“First, if wealth is an inherent good Christians should try to gain it. If some of us succeed more than the majority, our understanding of it as God’s gift for all will lead us to want to share with the needy, particularly those who are largely victims of circumstances outside their control.
Second, if wealth is seductive, giving away some of our surplus is a good strategy for resisting the temptation to overvalue it.
Third, if stewardship is a sign of a redeemed life, then Christians will, by their new natures, want to give. Over time, compassionate and generous use of their resources will become an integral part of their Christian lives.
Fourth, if certain extremes of wealth and poverty are inherently intolerable, those of us with excess income (i.e. most readers of this book!) will work hard to help at least a few of the desperately needy in our world.
Fifth, if holistic salvation represents the ultimate good God wants all to receive, then our charitable giving should be directed to individuals, churches, or organizations who minister holistically, caring for people’s bodies as well as their souls, addressing their physical as well as their spiritual circumstances.”
Craig L. Blomberg in Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999) 247.