37 Bible Verses about Materialism, As An Aspect Of Sin

They called themselves wise, but they have turned into fools, and for the splendor of the immortal God they have substituted images in the form of mortal man, birds, animals, and reptiles.

While Paul waited for them at Athens, he was exasperated to see how idolatrous the city was.

People will be selfish, avaricious, boastful, arrogant, abusive, undutiful, ungrateful, irreverent,

Therefore, my dear brothers, have nothing to do with the worship of idols.

But men who want to get rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish, harmful cravings, that plunge people into destruction and ruin. For love of money is the root of all the evils, and in their eagerness to get rich, some men wander away from the faith and pierce themselves to the heart with many a pang.

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go! Sell your property and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come back and be a follower of mine." But when the young man heard that, he went away much cast down, for he had a great deal of property.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is one thing that you still lack. Sell all that you have, and divide the money among the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come back and be a follower of mine." But when he heard that, he was much cast down, for he was very rich.

Then one of the Twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests, and said, "What will you give me if I hand him over to you?" And they counted him out thirty silver pieces. And from that time he watched for a good opportunity to hand him over to them.

But if someone who is rich sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how can he have any love for God in his heart?

Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you, it will be hard for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of Heaven! And again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God!"

But the disciples were amazed at what he said. And Jesus said to them again, "My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God!"

And when Jesus saw it, he said, "How hard it will be for those who have money to get into the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom of God!"

And what was sown among the thorns means the man who listens to the message, and then the worries of the time and the pleasure of being rich choke the message out, and it yields nothing.

It is different with those sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the time and the pleasure of being rich and passions for other things creep in and choke the message out and it yields nothing.

And what falls among the thorns means those who listen and pass on, and the worries and wealth and pleasures of life stifle them and they yield nothing.

Charge the rich of this world not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on such an uncertain thing as riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, open-handed and generous, storing up a valuable treasure for themselves for the future, so as to grasp the life that is life indeed.

For if a finely dressed man with a gold ring comes into a meeting, and a poor man in shabby clothes comes in also, and you pay attention to the man in the fine clothes and say to him, "Sit here; this is a good place!" and say to the poor man, "Stand up, or sit on the floor at my feet," have you not wavered and shown that your judgments are guided by base motives?read more.
Listen, my dear brothers. Has not God chosen the world's poor to be rich in faith, and to possess the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

Come now, you rich people! weep aloud and howl over the miseries that are going to overtake you! Your wealth has rotted, your clothes are moth-eaten, your gold and silver are rusted, and their rust will testify against you and eat into your very flesh, for you have stored up fire for the last days.read more.
Why, the wages you have withheld from the laborers who have reaped your harvests cry aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived luxuriously and voluptuously here on earth; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the upright. Will he make no resistance?

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will have all you have prepared?' That is the way with the man who lays up money for himself, and is not rich with God."

For we bring nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

"Do not store up your riches on earth, where moths and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them,

For what good will it do a man if he gains the whole world but parts with his life? What can a man give to buy back his life?

For what good does it do a man to gain the whole world and yet part with his life? For what can a man give to buy back his life?

For whoever wants to preserve his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will preserve it. What good does it do a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit himself?

And he said to them, "You are the men who parade your uprightness before people, but God knows your hearts. For what men consider great is detestable in the sight of God.

A brother of low position ought to be proud of his eminence, but one who is rich ought to rejoice at being reduced in circumstances, for the rich will disappear like the wild flowers. For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, and the flowers wither, and all their beauty is gone. That is the way rich men will fade and die in the midst of their pursuits.

Because you say, "I am rich, I have become wealthy, I need nothing," and you do not know that it is you that are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked,

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and wild birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head!"

Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and wild birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head!"

Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he possessed the nature of God, he did not grasp at equality with God,

And he said to them, "Take care! You must be on your guard against any form of greed, for a man's life does not belong to him, no matter how rich he is."

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat or drink, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body than clothes? Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they? But which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life?read more.
Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin, and yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them. But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What shall we have to eat?' or 'What shall we have to drink?' or 'What shall we have to wear?' For these are all things the heathen are in pursuit of, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need all this.

You must not be avaricious; you must be content with what you have, for God himself has said, "I will never let go of you or desert you!"

Do not love the world or what is in the world. If anyone loves the world, there is no love for the Father in his heart, for all that there is in the world, the things that our physical nature and our eyes crave, and the proud display of life??hese do not come from the Father, but from the world; and the world with its cravings is passing away, but whoever does God's will will endure forever.

But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but I will give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!"

There was but one heart and soul in the multitude who had become believers, and not one of them claimed anything that belonged to him as his own, but they shared everything they had with one another. The apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and God's favor rested richly upon them. No one among them was in any want, for any who owned lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the saleread more.
and put them at the disposal of the apostles; then they were shared with everyone in proportion to his need. Joseph, a Levite, and a native of Cyprus, whom the apostles had named Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement, sold a piece of land that belonged to him, and brought the proceeds and put them at the disposal of the apostles.

Not that I have anything to complain of, for I have learned how to be contented with the condition I am in. I know how to live humbly and I know how to enjoy plenty. I have learned the secret, in any and all conditions, of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of going without.