The Bible commands believers to work, to earn a living:
2 Thess. 3:10-12
As this activity consumes much of our lives (up to a third or even more of our time), it is very important to God. If we choose the wrong occupation it really can affect our Christian faith.
There are some occupations that God likes and some that He does not.
Some obvious Biblical approved occupations are:
Gardening (Adam and Eve)
Farming
Animal Husbandry
Trades and Crafts, manufacturing - brickwork, carpentry, metalwork, instrument making etc.
Fishing
Tent making (Paul)
Physician (Luke)
Law enforcement and military (debatable)
Education
Some non-approved occupations are:
Sex workers: even though prostitutes are in the Bible, clearly they are not an approved occupation.
Pure commerce and trading (Ezekiel 28, Tyre, Babylon)
Slave trading (1 Tim 1:10).
There are three kinds of occupations - ones that involve trading, ones that involve production, and ones that involve working (our time, labor, etc).
The basis behind God-approved occupations, is any occupation by which we can take or obtain from nature, or earn wages in exchange for time and labor. God really values occupations that involve hard work, real sweat. There is one thing that God doesn't like and that is making money for the sake of money: pure commerce, trading, etc, because it has no value in God's eyes, and it involves some people losing out and others winning. For this reason I don't believe God likes digital currency, because it's not even worth its weight in metal (it has no weight).
Considering the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, God put most value upon the occupation of production, because it results in an increase for the benefit of others and does not rob anyone. Seeds grow trees to produce food to eat, herds increase in size, etc. Second most value, is the occupation of working for a wage, using your time or labor, as this makes use of your God-given functions and abilities.
Lastly, is trading. God does not like trading because it is about taking someone else's money, making some profit, and keeping it for yourself. There is nothing tangible to show for your effort. In God's eyes, money is just paper. Money, is the coin of the worldly system not of God's system.
Wise people, even wise people that don't know God, realize that investing in things such as the internet, digital currency, or gambling on the stock market, is not the way to build real wealth. This is why men such as Warren Buffet, place more value on farming and agriculture. These are sound biblical principles for choosing an occupation and for investing - 1) anything that involves production, an increase in material assets, 2) anything that involves human time or labor, and 3) avoid anything that involves making money for the sake of money - others losing money without tangible gain and allowing you to make an easy win without much effort - pure commerce, trading, gambling etc.
2 Thess. 3:10-12
As this activity consumes much of our lives (up to a third or even more of our time), it is very important to God. If we choose the wrong occupation it really can affect our Christian faith.
There are some occupations that God likes and some that He does not.
Some obvious Biblical approved occupations are:
Gardening (Adam and Eve)
Farming
Animal Husbandry
Trades and Crafts, manufacturing - brickwork, carpentry, metalwork, instrument making etc.
Fishing
Tent making (Paul)
Physician (Luke)
Law enforcement and military (debatable)
Education
Some non-approved occupations are:
Sex workers: even though prostitutes are in the Bible, clearly they are not an approved occupation.
Pure commerce and trading (Ezekiel 28, Tyre, Babylon)
Slave trading (1 Tim 1:10).
There are three kinds of occupations - ones that involve trading, ones that involve production, and ones that involve working (our time, labor, etc).
The basis behind God-approved occupations, is any occupation by which we can take or obtain from nature, or earn wages in exchange for time and labor. God really values occupations that involve hard work, real sweat. There is one thing that God doesn't like and that is making money for the sake of money: pure commerce, trading, etc, because it has no value in God's eyes, and it involves some people losing out and others winning. For this reason I don't believe God likes digital currency, because it's not even worth its weight in metal (it has no weight).
Considering the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, God put most value upon the occupation of production, because it results in an increase for the benefit of others and does not rob anyone. Seeds grow trees to produce food to eat, herds increase in size, etc. Second most value, is the occupation of working for a wage, using your time or labor, as this makes use of your God-given functions and abilities.
Lastly, is trading. God does not like trading because it is about taking someone else's money, making some profit, and keeping it for yourself. There is nothing tangible to show for your effort. In God's eyes, money is just paper. Money, is the coin of the worldly system not of God's system.
Wise people, even wise people that don't know God, realize that investing in things such as the internet, digital currency, or gambling on the stock market, is not the way to build real wealth. This is why men such as Warren Buffet, place more value on farming and agriculture. These are sound biblical principles for choosing an occupation and for investing - 1) anything that involves production, an increase in material assets, 2) anything that involves human time or labor, and 3) avoid anything that involves making money for the sake of money - others losing money without tangible gain and allowing you to make an easy win without much effort - pure commerce, trading, gambling etc.
