unity with your spouse. Throughout Scripture we are admonished to counsel together and to have unity in the husband/ wife relationship.
Often God uses our mates to bring us back to reality. Don't be so foolish or proud and do not take advantage of the partner God has given you.
7. Avoid high-leverage situations. That means, avoid borrowing to invest. Proverbs 22:7 warns, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." An exception might be borrowing to start or expand a business.
8. Avoid deceit. Proverbs 11:18 says clearly, "The wicked person earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward."
9. Tithe from your investment gains. Sometimes investors will keep their increases to make additional investments. They rationalize that this will multiply these resources even more for the Lord.
This rationale is unscriptural because God expects a portion of the increase. Proverbs 3:9-10 reads, "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
We recommend tithing when you sell an investment holding outside of a retirement account and you know the amount of your realized gain.
On this program, Rob also answers listener questions:
What is the best way to invest money for your teenagers’ future?
Why are you limited on the amount of money you can put in a Roth IRA?
What’s the best investment strategy based on the current market?
Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to Questions@MoneyWise.org. Also, visit our website at MoneyWise.org where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app. Like and Follow us on Facebook at MoneyWise Media for videos and the very latest discussion! Remember that it’s your prayerful and financial support that keeps MoneyWise on the air. Help us continue this outreach by clicking the Donate tab on our website or in our app.
