Forgive us our Debts
The Lord redeemed His people from slavery in Egypt, therefore they were His people by right of redemption. Consequently, His people were not to be enslaved to the nations nor, especially, to one another. When an Israelite became so impoverished that he had to sell himself into bondage to a fellow Israelite or a resident non-Israelite, severe treatment was prohibited and a right of redemption was available to a relative or to the slave himself if he recovered sufficient means. In any case, the slave was to be released in the seventh year.
While some forms and conditions of employment can approximate slavery, an especially clear case of bondage in our current culture is debt slavery. The borrower becomes the lender’s slave. Four financial states can be identified. On the positive side there is abundance (investments) and surplus (savings). On the negative side, there is deficit (day late and dollar short) and bondage (minimum payments). Good debt is debt that you can pay off in full and on time. Good debt may not be wise, but it’s not bad debt which is debt you can’t pay off in full and on time. There ought to be no interest on loans for necessities (food, clothing, shelter) while loans for gain rightly involve shared interest.
The wages of sin is debt, therefore, we should not borrow unless we must nor should we co-sign a loan. If we borrow, we must have reasonable certainty that we can service the loan faithfully. If we do not have that certainty, we should not take a loan or co-sign for one. If we find ourselves in debt slavery (e.g., unable to repay in full and on time, paying only minimum amounts or interest only) we should seek someone to redeem us from this bondage. Ultimately, we should flee to Christ to redeem us from the unpayable debt of our sin (Mt.6:12) even as debtors fled to David (1Sam.22:2) and the widow to the judge (Lk.18:3; note: “bankruptcy protection”).
A frequent financial goal is to get out of debt and, while this is important, simply doing this and providing for ourselves are inadequate objectives. We are to work hard not only to avoid having to steal or to get out of debt or even to provide for ourselves. Rather, we are to work hard in order to have enough to share with those who have need. We are to give generously to those in need of basic things and we are to lend to them for these things without expecting repayment and certainly without charging interest. We should relieve from a payment when the debtor is unable to make one and we should forgive the entire loan if we are able. We must, however, not make a loan when repayment is needed to fulfill our own obligations. Our motivation in generously giving gifts and forgiving loans is love for the Lord’s grace and mercy to us and to seek to engender love for God and His people when we show grace and mercy to our needy brothers and neighbors. When possible, we should enable debtors to pay their loans. When they are truly unable to do so, we should redeem them from debt and enable them, by counsel and gifts, to stay out of debt. We should find great encouragement in God’s accounting our loans to the needy as loans to Him for which He will pay a handsome interest. We should earnestly seek this ministry of mercy because The Day will come when “all debts are off” and the opportunity to invest in the Lord will end.
The greatest issue of debt is our debt to God for our sins and our dues to Him for perfect righteousness. We are not just under water, we are under wrath! Each of these obligations is unpayable and we can find refuge only in Jesus who has paid off our debts in His perfect death and paid up our dues in His perfect life. But also in financial matters, if we have unpayable debts or dues, we must ask for help; first, from family and friends, and then from the proper authorities in church and state. If our debt is the wages of our sin, we need to confess and repent. If our debt is the consequence of the sins of others against us, we need an advocate with wisdom and resources. And when our Elders or Deacons inquire with us, we must answer honestly, and humbly accept counsel and help. When we as Christians and churches deliver people from debt slavery, we are preaching the Gospel by proclaiming freedom to the prisoner. This ministry of mercy requires a significant alms fund and great wisdom. But one can hardly imagine a more powerful and challenging evangelistic outreach than this.
Pastor-Teacher (Emeritus) Kit Swartz For links to a video of a sermon on this subject and/or a pdf outline with copious references, email oswegorpc@hotmail.com.
