The Multiplier Effect

4 minutes read.

Say the government decides to increase its investment in the education sector by £4 billion. This implies that teachers' salaries may increase. Suppose one of the teachers decides to increase his child’s allowance. His child may choose to buy more sweets than he normally does at a local store.

The £4 billion investment made by the government in the education sector has increased the income and consumption level of the teacher, child, store owner, and the nation.

Like the ripple effect of a drop of water in the sea, this is the multiplier effect.

Photo source

According to John Keynes, "Any form of government spending could lead to cycles of economic prosperity and increased employment, raising gross domestic product (GDP) to levels higher than the cost." (Andrew, 2024)

Therefore, one pound of government spending, will generate more than a pound in the economic growth of a country.

Biblical perspective

The multiplier effect was first theorized and founded by God, not Paul Samuelson or John Keynes (Luque, 2023)

In Genesis 1:28, the first instruction God gave Adam and Eve was to 'be fruitful and multiply.'

Yes, He meant they should give birth but it was deeper than that. Remember that humans, just like God, are tripartite beings. So, although Adam and Eve physically obeyed the instruction, spiritually they didn’t -couldn’t.

This is because they had already fallen before they gave birth (multiplied), that’s why Genesis 5:3 says that when Adam eventually begat a son, it was after his own likeness – not God’s.

When God said to be fruitful and multiply, He meant after His own likeness, in which Adam was created -not Adam's.

This shows how the actions of one man affected the world. Adam did multiply, but not after God's likeness.

God's redemptive multiplication plan

Knowing this principle, God decided to come down himself to right the wrongs -by being the one pound of government spending.

He came down and manifested himself in the person of Jesus Christ. On his way back to heaven, there were two important instructions among many others, that He pointed out to his disciples:

• a.)   To preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15)
• b.)   To wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8)

When I studied Genesis 1:28 and Mark 16:15, I realized that they are very similar.

Both refer to the fact that we as individuals must go out and multiply to make other humans look more like their creator.  

How can we multiply?

Jesus knew that the disciples would not be able to preach (multiply) the gospel without the Holy Spirit because of their fallen state (Acts 1:4-8).

"Multiply", means “to obtain from another which contains the first number a specific number of times.”

Multiplication can not occur without the first number.

So, to effectively preach the gospel, they needed the first number/ the one pound of government spending -the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the constant variable needed in the multiplication of Christ-like souls (Acts 1:4-8)

Call to Action

Everyone wants the world to be a better place but is not focusing on how to make the world a better place.

While that is not my main focus, the world can actually be a better place when you tell people about Christ, when they get to know their creator.

Just one action from YOU and I with the Holy Spirit as your constant variable, can cause a ripple effect on God's creation.

Referring to the photo, just like the drop of water, YOU and I too can change the world by evangelizing - multiplying.

Imagine a world full of individuals filled with the Holy Spirit.

That way, the world would be fully multiplied in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:29) 

That is what Eden would have looked like.

That is the true multiplier effect.

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Bibliography: 

Andrew, B. (2024) Keynesian Multiplier: What It Is and How It’s Used. [online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/keynesian-multiplier.asp#:~:text=A%20Keynesian%20multiplier%20demonstrates%20that%20the%20economy%20will

Bible Gateway (2024) Bible Gateway. Available at: https://www.biblegateway.com/ 

Luque, I. (2023). The Multiplier Effect | Definition, Examples & Analysis. [online] Perlego Knowledge Base. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/knowledge/study-guides/what-is-the-multiplier-effect/