Healthy Ways for Christian Couples to Manage Money Together
- Lee Young
- Sep 19, 2025
- 9 min read
The last thing we want to do is allow a blessing from the Lord to become the source of discord in our marriage. However, the reality is that nearly everything that ruins relationships is a blessing from the Lord. The top 5 things that create problems in Christian marriages are:
Money
Communication
Parenting
Sex
Extended Family Relationships
Other than communication, these are all intended by God to be blessings in your life, yet even Christian couples are allowing these intended blessings to become the source of fighting, distance, separation, and even divorce.
We must remember that anything and everything God gives can be misused. When blessings are not handled as God intends, the misuse can cause a great deal of strife, driving a wedge between two people who love each other. And the god of this age uses the cultural milieu to press us to misuse what God has given us. In today’s article, we want to address the number one issue: Money.
God’s Purpose for Money
Deuteronomy 8:18
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (NIV)
The Lord has given us the ability to produce wealth. In our current political environment, there are many who subscribe to a sum-zero principle of economics. However, this is not Biblical. God has given us the ability to produce wealth. Each person has been endowed with talents, energy, intellect, and the opportunity to earn a living. Whatever we do to earn a living, the means to do so have been given to us by God. And God’s purpose for allowing us this ability is to confirm His covenant.
The covenant goes back to Abraham. In His covenant to Abraham, God promised to do these things:
To give him a bloodline that would become a great nation
To bless him
To make his name great
To protect him
To make him a blessing to all nations
To achieve these things, one of the key factors is financial blessing. And Abraham became a very wealthy man. This is not to say that it is God’s plan that every believer become wealthy. Wealth can affect many aspects of our lives, such as our social environment. God will allow some poverty to place believers in every social class throughout the world. However, within the social class and geographical area He places us, He wants to bless us financially in a way that would be seen as being blessed by those in our immediate social stratosphere. The reason God’s covenant with Abraham and us, as the spiritual children of Abraham, is that money is the answer for everything. Don’t stop reading. This is Biblical.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
19 A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. (NIV)
Protection, food, clothing, and shelter cost money. If we want to send Bibles to an impoverished area of the world, it will cost money. Almost anything we do requires money. And even those things that do not cost money will still require money to provide a place to do them. God’s purpose for you to have money is to facilitate His promise to provide, protect, and bless you as His child. But a covenant is a two-way promise. God’s covenant with Abraham required Abraham to remain faithful to God in all his ways. God knew that Abraham, like all men since Adam’s fall, would have a proclivity toward sin and that he would struggle to remain faithful. So God gave Abraham a way to respond in those times with repentance and restitution. But as long as Abraham pursued a way of life that honored God, and responded to his failures with a sincere effort to do better, God would continue to bless.
It’s only when we do not remain faithful to God with our money that we leave room for the enemy to create chaos in our lives. Before we can start talking about how to handle our money as a couple, we must first handle our money as individuals in a way that honors God.
Handling our money God’s way
We must honor God with our money.
Proverbs 3:9-10
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. (NIV)
God has given us the ability to make money in order to facilitate His blessings upon our lives. This arrangement, however, creates a massive temptation to begin to depend on our own ability to make money more than we depend on God, who gives us that ability. This is why the Bible teaches us that we cannot serve both God and money.
God has given us a guardrail to protect us from falling into this trap. The guardrail is to honor Him first with the money we make. He calls us to give back to Him an amount that is sacrificial and to do this consistently each time we put money into our bank accounts. If we do not do this, we are misusing our money, and it will become a curse to us and to our relationship.
We must pay our bills on time.
Matthew 5:33-37
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (NIV)
When we subscribe to something, whether it is Amazon Prime, electricity for our home, or a line of credit, we are entering into an agreement. We agree to pay for the product or service on a specific day. The Lord wants us to keep our word. We may not think of it this way because the electrical company doesn’t have a face. It is very impersonal. Nevertheless, it is an oath we have made when we sign up for the service. When we neglect our responsibilities, we misuse God’s blessing of money.
We must prepare for the future.
Proverbs 21:20
20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. (NIV)
The Bible teaches us not to worry about tomorrow, but we are called to plan for tomorrow. And we know what is here today can be gone tomorrow. We know life happens, and it can suddenly change our financial situation overnight. We need to prepare.
But also, God’s covenant is to bless you. He wants us to enjoy life, but sometimes creating memorable moments requires us to save ourselves. It is better to save up for a trip than charge it all to a credit card, only to end up paying three times more than the original cost.
Finally, prepare for your children and grandchildren. The Bible says a wise man leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren. At the end of our lives, we want to leave financial blessings, not burdens.
We must be generous.
Proverbs 11:25
25 A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (NIV)
Generosity is both an act and an attitude. The Bible warns us about giving reluctantly. The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver. God wants us to be generous to others, but especially to those who cannot repay.
Luke 14:13-14
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (NIV)
It’s not that we can’t be generous with our friends who can repay. But when we give to those that we know will soon return the favor, it can move our spirit so that it becomes transactional more than generous. But when we give to those who cannot repay, now we are truly being generous. When we fail to exhibit the attitude or action of generosity, we misuse the money God has given us, and it will become a curse.
How Christian Couples Should Manage Their Money
Trusting God is not always easy, especially with our money. So, even though you both may agree to the principles of handling our money God’s way, that doesn’t mean it is going to be easy to do. Navigating these areas where we struggle to trust, either individually or together, is the space where division and bitterness can set in. In these times, we cannot let the money issue supersede the relationship.
Strive to preserve peace
Ephesians 4:3
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV)
The Holy Spirit is the spirit that gives us the power to change our circumstances, the love we need for a great marriage, and the self-discipline to hold our tongue and use our money as God has prescribed. Moreso, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth meaning He guides us into the ways of God in all areas of our lives. But we can grieve the Holy Spirit. We can push Him away. We can ignore Him. And when we do, we separate ourselves from all that He is. And it is through the bond of peace that keeps us united to the Holy Spirit and one another.
It is easy to let emotions run hot and say horrible things and do worse. But when we do these things, we are pushing God out of that moment. We are forfeiting power, love, self-discipline, and wisdom. Who can afford to do that?
Whatever the issue, we must preserve peace. This doesn’t mean we don’t express our opinions, but preserving peace is about how we express our opinions and how we respond to our spouse’s opinions.
Plan your finances together
Galatians 6:2
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)
Handling money is a burden. Stress, worry, and fear come with this task. As believers, and especially as married couples called to live as one flesh, this burden should be shared.
Sit down together and determine your financial goals and priorities. Create spreadsheets showing all income and expenses. Do it in a way that helps you see the flow of your income. Not everyone gets paid at the same time. Also, look at the flow of when money must leave your account to honor God and pay your bills. Find an amount to save that you can agree on. Make a plan to pay off debt. Remember, you probably will not both have the same plan in mind when you start this process. When you see differing opinions, strive to preserve the peace as you continue in the process.
Be transparent
Proverbs 24:26
26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. (NIV)
This passage doesn’t always compute to men, but women will grasp this very quickly. When there is transparency, which is a form of honesty, intimacy is increased. Trust is such a huge part of a relationship. When trust is broken, it is so hard to restore. But the way we maintain trust, and restore it when it is broken, is through absolute transparency.
Should couples put their money together?
This is a common question for couples. Counselor, pastors, and financial advisors will all have their opinions about this. But the underlying principle is transparency. It may be helpful to keep separate accounts, and each person takes responsibility for certain expenses. Perhaps a couple would prefer to have individual accounts and a shared account. Out of this shared account, the couple might give to God and pay their bills. Or perhaps, a couple would want to have only shared accounts. The technique doesn’t matter so long as the principle is maintained.
When planning financially, be honest about your income and the bills you have accumulated. And if you decide to have separate accounts, make sure your spouse has access to these accounts when they want to see. They may never look, but knowing they have access increases trust. The finances are built on honesty and transparency, and this will keep you close, where things hidden will separate you.
Get help when you need it
Proverbs 15:22
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (NIV)
Because money can affect almost everything in our lives, tempers can flare when discussing financial matters. If this is a particularly difficult area for your marriage, don’t be afraid to get some help. Don’t go to an in-law. In-laws require a whole other article. Go to a professional or a mutual friend who you know is very good with finances. Get Christian counsel. Very few secular advisors will have a positive outlook on Christians honoring God with their wealth, but if we don’t handle God’s money His way, it will become a curse. There are many Christian professionals who will sit down with you and help you through the process. Having a third party can be very helpful. But even in those meetings, be honest, be transparent, and strive for peace. These are the Biblical principles Christian couples should use to manage their money.
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