Is collecting a sin?

"Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." —1 Corinthians 10:31

I used to have a chair problem. I've always enjoyed discovering unique or antique comfy chairs and finding places for them in my home. It used to be that my collection of chairs would simply result in an unused pile in my garage. I was spending money on things I never used or enjoyed, and, in fact, ended up causing me a lot of stress because of the clutter.

These days, I don't get more than we have room for, or I make sure to replace an old chair with whatever new one comes in. The pile in my garage had become an idol to me—things I felt I had to have but were actually a waste of money and space in my house and heart. That kind of collecting is not helpful in the life of a believer.

When it comes to our hobbies and interests, unless it's morally obvious, we generally have freedom to do the things that we enjoy doing. If we're questioning if something we do is "right or wrong," one of the things we can do is examine our motivations behind doing the thing in question.

Since the Bible never tells us that we can't collect objects or be a part of a fandom, we've got to turn to biblical principles rather than one specific passage about sin. Some of the big ones are:

1. Does this activity add to or subtract from my ability to glorify God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
2. Am I harming myself or anyone else? (1 John 1:7)
3. Does this negatively affect my mental health or spiritual journey? (1 Timothy 4:8)

It's OK to Enjoy Life

We want to be clear that not everything in our life has to be explicitly "spiritual." It's OK to do things that are morally neutral—neither good nor bad. God isn't trying to sap the fun out of life or make us miserable. Collections can be an enjoyable hobby, a background feature of our personalities, and a way to display our interests where we live. Collections are not inherently going to always cause harm.

The things that are called sin in the Bible have an inherently negative effect on our lives, our relationships, and our faith. The things that are a matter of personal conviction require spiritual discernment in the moment rather than a blanket "yes" or "no."

People Are More Important Than Things

"The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." —1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)

Things can be replaced. People can't. Relationships with others is definitely more important than any stuff you own (Ecclesiastes 4:10), and stuff is not worth damaging friendships or relations with family (Romans 12:18). Here are a few checks and balances to examine the effects of your collection on your life.

1. Do you feel overly possessive about your collection? (Luke 12:15)
2. Are you envious about someone else's stuff? (James 3:16)
3. Has your collection become a source of unhealthy pride? (Proverbs 27:2)

If you're finding that your collection is causing more harm than doing good in your life and relationships, then it's time to reconsider if that collection is worth damaging your ability to live your life for Christ (1 John 2:15-17).

"What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." —James 4:1-3 (NLT)

These are some wise words in James 4. He's talking about how we sometimes live according to the world's wisdom rather than God's wisdom. This kind of living causes fights and disagreements that are completely unnecessary and unhelpful to anyone. Rather than allow things to get in the way of holy living, we must humble ourselves before the Lord and one another—and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to healthy ways to enjoy what we choose to do for fun.

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