The wicked borrow and do not repay (Psalm 37:21). This is what many Christians accept to be true. What about borrowing outside of one's means?
Many in the modern Church, that is, the body of Christ of today, are in debt which are beyond their means. They borrow money for which they do not have the money to repay it when they borrow. By borrowing money outside of one's means, one is borrowing money that one cannot repay. This is no different from borrowing money and not repaying.
One might argue that simply because one borrows more money than can be repaid at the time of borrowing does not mean that one is borrowing outside of one's means. One can repay it later, such persons would add with sophistry, as is the way the typical western Christian of the 21st century speaks. The typical western Christian of the 21st century adds all kinds of stupid, foolish and just outright dumb qualifications, limitations and contextualisations to that in the Bible which is already very clear. This is precisely a manifestation of the flesh rearing its head, such that even a true convert thinks he knows better than God. Proverbs 3:7 warns: "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil".
Borrowing money outside of one's means, is simply to borrow money beyond the ability to repay. As long as one does not have the repayment money at the time borrowing to repay one's debts, one is borrowing outside of one's means. Many in the modern Church would feel anxious when hearing this. Such anxiety comes from the bondage to debt. Bondage is anything that keeps a person enslaved to something, controlling the persons' mind, heart, and spirit. Debt is one example of something that keeps people in bondage. Thus, debt should be avoided.
The Bible gives an example of the spiritual effect of debt on people: "And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men" (1 Samuel 22:2). By being in debt, he will be at a great danger of falling into serving mammon, owing to his constant need to seek one's earthly things. Debt is not desirable for a Christian. He should not get into debt because it keeps him in bondage to the spirit of mammon who is behind debt.
Seeking one's earthly needs is exactly the opposite of what Jesus said. He said: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes (Matthew 6:24-25)?
The true Christian should always ask God to direct him in all his ways, including in the area of finance. It is not some "minor" issue as some mammonised Christians try to make it out to be, in seeking to avoid all conviction about his attempt to serve both God and mammon, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
Many in the modern Church rely in their own 'understanding', which is not understanding at all. This is exactly why it is full of debates and disagreements over what various parts of the Bible mean. It is not being of one mind and one spirit as the Bible commands: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Division in the Church is not necessarily caused by people who are just trying to stir up "trouble". Division in the Church can arise out of such disagreements in doctrine, owing to some being proud, relying on their own human understanding. This is the manifestation of vile, abominable, evil human thinking in the Church. Where this is the case, it is warranted that the Church should be stirred up to rely solely on the wisdom of God, and not on one's own "wisdom.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
No doctrine is more division than what Jesus meant when He said no one can serve both God and mammon today. One can speak to most Christians about any doctrine and they will not be stirred up, or, if they do become stirred up, they will calm down to some extent upon hearing an Biblical explanation of the doctrine. However, when it comes to the issue of mammon, all of a sudden, such people grow claws and devil's horns. They start trying by all manner of ways to pervert, minimise, qualify or contextualise the teachings of Jesus on not serving God and mammon. They speak doctrines of demons when seeking to do so.
To borrow beyond what one can repay at the time of borrowing, is not only to rely on one's own understanding, though it certainly is. It is to set oneself up to serve mammon, through bondage to debt. The issue here is not how much debt one has, what one's purchasing power is, or what one's income is. As long as one borrows as single cent outside of one's means, one is borrowing without repaying. It is wicked. It is a manifestation of pride, thinking that one is so rich, when one is really needy, by having to pay out debt.
One ensnares oneself into serving mammon by borrowing money. How much more will he who borrows beyond his means ensnare himself, in his own pride, thinking he is rich when he is poor!
Many in the modern Church, that is, the body of Christ of today, are in debt which are beyond their means. They borrow money for which they do not have the money to repay it when they borrow. By borrowing money outside of one's means, one is borrowing money that one cannot repay. This is no different from borrowing money and not repaying.
One might argue that simply because one borrows more money than can be repaid at the time of borrowing does not mean that one is borrowing outside of one's means. One can repay it later, such persons would add with sophistry, as is the way the typical western Christian of the 21st century speaks. The typical western Christian of the 21st century adds all kinds of stupid, foolish and just outright dumb qualifications, limitations and contextualisations to that in the Bible which is already very clear. This is precisely a manifestation of the flesh rearing its head, such that even a true convert thinks he knows better than God. Proverbs 3:7 warns: "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil".
Borrowing money outside of one's means, is simply to borrow money beyond the ability to repay. As long as one does not have the repayment money at the time borrowing to repay one's debts, one is borrowing outside of one's means. Many in the modern Church would feel anxious when hearing this. Such anxiety comes from the bondage to debt. Bondage is anything that keeps a person enslaved to something, controlling the persons' mind, heart, and spirit. Debt is one example of something that keeps people in bondage. Thus, debt should be avoided.
The Bible gives an example of the spiritual effect of debt on people: "And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men" (1 Samuel 22:2). By being in debt, he will be at a great danger of falling into serving mammon, owing to his constant need to seek one's earthly things. Debt is not desirable for a Christian. He should not get into debt because it keeps him in bondage to the spirit of mammon who is behind debt.
Seeking one's earthly needs is exactly the opposite of what Jesus said. He said: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes (Matthew 6:24-25)?
The true Christian should always ask God to direct him in all his ways, including in the area of finance. It is not some "minor" issue as some mammonised Christians try to make it out to be, in seeking to avoid all conviction about his attempt to serve both God and mammon, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
Many in the modern Church rely in their own 'understanding', which is not understanding at all. This is exactly why it is full of debates and disagreements over what various parts of the Bible mean. It is not being of one mind and one spirit as the Bible commands: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Division in the Church is not necessarily caused by people who are just trying to stir up "trouble". Division in the Church can arise out of such disagreements in doctrine, owing to some being proud, relying on their own human understanding. This is the manifestation of vile, abominable, evil human thinking in the Church. Where this is the case, it is warranted that the Church should be stirred up to rely solely on the wisdom of God, and not on one's own "wisdom.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).
No doctrine is more division than what Jesus meant when He said no one can serve both God and mammon today. One can speak to most Christians about any doctrine and they will not be stirred up, or, if they do become stirred up, they will calm down to some extent upon hearing an Biblical explanation of the doctrine. However, when it comes to the issue of mammon, all of a sudden, such people grow claws and devil's horns. They start trying by all manner of ways to pervert, minimise, qualify or contextualise the teachings of Jesus on not serving God and mammon. They speak doctrines of demons when seeking to do so.
To borrow beyond what one can repay at the time of borrowing, is not only to rely on one's own understanding, though it certainly is. It is to set oneself up to serve mammon, through bondage to debt. The issue here is not how much debt one has, what one's purchasing power is, or what one's income is. As long as one borrows as single cent outside of one's means, one is borrowing without repaying. It is wicked. It is a manifestation of pride, thinking that one is so rich, when one is really needy, by having to pay out debt.
One ensnares oneself into serving mammon by borrowing money. How much more will he who borrows beyond his means ensnare himself, in his own pride, thinking he is rich when he is poor!
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