Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts. Paul David Tripp. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2018. 164 pages, paperback.
Key quote(s)
- “Could it be that we love money more than we should because we love ourselves more than we love the One who made us and who owns us and everything in our lives?” (p. 21)
- “Money is a stimulant. It will be used to stimulate a Godward way of life or an inward way of life.” (p. 80)
- “Discontentment is the soil in which the love of money grows.” (p. 105)
- “Only grace can turn an entitled person into a thankful one.” (p. 115)
- “Generosity is the result not of the good in the one receiving but in the good-heartedness of the one giving.” (p. 136)
Summary
Redeeming Money draws upon a simple yet challenging distinction that Jesus made: we can either love God or money, but not both. Paul Tripp explains that a right belief system is essential to managing the money that King Jesus entrusts to us. With conviction and clarity he shows that some people will look to money to provide the things that only God can give: peace, joy, and contentment. The author’s own words best describe his purpose in writing:
This is why it is both impossible and dangerous to start a book about money by talking about money. You just can’t understand anything in isolation. Everything in our lives is connected to everything else, and everything is shaped by what we understand to be true. Handling money right—being in control of it, not being controlled by it, and not asking it to do for you what it was never intended to do—requires examining the worldview that should shape how we think about money and everything else in our lives. My goal in this book is to root everything I write about money in a distinctly biblical worldview. Even more specifically, I want to help you look at money and money problems through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am deeply persuaded that we will never make proper sense of the world of money, which influences us, perhaps more deeply than we realize, unless we first put on our gospel glasses. If you and I don’t let the gospel of Jesus Christ correct our assumptions about life, we won’t be able to evaluate and gain ground in the way we understand and relate to money and make practical money decisions.” (p. 13, emphasis added)
Simply stated, Tripp fulfills his goal in the book. It is a life-transformative treatment of the purpose and management of money for a Christian. Chapter 1 alone—“Putting on the Right Glasses”—is worth the purchase price!
Application—could be useful for:
- Individual reading and growth in giving
- Small group study (there are questions at the end of each chapter)
- Sermon series – outstanding biblical foundation
Notes:
- Recommended by Marvin Olasky and Tim Chester
- Paperback, eBook, and audio books are available at https://www.paultripp.com
