The Church’s Economic System

Now that we’ve looked at God’s Original, Old Covenant, and New Covenant Economic Systems, we can no focus in specifically on God, work, and money in the Church.  It all starts with God’s mission for the Church.  The Church, as we mentioned in earlier posts, is supposed to be a visible embodiment of God’s Kingdom here on earth just as it is in heaven.  While this was the mission of Israel under the Old Covenant, the Church under the New Covenant is also charged with the mission of actively bringing new people into God’s Kingdom.

New Covenant Economic System

God’s Original Economic System needed to change when people began living together in cities and started to develop into nations.  People needed to learn how to live in close proximity and get along as God designed and desired.  The Old Covenant Economic System, set up with the Israelites, allowed us to see how it can and should be done.  When they did things right, the way God told them to do it, they were set apart as a Holy Nation for the rest of the world to see.

Old Covenant Economic System

In my last post about God’s Original Economic System, we looked at the way God designed the economy with Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden.  In this system, God provided for all their needs (Genesis 1:29; 2:10-14).  They needed to work, which gave them a sense of purpose, but the work was easy (Genesis 2:15).  They developed loving relationships with God and one another (Genesis 2:25).  In this system, there was plenty for their children, too, so they could be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:27-28).  When they sinned, they were kicked out of the Garden (Genesis 3:23-24).  Childbirth became painful and work much harder (Genesis 3:16-19).  But the same economic system would be in play for many, many years.  God provided.  They worked the way God said and they had everything that they needed.