Bible and economic thinking

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The Bible - is the Word of God opposed to economic thinking?

In a nutshell: The Bible stands for justice and charity, for example, but not for the economic thinking that is unfortunately predominantly established today as an elbow society.

But let's let the Bible itself have its say and see what God's Word tells us in terms of economic thinking and correspondingly oriented action.

Secular economic thinking

Analogous to the Ten Commandments, ten definitions of secular economic thinking are mentioned here first. Each orientation is accompanied by a core principle, characteristics, examples, advantages and disadvantages for better understanding.

1. Classic market economy thinking

Core principle: Supply and demand regulate the market.
Features: Free markets, competition, profit maximization.
Examples: Entrepreneurial freedom, price signals, competition as an efficiency driver.
Advantage: Promotes innovation and growth.
Disadvantage: Can lead to inequality and the formation of monopolies.

2. Social economic thinking

Core principle: Economy in the service of social prosperity.
Features: Social justice, protection of the weak, state intervention for redistribution.
Examples: Welfare state, social market economy, minimum wage, unemployment benefit.
Advantage: Promotes social security and social cohesion.
Disadvantage: Can inhibit innovation or lead to government overregulation.

3. Sustainable economic thinking (ecological thinking)

Core principle: Economic activities must be ecologically sustainable in the long term.
Features: Resource conservation, climate protection, circular economy.
Examples: Promotion of renewable energies, CO2 taxes, sustainable production chains.
Advantage: Protecting future generations and natural resources.
Disadvantage: Higher costs and adjustment difficulties during the transition.

4. Capitalist / profit-oriented thinking

Core principle: Maximizing profit as the primary goal
Features: Investment, private property, the pursuit of profit as the engine of progress.
Examples: Stock market trading, venture capitalists, globalization.
Advantage: Promotes competition, innovation and technological progress.
Disadvantage: Can exacerbate social inequality and promote short-term thinking.

5. Cooperative economic thinking

Core principle: Cooperation instead of competition.
Features: Common good, participation, democratic decision-making processes.
Examples: Cooperatives, sharing economy, community-supported agriculture (CSA).
Advantage: Promotes a sense of community and equality.
Disadvantage: Less dynamic, often more inefficient than competition-driven systems.

6. Consumer-oriented thinking

Core principle: The focus is on the needs and wishes of consumers.
Features: Customer needs determine production and service.
Examples: Customer centricity in marketing, design thinking, personalization of products.
Advantage: Increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Disadvantage: Can lead to overconsumption and waste of resources.

7. Ethical economic thinking

Core principle: Economic activity must meet moral and ethical standards.
Features: Fair trade, anti-corruption measures, respect for human rights.
Examples: Fair trade labels, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable supply chains.
Advantage: Promotes trust and social acceptance.
Disadvantage: Implementing and monitoring ethical standards can be difficult and expensive.

8. Planned economy thinking

Core principle: State control and planning steer the economy.
Features: Centralized decisions, state production targets, no free markets.
Examples: Former socialist states, five-year plans, subsidies.
Advantage: Can promote social equality and stability.
Disadvantage: Often inefficient, lacking innovation and flexibility.

9. Innovative and technological business thinking

Core principle: Technological progress and innovation are drivers of growth.
Features: Research and development, digitalization, start-ups.
Examples: Artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, platform economy (e.g. Amazon, Uber).
Advantage: Increases efficiency and quality of life.
Disadvantage: Risk of monopoly formation and job losses due to automation.

10. Culturally or traditionally shaped economic thinking

Core principle: Traditional values and cultural characteristics determine economic activity.
Features: Respect for local traditions and community values.
Examples: Subsistence farming, local markets, traditional craftsmanship.
Advantage: Preserves cultural identity and local diversity.
Disadvantage: Can hardly hold its own in global competition.

Biblical economic thinking

Biblical economic thinking is based on divine principles that emphasize justice, social responsibility and caring for one's neighbor. While the Bible does not prescribe modern economic theories, it provides numerous guidelines and values for a just and sustainable economic system.

Core principle

Economic activity should be in the service of justice, mercy and solidarity.
Resources, talents and wealth are gifts from God and must be used responsibly.
The goal is not selfish profit maximization, but prosperity and blessing for the community.

Features

Work and responsibility: Everyone should work to the best of their ability and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Proverbs 12:11 – He who tills his field will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues vanity lacks understanding.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – For when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat!
Justice and fairness: Fair wages and honest trade are key.
Proverbs 11:1 – False scales are an abomination to the Lord, but full weight is pleasing to him.
James 5, 4 – Behold, the wages of the laborers who cut down your fields, but which you have kept back, they cry out, and the cry of the reapers has come to the ears of the Lord of hosts!
Protecting the weak: Special regulations are intended to protect widows, orphans, the poor and foreigners.
Exodus 19, 9-10 – When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap the edge of your field or glean after your harvest.
Neither shalt thou glean thy vineyard, nor gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; but thou shalt leave it for the poor and for the stranger: for I the LORD am your God.
Sharing and generosity: Generosity is emphasized as a virtue.
Luke 6, 38 – Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down and shaken and overflowing, will be poured into your bosom. For with the same measure that you measure out to [others], it will be measured out to you again.
Acts 2, 44-45 – But all the believers were together and had all things in common;
They sold the goods and possessions and distributed them among all those in need.
Forgiveness and debt relief: The sabbatical year and the year of remission emphasize debt relief and a new social beginning.
Deuteronomy 5, 1-2 – At the end of seven years, you shall order a debt waiver.
Now this is the order of remission: every debtor shall cancel the loan of his hand which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not oppress his neighbor or his brother, for a remission of the Lord's debt has been proclaimed.
Exodus 25 - (Abstract)
The land is to rest every seven years. No fields may be cultivated or harvested in this year. Everyone may eat what grows on its own, including slaves, strangers and animals.
After seven sabbatical years (49 years), the year of remission is to be celebrated in the 50th year. All debts are canceled and all leased land returns to its original owners. No one may be taken advantage of, neither when selling nor buying land.
The land belongs to God and the people are only guests. Land may not be sold permanently. If someone has sold their land, they have the right to buy it back. Israelites may not be permanently enslaved; they have the right to redemption and freedom in the year of release.
Warning against greed and wealth: Greed and love of money are sharply criticized.
Matthew 6, 24 – No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cleave to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon!
1 Timothy 6:10 - For greed is the root of all evil; some who have given themselves over to it have strayed from the faith and caused themselves much pain.
Poor people should be supported without charging interest.
If someone has sold himself as a slave, he must not be treated like a slave, but like a wage laborer.

Examples from the Biblel

The sabbatical year: Every seven years, the land is to be rested and debts canceled. This promotes sustainability and social justice.
The parable of the talents: The multiplication of talents through work and wise use of resources is rewarded. (see Matthew 25, 14-30)
The early church: The first Christians shared property and goods to support those in need.
Acts 2, 44-45 – But all the believers were together and had all things in common;
They sold the goods and possessions and distributed them among all those in need.
Manna in the desert: God gave the Israelites food, but they were only to gather what they needed - a reference to moderation and trust. (s. Exodus 16)

Advantages of biblical economic thinking

Social justice: Protecting the weak and poor promotes social cohesion and reduces inequality.
Sustainability: Sabbath and sabbatical years ensure that resources are used responsibly.
Moral economy: Honesty and fairness in trade and wage payments create trust and long-term stability.
Sense of community: Generosity and sharing strengthen cohesion and help to alleviate social hardship.
Protection from materialism: Warnings against greed and the love of money prevent wealth from becoming an end in itself.

Challenges

Difficult implementation: Ideals such as debt relief or property sharing are difficult to implement in the modern economy.
Risk of abuse: Generosity and social justice could be exploited if individuals rest on the generosity of others.
Limited market orientation: Biblical economic thinking emphasizes community and justice more than individual freedom and the pursuit of profit, which could restrict economic growth.
Complexity of modern economic systems: The Bible is designed for simple agrarian or local societies. Modern global trade and financial systems require more complex rules.

Biblical economic thinking is therefore based on a holistic vision of justice, care and sustainability. It calls for the responsible and moral use of resources and the protection of the weak.

The opportunity on a biblical basis

Although it can be difficult in the modern economy to implement these principles exactly as they stand, they serve as a moral compass for a fairer and more sustainable economic system. All the more so as God's Word is the guiding principle, provided we leave Him in charge not only of our lives, but also of our "business".

dōTERRA has met these challenges with its distribution system.
The teams that have emerged and are emerging within this system (no, not Toll Ein Amore Meight's!) are made up of people of different nationalities, professions, ages and beliefs.
Many share the Christian understanding of management, albeit in an individualized way.
Unfortunately, there are also black sheep here, as everywhere in life. But even those can be a challenge to give them an incentive to rethink their own attitude through a pleasantly different perceived past life.

As long as economic thinking is based on biblically founded values, it does not matter what the "system" is called.
Among Christian "employees", a system that does not do justice to Christian aspects will have no lasting chance of survival. A number of companies have already had to learn the hard way that the great hype was followed by an incomparably greater defeat. This was not only the case for those at the end of the chain, but also for those who made the big money.
God is just and allows every person to reap the fruits that they have sown themselves. God has created us humans in his image, i.e. as self-responsible human beings, not as puppets. Nor does he rape anyone by imposing his will on them: freedom of opinion and freedom of action apply.

In the human sense, the "self-employed person" is independent. In the biblical sense, however, if he thinks and acts wisely, he is completely dependent on God as his Creator and employer.
He is always on duty, not to glorify himself, but to glorify God.

While the self-employed are often driven by the fear of earning too little, under God's guidance they can devote themselves to the activity of faith. He can allow himself to be advised and guided by God's Holy Spirit, as a counselor, but also as a teacher. He can act with self-control, in love and gentleness, kindness and faithfulness, with patience and inner peace, joyfully towards his counterpart, if he has God as his "business partner" and sees the third party in His light.

This "pleasantly different" way of being makes his counterpart curious and, from experience, is more likely to put him on the road to success towards God than some people who try to beat everything and everyone to death with the Bible.

Conclusion

Therefore: if your economic thinking is aligned with God, He will give you the advice in all decisions that will bring you closer to Him and your fellow human beings, serving all for the best and thus helping you to achieve more success and prosperity than you could ever achieve on your own!