For many Christians, thinking about investing is overwhelming and stress inducing. It is much easier to avoid the subject altogether. However, our role as biblical stewards require us to consider whether Christians should invest, and also how Christians should invest in a way that honors God.
This post explores the question, “Should Christians invest?” by looking at what the Bible has to say about investing, answering common concerns, outlining Biblical principles of investing, and offering guidance on aligning your investments with your faith.
What Does The Bible Say?
The Bible doesn’t specifically state that we should invest, but also does not forbid it. Investing is mentioned in Proverbs 31:16 and used in Jesus’s parables (ex. Parable of the Ten Minas found in Luke 19:11-27), implying that it is expected and normal.
When we think about our role as a faithful steward, we are responsible for managing what God has entrusted to us for His benefit. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) illustrates this quite clearly. There are a few important points this parable mentions about our stewardship responsibility:
- Each of us has varying abilities to manage what God has given us
- Doing nothing is poor stewardship
- We will be held accountable for how we manage the assets entrusted to us
The Bible expects us to do something with what He has provided to help it grow. Investing is one way to help financial assets grow, and this can take many forms (even if it is just earning interest at the bank). We all may not be able to get an amazing return, but we need to do what we can.
4 Common Questions Christians Ask About Investing
There are four common questions I have heard over the years about investing as Christians:
1. Do I really need to invest if God promises to provide?
Years ago I had a conversation with a friend who said he didn’t invest or save for anything as God promises to provide for him. Certainly God does promise to provide for our needs as Matthew 6:25-34 and many other passages of Scripture state. But as stewards we need to balance God’s provision with our stewardship. To sit back and not use the resources effectively that He has provided, means we are presuming upon God.
2. Is investing gambling?
Biblical investing is not the same as gambling. With most types of gambling only one person wins, and everyone else loses. With investing, there can be many winners – your gain doesn’t mean that others are losing. You are putting money into something that has the potential to grow and be a positive benefit in society.
While some speculative practices may resemble gambling, responsible investing involves discernment, research, and patience—traits encouraged in Scripture. You may not be the person who does all those things (you may hire a financial advisor or investment manager), but someone should be doing it.
Even if you invest in a thoughtful, disciplined and patient manner you still may lose money.
3. Should I invest in the stock market?
When the Bible was written, it was an agrarian economy. Wealth was created mainly by owning land and using it to grow crops or raise livestock. The Bible uses examples of investing in real estate because that was the common form of investing at that time. However, it is not an endorsement of real estate over other forms of investing.
Stock markets started in the 1600’s and became a way for people to invest and own a small portion of a company. For a long time buying stocks was out of reach of regular people, it was mainly used by the wealthy. In the past 60 years or so, costs have come down and technology has improved access to stock based investments. Most Americans are invested in the stock market (whether they know it or not) through their retirement plan at work (if offered).
At its most basic level, owning stock is owning a piece of a company. That ownership entitles you to vote on important issues facing the company, receive income from the company’s operations (called dividends) and participate in the growth/decline of the company through the increase/decrease of the share price.
Today, the stock market has become a common way to participate in long-term wealth building. As Christians, we must approach it with caution and wisdom, but there is nothing inherently unbiblical about owning stock.
4. Should my values impact my investing?
As our faith should impact all areas of our lives, many Christians ask how it should impact their investing. This is where concepts like Kingdom investing, ethical investing, and Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) come into play. They help align your portfolio with your beliefs by filtering out companies involved in unbiblical practices and affirming those that reflect godly values.:
- Avoid – investments that don’t align with Biblical values (such as pornography, abortion etc)
- Advocacy – use their influence to encourage positive change in companies they own
- Affirm – invest in companies who are doing good
I have written a much more extensive post on faith-based investing that looks at the pros and cons of both sides of this debate, which I would encourage you to read.
Before You Start
Before beginning any Christian investment strategy, check yourself and your motives:
- Do you have a solid financial position (ie you won’t need this money for current expenses or emergencies)?
- Are you currently giving to support the Lord’s work?
- Are you providing for your family?
- Are you making investment decisions with biblical wisdom or worldly ambition?
- Are you open to using a portion of your investments for charitable giving or funding Kingdom causes?
- How will you protect your heart from greed?
Once you have prayerfully considered these questions, take time to pray for wisdom for the decisions that lie ahead.
What Should I Invest In?
There are many common investments Christians can use. These include CD’s, real estate, stocks, mutual funds, ETF’s, Bitcoin, gold, fine art etc. But each requires discernment.
In the interest of space, we will only focus on two common investments: real estate and the stock market. There is nothing wrong with either type of investment (though there are areas to watch out for), and both can provide long-term growth. However, they tend to appeal to different types of people. Below are points on each for you to consider:
Real Estate
Generally, people who invest in real estate prefer their investments be more tangible. They need to be able to see where they are investing, and the stock market is too abstract for them.
Be cautious with debt. From a biblical stewardship standpoint, excessive leverage can lead to bondage. Proverbs 22:7 reminds us: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”
Our investments should not enslave us. If you choose to invest in real estate, I would strongly encourage you to not carry ongoing debt or minimize it as much as possible. This makes no sense from a tax perspective, but enables you to be flexible in following the Lord’s leading in your life.
Stocks
Some people don’t want to get a call from a tenant at 11pm on a Friday night about a clogged toilet. They are fine with not being able to physically touch their investments. Investing in stocks can enable them to participate in say real estate, but not have to deal with the headaches that come with direct ownership.
Christian investors in the stock market should be especially careful to avoid short-term speculation and focus instead on long-term, diversified portfolios. Whether it is tulip bulbs in the 1600’s, dot com companies in the early 2000’s or Bitcoin in the 2020’s, each one has the ability to derail our long-term investment plan. As Ecclesiastes 1:9 says “There is nothing new under the sun.” Avoid the noise of the market and cling to biblical principles.
How Should Christians Invest?
The Bible has very practical advice on how we should invest:
God Owns It All
Deuteronomy 10:14 “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”
Remembering God’s ownership is foundational to biblical financial planning and Christian investing.
Take Appropriate Risk
Ecclesiastes 5:14-16 “There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?”
Christian financial planning doesn’t mean avoiding risk—it means understanding it through a biblical lens.
Diversify
Ecclesiastes 11:2 “Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”
Diversification is both wise and biblical. It’s also a key principle in modern portfolio theory.
Don’t Delay
Ecclesiastes 11:4 “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
Delaying out of fear may signal a lack of trust in God’s provision. Faithful investing includes action.
Get Help
Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Even if you feel knowledgeable about investing, receiving wise Biblical counsel is beneficial. If you don’t feel comfortable or knowledgeable about investing, I would highly recommend you find Godly counselors to help you.
Seek a Christian financial advisor—ideally one with the Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designations. They can help you integrate your values with your financial decisions.
Final Thought
No one knows the future, or how a particular investment will perform. But, finding a style of investing with an appropriate amount of risk that fits you, will help you stay the course during a downturn.
Christian investors are called to be wise, faithful, and generous. We are not investing just to accumulate wealth, but to manage God’s resources for His glory.
Points To Consider
- If you can’t understand the investment, you would be well served to avoid it
- All investments entail risk (even if the salesperson says it doesn’t)
- If the Lord blesses your investments, be careful to guard your heart from the deceitfulness of money
- Biblical investing takes time, patience, and persistence
- If you can’t explain the investment in simple terms, it may not align with wise Christian stewardship
