What Does Orthodox Christianity Teach About Money?
Orthodoxy does not teach that money is evil. It teaches something more piercing: that the love of money is a deep spiritual sickness.
Saint Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:10:
“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
This phrase is often misunderstood. Money, in itself, is not sinful. It is a tool—one that can serve either righteousness or destruction.
Orthodox Christianity treats this subject with seriousness. Wealth is not condemned, but it is dangerous when it becomes an idol.
The Fathers of the Church warn that attachment to riches darkens the heart, blinds the soul, and destroys faith.

Christ’s Warnings About Wealth
Throughout the Gospels, Christ speaks repeatedly about money—not because it is inherently sinful, but because of how easily it replaces God in our hearts. “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” He says (Matthew 6:24).
Our hearts cannot worship Christ and love possessions at the same time.
Orthodoxy reminds us that the problem is not what is in our hands, but what is in our hearts. Wealth becomes a danger when it leads to pride, self-sufficiency, and forgetfulness of the poor.
Christ’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) is a sober warning: a life spent in luxury without mercy leads to spiritual death.
Greed: A Spiritual Disease
In Orthodox Christianity, greed is not merely a vice—it is a passion. It enslaves the soul and removes our trust from God.
The greedy heart is never satisfied. It hoards, it fears, and it forgets the poor.
The Holy Fathers describe greed as a fire that consumes without end. Saint Basil the Great writes: “The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it.”
This is not ideology—it is the Gospel. Greed is healed only through generosity and repentance.
The greedy man is always poor. The generous man is always rich.
Can a Christian Be Wealthy?
Yes, but with serious caution. The Orthodox Church does not condemn wealth, but it calls for detachment.
Christians who possess riches are called to use them for the glory of God, the support of the Church, and the care of the needy.
Orthodox saints came from all walks of life. Some were poor ascetics, others wealthy nobles. What united them was their freedom from greed.
Saint Philaret the Merciful, for example, gave so much to the poor that he was left with nothing—and was still joyful. His treasure was in Heaven.
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Orthodoxy does not ask everyone to take a vow of poverty, but it does command a spirit of generosity, simplicity, and gratitude. Christians are called to own things without being owned by them.
The Role of Almsgiving in Salvation
In Orthodoxy, almsgiving is not charity—it is justice. The poor are not objects of pity, but brothers and sisters in Christ. Giving is not optional; it is essential.
Christ Himself says, “Whatever you did for the least of My brethren, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Almsgiving frees the soul from attachment to money. It trains the heart in mercy. It connects us with Christ in the face of the suffering.
The Orthodox Church always links wealth with responsibility. We are not owners, but stewards.
Trust in God’s Providence
Orthodox Christianity teaches that excessive worry about money often comes from a lack of trust in God.
The Lord Himself says, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… but seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:31-33).
This does not mean laziness. It means that Christians live with faith. We work, we save, we plan—but above all, we trust.
The wealth of this world is uncertain. The riches of God are eternal.
How to Explain This to Little Kids
Parents can say: “Money isn’t bad—it helps us buy food and help others. But if we love money too much, we forget about God and about people. Jesus wants us to be kind and to share. That’s what makes us rich in His eyes.”
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