Is it Biblical to invest money in the Stock Market?
This is a “touchy” subject, for there are godly believers who say it is equivalent to “gambling” (which relies mostly on pure “luck”) while other godly believers say it is a scriptural form of using the money God has given you to provide for the future as long as you make “wise investments” (they use the parables in Luke 19:11-27 and Matthew 25:14-30 to justify investing money as a good form of STEWARDSHIP). I personally believe gambling, whether it is in a casino, buying lottery tickets, betting on a sports team, etc., is NOT Biblical for in essence you are “trying to make money fast with a high risk of losing it.” This is using the money the Lord has entrusted to you for purely selfish motives such as not having to work for your money and for buying more material possessions. This is condemned in the following scriptures: “For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a DISORDERLY MANNER, NOT WORKING AT ALL…Do not lay up for yourselves TREASURES ON EARTH…And HAVING FOOD AND CLOTHING, with these we shall BE CONTENT…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” (2nd Thessalonians 3:11; Matthew 6:19; 1st Timothy 6:8 &10…NKJV). I would suggest if one is investing in the stock market for these same reasons it would be just as unscriptural as gambling.
My last point begs the questions, “Can a believer invest in the Stock Market with good motives and is it a form of good stewardship with the money the Lord has given to you?” I believe the answer to both of these questions “can” be yes. Though it is surely wrong to have the “love of money” (as we saw above in 1st Timothy 6:10), money is necessary to provide for our everyday needs (food, clothing, housing, transportation, etc.). Besides the parables from Luke 19 and Matthew 25 cited above, the book of Proverbs provides us with wisdom regarding using money which, I believe, could include investing it in the future to provide for the necessities of life. “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest…The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty” (Proverbs 6:6-8; 21:5). These passages instruct us against laziness but they also teach us to “provide for the future.” This “may” be done by setting aside money we have earned through honest labor but it could also include investing money wisely. As you may know, investing can be very risky (DAY-TRADING is a good example of this and is equivalent to GAMBLING), but if one uses their money in LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS it could be profitable, especially if one is consulting with a financial advisor who knows what companies to invest in which carries a lower risk and a likely return of a profit over time. Let me emphasize here that one must have real peace that he/she is investing with pure motives and also that the companies they may be investing in have good values (which would rule out investing in casinos, liquor establishments, etc.). Many godly believers see investments as a way to aid them in retirement or to help put their children through college; these would be “proper motives” but even here one must keep in mind that God puts a premium on earning money through “honest work” over earning money through “investments.”
One may take issue with what has just been said by quoting Matthew 5:25 & 33, “Therefore I (Jesus) say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing…But see first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This passage (verses 25-34) seems to contradict the passages referred to above that speak of “providing for the future,” but I suggest that in this passage the Lord is emphasizing the sin of WORRYING about the future and being OVERLY-OCCUPIED with the “necessities of life.” Scripture never contradicts scripture so we must look at all these passages in their context and then we will see how to strike the RIGHT BALANCE. (429.3) (DO)