Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 13.02.2011
A debt obliges
Indebtedness guides our daily decisions. Therefore it matters what kind of indebtedness we have. Do you owe someone money or love?
Is it wrong to be in debt?
Jesus speaks to a possible lender as follows: "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Matt.5:42 Jesus encourages us to lend, but He doesn't urge us to borrow. We need not lend to everyone who asks, although we should listen to the needs of everyone. Motives for borrowing are often wrong. We also can lend to a wrong-minded borrower but without expecting to get anything back. Because lending is not wrong also borrowing must be acceptable.
A borrower doesn't commit a sin, but who does not borrow does better.
Paul says: "Owe no one anything except to love one another." Ro.13:8 He doesn't speak about overdue debt payments but urges us to live without loans. If you have a loan you owe, although you are paying off instalments in due time.
He urges us to be free from debts, and to live not only without money debts but also all other debts except for one. "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor." Ro.13:7 Give honor to whom it is due. If someone did well toward you, give thanks to him. Don't remain indebted. If someone has a position of authority, honor him by treating him according to his position.
If you have experienced God's love in the death and the resurrection of Jesus, then you owe your neighbour, not money, but love. This debt of love you can pay off by treating everyone with the same love God loved you. Many believers are slow to experience this kind of indebtedness, but quick to raise money loans. Therefore Paul said that owe no one anything but love.
A financial debt can prevent us from paying off our debt of love. Our love to God sets us free from our worldly targets, which decreases our need to take up loans. On the other hand our financial debt often binds us to our worldly targets, which can prevent us from binding ourselves to the aspirations of God's love.
I am not better than those people who don't believe in Jesus. I shall be allowed to go into the Paradise of God without my own credit. Anyone can get the same grace. This fact makes me a debtor to godless people. I owe them the gospel. Therefore also Paul writes as follows: "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also." Ro.1:14-15
Jesus speaks to a possible lender as follows: "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Matt.5:42 Jesus encourages us to lend, but He doesn't urge us to borrow. We need not lend to everyone who asks, although we should listen to the needs of everyone. Motives for borrowing are often wrong. We also can lend to a wrong-minded borrower but without expecting to get anything back. Because lending is not wrong also borrowing must be acceptable.
A borrower doesn't commit a sin, but who does not borrow does better.
Paul says: "Owe no one anything except to love one another." Ro.13:8 He doesn't speak about overdue debt payments but urges us to live without loans. If you have a loan you owe, although you are paying off instalments in due time.
He urges us to be free from debts, and to live not only without money debts but also all other debts except for one. "Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor." Ro.13:7 Give honor to whom it is due. If someone did well toward you, give thanks to him. Don't remain indebted. If someone has a position of authority, honor him by treating him according to his position.
If you have experienced God's love in the death and the resurrection of Jesus, then you owe your neighbour, not money, but love. This debt of love you can pay off by treating everyone with the same love God loved you. Many believers are slow to experience this kind of indebtedness, but quick to raise money loans. Therefore Paul said that owe no one anything but love.
A financial debt can prevent us from paying off our debt of love. Our love to God sets us free from our worldly targets, which decreases our need to take up loans. On the other hand our financial debt often binds us to our worldly targets, which can prevent us from binding ourselves to the aspirations of God's love.
I am not better than those people who don't believe in Jesus. I shall be allowed to go into the Paradise of God without my own credit. Anyone can get the same grace. This fact makes me a debtor to godless people. I owe them the gospel. Therefore also Paul writes as follows: "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also." Ro.1:14-15
Getting into debts and saving
A financial loan is a money transfer from the future to the present day. Saving money is a money transfer from the past to the present or to the future. He who controls himself, saves, but an immoderate man lives on credit. The lust to enjoy today and not tomorrow is a wrong motive to raise a loan.
God's love advises those who belong to Jesus as follows: "Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble." Ro.12:16 How high things should we not seek and how modest conditions should we be satisfied with? It is always relative and depends on the society where we live in. When a believer is evaluating his need to take up a loan he should ask himself, is he settling for modest conditions or is he seeking high things by borrowing money.
Many buy on credit because they want higher living standard today at the expense of the future. However they don't know if they will live tomorrow. A confidence in the economic success in the future should not be accepted as a valid security for a loan. You will not leave behind you more debts than funds when you go to God's Paradise, will you! If you treat your lender with God's love, you won't allow him to suffer a credit loss for your sake.
The lust of owning can cause us to save excessively and the lust of using to buy on credit. The experiences of God's love in His sacrifice on Golgotha make us free from bad lusts. Therefore God's people are not stingy, nor do they live on credit.
A financial loan is a money transfer from the future to the present day. Saving money is a money transfer from the past to the present or to the future. He who controls himself, saves, but an immoderate man lives on credit. The lust to enjoy today and not tomorrow is a wrong motive to raise a loan.
God's love advises those who belong to Jesus as follows: "Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble." Ro.12:16 How high things should we not seek and how modest conditions should we be satisfied with? It is always relative and depends on the society where we live in. When a believer is evaluating his need to take up a loan he should ask himself, is he settling for modest conditions or is he seeking high things by borrowing money.
Many buy on credit because they want higher living standard today at the expense of the future. However they don't know if they will live tomorrow. A confidence in the economic success in the future should not be accepted as a valid security for a loan. You will not leave behind you more debts than funds when you go to God's Paradise, will you! If you treat your lender with God's love, you won't allow him to suffer a credit loss for your sake.
The lust of owning can cause us to save excessively and the lust of using to buy on credit. The experiences of God's love in His sacrifice on Golgotha make us free from bad lusts. Therefore God's people are not stingy, nor do they live on credit.
God as a lender
God has given us a loan we must pay Him back. He has lent us our life in this world and given us freedom to do as we want. How have you used your freedom? Soon you will die and then you must account to God for your life. You cannot pay the costs of your bad deeds with your good deeds but you still owe Him. Even one single of your sins is so expensive that you are not able to pay for it with all the good deeds of your life.
If you had lived well in everything according to God's will, He would have got back His own. Now you owe God the goodness, which He didn't get from your life. With what do you pay Him your debt?
God became man in Jesus Christ and lived His life according to His goodness. If only the perfect life of Jesus were credited for you your debt would be paid. Just in this way God has prepared the way out from your sin debt for you.
However the good human life of Jesus could not be credited for you, had He not died for you. Everyone deserves the punishment in accordance with his own evilness. Jesus suffered it instead of you so that you could own His goodness. Your sin debt can be paid with the blood of Jesus.
The only thing you can do is to receive God's love.
You can receive God's love by repenting your sins for the reason that Jesus died for you. Be ashamed of your evilness before the goodness of God and confess you are bad and deserve His judgment. The goodness of God leads you to turn to Him. Do you allow the hardness of your heart become soft by the power of God's love? Thus you select your eternal portion.
God has given us a loan we must pay Him back. He has lent us our life in this world and given us freedom to do as we want. How have you used your freedom? Soon you will die and then you must account to God for your life. You cannot pay the costs of your bad deeds with your good deeds but you still owe Him. Even one single of your sins is so expensive that you are not able to pay for it with all the good deeds of your life.
If you had lived well in everything according to God's will, He would have got back His own. Now you owe God the goodness, which He didn't get from your life. With what do you pay Him your debt?
God became man in Jesus Christ and lived His life according to His goodness. If only the perfect life of Jesus were credited for you your debt would be paid. Just in this way God has prepared the way out from your sin debt for you.
However the good human life of Jesus could not be credited for you, had He not died for you. Everyone deserves the punishment in accordance with his own evilness. Jesus suffered it instead of you so that you could own His goodness. Your sin debt can be paid with the blood of Jesus.
The only thing you can do is to receive God's love.
You can receive God's love by repenting your sins for the reason that Jesus died for you. Be ashamed of your evilness before the goodness of God and confess you are bad and deserve His judgment. The goodness of God leads you to turn to Him. Do you allow the hardness of your heart become soft by the power of God's love? Thus you select your eternal portion.
Indebtedness binds
Indebtedness obliges us to live in such a way that it enables us to pay back our loan. Thus it guides the decisions of our life. Therefore it matters what kind of indebtedness we have.
Selfishness is natural for us and unselfishness is super natural. Our sinful heart claims that we owe ourselves the maximum pleasure. Believers are warned just against this indebtedness as follows: "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Ro.8:12-13
Our sinful nature causes us to experience the strong indebtedness to live "at full blast" so that we would have all possible pleasures before we will die. The new life in Jesus sets us free from our debt to "the flesh". Instead we owe God that we live for Him and not for ourselves. "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2Co.5:14-15
The indebtedness that comes from the love of Christ doesn't mean buying the salvation with our own deeds, but it is grace that comes from the grace that gave us salvation. There are believers who want to be free from the claims of Christ's love. They have received forgiveness of their sins by the grace of God but they still want to live for themselves and not for Jesus, because their heart is hard against God's love.
They are in danger to die spiritually because the Bible says: "if you live according to the flesh you will die". They are up to their ears in debt to their sinful nature so that they mishear God's gospel. They hear grace as the freedom to live for themselves. They reject their debt of love regarding it as being under law, because they want to stay carnal. It is great mercy of God to be allowed to live for Jesus!
Indebtedness obliges us to live in such a way that it enables us to pay back our loan. Thus it guides the decisions of our life. Therefore it matters what kind of indebtedness we have.
Selfishness is natural for us and unselfishness is super natural. Our sinful heart claims that we owe ourselves the maximum pleasure. Believers are warned just against this indebtedness as follows: "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors - not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Ro.8:12-13
Our sinful nature causes us to experience the strong indebtedness to live "at full blast" so that we would have all possible pleasures before we will die. The new life in Jesus sets us free from our debt to "the flesh". Instead we owe God that we live for Him and not for ourselves. "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2Co.5:14-15
The indebtedness that comes from the love of Christ doesn't mean buying the salvation with our own deeds, but it is grace that comes from the grace that gave us salvation. There are believers who want to be free from the claims of Christ's love. They have received forgiveness of their sins by the grace of God but they still want to live for themselves and not for Jesus, because their heart is hard against God's love.
They are in danger to die spiritually because the Bible says: "if you live according to the flesh you will die". They are up to their ears in debt to their sinful nature so that they mishear God's gospel. They hear grace as the freedom to live for themselves. They reject their debt of love regarding it as being under law, because they want to stay carnal. It is great mercy of God to be allowed to live for Jesus!
Always someone pays
Living on credit is life "according to the flesh". It is normal life of a natural man, but he who is spiritual doesn't consider it normal. Therefore a carnal believer must be transformed into spiritual and not just give up from living on credit. Only a deeper experience of God's love makes us spiritual.
He who borrowed money and doesn't even try to pay back his loan, lives with the same attitude as a believer who received forgiveness of his sins but doesn't fight against temptations to live without sinning.
The same selfish attitude that misuses a money loan, also misuses the grace of God. A debtor who is relaxed by his lust doesn't keep it in his mind that he doesn't yet own the property gained on credit. Therefore he uses it as if it already were his own. When he hears that Jesus forgives sins he can receive it with joy without thinking at all how much his salvation cost God.
Remember that always someone pays, although it would be free for you. A free salvation doesn't exist. The payment of your salvation cost God everything. He sacrificed His only Son. Repent your evilness because of this vision and fall in love with God. You cannot give your life to Jesus before you first have experienced God's love.
How we use our money reflects on our relationship to God. Jesus says: "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" Lu.16:11-12 Worldly debts and funds pass away but the true debts and funds stand for ever. I hope you will have riches in eternity instead of being closed into eternal prison of debtors.
God doesn't accept living beyond one's means. However He longingly is waiting for the return of a lost son back to the Father. Let His love break our selfish hearts.
Living on credit is life "according to the flesh". It is normal life of a natural man, but he who is spiritual doesn't consider it normal. Therefore a carnal believer must be transformed into spiritual and not just give up from living on credit. Only a deeper experience of God's love makes us spiritual.
He who borrowed money and doesn't even try to pay back his loan, lives with the same attitude as a believer who received forgiveness of his sins but doesn't fight against temptations to live without sinning.
The same selfish attitude that misuses a money loan, also misuses the grace of God. A debtor who is relaxed by his lust doesn't keep it in his mind that he doesn't yet own the property gained on credit. Therefore he uses it as if it already were his own. When he hears that Jesus forgives sins he can receive it with joy without thinking at all how much his salvation cost God.
Remember that always someone pays, although it would be free for you. A free salvation doesn't exist. The payment of your salvation cost God everything. He sacrificed His only Son. Repent your evilness because of this vision and fall in love with God. You cannot give your life to Jesus before you first have experienced God's love.
How we use our money reflects on our relationship to God. Jesus says: "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?" Lu.16:11-12 Worldly debts and funds pass away but the true debts and funds stand for ever. I hope you will have riches in eternity instead of being closed into eternal prison of debtors.
God doesn't accept living beyond one's means. However He longingly is waiting for the return of a lost son back to the Father. Let His love break our selfish hearts.
The Bible version used in references is NKJV