Bitcoin and the Bible Bitcoin and the Bible

Episode 15 (New Testament Money Matters) provides a careful examination of several well-known passages in the New Testament to ensure we are properly understanding them contextually and drawing the correct applications with respect to money.

How should a Christian who owns Bitcoin ensure that he is obedient to the warning of Jesus and the NT authors about loving and serving money in Luke 8:14, Luke 16:13-15, I Timothy 3:2-3, 1 Timothy 6:10, and Hebrews 13:5?

Is Jesus a friend of the poor who is opposed to the rich?

Does Jesus prohibit lending at interest in Luke 6:34-35?

What does Jesus’ expulsion of the money changers from the temple teach us about God’s attitude toward money?

Is the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 intended to communicate truths about savings/investment or not?

Does Jesus' admonition to His disciples in Luke 12:33-34 mean we should not store wealth?

Summary


Our attitude toward money reveals a great deal about our heart. As believers, we are to have a singular devotion to Christ that is not compromised by a love for money, even Bitcoin.
Our valuation of this life compared to the age to come is reflected in our money. We must not raise our time preference and devalue what God has in store for those who love him through an unholy pursuit of money, possessions, and security in this age.
The present world order elevates the self satisfied rich and powerful and oppresses or excludes the weak and lowly. Bitcoin does not fix this, Messiah’s kingdom does. But, we can glorify Messiah by using Bitcoin to defend the weak and lowly. Help them save in Bitcoin.
While some of Jesus’ well-known teachings that reference money are not intended to provide economic lessons, we can see how Jesus used money and commerce as a rich teaching tool reflecting that a man’s money morals often reflect his spiritual state.
May God grant us the ability to renew our minds in His Word in the area of money and in Bitcoin!

For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com

Come check out our Sphinx tribe!

Connect with us on Twitter

Show - @BTC4believers

Will - @pleberean

David - @thebtcboomer

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com

Save to Give (Episode 14) addresses the dangers of pursuing and studying money (even Bitcoin) -  the temptation to take your focus off of God and His goodness and provision and worship the pursuit of money and the illusion of protection that it provides. Fortunately, God’s Word provides the antidote to this attitude through a consistent application of generosity. God Himself is a generous God and He gives abundantly to His children thereby enabling us to be less attached to our money and property and desirous of emulating Him by being generous with others.

As we continue to mine Scripture for its rich truth regarding God’s thoughts on wealth and  money, we find the principle of generosity.  God is generous with us spiritually by offering us the greatest gift we can imagine - the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His generosity extends to our physical well-being as well, and even encompasses those people who want nothing to do with Him (Matt. 5:45).

I Timothy 6:17-19 (NASB)

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

Summary


God is abundantly generous in providing for the spiritual and physical needs of His people.
As children of God, we are to avoid the fleshly sins of greed, hoarding, and withholding from God
We can imitate and glorify God by learning contentment, generosity, and sacrificial giving.
Bitcoin provides Christians with the opportunity to wisely save in a money that will provide richly for years of generous support for families, churches, and care for the needy.

For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com

Come check out our Sphinx tribe!

Connect with us on Twitter

Show - @BTC4believers

Will - @pleberean

David - @thebtcboomer

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com

Episode 13 raises and examines two important questions for Christian believers who own or are considering owning Bitcoin 


What if my country’s government bans or increases its regulation over Bitcoin? 
What if my country’s government changes its tax code on Bitcoin? 

God’s Word is sufficient to properly inform the Biblical worldview in all areas that pertain to life and godliness and thus we are confident that if we go to God’s Word with the right attitude and method, we can find answers for even the hard questions.  God has instituted human government as a necessary part of His world and God is glorified when Christians submit to authority - even unjust authority. Submission in the realm of money requires careful analysis of the sphere of government ownership, taxation, Christian liberty, and prudent action 

Summary 


The Bible does not shy away from the tension between individual liberty and governmental authority. 
Government is the instrument of God to defend the righteous from evildoers by protecting their property rights. 
Money is not owned or defined by government.
Believers are commanded by God to submit to their government as a means of glorifying God and this submission includes paying taxes.
Believers who own Bitcoin can embrace that Bitcoin is “stateless” money that does not bow to any centralized control and that could be embraced by governments outside of their own in the event of excessive taxation or regulation. 

For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com

Come check out our Sphinx tribe!

Connect with us on Twitter

Show - @BTC4believers

Will - @pleberean

David - @thebtcboomer

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com

In Episode 12, we see how God’s just law provides the practical framework for our physical lives and specifically our economic choices which affords us hope as we seek to live rightly in our fallen world while awaiting the return of the righteous King - Jesus.

In Episode 11, David, Will and Simon connected the truths that the world that God created is invested with His infinite wisdom which allows human beings to rule over creation, work, trade with one another, own private property, and freely engage in economic development. God designed a world where individuals are free to act independently and without coercion as they exchange labor, time, and money for goods, land, and services that enhance their sphere of life and glorify the Creator.  

Individual freedom is bound by God's perfect standard of righteousness and justice which stems from His character. No man is righteous, not even one, and that our violation of God’s law has created an infinite separation between us and God that can only be restored through the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Summary


 God is just and He rules with equity.
 Therefore, men must pursue equity and justice in their economic activity
 God hates partiality and forbids it in all areas of life, but specifically in money.
 To avoid partiality, we must be careful not to confuse equity with equality.
 A centrally managed fiat monetary system often is plagued with partiality in the name of equality and is contrary to the mind of God.
 Bitcoin has been designed with equity as one of its core tenets and is therefore a money that can be used by believers (and unbelievers) to uphold justice and equity
 A free and voluntary economic system will result in unequal outcomes based on the quality and quantity of the work. This is Biblical and can be embraced by Christians.



For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com

Come check out our Sphinx tribe!

Connect with us on Twitter

Show - @BTC4believers

Will - @pleberean

David - @thebtcboomer

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com

God has designed our world to rely upon trade as a mechanism for communicating information and transferring value in small localized settings, nationally, and internationally. As we look closely at God's word,  we can see the aspects of free enterprise economics in various threads throughout human history. This episode will focus on how God views the systems of trade relationships that develop between individual workers and the communities and nations to which they belong. This will then inform our analysis of how Bitcoin matches God’s will for equity in trade.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you.” - Christians can and should pursue a business endeavor that provides for physical needs and uses their gifts - by necessity, this will require trading with others who are doing the same.

Summary


God loves skilled labor and therefore distribution of labor in a trade based economy has characterized the world since creation.
Skilled labor allows for legitimate trade between individuals, businesses, and nations to accomplish large scale economic growth
Trade requires equitable exchange and protection of property rights
Bitcoin provides the superior way to both facilitate fair, economic price discovery and trade as well the ultimate property right



For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com

Come check out our Sphinx tribe! 

Connect with us on Twitter

Show - @BTC4believers

Will - @pleberean

David - @thebtcboomer

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com

Is private property a Biblical concept? How does our sovereignty relate to God's Sovereignty? What is Secondary Sovereignty?

The focus of Episode 3 will be on the interrelated concepts of private property, ownership, and sovereignty. Simon, David, and Will mine God's Word to discern God’s will with regard to whether individuals have private ownership rights over property and from where these rights arise. Bitcoin is often described as “the apex property right” or the “first sovereign digital property” that individuals can own. Thus, we must seek wisdom from God as to whether this concept flows from the mind of God and is derivable from His Word - the Bible.

Summary 


Private property is a Biblical concept
Private property rights arise out of God’s ultimate sovereignty over all the earth and His delegation of secondary sovereignty to individuals
Secondary Sovereignty begins with rights over one’s body, mind, ideas and extends to ownership of land, money, and other possessions
Property rights are not given by governments, but government exists to protect individual rights
Bitcoin is a form of digital property right which does not rely upon government to grant or administrate as it is not owned or managed by a central authority. Rather it represents the composite of individuals expressing their sovereign control over their money

For a list of helpful books, articles, and other podcasts, check out our website: bitcoinandthebible.com 

Connect with us on Twitter 

Show - @BTC4believers 

Will - @pleberean 

David - @thebtcboomer 

Simon - @pray_hodl 

To e-mail the show: bitcoinandthebible@gmail.com