Is it wrong to want wealth or success?
If you’ve wondered whether ambition makes you a bad Christian — or felt guilty for wanting to do well — we’re really glad you’re here. The Bible’s take is more freeing and more honest than you might expect.
People land in two ditches here. One says money is dirty and ambition is sinful, so spiritual people should feel guilty for wanting to succeed. The other — the “prosperity gospel” — says enough faith guarantees wealth, so if you’re struggling financially, you must be doing faith wrong. Both distort what the Bible actually teaches, and both leave people anxious or ashamed.
It’s the heart, not the bank balance
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
1 Timothy 6:10
Notice the precise wording: the love of money — not money itself. Wealth is a tool that can build hospitals or wreck souls, depending on what it does to your heart. The Bible includes plenty of faithful, generous people of means. The danger is when money becomes your security, your identity, or your god — when, as Jesus warned, you try to “serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Held loosely and used generously, success can be a profound good.
Ambition, surrendered, becomes generosity
RockPoint is a Spirit-filled church, and we celebrate hard work and excellence — and we flatly reject the prosperity gospel that treats faith as a lever for riches. God is generous, but he’s not a vending machine, and some of the most faithful people in the world have very little. The freeing path is this: pursue good work wholeheartedly, keep God first, hold success with open hands, and aim your ambition at blessing others. The Bible tells those who have plenty “to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). Wealth becomes a blessing when it flows through you, not just to you.
What you can do this week
- Run a heart check, not a guilt trip. Ask: is money my tool or my master? Where am I tempted to trust it instead of God?
- Practice open-handed generosity. Give something away on purpose — it loosens money’s grip and rewires your heart.
- Aim your ambition. Pursue your goals, then ask, “How could this serve God and others, not just me?”
- Reject both lies. You don’t have to feel guilty for working hard, and you don’t have to believe faith guarantees riches.
A prayer about ambition and money
“God, I want to work hard and do well, but I don’t want money to become my master. Keep my heart free. Help me hold success with open hands, trust you as my security, and be generous with whatever you give me. Amen.”
Wrestling with ambition, money, or what to do with success? We’d love to talk it through. Reach out below.
You don’t have to figure this out alone
Want prayer, someone to talk to, or an invitation to explore this in person? Send a note — a real person from RockPoint will follow up.
Keep exploring
- Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn — a freeing, biblical view of wealth.
- Related: What does faith say about money and debt? and How do I find contentment?
- New here? Plan a visit — come as you are; we’d love to meet you.
Questions people ask next
Doesn’t the Bible say money is the root of all evil?
It says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil — not money itself. The issue is the heart: when wealth becomes our security, identity, or god, it corrupts. Held loosely and used generously, it can do enormous good.
What is the prosperity gospel, and is it true?
It’s the idea that enough faith guarantees health and wealth. It isn’t biblical and it wounds people when life doesn’t comply. God is generous, but he’s not a vending machine, and faithful people sometimes have very little.
How should I think about ambition as a Christian?
Pursue excellence and good work wholeheartedly, while keeping God first and holding success with open hands. Ambition surrendered to God — and aimed at serving and giving — is a gift, not a guilt.