Financial Discipleship - The Bible on DebtSample

1 Corinthians 7:23 says, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” There is much gravity in this one verse. But if you read the verses surrounding it for the full context, 1 Corinthians 7:22 says: “For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise, he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.” So, by Jesus’ blood, as people under free will, we were paid for. But to access our Savior and our Father, we now must serve Christ. And 1 Corinthians 7:24 says: “Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.” To save us, Jesus died on the cross. So, from that moment, we’ve been called in our freedom to serve.

It almost sounds like an oxymoron. How can one be free to “serve”? Isn’t freedom the opposite of servitude?

But when we think of Jesus in His righteousness, all He came here to do was serve.

He could have done differently. But He didn’t. He chose to serve us. And this is our chance to do the same and serve Him. Because, as a child of God, our true freedom is found in Jesus. Our true freedom comes with eternal life.

Stop and think about freedom and realize how shackled we are by the debt we willfully walked into (Proverbs 22:7). Our finances were shackled. Imagine our possibilities had there been nothing owed. The mind was shackled, too. We are always thinking about the “what ifs.” What if I lose my job? What if an emergency takes precedence? What if I get a cut in my salary? What if my cost-of-living skyrockets? We become distracted by our worries during the day and haunted by our fear while we sleep at night.

To be controlled by debt, we are not free. We traded in that freedom Jesus paid for to serve our lenders. We can’t focus on caring for others or anything else because all our focus, energy and work is spent on debt. When we don’t follow God’s principles, part of our calling to Christ and others is overtaken (Deuteronomy 28:15, 45).

In Nehemiah 5:1-5, it says the people’s very own sons and daughters became servants. But because their parents mortgaged their vineyards and houses and borrowed to pay taxes on their lands, they had no power to release their children from bondage.

But God has a promise for us. Working our way out of our debts will be a blessing. We will rise, because nothing and no one will lord over us (Deuteronomy 15:4-6; 28:1-2, 12-13).

Whatever the situation you’re facing right now is, know that our God keeps His promises to those who love Him. He will make a way, even when there seems to be no way. Whether we have just a nickel to our name, or just oil in our house (2 Kings 4:1-7). He forgives us even our biggest debts (Luke 7:40-43; Colossians 2:14), so that we have His grace to do the same for each other (Matthew 18:21-35; Philemon 1:18-19).

So, let us not wait for seven years to be freed from our debts (Nehemiah 10:31, Deuteronomy 15:1-6, 31:10-11). Let us be concerned to pay back what is owed, even when we haven’t the slightest clue how. Because when we do, we have the power and the heart to forgive others’ debts. To feed the poor and the needy with an open hand. For an open hand that gives will be open for our Father to release His blessings into our palm.

His blessings unlock our freedom. Our freedom to truly live life loving Him, to love others, and to give to each other.

(Excerpt taken from The Bible on Money, Compass-finances God's way, 2022)