Is running my small business sinful?

[discipler7]

Since then I've been wondering if what I'm doing is ok or sinful or something in between.

.
No.

Business trading is not sinful or unlawful, except when it brings financial harm or bankruptcy to others, eg the "businesses" run by the Italian Mafia and Mexican drug cartels.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Greetings. I'm seeking advice from more experienced Christians. So to start thing off I'm 21 and I'm a college student. I have a very small business buying and selling vinyl record albums online. I started it back in high school and have made good money. Actually I've never had a job and this is still my only income as a full time student. I either buy big lots of records and sell them individually or buy them individually at good prices because they have a rare label or rare sticker or what have you. So money used to be a big thing to me but I recently became a Christian. Since then I've been wondering if what I'm doing is ok or sinful or something in between. Here are my concerns about it (1) sometimes I'll buy an album from somebody that doesn't know what they have for cheap. For example, I might buy one with a rare label. Pay $10 for it and sell it for $100. So I'm afraid I'm taking advantage of these people? I don't try to be greedy but you've got to do this to make money. (2) I don't know all of the music on the records I sell but it's safe to say that some of it isn't music a Christian should listen too. I don't want to contribute to a sinful lifestyle or condone a sinful song. I do enjoy running this small business and it's my only money maker right now. But I'm wondering if I should continue. I've prayed about it but am not yet sure how God responds to prayers and I don't think I've got an answer yet. Can some of you please help me? Thanks so much and God bless!

There is nothing wrong with being industrialist. See Proverbs 31

Luke 16 Good News Translation (GNT)
The Shrewd Manager
16 Jesus said to his disciples, “There was once a rich man who had a servant who managed his property. The rich man was told that the manager was wasting his master's money, 2 so he called him in and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in a complete account of your handling of my property, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 The servant said to himself, ‘My master is going to dismiss me from my job. What shall I do? I am not strong enough to dig ditches, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 Now I know what I will do! Then when my job is gone, I shall have friends who will welcome me in their homes.’ 5 So he called in all the people who were in debt to his master. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 ‘One hundred barrels of olive oil,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘sit down and write fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another one, ‘And you—how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he answered. ‘Here is your account,’ the manager told him; ‘write eight hundred.’ 8 As a result the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing; because the people of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light.”

9 And Jesus went on to say, “And so I tell you: make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home. 10 Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones. 11 If, then, you have not been faithful in handling worldly wealth, how can you be trusted with true wealth? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you?

13“No servant can be the slave of two masters; such a slave will hate one and love the other or will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

 

[Daniel Marsh]

I guess a Calvinist bookshop owner shouldn't sell books that might include Arminian doctrine, or any other teaching that might not be conducive to your own church's teaching. But I think he wold go out of business quite quickly. My favourite Christian second hand bookshop sells all kinds of books from many sources and doctrinal positions, and does good business, because a wide range of customers do business with him.

Does that bookstore have a website?

 

[Daniel Marsh]

2 Thessalonians 3:10 [Full Chapter]
While we were with you, we used to tell you, “Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to eat.”

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Does that bookstore have a website?

Google Christian Value Books NZ. The other one I use, "Evermore Books" has a website, but no facilities to order online, although, if you have a particular title or author, and email them, if they have it in stock they will ship it to you. But there are shipping charges. That why I don't buy from Amazon or Book Depository, because I would have to mortgage my house to get the books shipped down here to upside down land.

 

[Open Heart]

Greetings. I'm seeking advice from more experienced Christians. So to start thing off I'm 21 and I'm a college student. I have a very small business buying and selling vinyl record albums online. I started it back in high school and have made good money. Actually I've never had a job and this is still my only income as a full time student. I either buy big lots of records and sell them individually or buy them individually at good prices because they have a rare label or rare sticker or what have you. So money used to be a big thing to me but I recently became a Christian. Since then I've been wondering if what I'm doing is ok or sinful or something in between. Here are my concerns about it (1) sometimes I'll buy an album from somebody that doesn't know what they have for cheap. For example, I might buy one with a rare label. Pay $10 for it and sell it for $100. So I'm afraid I'm taking advantage of these people? I don't try to be greedy but you've got to do this to make money. (2) I don't know all of the music on the records I sell but it's safe to say that some of it isn't music a Christian should listen too. I don't want to contribute to a sinful lifestyle or condone a sinful song. I do enjoy running this small business and it's my only money maker right now. But I'm wondering if I should continue. I've prayed about it but am not yet sure how God responds to prayers and I don't think I've got an answer yet. Can some of you please help me? Thanks so much and God bless!

I think that to be good at any sort of marketing, you can't be empathic. The moment you start putting yourself into someone else's shoes, and asking yourself if this is something right an just to do to the other person is the moment you become terrible at marketing. What I'm saying is that it takes a certain amount of callousness, a kind of willingness to take advantage of people, in order to do sales well enough to make money at it. You have to be willing to pay people less than what things may be worth, and sell things for more than they are worth or to people who cannot afford them or who don't need them or who even don't really want them.

Some Christians can justify this, and do a good job at sales. They believe that an object's worth is whatever you can get for it. So for example, it really was worth $10 when you bought it, and really was worth $100 when you sold it. The fact that you made such a good profit shows that God is blessing your business.

I for one, could never do it. I couldn't sell water to a man dying of thirst in the desert. I'd tell myself that he's dying of thirst and that I'm taking advantage his needy state, making a profit off of his misery. I find jobs that are of service to others, an believe me those jobs never pay much. For example, I'm presently interning as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I'm kind of the opposite of a sales person.

But that doesn't mean I don't see the value in someone who can make a deal. We each have our own set of gifts. Your gifts are simply different than mine. IOW, I definitely am not going to give you advice in this. You have to work it out between you an God. Search your own conscience. You will find the answer there.

After all, charities like the ones I work with could never survive if there weren't successful people who donated money!

May I make a suggestion? Take one of the many Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tests that are online, and see what your gifts are. The MBTI is the most widely used personality test in the world. If you're an INFJ like me, careers where you use your empathy and intuition (like teaching, counseling, etc.) are where you'll find meaning. If you are an ESTP you'll probably be highly successful in marketing. If you are an ESTJ you will probably be comfortable in some form of office work, accounting, or management. If you are an INTP you will likely be happy in Science.

take an abbreviated 70 question test for free
Free, Scientific Personality Test of Briggs Myers' 16 Types - The TypeFinder® Research Edition

career suggestions by type
https://www.iccb.org/iccb/wp-conten..._resource_file/Suggested_Careers_for_MBTI.pdf

 

[Wordkeeper]

I think that to be good at any sort of marketing, you can't be empathic. The moment you start putting yourself into someone else's shoes, and asking yourself if this is something right an just to do to the other person is the moment you become terrible at marketing. What I'm saying is that it takes a certain amount of callousness, a kind of willingness to take advantage of people, in order to do sales well enough to make money at it. You have to be willing to pay people less than what things may be worth, and sell things for more than they are worth or to people who cannot afford them or who don't need them or who even don't really want them.

Some Christians can justify this, and do a good job at sales. They believe that an object's worth is whatever you can get for it. So for example, it really was worth $10 when you bought it, and really was worth $100 when you sold it. The fact that you made such a good profit shows that God is blessing your business.

I for one, could never do it. I couldn't sell water to a man dying of thirst in the desert. I'd tell myself that he's dying of thirst and that I'm taking advantage his needy state, making a profit off of his misery. I find jobs that are of service to others, an believe me those jobs never pay much. For example, I'm presently interning as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I'm kind of the opposite of a sales person.

But that doesn't mean I don't see the value in someone who can make a deal. We each have our own set of gifts. Your gifts are simply different than mine. IOW, I definitely am not going to give you advice in this. You have to work it out between you an God. Search your own conscience. You will find the answer there.

After all, charities like the ones I work with could never survive if there weren't successful people who donated money!

May I make a suggestion? Take one of the many Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tests that are online, and see what your gifts are. The MBTI is the most widely used personality test in the world. If you're an INFJ like me, careers where you use your empathy and intuition (like teaching, counseling, etc.) are where you'll find meaning. If you are an ESTP you'll probably be highly successful in marketing. If you are an ESTJ you will probably be comfortable in some form of office work, accounting, or management. If you are an INTP you will likely be happy in Science.

take an abbreviated 70 question test for free
Free, Scientific Personality Test of Briggs Myers' 16 Types - The TypeFinder® Research Edition

career suggestions by type
https://www.iccb.org/iccb/wp-conten..._resource_file/Suggested_Careers_for_MBTI.pdf

Correct. There's no such thing as "righteous" mammon.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Correct. There's no such thing as "righteous" mammon.

The Bible supports people earning their own income to support themselves and their families.

 

[Wordkeeper]

The Bible supports people earning their own income to support themselves and their families.

Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Drinking from the Rock was God showing He could lead Israel into the Kingdom, whilst adding all the rest. Unfortunately, Israel did not believe. Ditto Judas, Ananias and Sapphira and Simon Magus.

You should see the pattern.

 

[thesunisout]

Greetings. I'm seeking advice from more experienced Christians. So to start thing off I'm 21 and I'm a college student. I have a very small business buying and selling vinyl record albums online. I started it back in high school and have made good money. Actually I've never had a job and this is still my only income as a full time student. I either buy big lots of records and sell them individually or buy them individually at good prices because they have a rare label or rare sticker or what have you. So money used to be a big thing to me but I recently became a Christian. Since then I've been wondering if what I'm doing is ok or sinful or something in between. Here are my concerns about it (1) sometimes I'll buy an album from somebody that doesn't know what they have for cheap. For example, I might buy one with a rare label. Pay $10 for it and sell it for $100. So I'm afraid I'm taking advantage of these people? I don't try to be greedy but you've got to do this to make money. (2) I don't know all of the music on the records I sell but it's safe to say that some of it isn't music a Christian should listen too. I don't want to contribute to a sinful lifestyle or condone a sinful song. I do enjoy running this small business and it's my only money maker right now. But I'm wondering if I should continue. I've prayed about it but am not yet sure how God responds to prayers and I don't think I've got an answer yet. Can some of you please help me? Thanks so much and God bless!

I had an ebay business which was fine to God but one day I took on a client selling rock memorabilia. I really struggled after that because of how ungodly a lot of it was. So much so I knew God didn't want me to continue with it, and I also realized He had warned me away from it before I got tangled up in it. I ended up stopping my business with this client which immediately lifted the oppressive weight off of the business. So we have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and do business with a clear conscience.

 

[Open Heart]

The Bible supports people earning their own income to support themselves and their families.

By all methods? Can a Christian earn their own income and support themselves and their families by selling meth or being a loan shark?

 

[frater_domus]

1 Corinthians 10:31. Whatever you do, make sure it is for the glory of God. In the end, you are accountable for what you do. Whether what you do is right or wrong is what you must ask God and act according to your conscience. Beware though, one can not serve both God and money.

In your situation, it is not wrong to make a profit. It is the simple nature of supply and demand. However, I would do the best to prevent information asymmetries. Make sure to inform someone of the value of a certain product and share your knowledge. I do some trading on ebay myself, mainly tabletop miniatures. My conscience convicts me big time if I try to hide flaws or withhold information for personal gain. Make sure you act professionally and not shady. Also, pray pray pray

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

By all methods? Can a Christian earn their own income and support themselves and their families by selling meth or being a loan shark?

Those are extremes and are clearly criminal.

 

[Open Heart]

Those are extremes and are clearly criminal.

The point is that a Christian cannot make a profit and support their family by using other people and hurting them in some way. Whether it's legal or illegal is beside the point.

 

[Wordkeeper]

The point is that a Christian cannot make a profit and support their family by using other people and hurting them in some way. Whether it's legal or illegal is beside the point.

Absolutely. It may upset some of us to be disabused of the notion that there is such a thing as righteous mammon, but it's a fact. Repentance: is from dependence on the world for bread that perishes to dependence on God for revelation, with all the other things added on to us. To make it even more stark, the darkness that those who do not repent from are accused of holding on to, is exactly this clinging, to worldly sources for perishable bread. You see it in Israel, unable to leave Egypt for temporal bread, even when they had cried out against it's assault on her nobler sentiments. Even the richest person in the world knows that they are sellouts, compromising on their better nature, their ideals, when they involve themselves in serving mammon for earthly gain.

The world seems to be set up so that those who work hardest survive and thrive. So much so that hard work is often portrayed as a virtue. What it falls to recognise is that when there is a gain that is also a loss, when someone wins, another person has lost. There is no such thing as a win-win situation.

It seems that there is no solution to this dilemma, as the obvious one is too impractical, too counter intuitive. To ensure others benefit requires loss to ourselves.

Scripture offers God's solution.

When God dwells amongst men, He can make the losing situation a winning one. The point of the incident at Meribah was God's revelation that He could provide, make up for loss. God intentionally withheld water so that He could produce it out of thin air. With that ability on display, Israel could do anything, risk anything to rescue mankind, reach fulfilment of the promise to Abraham.

These displays of God's ability were not gratuitous manifestations of strength, testing the Lord, as Israel setting out against the enemy without God's presence was, and Jesus leaping from a high place would have been. They were manifestations with purpose, intentionality. God is glorified, His abilities highlighted, held up to increase visibility, so that OTHERS are moved to leave dependency on Egypt and switch to dependency on God. That's why the mistake Moses made, that deprived him of the credit of being the one to lead Israel into the Promises Land was so serious. It undid all the faith in God, that had been so laboriously built up.

It's an educative exercise to study what Jesus did in His ministry.

Hint: He had not come to solve the problem of poverty.

Another hint: He was impatient with how much He had to do, to reveal God's ability and willingness to fulfil God's promise to Abraham.

Imagine. God showed His ability to conquer hunger thirst and sickness. His feast was when He displayed His ability to conquer death, the price to be paid to bless the world. The wedding garment is a shroud. Come dressed appropriately. When you hear His voice.

Psalms 78:19
They spoke against God by asking, "Is God able to prepare a feast in the desert? NET Bible