Christianity in Economic Terms | A New Perspective | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

Christianity in Economic Terms | A New Perspective

Sometimes looking at something in different ways can help you better understand that thing and that is why I want to share a viewpoint of Christianity based on economic terminology.

84
Christianity in Economic Terms | A New Perspective
https://d2v9y0dukr6mq2.cloudfront.net/video/thumbnail/4GjHov7we/this-is-a-video-shot-of-a-golden-weight-scales-balancing-the-object-is-illuminated-in-front-front-part-is-defocused-the-back-part-is-in-focus-blurred-black-background_ndg7dzy1yx__F0000.png

For those of you who don't know, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing. As a student in the College of Business, I am required to take many basic business and economics classes including microeconomics and macroeconomics. This semester, I am taking microeconomics, and while I have learned a lot about how economics works in general, I have also learned a lot more about Christianity through this class and have learned new terminology that I have found useful in explaining Christianity. I wanted to share this because I have found it fascinating and I hope you do too!

The first terms that I learned about and applied to the concept of Christianity were trade-offs and opportunity costs. Merriam-Webster defines a trade-off as "a giving up of one thing in return for another." The English Oxford Living Dictionary defines an opportunity cost as "the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen." Essentially what this means is that when you make a decision, you have to make trade-offs and those trade-offs result in there being an opportunity cost. Now that I have defined these terms, let's think about the trade-offs and opportunity costs involved with becoming a Christian. The first thing that comes to mind is that you give up a life of sin to live a life of obedience. You are also giving up your old life to be made new in Christ. These are two key concepts that relate to becoming a Christian, and I will go into more detail on them later, but let's think more about other possible trade-offs and opportunity costs of Christianity. Another one is that you could be sleeping in instead of going to church. You could also be saving up to buy something expensive instead of tithing. Instead of paying to go on a mission trip over spring break that is labor-intensive, you could be paying to go on a vacation over spring break to party and relax. Lastly, you could be watching Netflix instead of having quiet time where you are diving into God's word. While some of these things may seem silly, they are all examples of trade-offs and opportunity costs. While to some non-believers these examples would be simple sacrifices rather than trade-offs, this is where marginal thinking comes into play.

Marginal thinking is another term that I have learned so far in Microeconomics. Marginal thinking essentially is the concept of considering whether or not the benefit is greater than the cost. When we make decisions, we have to weigh the benefits and the costs to make the right decision. Let's look at the examples that I mentioned earlier of trade-offs and opportunity costs. The first example that I gave is that you give up a life of sin to live a life of obedience. If you are trying to think marginally, you would see that while you can fill your life with sin to try to fix what is missing, the truth is that only God can satisfy you. This is shown many times throughout the Bible, but a few examples can be found in John 6:35, Psalm 107:9, Psalm 22:26, and Psalm 16:11. Another example that I mentioned was that you are sacrificing your old life to be made new in Christ. While this may sound kind of sad, the reality is that you were dead in your sins, but God made you new and brought you to life (Ephesians 2:1-5). I also said that you could be sleeping instead of going to church and while sleeping in may give you temporary rest, only God can give us true rest (Matthew 11:28). Also, you could be saving up to buy something expensive instead of tithing, but Paul says that the love of money is the root of evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and by not tithing, you are robbing God (Malachi 3:8). While serving on a mission trip instead of going on vacation may seem like a sacrifice to some, most believers know that serving the Lord not only makes your heart happy, but your hard work will also be rewarded (Exodus 23:25). Lastly, I said that you could be watching Netflix instead of having quiet time and reading God's word, but by reading His word and spending time with Him, you are growing closer to Him (James 4:8). Now that I have explained all of these examples, it isn't hard to see that the benefits of following Christ far outweigh the costs.

I couldn't move onto the next topic without mentioning the ultimate example of trade-offs and opportunity costs: Jesus. As John 6:38 states, Jesus left heaven to come down to earth to save us. His opportunity cost of saving us was comfort in heaven, and he traded that for an uncomfortable and horrendous death here on earth. His life on earth was not all rainbows and butterflies. He was second-guessed, betrayed, tortured, judged, crucified, and spit on. Even though He was fully God, He was also fully man which means that He still experienced pain. The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35 "Jesus wept." This verse shows the pain that Jesus endured. Even after all that He endured for our expense and after the pain that we inflicted upon him, He still loved us enough to ask God to forgive us (Luke 23:34). Jesus came down to earth to save us even though his opportunity costs were high. He chose between being comfortable and painful death all for us. If that doesn't leave you in awe, I don't know what will.

If you weren't convinced about how much better it is to follow Christ than to not, keep reading! Another topic that I learned more about in microeconomics was incentives. While most of Y'all probably already know what incentives are, The English Oxford Living Dictionary defines an incentive as "a thing that motivates or encourages one to do something." There are an infinite amount of incentives for Christianity, but I thought I would list a few with some biblical references as well. As Christians, we are promised eternal life in John 3:16 and John 5:24 (as well as many other times throughout the Bible). An essential part of our gift of eternal life is that we get to spend eternity with God, as discussed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. We are also given salvation, a place at God's table and grace as mentioned in Ephesians 2:1-8. God also gives us wisdom, as specified in Proverbs 2:6, and a personal relationship with Him.

As you can see, being a Christian is not just a sacrifice with nothing in return; it's quite the opposite. We are given so much as children of God and all we have to do is believe in Jesus. We are given so much, but we deserve none of it. In my microeconomics class, we would talk about the opportunity costs of different people producing different goods. We would discuss trading options as a result of specialization and whether or not each person would be happy with the proposed trade. If you think about it, we bring nothing to the table, and God brings everything. We are broken, but God loves us regardless. Our opportunity costs are quite low, so it would make logical sense for us to leave everything behind and follow Him, but it wouldn't make logical sense for God to save us when you look at His opportunity costs, yet He did it nonetheless. I am constantly in awe of God's endless love for us and I hope that y'all were able to see how viewing Christianity in economic terms can give you a new perspective on things.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

187805
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

13361
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

456713
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

25927
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments