Cryptocurrency is quickly growing popular in the modern day. With talk of a paperless society coming into the picture, many people are raising their heads when they hear of cryptocurrency.
There are thousands of people already investing in cryptocurrency, and it is only normal for Christians to wonder about these things too.
Questions can be raised, such as, is it okay for Christians to use cryptocurrency? Is it okay for Christians to invest in cryptocurrency? Overall, how should Christians respond to cryptocurrency?
What Is Cryptocurrency?
According to Oxford Languages, cryptocurrency is defined as "a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority. Decentralized cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin now provide an outlet for personal wealth that is beyond restriction and confiscation."
From this definition, we see that cryptocurrency is very complex. It is probably set up this way to impress individuals and to cause them to want to be part of it. In other words, to have cryptocurrency makes a person "cool," "intelligent, or "ahead of the times."
While this is what the leaders of cryptocurrency want you to think, there are also dangers that come with cryptocurrency.
I was just talking with a friend about cryptocurrency, and she mentioned how it is easy for people to turn cryptocurrency into an idol. I hadn't thought of this before, but she brought up a great point.
The way people obsess over money is the same as how people will obsess over cryptocurrency as time progresses. As my friend mentioned, nothing needs to be placed above God in our lives and if anything is placed above God in our lives, it becomes an idol.
The Bible is clear when it tells us to have no gods or idols above the true God (Exodus 20:4). When we start placing things as being more important than God in our life is when we run into problems.
While anything can be turned into an idol in the present day, cryptocurrency has a higher chance of becoming an idol in our lives. It is something that can quickly become intoxicating and obsessive. As Christians, it is best to be aware of these things and know our own limits.
Remember Who Your God Is
Throughout pondering how Christians should respond to cryptocurrency, one idea keeps coming to my mind — we need to remember who our God is. Our God isn't cryptocurrency, nor is it money.
Since cryptocurrency is strongly associated with money, we can recognize the dangers it can bring into our lives.
While money in and of itself isn't a bad thing, it can quickly become a bad thing if it is the most important thing in our lives. As Christians, we need to remember that God is the most important person in our lives.
Cryptocurrency is a fad, but it will fade over time. My friend also mentioned to me concerning our conversation about cryptocurrency that we don't need to place faith in anything but God. Cryptocurrency tries to get us to place faith in it rather than God.
It is easy for people to place faith in things such as money or cryptocurrency because they think they are given assurance through owning these things. In reality, when we die, we cannot take any of these things with us. It is at these times that we need to remember the things that actually matter.
Money is important, and we all need it, but it doesn't need to be the driving force of our lives. We don't need to place faith in money or cryptocurrency. Instead, we need to place faith in God and help others do the same.
If you want to get involved with cryptocurrency, that is completely up to you; however, you need to be aware of the danger that it could become an idol for you. Cryptocurrency, just like money, can quickly take up all your time, and you could lose yourself in the process.
On the other hand, if you choose to not get involved with cryptocurrency, that's okay too. No matter if you choose to invest or get involved with cryptocurrency or not, you don't need to condemn the person who chose the opposite of you.
It is up to everyone's Christian freedom to choose how they live their lives. As much as we hope for people to live for God and to place Him as the only God in their life, sometimes they don't do this.
If you know someone who becomes obsessed with cryptocurrency, it is okay under these circumstances to challenge them and try to get them to see how it is damaging their life.
While you cannot make a decision for anyone but yourself, you can pray for your friends and family concerning cryptocurrency. You might choose to be for it, or you might be against it; however, don't look down on someone for choosing differently than you.
If they find out they made a bad decision, the hope and prayer for them would be that they would turn away from the practice and turn back to the Lord. Cryptocurrency can quickly become an idol and a false sense of assurance.
Even if someone had all the cryptocurrency in the world, they would not be happy. Since cryptocurrency is something that is relatively new, it might go out of style shortly or lose all of its worth.
As Christians, we can know that cryptocurrency will never make us happy as it probably would be a source of unwanted stress.
We also know that our happiness, joy, and security are found in the Lord alone. Only the Lord can give us assurance and salvation. Cryptocurrency cannot give anyone the assurance or peace they are searching for.
Jesus tells us He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). This means that only in Him are we given assurance. Cryptocurrency will not carry with us for all eternity. There will not be cryptocurrency in heaven or in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Financial matters will no longer be a topic in heaven as there will be no money. Cryptocurrency might be a popular trend now and something that will make a lot of people wealthy, but it isn't something that will help them in their walk with the Lord. We need to be aware of our own sinful natures.
Why Does This Matter?
Therefore, yes, you can invest in cryptocurrency if you want to, yet you need to be aware of the challenges it will bring into your life and in your walk with God. Be aware that it can cause you to create it to be your idol or "god."
This is a dangerous business as it can cause your faith to start taking a turn for the worst. Nonetheless, it is within your Christian freedom to become involved with cryptocurrency, but it is also within your Christian freedom to choose not to be involved.
For further reading:
What Does the Bible Say about Money?
Did Paul Teach That 'Money Is the Root of All Evil'?
How Should Christians Approach Progress in Technology?
Is it Really a Sin to Be Rich?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/ArtistGNDphotography
