Seven Steps to Christ-Honoring Investing

Read Time / 3 Minutes

Theme / Biblically Responsible Investing

Steps invite us forward, leading us to places we want to go. Lighthouses offer a fitting example. My wife and I visited Grays Harbor Lighthouse on the Washington coast, built in 1897–1898. As the tallest lighthouse in the state, it has 350 steps ascending to the lantern room, where a flashing light guides ships toward the harbor entrance. We slowly climbed every step to the top.

Later, as part of my reading through the Bible in a year, I noticed a list of steps in Peter’s second letter. “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NASB)

But these steps don’t lead to a lantern room, they lead to something much more significant: honoring Christ in our lives. As I read the steps I realized they could be applied to many facets of life, including how to invest to honor the Lord.

Peter begins the passage by encouraging us to apply all diligence in our faith. He shows how to apply that diligence by listing seven steps, which can help us better reflect Christ. The steps, however, are not like the lighthouse steps, taken one step at a time. Rather, the seven steps should be taken as a whole, pursuing whatever steps needed in whatever order to make progress towards becoming more like Christ, the light of the world.

Moral Excellence. Our morality should influence every aspect of our life: how we think, talk, and act, including how we manage the finances the Lord has given us to steward. Are our morals reflected in the companies we invest in? Are we profiting from companies that profit from pornography or abortion?

Knowledge. We should be knowledgeable on how to honor Christ in every aspect of our lives. But many of us don’t know the companies we are invested in because we’ve never taken the time to investigate. There are web-based tools focused on biblically responsible investing to help you research the companies in your portfolios to make informed decisions.

Self-Control. In investing, we can be influenced by the latest hot investment idea that we may read or hear about. We need to exhibit restraint to stay focused on researched investments that are part of an overarching long-term plan to reach our financial goals. We should view ourselves as caretakers of God’s financial provisions in our lives, exhibiting self-control throughout.

Perseverance. The stock market will rise and fall, and we shouldn’t make rash decisions depending on today’s market. We should keep a long-term perspective on our investments, exhibiting wisdom throughout whatever time God gives us on earth.

Godliness. Are we mirroring God’s character in all aspects of our lives? Evaluating ourselves against the steps before and after this step can serve as a barometer. The challenge is for us to truly examine ourselves and take strides to become more like Christ, displaying His light, even in our investments.

Brotherly Kindness. Many Christians are investing according to their faith, creating a movement called biblically responsible investing that is both encouraging and influential. The more we join with our brothers and sisters in Christ by investing biblically, the more we can influence companies to do good in the world through their practices and products. Our combined influence can bring positive changes to the investment world, benefiting all of us.

Love. Scripture instructs us to love our neighbor, but how can we do that through investing? We can do that by investing in companies who are making a positive impact. One example is investing in companies that provide medical products and services, which bring hope and healing to the world, helping people in a tangible way much like the Good Samaritan.

Scripture encourages us to honor the Lord with our wealth (Proverbs 3:9). Perhaps you haven’t thought about that in the context of investing. The seven steps in 2 Peter 1:5-7 obviously have broad applications across the full spectrum of our lives, but perhaps this journey through the passage has challenged you to consider the steps in light of investing.

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

208.697.3699

doug@christianwm.com