Is it better, spiritually, to be poor than to be rich?

How does one's financial status affect one's spiritual status? Or is
there any effect at all? Which is better, to be poor or rich? This
topic has long been debated within the church. Israel was promised
freedom from poverty if the people followed God's laws (Deuteronomy
15:4). Yet Jesus taught that the poor are blessed (Luke 6:20).

The apostle Paul addressed the issue of wealth in 1 Timothy 6:8–10:
"If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who
want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager
for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with
many griefs." Having money is not wrong, but loving money is. The
abundance of money or the lack of money is less important than our
spiritual condition.

In Jewish culture, poverty and even disability were often seen as the
result of someone's personal sin. In John 9:1–2, the disciples of
Jesus asked, "'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was
born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus,
'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in
him.'" While human nature often attributes poverty or other weaknesses
to something wrong a person has done, God can and does use such
circumstances to work His perfect plan.

The account of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17–22 shows how riches
can be a spiritual stumbling block. Jesus told the young man to sell
his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow Jesus.
The man walked away sad because he was a man of much wealth. In this
case, the man's wealth was a negative since it kept him from following
Christ. He loved his money more than he loved Jesus.

While many of the psalms and proverbs speak matter-of-factly regarding
the benefits of wealth and struggles of poverty, the Bible is clear
that both poverty and wealth can be the will of God and a blessing
from God. Jesus lived in relative poverty; Solomon was blessed with
significant wealth. King David had a humble beginning and a wealthy
ending. The apostles followed Christ to persecution and martyrdom;
they were not regarded as wealthy, but they used all they had to share
Christ with others (Luke 18:28). "Rich and poor have this in common:
The LORD is the Maker of them all" (Proverbs 22:2).

The human perspective sees wealth as a blessing and poverty as a
curse. God's plan is much greater and uses both wealth and poverty to
accomplish His will. We are to avoid the temptation to see wealth as
God's only blessing and instead be content in any and every
circumstance, knowing that God's blessings are not defined by our
possessions in this world but are found in their fullness in a kingdom
not of this world.